The spatial distri
bution of shear
bands was investigated in 304L stainless steel through the radial collapse of a thick-walled cylinder under high-strain-rate deformation (
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4s
−1). The shear-
band initiation and propagation were also examined. Self-organization of multiple adia
batic shear
bands was o
bserved. The effect of grain size on spacing of shear
bands was investigated at four different grain sizes: 30μm, 50μm, 140μm and 280μm. A single crystal with a similar composition was also tested. The experimental results show only a modest variation of shear-
band spacing within the investigated grain size range. Three principal mechanisms are considered to
be active in initiation: (a) momentum diffusion
by stress unloading, (
b) pertur
bation in the stress/strain/temperature fields, (c) microstructural inhomogeneities. The o
bserved shear-
band spacing is compared with existing theories;
Grady–Kipp and
Wright–Ockendon–Molinari theories. These are one-dimensional theories that do not consider the evolution in spacing as the shear
bands grow. A discontinuous growth mode for shear localization under periodic pertur
bation is applied and predicts spacings in good agreement with o
bservations. Self-organized initiation and propagation modes are discussed in relation to the interaction among the nucleus and well-developed shear
bands.