The variational approach to damage: II. The gradient damage models

This second part of the variational approach to damage is devoted to the construction of non-local gradient-enhanced models. That consists in extending to these regularized models the concepts introduced in the first part for local damage models. Specifically, once the gradient of damage has been inserted into the energy expression, the damage evolution problem is still based on the three physical principles of irreversibility, stability and energy balance. This new formulation is compared with that usually postulated and its merits are emphasized. (C) 2010 Academie des sciences. Publie par Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.