Nonlocal continuum damage: a B.E.M. formulation

A nonlocal integral formulation for elastic-damaged materials is presented. The approach offers the possibility to simulate the mechanical behaviour of history-dependent materials, irreversibly degenerating under mechanical loads. The model is briefly introduced by the aid of thermodynamical considerations. The Boundary Element Method (BEM) is applied in order to obtain numerical results. This numerical strategy avoids the appearance of stress oscillation patterns occurring for certain Finite Element models.