An elastoplastic strainhardening model for soil allowing for hydraulic bonding–debonding effects

The paper presents a strainhardening constitutive model for unsaturated soil behaviour based on energy conjugated stress variables in the framework of superposed continua. The proposed constitutive law deals with hydro‐mechanical coupling phenomena. The main purpose is to develop within a consistent framework a model that can deal with possible mechanical instabilities occurring in partially saturated materials. The loss of capillary effects during wetting processes can, in fact, play a central role in unstable processes. Therefore, it will be shown that the bonding effects due to surface tensions can be described in a mathematical framework similar to that employed for bonded geomaterials to model weathering or diagenesis effects, either mechanically or chemically induced. The results of several simulations of common laboratory tests on partially saturated soil specimens are shown. The calculated behaviour appears to be in good qualitative agreement with that observed in the laboratory. In particular it is shown that volumetric collapse phenomena due to hydraulic debonding effects can be successfully described by the model. Finally, it will be highlighted the ability of the model to naturally capture the transition to a fully saturated condition and to deal with possible mechanical instabilities in the unsaturated regime. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of size on the constitutive equations of concrete or rock dowels

The numerical fracture analysis of non‐homogeneous rock or concrete dowels subjected to shear and compression is described in detail. The method of analysis allows the consideration of scale and rate effects due to material non‐homogeneity and fracture. The proposed approach is verified by comparing numerical predictions with experimental results reported in the literature for a series of small rock samples, since experimental evidence for large bodies is not yet available (2007). Results generated by Monte Carlo simulation using the so‐called discrete element method to model the dowels suggest that a simple three parameters law can be used to predict the relationship between tangential stress at the base and lateral distortion. It is observed that the larger the size of the cubes, the smaller both the peak tangential stress and the rupture distortion. Size effects are also evaluated in samples with vertical restraint. The influence of loading rate is likewise numerically assessed for two sample sizes. The effect is compatible with experimental evidence available for concrete using small samples. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A high strain‐rate constitutive model for sand and its application in finite‐element analysis of tunnels subjected to blast

The paper presents a constitutive model for simulating the high strain‐rate behavior of sands. Based on the concepts of critical‐state soil mechanics, the bounding surface plasticity theory and the overstress theory of viscoplasticity, the constitutive model simulates the high strain‐rate behavior of sands under uniaxial, triaxial and multi‐axial loading conditions. The model parameters are determined for Ottawa and Fontainebleau sands, and the performance of the model under extreme transient loading conditions is demonstrated through simulations of split Hopkinson pressure bar tests up to a strain rate of 2000/s. The constitutive model is implemented in a finite‐element analysis software Abaqus to analyze underground tunnels in sandy soil subjected to internal blast loads. Parametric studies are conducted to examine the effect of relative density and type of sand and of the depth of tunnel on the variation of stresses and deformations in the soil adjacent to the tunnels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于OpenSees的砂土本构模型对比研究

饱和砂土液化是由地震引起的一种最常见的工程地质现象,也是造成重大地震灾害的主要原因之一。由于成因的复杂性和所造成灾害的严重性,饱和砂土液化一直是土动力学和岩土地震工程研究领域的重要课题。针对饱和砂土液化问题,基于开源地震工程数值计算平台OpenSees,对材料库中的4种砂土本构模型进行数值计算。采用二维u-p单元模拟土颗粒位移和孔隙水压力,分析和对比4种模型在循环动力荷载作用下的加速度、超孔隙水压力、位移、剪应力-剪应变和平均有效应力路径方面的响应结果。研究结果表明:(1)砂土对输入加速度表现出一定的放大效应,对于不同的模型,该放大效应存在一些差异;(2) Stress Density模型在循环动力荷载作用下易产生永久变形;(3)在循环动力荷载作用下,PDMY模型和CycLiqCPSP模型的强度逐渐降低,直到完全消失;(4) Stress Density模型和Manzari Dafalias模型在循环动力荷载下表现出明显的剪胀效应。研究成果对砂土液化的数值模拟问题具有重要的理论价值,可为饱和砂土的液化模拟和砂土本构模型的选取提供参考。     

重金属污染物侵入对土体强度影响的试验研究

通过三轴试验、压缩试验和直剪试验对重金属污染土进行了研究,在100、200、300KPa围压条件下,对5种重金属含量不同的污染土试样:一般土、污染土(重金属元素质量比分别为:1%、3%、5%、7%)进行三轴对比试验,试验结果表明:污染土的强度随着重金属元素的含量的增加显著降低,围压增大对重金属含量低的污染土的强度的影响不显著,质量比小于3%时,峰值强度降低10%~15%,质量比大于5%时,峰值强度降低40%~50%;直剪试验结果表明:质量比小于3%的污染土抗剪强度-垂直压力曲线基本平行,垂直压力与抗剪强度成正比,抗剪强度降低幅度为5%~10%,质量比大于5%的污染土抗剪强度-垂直压力曲线表现为不规则,抗剪强度降低45%~55%左右;压缩试验结果表明,污染土与一般土的压缩量差别较大,质量比超过5%以上时对压缩性的影响尤为显著。     

Test on dynamic characteristics of subgrade of heavy-haul railway in cold regions

Dynamic characteristics of heavy-haul railway subgrade under vibratory loading in cold regions are investigated via low-temperature dynamic triaxial tests with multi-stage cyclic loading process. The relationship between dynamic shear stress and dynamic shear strain of frozen soil of subgrade under train loading and the influence of freezing temperatures on dynamic constitutive relation, dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio are observed in this study. Test results show that the dynamic constitutive relations of the frozen soils with different freezing temperatures comply with the hyperbolic model, in which model parameters a and b decrease with increasing freezing temperature. The dynamic shear modulus of the frozen soils decreases with increasing dynamic shear strains initially, followed by a relatively smooth attenuation tendency, whereas increases with decreasing freezing temperatures. The damping ratios decrease with decreasing freezing temperatures. Two linear functions are defined to express the linear relationships between dynamic shear modulus (damping ratio) and freezing temperature, respectively, in which corresponding linear coefficients are obtained through multiple regression analysis of test data.     

Optimization routine for identification of model parameters in soil plasticity

The paper presents an optimization routine especially developed for the identification of model parameters in soil plasticity on the basis of different soil tests. Main focus is put on the mathematical aspects and the experience from application of this optimization routine. Mathematically, for the optimization, an objective function and a search strategy are needed. Some alternative expressions for the objective function are formulated. They capture the overall soil behaviour and can be used in a simultaneous optimization against several laboratory tests. Two different search strategies, Rosenbrock's method and the Simplex method, both belonging to the category of direct search methods, are utilized in the routine. Direct search methods have generally proved to be reliable and their relative simplicity make them quite easy to program into workable codes. The Rosenbrock and simplex methods are modified to make the search strategies as efficient and user‐friendly as possible for the type of optimization problem addressed here. Since these search strategies are of a heuristic nature, which makes it difficult (or even impossible) to analyse their performance in a theoretical way, representative optimization examples against both simulated experimental results as well as performed triaxial tests are presented to show the efficiency of the optimization routine. From these examples, it has been concluded that the optimization routine is able to locate a minimum with a good accuracy, fast enough to be a very useful tool for identification of model parameters in soil plasticity. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Delayed plastic model for time‐dependent behaviour of materials

A delayed plastic model, based on the theory of plasticity, is proposed to represent the time‐dependent behaviour of materials. It is assumed in this model that the stress can lie outside the yield surface and the conjugate stress called static stress is defined on the yield surface. The stress–strain relation is calculated based on the plastic theory embedding the static stress. Thus, the stress–strain relation of the model practically corresponds to that of the inviscid elastoplastic model under fairly low rate deformation. The delayed plastic model is coupled with the Cam‐clay model for normally consolidated clays. The performance of the model is then examined by comparing the model predictions with reported time‐dependent behaviour of clays under undrained triaxial conditions. It is shown that the model is capable of predicting the effect of strain rate during undrained shear and the undrained creep behaviour including creep rupture. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Visualization of material stiffness in geomechanics analysis

This paper presents novel visualization techniques to simplify representation of the fourth‐order material stiffness tensor as a set of three‐dimensional geometric objects. Stiffness visualization aids in understanding the complex stiffness characteristics of highly non‐linear constitutive models including modelled material anisotropy and loading path dependent stiffness variation. Stiffness visualization is relevant for understanding the relationship of material stiffness to global behaviour in the analysis of a boundary value problem. The spherical pulse stiffness visualization method, developed in the acoustics field, is extended to visualize stiffness of geomaterials using three three‐dimensional objects. This method is limited to relatively simple constitutive models with symmetric stiffness matrices insensitive to loading magnitude and direction. A strain dependent stiffness visualization method is developed that allows the examination of material stiffness for a range of loading directions and is suitable for highly non‐linear and path dependent material models. The proposed stiffness visualization can be represented as 3‐D, 2‐D and 1‐D objects. The visualization technique is used to represent material stiffness and its evolution during simulated soil laboratory tests and deep excavation construction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.