A convergent bounding principle for a class of elastoplastic strain- hardening solids (Q1088454)

For a class of elastoplastic solids exhibiting a mixed kinematic- isotropic behavior, a convergent bounding principle is presented. This principle, formulated by means of a suitable perturbation method, is able to provide upper bounds on different kinds of the actual plastic deformation induced by a specified load history. These bounds, expressed in terms of a ''fictitious solution,'' can be rendered as close to the actual deformations as desired, but at the cost of increasing computational efforts. A bounding principle for repeated loads and a shakedown theorem are also presented as special cases of the convergent bounding principle.