A damage index of generalised applicability

The purpose of this paper is to obtain a uniform definition of damage, independently of the material used for the structure, so that practical design and assessment methods can be applied to any type of structure. It is shown that the damage in any construction material mainly results in strength deterioration. A general damage index is thus defined as the ratio between the initial and the reduced resistance capacity of a structure, evaluated by using an evolution equation for the yield strength in which the structural damageability is included. The ability of this index to model different damage situations is demonstrated.