A Model of Undrained Stress–Strain Curves Considering Stress Path and Strain Softening
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 21, Issue 11
Abstract
The stress path and strain-softening effect have a great influence on the strength and deformation of soils. Former test results show that the strength and deformation behaviors under lateral unloading conditions are quite different from those under axial loading conditions, especially for the structured soils. Based on the deformation mechanism of structured soils and incremental linear elasticity theory, a four-parameter stress–strain curve model is proposed by analyzing the stress–strain curves of axial loading and lateral unloading consolidated undrained shear tests. The model contains four important parameters: ultimate residual strength, curve shape factor, initial tangent modulus parameter, and peak strength parameter. All the parameters can be determined easily by conventional triaxial tests. Besides, comparisons of predicted and measured results of shear tests of different sands and soft soils indicate that the newly built model can describe the stress–strain curves with extensive adaptability and high accuracy, and it provides a unified nonlinear elastic model for both strain-hardening and strain-softening soils.
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Acknowledgments
This research was substantially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40972214) and the Research Project of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Transportation (Grant No. 2014H06). All supports are gratefully acknowledged.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- a
- ultimate residual strength;
- Ei
- initial tangent modulus;
- e0
- initial void ratio;
- IL
- liquid index;
- IP
- plasticity index;
- k
- parameter that controls the initial tangential modulus;
- m
- parameter reflecting the peak strength and peak strain;
- patm
- atmospheric pressure;
- Rf
- damage ratio of remolded soil;
- Rr
- residual strength ratio;
- Sr
- saturation degree;
- wL
- liquid limit;
- wP
- plastic limit;
- w
- water content in weight;
- α
- peak index;
- Δɛ
- simulation deviation;
- ɛ
- strain;
- λ
- scale factor that controls curve shape; and
- ρ
- soil density.
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 8, 2020
Accepted: Jul 15, 2021
Published online: Sep 6, 2021
Published in print: Nov 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Feb 6, 2022
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