On a computational stress-based non-local damage model for quasi-brittle composites

Numerical models for the stress and strain analysis of quasi-brittle composites, such as cement-based ones, supplied by various stiffening particles, under mechanical, thermal, etc. loads should handle i) the creation of certain micro-damaged zones, antecedent to ii) the initiation and propagation of a system of macroscopic cracks. Whereas ii) can be analysed using some extended, generalized or similar finite element technique (XFEM, GFEM, etc. algorithms), i) must rely on a smeared crack formulation, whose regularization properties are derived from a non-local stress evaluation. This paper studies mathematical and computational properties of such model, based on the Eringen's approach, useful in many applications in civil engineering. (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.