This monograph deals with the behavior of essentially nonlinear
heterogeneous materials in processes occurring under intense dynamic
loading, where microstructural effects play the main role. This book is
not an introduction to the dynamic behavior of materials, and general
information available in other books is not included. The material
herein is presented in a form I hope will make it useful not only for
researchers working in related areas, but also for graduate students. I
used it successfully to teach a course on the dynamic behavior of
materials at the University of California, San Diego. Another course
well suited to the topic may be nonlinear wave dynamics in solids,
especially the part on strongly nonlinear waves. About 100 problems
presented in the book at the end of each chapter will help the reader to
develop a deeper understanding of the subject. I tried to follow a few
rules in writing this book: (1) To focus on strongly nonlinear phenomena
where there is no small parameter with respect to the amplitude of
disturbance, including solitons, shock waves, and localized shear. (2)
To take into account phenomena sensitive to materials structure, where
typical space scale of material parameters (particle size, cell size)
are presented in the models or are variable in experimental research.