Evolution of a shock pulse in a heterogeneous elastoplastic medium

The propagation of a short compression pulse in heterogeneous targets containing ceramic inclusions of various sizes is studied numerically. The case of a heterogeneous material with inclusions of macroscopic size is considered. It is shown that during propagation in all targets, the initial shape of the shock pulse evolves to a shape corresponding to an elastic stress-strain state in which its amplitude and length do not depend on the distance traveled. It is found that for heterogeneous materials with large inclusions, the rate of decrease in pulse amplitude is greater than for heterogeneous materials with small inclusions.