An anisotropic critical state soil plasticity model (Q1819591)

The concept and methodology of critical state soil mechanics have underlined the majority of past and recent isotropic soil constitutive models within the framework of elastoplasticity. The development of anisotropic models, however, has not been similarly related in most cases to the critical state methodology of derivation. The yield surface with anisotropic features such as rotational hardening, has been postulated directly rather than being derived from a unifying work dissipation assumption, as in the original isotropic critical state plasticity models. The present work attempts to cover this gap. Beginning with a rate of plastic work dissipation equation, where prominently an anisotropic variable appears, the corresponding differential equation can be integrated in closed form in the triaxial p- q space, providing the expression of a rotated and distorted ellipse as the yield surface. An evolution law for the anisotropic variable is proposed, and the generalization to the multiaxial stress space is briefly discussed. An attractive feature of the model is the great simplicity of the resulting constitutive equations. This is coroborated by showing how one can obtain the undrained strength of a soil sample, after anisotropic consolidation, by hand calculations only, and compare it successfully with experimental data. In conclusion, it can be said that the present work suggests a classical extension of the critical state soil mechanics theory from isotropy to anisotropy.