A rate-independent gradient system in damage coupled with plasticity via structured strains

This contribution deals with a class of models combining isotropic damage with plasticity. It has been inspired by a work by Freddi and Royer-Carfagni [FRC10], including the case where the inelastic part of the strain only evolves in regions where the material is damaged. The evolution both of the damage and of the plastic variable is assumed to be rate-independent. Existence of solutions is established in the abstract energetic framework elaborated by Mielke and coworkers (cf., e.g., [Mie05, Mie11b]).