  The purpose of this paper is to provide analytical and numerical solutions of
the formation and evolution of the localized plastic zone in a uniaxially
loaded bar with variable cross-sectional area. An energy-based variational
approach is employed and the governing equations with appropriate physical
boundary conditions, jump conditions, and regularity conditions at evolving
elasto-plastic interface are derived for a fourth-order explicit gradient
plasticity model with linear isotropic softening. Four examples that differ by
regularity of the yield stress and stress distributions are presented. Results
for the load level, size of the plastic zone, distribution of plastic strain
and its spatial derivatives, plastic elongation, and energy balance are
constructed and compared to another, previously discussed non-variational
gradient formulation.
