An experimental database for the development,calibration and verification of constitutive models for sand with focus to cyclic loading: part I—tests with monotonic loading and stress cycles

For numerical studies of geotechnical structures under earthquake loading, aiming to examine a possible failure due to liquefaction, using a sophisticated constitutive model for the soil is indispensable. Such a model must adequately describe the material response to a cyclic loading under constant volume (undrained) conditions, amongst others the relaxation of effective stress (pore pressure accumulation) or the effective stress loops repeatedly passed through after a sufficiently large number of cycles (cyclic mobility, stress attractors). The soil behaviour under undrained cyclic loading is manifold, depending on the initial conditions (e.g. density, fabric, effective mean pressure, stress ratio) and the load characteristics (e.g. amplitude of the cycles, application of stress or strain cycles). In order to develop, calibrate and verify a constitutive model with focus to undrained cyclic loading, the data from high-quality laboratory tests comprising a variety of initial conditions and load characteristics are necessary. The purpose of these two companion papers was to provide such database collected for a fine sand. The database consists of numerous undrained cyclic triaxial tests with stress or strain cycles applied to samples consolidated isotropically or anisotropically. Monotonic triaxial tests with drained or undrained conditions have also been performed. Furthermore, drained triaxial, oedometric or isotropic compression tests with several un- and reloading cycles are presented. Part I concentrates on the triaxial tests with monotonic loading or stress cycles. All test data presented herein will be available from the homepage of the first author. As an example of the examination of an existing constitutive model, the experimental data are compared to element test simulations using hypoplasticity with intergranular strain.     

An experimental database for the development,calibration and verification of constitutive models for sand with focus to cyclic loading: part II—tests with strain cycles and combined loading

For numerical studies of geotechnical structures under earthquake loading, aiming to examine a possible failure due to liquefaction, using a sophisticated constitutive model for the soil is indispensable. Such model must adequately describe the material response to a cyclic loading under constant volume (undrained) conditions, amongst others the relaxation of effective stress (pore pressure accumulation) or the effective stress loops repeatedly passed through after a sufficiently large number of cycles (cyclic mobility, stress attractors). The soil behaviour under undrained cyclic loading is manifold, depending on the initial conditions (e.g. density, fabric, effective mean pressure, stress ratio) and the load characteristics (e.g. amplitude of the cycles, application of stress or strain cycles). In order to develop, calibrate and verify a constitutive model with focus to undrained cyclic loading, the data from high-quality laboratory tests comprising a variety of initial conditions and load characteristics are necessary. It is the purpose of these two companion papers to provide such database collected for a fine sand. Part II concentrates on the undrained triaxial tests with strain cycles, where a large range of strain amplitudes has been studied. Furthermore, oedometric and isotropic compression tests as well as drained triaxial tests with un- and reloading cycles are discussed. A combined monotonic and cyclic loading has been also studied in undrained triaxial tests. All test data presented herein will be available from the homepage of the first author. As an example of the examination of an existing constitutive model, the experimental data are compared to element test simulations using hypoplasticity with intergranular strain.     

Fractional order model for granular soils under drained cyclic loading

The theory of fractional calculus has been successfully applied to model the triaxial behaviour of soils under static loading conditions. However, limited work has been carried out in using the fractional calculus to describe the cyclic behaviour of granular soils. In this paper, a fractional order constitutive model for granular soils under drained cyclic loading is proposed by incorporating the concept of fractional rate for strain accumulation. The fractional rate for strain accumulation is obtained from the analysis of the experimental data by utilizing the fractional calculus. Comparison between the test results and model predictions is presented. The key feature of the proposed model is that it can reasonably characterise the cyclic deformation of granular soils under both low and high loading cycles. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improvement to the intergranular strain model for larger numbers of repetitive cycles

The analysis of geotechnical problems involving saturated soils under cyclic loading requires the use of advanced constitutive models. These models need to describe the main characteristics of the material under cyclic loading and undrained conditions, such as the rate of the pore water pressure accumulation and the stress attractors. When properly doing so, the models are expected to be reliable for their use in boundary value problems. In this work, an extension of the widely implemented intergranular strain model by Niemunis and Herle (Mech Cohes Frict Mater 2(4):279–299, 1997) is proposed. The modification is aimed to improve the capabilities of the model when simulating a number of repetitive cycles, where a proper reduction of the strain accumulation is expected. For validation purposes, the reference model and proposed improvement are compared against some monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests. The results indicate that the intergranular strain improvement model provides a more realistic prediction of the accumulation rates under cyclic loading, without spoiling the advantages of the original formulation.

     

A cyclic elastoplastic-viscoplastic constitutive model for soils

An elastoplastic-viscoplastic constitutive model for soils is presented in this study, based on an original approach concerning viscous modelling. In this approach, the viscous behaviour is defined by internal viscous variables and a viscous yield surface. The model has been developed from a basic elastoplastic model (CJS model) by considering an additional viscous mechanism. The evolution of the viscous yield surface is governed by a particular hardening called ‘viscous hardening’. This model is able to explain the time-dependent behaviour of soils such as creep (primary, secondary and un-drained creep rupture), stress relaxation and strain rate effects in static and cyclic loadings. The existing problems in the classical elasto-viscoplastic models related to the plasticity failure, the rapid loading and the cyclic loading are solved in the proposed model. The physical meanings and the identification strategy of model parameters are clearly given. The validation on certain triaxial test results and the simulation of cyclic triaxial test indicate the capacity of this model in prediction of time-dependent behaviour of clayey soils.     

Clay minerals in fluvial shaley sandstone of upper Triassic reservoir (TAGS)—Toual field SE Algeria: identification from wireline logs and core data

The creep property of rock under cyclic loading is very important in civil engineering. In order to establish a novel constitutive equation for rock under cyclic loading, a fractional-order viscoplastic body under cyclic loading was constructed based on fractional-order viscous element. A fractional-order visco-elastoplastic model (FVEPM) for rock was established by connecting constructed fractional-order viscoplastic body with Burgers model. The model was a Burgers model when the maximum value of cyclic loading was less than the critical strength of rock; otherwise, it was a FVEPM which can be used to reflect the transient, steady-state, and tertiary creep phases of rock. The cyclic loading was decomposed into a static load and a cyclic loading with a zero average stress. According to rheological mechanics theory, the rheology constitutive equation of rock under the static load can be derived. According to viscoelastic mechanics theory, the constitutive equation under cyclic loading with a zero average stress was established by introducing the variation parameters of energy storage and energy dissipation compliance caused by rock damage and fracture. Finally, a new dynamic constitutive equation of rock cyclic loading can be obtained by superimposing the constitutive equation under static load and cyclic loading with a zero average stress. Compared with existing test results of rock under cyclic loading, the proposed constitutive model can be used to describe the creep characteristics of rock under cyclic loading and reflect the presented fluctuation of strain curve of rock under cyclic loading.     

低幅值高循环荷载作用下土体的应变累积模型

高速铁路路基上的轨道以及附近区域的结构物承受低幅值、高循环振动荷载的反复作用。在此低幅值、高循环荷载作用下土体会产生不可恢复的应变累积,导致轨道及附近区域结构物发生附加沉降。当前,描述土体的循环变形特征的理论分为两类：一类是基于经典塑性理论的应力-应变滞回模型（例如边界面模型）,另一类是基于循环三轴试验经验规律的应变累积模型（例如Bochum累积模型）。为了能够预测土体在低幅值、高循环荷载作用下的应变累积行为,在前人对土体在低幅值、高循环荷载作用下大量试验研究的基础上,在经典弹塑性理论的框架下,提出一个土体在低幅值、高循环荷载作用下的应变累积模型。该模型通过用对数律来描述塑性体应变的累积规律,并以此作为应变累积的大小度量,然后通过修正Cam-clay模型的流动准则来描述应变累积的发展方向。最后,通过多组试验结果的模拟,表明所提出的应变累积模型能够较好地预测土体在低幅值、高循环荷载作用下的应变累积行为,具有广泛的应用前景。     

The effects of unloading on drained cyclic behaviour of Sydney sand

New excavation or tunnelling affects the stress state of soils in ground. The change of stress state due to excavation may affect the cyclic behaviour of soils. Cyclic loading, such as traffic and earthquake loading, induced ground deformation may be greater than expected if such effect is not considered. A series of cyclic triaxial tests were performed on Sydney sand with different relative densities. The effect of unloading sequence on deformation of the sand under cyclic loading was simulated by reducing lateral stress in steps between loading cycles. The dependence of strain accumulation on the magnitude of confining pressure reduction and on unloading stress paths was studied. The results indicate that the sand has a memory of stress history and the stress history of such unloading enlarges the strain accumulation during the subsequent cycles, and the greater the reduction of lateral stress, the greater the accumulated strain. Under cyclic loading, the accumulated axial strain could increase nonlinearly or linearly with the ratio of unloading magnitude to initial mean effective stress, depending on the stress state before cyclic loading. The unloading stress paths have limited effects on the final accumulated strain if the initial and final stress states are the same. The variation of strain accumulation direction attributes to the change of average stress ratio resulting from lateral stress reduction, but hardly depends on relative density and unloading stress paths. The strain accumulation direction after unloading roughly agrees with the modified Cam Clay flow rule.

     

Experimental evidence of a unique flow rule of non-cohesive soils under high-cyclic loading

The presented results of cyclic triaxial tests on sand demonstrate that the cumulative effects due to small cycles obey a kind of flow rule. It mainly depends on the average stress ratio about which the cycles are performed. This so-called “cyclic flow rule” is unique and can be well approximated by flow rules for monotonic loading. Amongst others it is shown that the cyclic flow rule is only moderately influenced by the average mean pressure, by the strain loop (span, shape, polarization), the void ratio, the loading frequency, the static preloading and the grain size distribution curve. A slight increase of the compactive portion of the flow rule with increasing residual strain (due to the previous cycles) was observed. These experimental findings prove that the cyclic flow rule is an essential and indispensable concept in explicit (N-type) accumulation models.     

On the simulation of multidimensional cyclic loading with intergranular strain

A sample of soil is subjected to multidimensional cyclic loading when two or three principal components of the stress or strain tensor are simultaneously controlled to perform a repetitive path. These paths are very useful to evaluate the performance of models simulating cyclic loading. In this article, an extension of an existing constitutive model is proposed to capture the behavior of the soil under this type of loading. The reference model is based on the intergranular strain anisotropy concept and therefore incorporates an elastic locus in terms of a strain amplitude. In order to evaluate the model performance, a modified triaxial apparatus able to perform multidimensional cyclic loading has been used to conduct some experiments with a fine sand. Simulations of the extended model with multidimensional loading paths are carefully analyzed. Considering that many cycles are simulated (\(N>30\)), some additional simulations have been performed to quantify and analyze the artificial accumulation generated by the (hypo-)elastic component of the model. At the end, a simple boundary value problem with a cyclic loading as boundary condition is simulated to analyze the model response.     

A two-surface thermomechanical plasticity model considering thermal cyclic behavior

In thermal-related engineering such as thermal energy structures and nuclear waste disposal, it is essential to well understand volume change and excess pore water pressure buildup of soils under thermal cycles. However, most existing thermo-mechanical models can merely simulate one heating–cooling cycle and fail in capturing accumulation phenomenon due to multiple thermal cycles. In this study, a two-surface elasto-plastic model considering thermal cyclic behavior is proposed. This model is based on the bounding surface plasticity and progressive plasticity by introducing two yield surfaces and two loading yield limits. A dependency law is proposed by linking two loading yield limits with a thermal accumulation parameter n_c, allowing the thermal cyclic behavior to be taken into account. Parameter n_c controls the evolution rate of the inner loading yield limit approaching the loading yield limit following a thermal loading path. By extending the thermo-hydro-mechanical equations into the elastic–plastic state, the excess pore water pressure buildup of soil due to thermal cycles is also accounted. Then, thermal cycle tests on four fine-grained soils (natural Boom clay, Geneva clay, Bonny silt, and reconstituted Pontida clay) under different OCRs and stresses are simulated and compared. The results show that the proposed model can well describe both strain accumulation phenomenon and excess pore water pressure buildup of fine-grained soils under the effect of thermal cycles.

     

A J2‐plasticity model based on bounding surface concept

This article presents the development of a J₂ small strain plasticity model based on bounding surface concept, along with numerical examples to demonstrate model behaviors and identification of model parameter using laboratory test data. The model is motivated by the need for simulating permanent deformation accumulation of asphalt concrete mixtures, which leads to rutting in flexible pavements under repeated traffic loading. The proposed model accounts for the observation that rutting is mostly caused by shearing and takes advantage of the fact that bounding surface concept allows for the progressive accumulation of plastic deformation under constant amplitude loading condition. Analytical solutions are given for typical laboratory testing conditions. The model can be calibrated using repeated simple shear test data that are typically available for asphalt concrete mixtures. It is shown that the model is easy to use and provides a promising alternative for modeling permanent deformation accumulation in materials subjected to repetitive (cyclic) loading. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Monotonic and cyclic tests on kaolin: a database for the development,calibration and verification of constitutive models for cohesive soils with focus to cyclic loading

A database with about 60 undrained monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests on kaolin is presented. In the monotonic tests, the influences of consolidation pressure, overconsolidation ratio, displacement rate and sample cutting direction have been studied. In the cyclic tests, the stress amplitude, the initial stress ratio and the control (stress vs. strain cycles) have been additionally varied. Isotropic consolidation leads to a failure due to large strain amplitudes with eight-shaped effective stress paths in the final phase of the cyclic tests, while a failure due to an excessive accumulation of axial strain and lens-shaped effective stress paths was observed in the case of anisotropic consolidation with \(q^{\text{ ampl }}< |q^{\text{ av }}|\). The rate of pore pressure accumulation grew with increasing amplitude and void ratio (i.e. decreasing consolidation pressure and overconsolidation ratio). The “cyclic flow rule” well known for sand has been confirmed also for kaolin: With increasing value of the average stress ratio \(|\eta ^{\text{ av }}| = |q^{\text{ av }}|/p^{\text{ av }}, \) the accumulation of deviatoric strain becomes predominant over the accumulation of pore water pressure. The tests on the samples cut out either horizontally or vertically revealed a significant effect of anisotropy. In the cyclic tests, the two kinds of samples exhibited an opposite inclination of the effective stress path. Furthermore, the horizontal samples showed a higher stiffness and could sustain a much larger number of cycles to failure. All data of the present study are available from the homepage of the first author. They may serve for the examination, calibration or improvement in constitutive models dedicated to cohesive soils under cyclic loading, or for the development of new models.     

A multi‐mechanism constitutive model for plastic adaption under cyclic loading

As is well known, granular soils under cyclic loading dissipate a large amount of energy and accumulate large irreversible strains. Usually, with time, this second effect reduces and the accumulation rate decreases with the number of cycles until obtaining a sort of ideal stationary cyclic state at which ratcheting disappears. In this paper, only this ideal state is taken into consideration and simulated by means of a multi‐mechanism constitutive model for plastic adaptation. For this purpose, the concept of cycle is discussed, many different categories of cyclic stress/strain paths are considered and some theoretical issues concerning both the flow and the strain‐hardening rules are tackled. Even though the paper focuses on soil behaviour, the conclusions can be extended to all materials exhibiting ratcheting due to volumetric behaviour.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

考虑物态变化的粗粒土亚塑性本构模型

建立了可描述粗粒土单调和循环力学特性的一个亚塑性本构模型。基于亚塑性理论的基本框架,引入临界状态参数,建立了一个新的粗粒土亚塑性模型,给出了数学公式及参数确定方法。采用该模型对粗粒土单调和循环加载试验进行了模拟和预测。该模型无需判断加卸载、参数较少、易于三维化,能够较全面地描述单调和循环荷载作用下粗粒土的主要力学特性,如强度与围压的非线性关系,胀缩规律与围压相关、卸载体缩、体变随加载过程累积等主要体变特性等。     

基于分数阶微积分的粗粒料静动力边界面本构模型

分数阶微分理论在土体静力黏弹性本构模型中得到了广泛应用,然而,其在动力弹塑性模型中的应用尚不多见。为此,基于分数阶微积分理论分析了粗粒料在循环荷载下的变形特性,提出了粗粒料在循环荷载下的分数阶应变率;并以此为基础,进一步建立了粗粒料受静动力荷载作用下的边界面塑性力学本构模型。所提出模型包含10个参数,均可以运用常规三轴试验获得。为了验证所提出模型,选取了几种已有不同文献中的不同粗粒料试验数据进行了模拟,发现,所提出的模型可以较好地模拟粗粒料在静动力加载下的应力-应变行为,对于循环荷载下的长期变形也能较好地预测。     

Tensile Fracture Strength of Brisbane Tuff by Static and Cyclic Loading Tests

This research presents the results of laboratory experiments during the investigation of tensile strength–strain characteristics of Brisbane tuff disc specimens under static and diametral cyclic loading. Three different cyclic loading methods were used; namely, sinusoidal cyclic loading, type I and II increasing cyclic loading with various amplitude values. The first method applied the stress amplitude?cycle number (s–n) curve approach to the measurement of the indirect tensile strength (ITS) and fracture toughness (K _IC) values of rocks for the first time in the literature. The type I and II methods investigated the effect of increasing cyclic loading on the ITS and K _IC of rocks. For Brisbane tuff, the reduction in ITS was found to be 30 % under sinusoidal loading, whereas type I and II increasing cyclic loading caused a maximum reduction in ITS of 36 %. The maximum reduction of the static K _IC of 46 % was obtained for the highest amplitude type I cyclic loading tested. For sinusoidal cyclic loading, a maximum reduction of the static K _IC of 30 % was obtained. A continuous irreversible accumulation of damage was observed in dynamic cyclic tests conducted at different amplitudes and mean stress levels. Scanning electron microscope images showed that fatigue damage in Brisbane tuff is strongly influenced by the failure of the matrix because of both inter-granular fracturing and trans-granular fracturing. The main characteristic was grain breakage under cyclic loading, which probably starts at points of contact between grains and is accompanied by the production of very small fragments, probably due to frictional sliding within the weak matrix.     

AN INTERFACE MODEL FOR ANALYSIS OF DEFORMATION BEHAVIOUR OF DISCONTINUITIES

An interface constitutive model is presented accounting for slip and sliding effects and also for dilatancy phenomena. The microslip effects are described by considering spherical asperity interaction with variation of contact area and generation of progressive or reverse slip zones. The incremental constitutive equations are derived with proper memory rules accounting for generation and annihilation of particular slip zones during the process of variable loading. It is further assumed that sliding of spherical contacts occurs along large asperities whose slope varies due to the wear process. The predicted shear and dilatancy curves are shown to provide close quantitative simulation of available experimental data. The strain ratchetting effect for non-symmetric cyclic loading was exhibited using the asperity wear model. The model presented could be applied to simulate rock joints, masonry, or concrete cracked interfaces, under monotonic and cyclic loading.     

An ISA-plasticity-based model for viscous and non-viscous clays

The ISA-plasticity is a mathematical platform which allows to propose constitutive models for soils under a wide range of strain amplitudes. This formulation is based on a state variable, called the intergranular strain, which is related to the strain recent history. The location of the intergranular strain can be related to the strain amplitude, information which is used to improve the model for the simulation of cyclic loading. The present work proposes an ISA-plasticity-based model for the simulation of saturated clays and features the incorporation of a viscous strain rate to enable the simulation of the strain rate dependency. The work explains some aspects of the ISA-plasticity and adapts its formulation for clays. At the beginning, the formulation of the model is explained. Subsequently, some comments about its numerical implementation and parameters determination are given. Finally, some simulations are performed to evaluate the model performance with two different clays, namely a Kaolin clay and the Lower Rhine clay. The simulations include monotonic and cyclic tests under oedometric and triaxial conditions. Some of these experiments include the variation of the strain rate to evaluate the viscous component of the proposed model.     

On the determination of a set of material constants for a high‐cycle accumulation model for non‐cohesive soils

The paper discusses the determination of a set of constants for the high‐cycle accumulation model (HCA) proposed by the authors. The HCA model predicts permanent strains or excess pore water pressures in non‐cohesive soils due to a cyclic loading with a large number of cycles and with small to intermediate strain amplitudes. The laboratory tests necessary for the determination of the material constants and their analysis are explained in detail in this paper. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.