A two-scale constitutive framework for modelling localised deformation in saturated dilative hardening material

Undrained deformation of dilative sand generates negative excess pore pressure. It enhances the strength, which is called dilative hardening. This increased suction is not permanent. The heterogeneity at the grain scale triggers localisations causing local volume changes. The negative hydraulic gradient drives fluid into dilating shear zones. It loosens the soil and diminishes the shear strength. It is essential to understand the mechanism behind this internal drainage and to capture it numerically. The purpose of this paper is to develop a macroscopic constitutive relationship for the undrained deformation of saturated dense sand in the presence of a locally fully or partially drained shear band. Separate constitutive relations are generated for the band and intact material. Both time and scale dependence during pore fluid diffusion in saturated sand are captured, eliminating the mesh dependency for finite element implementations. The model is applied to the Gauss points that satisfy the bifurcation criterion. The proposed method is calibrated to recreate the undrained macroscopic response bestowed by an extra-small mesh. The microscopic behaviours inside and outside shear band predicted by this model are qualitatively in good agreement with individual material point behaviours inside and outside the shear band in the extra-small mesh. Depending on the loading rate and the shear band thickness, the response inside the band can be fully or partially drained, which governs the ultimate global strength. The calibrated model is exploited to simulate an upscaled biaxial compression test with semipermeable boundaries.