An energetic view on the limit analysis of normal bodies

The paper presents a limit analysis for normal materials based on energy minimization. The class of normal materials includes some of those used to model masonry structures, namely, no-tension materials and materials with bounded compressive strength; it also includes the Hencky plastic materials. We introduce a new definition of collapse for bodies made of normal materials and examine the validity of the static and kinematic theorems under our definition, with a particular attention to masonry materials.