Quasistatic crack evolution for a cohesive zone model with different response to loading and unloading: a Young measures approach

A new approach to irreversible quasistatic fracture growth is given, by means of Young measures. The study concerns a cohesive zone model with prescribed crack path, when the material gives different responses to loading and unloading phases. In the particular situation of constant unloading response, the result contained in [G. Dal Maso and C. Zanini, Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh Sect. A 137 (2007) 253–279] is recovered. In this case, the convergence of the discrete time approximations is improved