Mesoscale Descriptions of Shock-Loaded Heterogeneous Porous Materials

Recent simulations and experimental studies have revealed that dispersive waves are associated with impact on heterogeneous materials. The shock response includes fluctuating states and localization effects due to the interaction of multiple waves and deformation at material boundaries. These features have been experimentally‐observed using a line‐imaging interferometer technique in impact tests on thin porous layers of granular sugar crystals. In this work, three‐dimensional numerical simulations are discussed. The focus of this study centers on interrogation of the extensive numerical data from mesoscale simulations. Detailed wave fields are probed using imaging and filtering techniques to determine statistical properties of the shock fields. These methods provide statistical distribution information that will lead to new continuum‐level descriptions for shock‐loaded heterogeneous materials.