Propagation of solitary compression waves in heterogeneous materials under high-speed loading

Based on the method of molecular dynamics, we investigated the special features of the passage of soliton-like waves, initiated by high-speed loading, through regions with a low atomic density. It is shown that the shape of these waves is mainly determined by the structure of a material region in which they propagate. The decrease in the amplitude of solitary waves is shown to be determined by the defect concentration. This effect is of interest from the viewpoint of developing the methods of monitoring the microdamage build-up in materials.