Approximate linear stability analysis of a model of adiabatic shear band formation

The formation of adiabatic shear bands in ductile metals under dynamic loading conditions is generally thought to result from a material instability, which is associated with a peak in the curve of engineering plastic flow stress vs. engineering shear strain. This instability arises from the effect of thermal softening, caused by irreversible adiabatic heating, which counteracts the tendency of the material to harden with increasing plastic...