diff --git a/src/model/solid_mechanics/materials/material_damage/material_damage_iterative.hh b/src/model/solid_mechanics/materials/material_damage/material_damage_iterative.hh
index 1d7a695d4..d8295f51a 100644
--- a/src/model/solid_mechanics/materials/material_damage/material_damage_iterative.hh
+++ b/src/model/solid_mechanics/materials/material_damage/material_damage_iterative.hh
@@ -1,122 +1,126 @@
 /**
  * @file   material_damage_iterative.hh
  * @author Aurelia Cuba Ramos <aurelia.cubaramos@epfl.ch>
  * @date   Fri Feb 14 14:34:37 2014
  *
  * @brief  Specialization of the class material damage to damage only one gauss 
  * point at a time and propagate damage in a linear way. Max principal stress 
  * criterion is used as a failure criterion.
  *
  * @section LICENSE
  *
  * Copyright (©) 2010-2011 EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
  * Laboratory (LSMS - Laboratoire de Simulation en Mécanique des Solides)
  *
  * Akantu is free  software: you can redistribute it and/or  modify it under the
  * terms  of the  GNU Lesser  General Public  License as  published by  the Free
  * Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any
  * later version.
  *
  * Akantu is  distributed in the  hope that it  will be useful, but  WITHOUT ANY
  * WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
  * A  PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See  the GNU  Lesser General  Public License  for more
  * details.
  *
  * You should  have received  a copy  of the GNU  Lesser General  Public License
  * along with Akantu. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
  *
  */
 
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 #include "aka_common.hh"
 #include "material_damage.hh"
 #include "material.hh"
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 #ifndef __AKANTU_MATERIAL_DAMAGE_ITERATIVE_HH__
 #define __AKANTU_MATERIAL_DAMAGE_ITERATIVE_HH__
 
 __BEGIN_AKANTU__
 
 /**
  * Material damage iterative
  *
  * parameters in the material files :
  *   - Sc  
  */
 template<UInt spatial_dimension>
 class MaterialDamageIterative : public MaterialDamage<spatial_dimension> {
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
   /* Constructors/Destructors                                                 */
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
 public:
 
   MaterialDamageIterative(SolidMechanicsModel & model, const ID & id = "");
 
   virtual ~MaterialDamageIterative() {};
 
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
   /* Methods                                                                  */
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
 public:
 
   ///  virtual void updateInternalParameters();
 
   virtual void computeAllStresses(GhostType ghost_type = _not_ghost);
 
   /// update internal field damage
   UInt updateDamage();
 
 protected:
   /// constitutive law for all element of a type
   virtual void computeStress(ElementType el_type, GhostType ghost_type = _not_ghost);
 
   ///compute the equivalent stress on each Gauss point (i.e. the max prinicpal stress) and normalize it by the tensile strength
-  void computeNormalizedEquivalentStress(ElementType el_type, GhostType ghost_type = _not_ghost);
+  void computeNormalizedEquivalentStress(const Array<Real> & grad_u,
+					 ElementType el_type, GhostType ghost_type = _not_ghost);
 
   /// find max normalized equivalent stress
   void findMaxNormalizedEquivalentStress(ElementType el_type, GhostType ghost_type = _not_ghost);
 
 
   inline void computeDamageAndStressOnQuad(Matrix<Real> & sigma,
 					   Real & dam);
 
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
   /* DataAccessor inherited members                                           */
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
   /* Accessors                                                                */
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
 public:
   /// get max normalized equivalent stress
   AKANTU_GET_MACRO(NormMaxEquivalentStress, norm_max_equivalent_stress, Real);
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
   /* Class Members                                                            */
   /* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ */
 protected:
 
   /// resistance to damage
   RandomInternalField<Real> Sc;
 
   /// internal field to store equivalent stress on each Gauss point
   InternalField<Real> equivalent_stress;
 
   /// damage increment
   Real prescribed_dam;
 
   /// maximum equivalent stress
   Real norm_max_equivalent_stress;
 
   /// QuadraturePoint to store the Quadrature point with the highest stress
   QuadraturePoint q_point;
+
+  /// define damage threshold at which damage will be set to 1 
+  Real dam_threshold; 
 };
 
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 /* inline functions                                                           */
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 #include "material_damage_iterative_inline_impl.cc"
 
 __END_AKANTU__
 
 #endif /* __AKANTU_MATERIAL_DAMAGE_ITERATIVE_HH__ */