The numerical study of the dynamics of shock compression pulses in
polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and aluminum is performed in both viscoelastic and
hydrodynamic approximations. The Maxwell relaxation model with two parameters, the
relaxation time and the static yield strength, is used for both materials for a description of
their viscoelastic properties. Constant values of the parameters suffice for a description of
shock-wave profiles in the case of PMMA, while changes of these parameters in the course …