Analytical Solution and Numerical Simulation of Shear Bands along Different Stress Paths in Three-Dimensional Stress State

This paper presents an analytical solution and numerical simulation of a failure mode in over-consolidated clays based on the elasto-plastic description of the material. First, a bifurcation analysis is performed to study the failure mode of the over-consolidated clay specimen along different stress paths. It is shown that the occurrence of either homogeneous failure or localized failure depends on the Lode angle. The bifurcation does not occur in tests along the stress paths at the Lode angle in the ranges of –30° ~ –26.5° and 7.5° ~ 30°. However, bifurcation points are detected in tests along stress paths with the Lode angle varying from –26.5° to 7.5°. Second, the elastoplastic model is integrated into the software ABAQUS. Three-dimensional (3D) finite element simulations along stress paths of the triaxial compression, triaxial extension, and plane strain are performed. The results have validated the capacity of the model to simulate the instability and strain localization phenomena.