Continuum Damage Mechanics: Part II—Damage Growth, Crack Initiation, and Crack Growth

Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) allows the description of the influence of damage on the stress-strain behavior of materials. In the present part, some practical damage growth equations are reviewed for creep, fatigue, creep-fatigue interaction, ductile damage, and brittle damage. The capabilities of CDM to improve both the crack initiation and crack propagation predictive tools are then discussed. Particular attention is given to the new developments of the “local approaches to fracture.”