4. Conclusion

In this article, we present some of the possibilities offered by the use of non-linear behavior laws for civil engineering applications. The complex mechanisms governing the behavior of materials can be formally translated using the rigorous framework of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The latter, if followed, guarantees that the main physical principles are respected. However, we have seen that a certain number of degrees of freedom are left to the modeler, which confirms the richness of such a formulation framework.

The use of this framework was illustrated through various examples of behavior laws designed to describe the response of steel and concrete VERs. In particular, we have seen that the choices made in constructing a behavior law are directly linked to the identification of the dissipative mechanisms involved. A detailed understanding of...