diff --git a/test/test_model/test_solid_mechanics_model/test_cohesive/test_cohesive_extrinsic/test_cohesive_extrinsic_fatigue.cc b/test/test_model/test_solid_mechanics_model/test_cohesive/test_cohesive_extrinsic/test_cohesive_extrinsic_fatigue.cc
index 842fb0426..f0ea7695e 100644
--- a/test/test_model/test_solid_mechanics_model/test_cohesive/test_cohesive_extrinsic/test_cohesive_extrinsic_fatigue.cc
+++ b/test/test_model/test_solid_mechanics_model/test_cohesive/test_cohesive_extrinsic/test_cohesive_extrinsic_fatigue.cc
@@ -1,230 +1,233 @@
 /**
  * @file   test_cohesive_intrinsic_fatigue.cc
  * @author Marco Vocialta <marco.vocialta@epfl.ch>
  * @date   Fri Feb 20 10:13:14 2015
  *
  * @brief  Test for the linear fatigue cohesive law
  *
  * @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 <limits>
 #include "solid_mechanics_model_cohesive.hh"
 #include "material_cohesive_linear_fatigue.hh"
 
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 using namespace akantu;
 
 // the following class contains an implementation of the 1D linear
 // fatigue cohesive law
 class MaterialFatigue {
 public:
   MaterialFatigue(Real delta_f, Real sigma_c, Real delta_c) :
     delta_f(delta_f), sigma_c(sigma_c), delta_c(delta_c),
+    delta_prec(0), traction(sigma_c), delta_max(0),
+    stiff_plus(std::numeric_limits<Real>::max()),
     tolerance(Math::getTolerance()) {};
 
   Real computeTraction(Real delta) {
     if (delta - delta_c > -tolerance)
       traction = 0;
     else if (delta_max < tolerance && delta < tolerance)
       traction = sigma_c;
     else {
       Real delta_dot = delta - delta_prec;
 
       if (delta_dot > -tolerance) {
 	stiff_plus *= 1 - delta_dot / delta_f;
 	traction += stiff_plus * delta_dot;
 	Real max_traction = sigma_c * (1 - delta / delta_c);
 
 	if (traction - max_traction > -tolerance || delta_max < tolerance) {
 	  traction = max_traction;
 	  stiff_plus = traction / delta;
 	}
       } else {
 	Real stiff_minus = traction / delta_prec;
 	stiff_plus += (stiff_plus - stiff_minus) * delta_dot / delta_f;
 	traction += stiff_minus * delta_dot;
       }
     }
 
     delta_prec = delta;
     delta_max = std::max(delta, delta_max);
     return traction;
   }
 
 private:
   const Real delta_f;
   const Real sigma_c;
   const Real delta_c;
   Real delta_prec;
   Real traction;
   Real delta_max;
   Real stiff_plus;
   const Real tolerance;
 };
 
 void imposeOpening(SolidMechanicsModelCohesive &, Real);
 void arange(Array<Real> &, Real, Real, Real);
 
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
   initialize("material_fatigue.dat", argc, argv);
 
   Math::setTolerance(1e-13);
 
   const UInt spatial_dimension = 2;
   const ElementType type = _quadrangle_4;
 
   Mesh mesh(spatial_dimension);
   mesh.read("fatigue.msh");
 
   // init stuff
   const ElementType type_facet = Mesh::getFacetType(type);
   const ElementType type_cohesive = FEEngine::getCohesiveElementType(type_facet);
 
   SolidMechanicsModelCohesive model(mesh);
   model.initFull(SolidMechanicsModelCohesiveOptions(_explicit_lumped_mass, true));
 
   MaterialCohesiveLinearFatigue<2> & numerical_material
     = dynamic_cast<MaterialCohesiveLinearFatigue<2> &>(model.getMaterial("cohesive"));
 
   Real delta_f = numerical_material.getParam<Real>("delta_f");
   Real delta_c = numerical_material.getParam<Real>("delta_c");
   Real sigma_c = 1;
 
   const Array<Real> & traction_array = numerical_material.getTraction(type_cohesive);
 
   MaterialFatigue theoretical_material(delta_f, sigma_c, delta_c);
 
   // model.setBaseName("fatigue");
   // model.addDumpFieldVector("displacement");
   // model.addDumpField("stress");
   // model.dump();
 
   // stretch material
   Real strain = 1;
   Array<Real> & displacement = model.getDisplacement();
   const Array<Real> & position = mesh.getNodes();
 
   for (UInt n = 0; n < mesh.getNbNodes(); ++n)
     displacement(n, 0) = position(n, 0) * strain;
 
   model.updateResidual();
   // model.dump();
 
   // insert cohesive elements
   model.checkCohesiveStress();
 
   // create the displacement sequence
   Real increment = 0.01;
 
   Array<Real> openings;
 
   arange(openings,   0, 0.5, increment);
   arange(openings, 0.5, 0.1, increment);
   arange(openings, 0.1, 0.7, increment);
   arange(openings, 0.7, 0.3, increment);
   arange(openings, 0.3, 0.6, increment);
   arange(openings, 0.6, 0.3, increment);
   arange(openings, 0.3, 0.7, increment);
   arange(openings, 0.7, 1.3, increment);
 
   const Array<UInt> & switches = numerical_material.getSwitches(type_cohesive);
 
   // std::ofstream edis("fatigue_edis.txt");
 
   // impose openings
   for (UInt i = 0; i < openings.getSize(); ++i) {
 
     // compute numerical traction
     imposeOpening(model, openings(i));
     model.updateResidual();
     // model.dump();
     Real numerical_traction = traction_array(0, 0);
 
     // compute theoretical traction
     Real theoretical_traction = theoretical_material.computeTraction(openings(i));
 
     // test traction
     if (std::abs(numerical_traction - theoretical_traction) > 1e-13)
       AKANTU_DEBUG_ERROR("The numerical traction " << numerical_traction
     			 << " and theoretical traction " << theoretical_traction
     			 << " are not coincident");
 
     // edis << model.getEnergy("dissipated") << std::endl;
   }
 
   if (switches(0) != 7)
     AKANTU_DEBUG_ERROR("The number of switches is wrong");
 
   std::cout << "OK: the test_cohesive_extrinsic_fatigue passed." << std::endl;
   return 0;
 }
 
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 void imposeOpening(SolidMechanicsModelCohesive & model, Real opening) {
 
   UInt spatial_dimension = model.getSpatialDimension();
   Mesh & mesh = model.getFEEngine().getMesh();
   Array<Real> & position = mesh.getNodes();
   Array<Real> & displacement = model.getDisplacement();
   UInt nb_nodes = mesh.getNbNodes();
 
   Array<bool> update(nb_nodes);
   update.clear();
 
   Mesh::type_iterator it = mesh.firstType(spatial_dimension);
   Mesh::type_iterator end = mesh.lastType(spatial_dimension);
 
   for (; it != end; ++it) {
     ElementType type = *it;
     UInt nb_element = mesh.getNbElement(type);
     UInt nb_nodes_per_element = mesh.getNbNodesPerElement(type);
 
     const Array<UInt> & connectivity = mesh.getConnectivity(type);
     Vector<Real> barycenter(spatial_dimension);
 
     for (UInt el = 0; el < nb_element; ++el) {
       mesh.getBarycenter(el, type, barycenter.storage());
       if (barycenter(0) > 1) {
 	for (UInt n = 0; n < nb_nodes_per_element; ++n) {
 	  UInt node = connectivity(el, n);
 	  if (!update(node)) {
 	    displacement(node, 0) = opening + position(node, 0);
 	    update(node) = true;
 	  }
 	}
       }
     }
   }
 }
 
 /* -------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 void arange(Array<Real> & openings, Real begin, Real end, Real increment) {
   if (begin < end) {
     for (Real opening = begin; opening < end - increment / 2.; opening += increment)
       openings.push_back(opening);
   } else {
     for (Real opening = begin; opening > end + increment / 2.; opening -= increment)
       openings.push_back(opening);
   }
 }