Modelling and FE-simulation of plastic ductile damage evolution in plates and shells

The present paper reports on modelling and numerical simulation of thin-wal led structures close to failure taking into consideration the effects of bo th geometrical and physical nonlinearity. The approach accounts for finite displacements and rotations, and the material model adopted includes elasti c-plastic behaviour, isotropic and kinematic hardening, and ductile damage. Particular attention is paid to the problems of localised damage, damage p rogression and final collapse of the structure. Numerical simulation of the nonlinear response of bars, plates and shells to quasistatic monotonic and variable loading illustrates how material damage affects the load-carrying behaviour of structural components.