Strongly non-local gradient-enhanced finite strain elastoplasticity

This paper presents a gradient plasticity formulation developed in a strongly non-local format and applicable to ductile failure for finite strain plasticity. The obtained formulation is an extension of a framework proposed by Simo (Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 1988; 66:199) into the softening and localization regime. The presented model inherits the well-established regularization properties of its strongly non-local enrichment and leads to an implicit computational scheme with a consistent tangent operator. Numerical examples are given which illustrate the strongly non-local character of the formulation, the influence of the type of intrinsic length scale considered, as well as several topics on plastic failure initiation and evolution into the geometrically non-linear regime. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.