Damage and shakedown analysis of structures with strain-hardening

Abstract In this article, the ductile damage of materials is introduced into the shakedown theory of strain-hardening structures. A mathematical programming method is developed to calculate an upper bound of the damage factor in a structure subjected to varying loads, which is suggested as the criterion of structural failure. Based on it, a lower bound of the safe load factor can be obtained for a strain-hardening structure via a mathematical programming. The application of this theory is demonstrated by analysing the thick-walled cylindrical tube.