Singular Fields in Plane-Strain Penetration

Local singular fields are investigated in the vicinity of the vertex of a sharp wedge that penetrates a viscous solid. Material behavior is modeled by the usual powerlaw constitutive relation. Wall friction is accounted for by imposing friction factors along the walls of the wedge. The case of a Newtonian fluid is investigated analytically, and sample numerical results are presented for nonlinear strain rate hardening. It is shown that the exponent of strain rate singularity increases as the wedge becomes sharper and smoother. Increasing the hardening parameter also results in a stronger strain rate singularity. High levels of wall friction induce an intensive shear boundary layer near the wall.