The consistent simulation of progressive failure and structural collapse processes still is a problem of great interest for the engineering. Among theories which are somehow capable of model such class of problems, the continuum damage mechanics is the latest. However, one of the issues that still persist is when in the numerical simulations the structure begins to present the strain localisation phenomenon, with consequent dependence of the results on the mesh used. To solve this problem several so-called regularisation methods were developed. Nevertheless, despite effectiveness these methods can insert a significant degree of complexity on the numerical approaches. In this paper is proposed a simplified methodology to nonlinear structural analysis of frames and arches by means of the previous localisation of inelastic phenomena on hinges, located on the edges of the finite elements of frame and arch. Therefore it is possible to circumvent the mesh dependency and to reproduce satisfactorily real problems, as the examples of reinforced concrete structures gathered at the end of this article.
frames; arches; reiforced concrete; lumped dissipation mechanics; localisation
