Bifurcation modeling in geomaterials: From the second‐order work criterion to spectral analyses

The present paper investigates bifurcation analysis based on the second‐order work criterion, in the framework of rate‐independent constitutive models and rate‐independent boundary‐value problems. The approach applies mainly to nonassociated materials such as soils, rocks, and concretes. The bifurcation analysis usually performed at the material point level is extended to quasi‐static boundary‐value problems, by considering the stiffness matrix arising from finite element discretization. Lyapunov's definition of stability (Annales de la faculté des sciences de Toulouse 1907; 9 :203–274), as well as definitions of bifurcation criteria (Rice's localization criterion (Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. Fourteenth IUTAM Congress, Amsterdam, 1976; 207–220) and the plasticity limit criterion are revived in order to clarify the application field of the second‐order work criterion and to contrast these criteria. The first part of this paper analyses the second‐order work criterion at the material point level. The bifurcation domain is presented in the 3D stress space as well as 3D cones of unstable loading directions for an incrementally nonlinear constitutive model. The relevance of this criterion, when the nonlinear constitutive model is expressed in the classical form (dσ = Mdε) or in the dual form (dε = Ndσ), is discussed. In the second part, the analysis is extended to the boundary‐value problems in quasi‐static conditions. Nonlinear finite element computations are performed and the global tangent stiffness matrix is analyzed. For several examples, the eigenvector associated with the first vanishing eigenvalue of the symmetrical part of the stiffness matrix gives an accurate estimation of the failure mode in the homogeneous and nonhomogeneous boundary‐value problem. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.