Implicit integration under mixed controls of a breakage model for unsaturated crushable soils

This paper discusses a series of stress point algorithms for a breakage model for unsaturated granular soils. Such model is characterized by highly nonlinear coupling terms introduced by breakage‐dependent hydro‐mechanical energy potentials. To integrate accurately and efficiently its constitutive equations, specific algorithms have been formulated using a backward Euler scheme. In particular, because implementation and verification of unsaturated soil models often require the use of mixed controls, the incorporation of various hydro‐mechanical conditions has been tackled. First, it is shown that the degree of saturation can be replaced with suction in the constitutive equations through a partial Legendre transformation of the energy potentials, thus changing the thermomechanical state variables and enabling a straightforward implementation of a different control mode. Then, to accommodate more complex control scenarios without redefining the energy potentials, a hybrid strategy has been used, combining the return mapping scheme with linearized constraints. It is shown that this linearization strategy guarantees similar levels of accuracy compared with a conventional strain–suction‐controlled implicit integration. In addition, it is shown that the use of linearized constraints offers the possibility to use the same framework to integrate a variety of control conditions (e.g., net stress and/or water‐content control). The convergence profiles indicate that both schemes preserve the advantages of implicit integration, that is, asymptotic quadratic convergence and unconditional stability. Finally, the performance of the two implicit schemes has been compared with that of an explicit algorithm with automatic sub‐stepping and error control, showing that for the selected breakage model, implicit integration leads to a significant reduction of the computational cost. Such features support the use of the proposed hybrid scheme also in other modeling contexts, especially when strongly nonlinear models have to be implemented and/or validated by using non‐standard hydro‐mechanical control conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time‐dependent modelling for soils and its application in tunnelling

Monitoring of the progressive convergence of a tunnel shows that deformations occurring in the soil surrounding a tunnel exhibit a strong evolution with time. This time‐dependent behaviour can be linked to three essential factors: the distance from the point of interest to the working face over time, the distance of unsupported tunnel to the working face and the viscous properties of the soil. The objective of this paper is to propose a constitutive model of the time‐dependent behaviour of soil which has been developed within the framework of elastoplasticity–viscoplasticity and critical state soil mechanics. The consideration of viscoplastic characteristic sets the current model apart from the CJS (Cambou, Jafari and Sidoroff) model as the basic elastoplastic model, and introduces an additional viscous mechanism. The evolution of the viscous yield surface is governed by a particular hardening called ‘viscous hardening’ with a bounding surface. The proposed constitutive model has been applied in the analysis of tunnelling. Two kinds of numerical calculations have been used in the analysis, axisymmetric analysis and plane strain analysis. Monitoring of the progressive convergence of a tunnel conducted in the railway tunnel of Tartaiguille (France), has been used to describe the calculation procedure proposed and the capability of the model. The finite difference software, fast Lagrangian analysis of continua (FLAC), has been used for the numerical simulation of the problems. The comparison of results shows that the observed deformations could have been reasonably predicted by using the constitutive model and calculation strategy proposed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling the effect of wetting on the mechanical behavior of crushable granular materials

It is well known that the compressibility of crushable granular materials increases with the moisture content,due to the decrease of particle strength in a humid environment.An existing approach to take into account the effect of grain breakage in constitutive modeling consists in linking the evolution of the grain size distribution to the plastic work.But how the material humidity can affect this relationship is not clear,and experimental evidence is quite scarce.Based on compression tests on dry and saturated crushable sand recently reported by the present authors,a new non-linear relationship is proposed between the amount of particle breakage and the plastic work.The expression contains two parameters:(1)a material constant dependent on the grain characteristics and(2)a constant depending on the wetting condition(in this study,dry or saturated).A key finding is that the relationship does not depend on the stress path and,for a given wetting condition,only one set of parameters is necessary to reproduce the results of isotropic,oedometric,and triaxial compression tests.The relationship has been introduced into an elastoplastic constitutive model based on the critical state concept with a double yield surface for plastic sliding and compression.The breakage ratio is introduced into the expression of the elastic stiffness,the critical state line and the hardening compression pressure.Incremental stress-strain computations with the model allow the plastic work to be calculated and,therefore,the evolution of particle crushing can be predicted through the proposed non-linear relationship and reintroduced into the constitutive equations.Accurate predictions of the experimental results in terms of both stress-strain relationships and breakage ratio were obtained.     

Developing constitutive models from EPR‐based self‐learning finite element analysis

A constitutive model that captures the material behavior under a wide range of loading conditions is essential for simulating complex boundary value problems. In recent years, some attempts have been made to develop constitutive models for finite element analysis using self‐learning simulation (SelfSim). Self‐learning simulation is an inverse analysis technique that extracts material behavior from some boundary measurements (eg, load and displacement). In the heart of the self‐learning framework is a neural network which is used to train and develop a constitutive model that represents the material behavior. It is generally known that neural networks suffer from a number of drawbacks. This paper utilizes evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR) in the framework of SelfSim within an automation process which is coded in Matlab environment. EPR is a hybrid data mining technique that uses a combination of a genetic algorithm and the least square method to search for mathematical equations to represent the behavior of a system. Two strategies of material modeling have been considered in the SelfSim‐based finite element analysis. These include a total stress‐strain strategy applied to analysis of a truss structure using synthetic measurement data and an incremental stress‐strain strategy applied to simulation of triaxial tests using experimental data. The results show that effective and accurate constitutive models can be developed from the proposed EPR‐based self‐learning finite element method. The EPR‐based self‐learning FEM can provide accurate predictions to engineering problems. The main advantages of using EPR over neural network are highlighted.     

Implicit integration of a mixed isotropic–kinematic hardening plasticity model for structured clays

In recent years, a number of constitutive models have been proposed to describe mathematically the mechanical response of natural clays. Some of these models are characterized by complex formulations, often leading to non‐trivial problems in their numerical integration in finite elements codes. The paper describes a fully implicit stress‐point algorithm for the numerical integration of a single‐surface mixed isotropic–kinematic hardening plasticity model for structured clays. The formulation of the model stems from a compromise between its capability of reproducing the larger number of features characterizing the behaviour of structured clays and the possibility of developing a robust integration algorithm for its implementation in a finite elements code. The model is characterized by an ellipsoid‐shaped yield function, inside which a stress‐dependent reversible stiffness is accounted for by a non‐linear hyperelastic formulation. The isotropic part of the hardening law extends the standard Cam‐Clay one to include plastic strain‐driven softening due to bond degradation, while the kinematic hardening part controls the evolution of the position of the yield surface in the stress space. The proposed algorithm allows the consistent linearization of the constitutive equations guaranteeing the quadratic rate of asymptotic convergence in the global‐level Newton–Raphson iterative procedure. The accuracy and the convergence properties of the proposed algorithm are evaluated with reference to the numerical simulations of single element tests and the analysis of a typical geotechnical boundary value problem. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Similarity solution for cavity expansion in thermoplastic soil

This paper presents an analytical solution for cavity expansion in thermoplastic soil considering non‐isothermal conditions. The constitutive relationship of thermoplasticity is described by Laloui's advanced and unified constitutive model for environmental geomechanical thermal effect (ACMEG‐T), which is based on multi‐mechanism plasticity and bounding surface theory. The problem is formulated by incorporating ACMEG‐T into the theoretical framework of cavity expansion, yielding a series of partial differential equations (PDEs). Subsequently, the PDEs are transformed into a system of first‐order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using a similarity solution technique. Solutions to the response parameters of cavity expansion (stress, excess pore pressure, and displacement) can then be obtained by solving the ODEs numerically using mathematical software. The results suggest that soil temperature has a significant influence on the pressure‐expansion relationships and distributions of stress and excess pore pressure around the cavity wall. The proposed solution quantifies the influence of temperature on cavity expansion for the first time and provides a theoretical framework for predicting thermoplastic soil behavior around the cavity wall. The solution found in this paper can be used as a theoretical tool that can potentially be employed in geotechnical engineering problems, such as thermal cone penetration tests, and nuclear waste disposal problems.     

考虑颗粒破碎影响的粗粒土本构模型

颗粒破碎直接改变了粗粒土本身结构,对粗粒土的剪胀、内摩擦角、峰值强度、渗透系数都会产生影响。为了能够准确地描述粗粒土的应力-应变关系,特别是高应力条件下出现显著颗粒破碎时的应力-应变关系,亟待建立考虑颗粒破碎的粗粒土本构模型。根据三轴试验数据,建立考虑颗粒破碎耗能的应力-应变关系,采用相关联流动法则导出考虑颗粒破碎的粗粒土本构模型。所建立的本构模型考虑了颗粒破碎对粗粒土剪胀、内摩擦角的影响。通过变异粒子群优化算法确定模型参数,拟合试验曲线。模型计算结果与试验曲线拟合较好,能够很好地描述粗粒土在不同围压下的体积剪胀、剪缩和应力硬化、软化现象。     

A hypoplastic constitutive model for debris materials

Debris flow is a very common and destructive natural hazard in mountainous regions. Pore water pressure is the major triggering factor in the initiation of debris flow. Excessive pore water pressure is also observed during the runout and deposition of debris flow. Debris materials are normally treated as solid particle–viscous fluid mixture in the constitutive modeling. A suitable constitutive model which can capture the solid-like and fluid-like behavior of solid–fluid mixture should have the capability to describe the developing of pore water pressure (or effective stresses) in the initiation stage and determine the residual effective stresses exactly. In this paper, a constitutive model of debris materials is developed based on a framework where a static portion for the frictional behavior and a dynamic portion for the viscous behavior are combined. The frictional behavior is described by a hypoplastic model with critical state for granular materials. The model performance is demonstrated by simulating undrained simple shear tests of saturated sand, which are particularly relevant for the initiation of debris flows. The partial and full liquefaction of saturated granular material under undrained condition is reproduced by the hypoplastic model. The viscous behavior is described by the tensor form of a modified Bagnold’s theory for solid–fluid suspension, in which the drag force of the interstitial fluid and the particle collisions are considered. The complete model by combining the static and dynamic parts is used to simulate two annular shear tests. The predicted residual strength in the quasi-static stage combined with the stresses in the flowing stage agrees well with the experimental data. The non-quadratic dependence between the stresses and the shear rate in the slow shear stage for the relatively dense specimens is captured.     

裂缝诱导双相HTI介质模型及其弹性波传播方程

将Biot双相介质理论与Gurevich裂缝各向异性理论相结合,建立了能够同时考虑实际裂缝性储层孔隙性和各向异性的裂缝诱导双相HTI介质模型。从本构方程、动力学方程和动力学达西定律出发,推导出了裂缝诱导双相HTI介质中弹性波传播的一阶速度-应力方程,并针对方程的刚性问题,给出了利用显式二阶时间积分法数值求解该方程时所需要满足的稳定性条件。该方程能够定量地给出双相HTI介质的波场特征与裂缝参数、背景孔隙介质参数之间的关系,描述弹性波在这种介质中的传播机理。     

A comparative study of different model families for the constitutive simulation of viscous clays

The simulation of the viscous behavior of some clays is of high importance in many geotechnical problems. The literature offers a vast amount of constitutive models able to simulate the rate dependence observed on these materials. Although most of these models are calibrated to very similar experimental observations and share similar definitions of material parameters, some discrepancies of their response have been detected, which are related to their mathematical formulations. In this work, the causes of these discrepancies are carefully studied. To that end, four different model families are analyzed, namely, nonstationary flow surface (NSFS) models, viscoplasticity with overstress function (OVP), viscoplasticity with Norton's power law (NVP), and visco-hypoplasticity (VHP). For the sake of a fair comparison, single constitutive models using the same set of material parameters, and following other requirements, are developed for each model family. Numerical implementations of the four resulting models are performed. Their response at different tests are carefully analyzed through simulation examples and direct examination of their constitutive equations. The set includes some basic tests at isotropic stress states and others as responses envelopes, undrained creep rupture, and an oedometer test with loading, unloading-reloading, creep, and relaxation. The article is concluded with some remarks about the observed discrepancies of these model families.     

Fast linearized forecasts for subsurface flow data assimilation with ensemble Kalman filter

Ensemble methods present a practical framework for parameter estimation, performance prediction, and uncertainty quantification in subsurface flow and transport modeling. In particular, the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) has received significant attention for its promising performance in calibrating heterogeneous subsurface flow models. Since an ensemble of model realizations is used to compute the statistical moments needed to perform the EnKF updates, large ensemble sizes are needed to provide accurate updates and uncertainty assessment. However, for realistic problems that involve large-scale models with computationally demanding flow simulation runs, the EnKF implementation is limited to small-sized ensembles. As a result, spurious numerical correlations can develop and lead to inaccurate EnKF updates, which tend to underestimate or even eliminate the ensemble spread. Ad hoc practical remedies, such as localization, local analysis, and covariance inflation schemes, have been developed and applied to reduce the effect of sampling errors due to small ensemble sizes. In this paper, a fast linear approximate forecast method is proposed as an alternative approach to enable the use of large ensemble sizes in operational settings to obtain more improved sample statistics and EnKF updates. The proposed method first clusters a large number of initial geologic model realizations into a small number of groups. A representative member from each group is used to run a full forward flow simulation. The flow predictions for the remaining realizations in each group are approximated by a linearization around the full simulation results of the representative model (centroid) of the respective cluster. The linearization can be performed using either adjoint-based or ensemble-based gradients. Results from several numerical experiments with two-phase and three-phase flow systems in this paper suggest that the proposed method can be applied to improve the EnKF performance in large-scale problems where the number of full simulation is constrained.     

Constitutive modeling of dense gravelly soils subjected to cyclic loading

A constitutive model for dense gravelly soils was developed to reproduce their responses under cyclic loadings. Its application aims at nonlinear dynamic analyses of earth structures involving gravelly soils, such as rockfill dams and railroad ballasts. The framework of generalized plasticity was modified to incorporate the concept of stress distance for better simulation of unloading and reloading responses. It was then combined with the theory of critical state soil mechanics to develop the constitutive model. The model has the following important features: unified simulation of particle breakage through translating critical state line, smooth transition from unloading to reloading in the stress space, and proper modeling of cyclic hysteresis, cyclic densification, and cyclic hardening of dense gravelly soils. Most of the model parameters can be obtained through simple calculation using conventional triaxial test results, and their calibration process was discussed. The model was used to simulate the cyclic responses of three gravelly soils with satisfactory accuracy. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

渤海海冰动力学中的粘弹塑性本构模型

在粘塑性海冰本构模型的基础上,将Kelvin-Voigt粘弹性本构理论引入到海冰动力学中,进而建立了粘弹塑性海冰本构模型.该模型可较好地反映渤海海冰在小应变和小应变率条件下的粘弹性力学行为,同时还考虑了大应变率下的海冰粘塑性力学行为.对渤海辽东湾海冰进行了48h数值模拟.结果表明:粘弹塑性海冰本构方程较Hibler的粘塑性本构模型可更好地处理渤海的冰间相互作用,提高海冰数值模拟的计算精度.     

Computational simulation of time-dependent behavior of soil–structure interaction by using a novel creep model: Application to a geosynthetic-reinforced soil physical model

In this paper, a model geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining walls (GRS-RW) is tested by vertically loading it through a rough footing on the top near the retaining wall and the results are simulated by a sophisticated nonlinear Finite Element Method (FEM) having a novel rate dependent constitutive model for both the backfill material and the geosynthetic reinforcement. Usually, polymer geosynthetic reinforcement is known to exhibit more-or-less rate-dependent stress–strain or load–strain behavior due to their viscous properties. The geomaterials (i.e., clay, sand, gravel and soft rock) also exhibit viscous properties. The viscous behavior of geometrials are quite different from that of the polymer based geosynthetic-reinforcements. It has been revealed recently that viscous behavior of sand is a kind of temporary effect, which vanishes with time. So the rate-dependent deformation of backfill reinforced with polymer geosynthetic reinforcement becomes highly complicated due to interactions between the elasto-viscoplastic properties of backfill and reinforcement. In the present study, a scaled model geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining wall is tested with a vertically loaded rough rigid footing. The results of the model test are simulated by using an appropriate elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model of both sand and geogrid embedded in a nonlinear plane strain FEM.     

Predictions of a continuous hyperplasticity model for Bangkok clay

The performance of a new constitutive model called ‘kinematic hardening modified Cam clay’ (KHMCC) is presented. The model is described using the ‘continuous hyperplasticity’ framework. Essentially this involves an infinite number of yield surfaces, thus allowing a smooth transition between elasticity and plasticity. The framework allows soil models to be developed in a relatively succinct mathematical form, since the entire constitutive behaviour can be determined through the specification of two scalar potentials. An implementation of the continuous hyperplasticity model is also described. The model requires eight parameters plus a viscosity coefficient for rate-dependent analysis. The model is defined in terms of triaxial stress–strain variables for this study, and is used to model monotonic triaxial tests on Bangkok clay. Comparisons of the theoretical predictions with the results of cyclic undrained triaxial compression tests on Bangkok clay are also presented.     

Finite element simulation of the thermoviscoplastic behaviour of bituminous concrete

The general framework of the paper deals with the finite element modelling of thermomechanical problems involving viscous materials. The study focuses on the statement of constitutive equations describing the thermoviscoplastic behaviour of bituminous concrete, as well as on their implementation in a finite element program. After stating the general equations of the space- and time-continuous problem and the constitutive relations governing the viscoplastic component of the bituminous concrete behaviour, we deal with their integration over finite time steps, considering two different schemes. Eventually, two sets of numerical results are presented. The first one, an homogeneous triaxial test, is used to compare those schemes, whereas the second one consists of numerical simulations of real-size experiments performed on a road structure subjected to thermal and mechanical loadings. By comparing the numerical results with experimental ones, it allows us to test the finite element code on a more complex and realistic problem. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

考虑颗粒破碎影响的粗粒土本构关系

粗粒土在较大的应力条件下容易产生颗粒破碎现象,而现有的大多数模型都没有考虑剪切过程中的颗粒破碎。模型将塑性功引入土体受力变形过程的能量方程中,推导得到土体流动法则。采用直线型屈服轨迹和非相关联流动法则,利用不排水应力路径计算得到硬化函数,建立了一个考虑颗粒破碎的粗粒土本构模型。对比分析表明：该模型对粗粒土在各种围压下的应力-应变和体应变计算结果与试验曲线吻合较好。     

Large post-liquefaction deformation of sand, part I: physical mechanism, constitutive description and numerical algorithm

This paper presents a theoretical framework for predicting the post-liquefaction deformation of saturated sand under undrained cyclic loading with emphasis on the mechanical laws, physical mechanism, constitutive model and numerical algorithm as well as practical applicability. The revealing mechanism behind the complex behavior in the post-liquefaction regime can be appreciated by decomposing the volumetric strain into three components with distinctive physical background. The interplay among these three components governs the post-liquefaction shear deformation and characterizes three physical states alternating in the liquefaction process. This assumption sheds some light on the intricate transition from small pre-liquefaction deformation to large post-liquefaction deformation and provides a rational explanation to the triggering of unstable flow slide and the post-liquefaction reconsolidation. Based on this assumption, a constitutive model is developed within the framework of bounding surface plasticity. This model is capable of reproducing small to large deformation in the pre- to post-liquefaction regime. The model performance is confirmed by simulating laboratory tests. The constitutive model is implemented in a finite element code together with a robust numerical algorithm to circumvent numerical instability in the vicinity of vanishing effective stress. This numerical model is validated by fully coupled numerical analyses of two well-instrumented dynamic centrifuge model tests. Finally, numerical simulation of liquefaction-related site response is performed for the Daikai subway station damaged during the 1995 Hyogoken-Nambu earthquake in Japan.     

考虑颗粒破碎的钙质砂修正邓肯-张E-B模型

在常规应力水平下颗粒发生破碎是钙质砂有别于其他砂土的重要性质之一,且由于颗粒破碎的存在,使用传统的本构模型无法很好地模拟钙质砂的力学行为。因此本文以最为普及的本构模型之一--邓肯-张E-B模型为基础,对其进行颗粒破碎方面的修正以得到一个能用于钙质砂的本构模型。具体方法为:首先本文采用Hardin提出的相对破碎Br这一指标来度量颗粒破碎的大小。之后研究分析得出了颗粒破碎对邓肯-张模型参数(内摩擦角φ、割线模量E50及体积模量B)的影响规律。然后通过颗粒破碎与输入能量之间的关系将各状态下无法直接确定的相对破碎Br与可确定的应力-应变状态联系起来。最终得到了一个考虑颗粒破碎的钙质砂修正邓肯-张E-B模型。为验证模型的准确性及适用性,本文还使用该模型对4种不同粒径范围且试验围压不同的钙质砂的三轴排水行为进行了模拟。结果表明拟合效果较好,模型能适用于各种不同粒径范围的钙质砂,并且在颗粒破碎较大的情况下明显优于传统邓肯-张模型。