A Study on Plastic Shakedown of Structures: Part I—Basic Properties

Abstract

For a continuous elastic-perfectly plastic solid body subjected to a combination of cyclic (mechanical and/or kinematical) load and of a steady (mechanical) load such as to produce plastic shakedown (i.e., alternating plasticity), a number of characterizing properties are established and discussed. The conditions for the body’s transition from plastic shakedown to ratchetting are also addressed.