Limit analysis and no-tension materials

Abstract The applicability of the two fundamental theorems of Limit Analysis outside the domain of Perfect Plasticity, in which they were originally established, is discussed. Specifically, a class of materials called normal linear elastic , including no-tension materials as a particular case, is considered, and it is proved that the theorems of Limit Analysis do apply to this class. The proof is based on the circumstance that perfectly plastic materials and normal linear elastic materials admit the same characterization of collapse.