  In this paper we show the results of a large set of N-body simulations
modelling the evolution of globular clusters driven by relaxation,stellar
evolution,disk shocking and including the effects of the tidal field of the
Galaxy. We investigate the evolution of multi-mass models with a power-law
initial mass function (IMF) starting with different initial masses,
concentrations, slopes of the IMF and located at different galactocentric
distances. We show to what extent the effects of the various evolutionary
processes alter the shape of the IMF and to what extent these changes depend on
the position of the cluster in the Galaxy. Both the changes in the global mass
function and in the local one (measured at different distances from the cluster
center) are investigated showing whether and where the local mass function
keeps memory of the IMF and where it provides a good indication of the current
global mass function. The evolution of the population of white dwarfs is also
followed in detail and we supply an estimate of the fraction of the current
value of the total mass expected to be in white dwarfs depending on the main
initial conditions for the cluster (mass and position in the Galaxy).Simple
analytical expression by which it is possible to calculate the main quantities
of interest (total mass, fraction of white dwarfs, slope of the mass function)
at any time t for a larger number of different initial conditions than those
investigated numerically have been derived.
