INTRODUCTIONThe numerical analysis of ductile damage and failure in engineering materials is often based on the micromechanical model of Gurson [1,2,3] and is quite sufficient for a large number of applications in solid mechanics. However, numerical studies in the context of the finite-element method demonstrate that, as with other such types of local damage models, the numerical simulation of the initiation and propagation of damage zones is not reliable and strongly mesh-dependent. The numerical problems concern the global load-displacement response as well as the onset, size and orientation of damage zones and thus to the reliability of the obtained results [4,5].One possible way to overcome these problems with and shortcomings of the local modelling is the application of so-called non-local damage models. In particular, these are based on the introduction of a gradient type evolution equation of the damage variable regarding the spatial distribution of damage and thus the incorporation of a material length scale [6,7,8]. Such a non-local formulation of a damage model exhibits a multifield problem, which needs a closer look on the formulation of possible criteria for the preservation of the well-posedness of the underlying constitutive equations and thus the stability of the deformation process and the uniqueness of the obtained solution [10,11,12]. The development and application of a criterion for loss of ellipticity is presented and accounts for the regularisation of the solution obtained by the non-local Gurson model [12]. Furthermore the regularizing effects of the non-locality of the damage evolution are investigated and it's effect on the stability of the numerical solution is presented.