A stress point algorithm for an elastoplastic model in unsaturated soils

Abstract

Two stress fields, combination of total stresses, liquid pressure and gas pressure have to be considered to explain the deformational behaviour of unsaturated media. Elastoplastic models developed for these materials consider generally two yield surfaces, each one associated to a stress field, and whose intersection produces a corner in the space of generalised stress components. In this paper, a stress point algorithm is proposed to cope with the integration of such constitutive laws, which can be seen as non smooth multisurface plastic models in the space of the two stress fields. The basic model developed by Alonso et al. (Alonso, E.E., Gens, A., 1990. A constitutive model for partially saturated soils. Géotechnique 40 (3), 405–430), which will be used to test the algorithm, is first described. Generalised stress and strain variables are then defined. Implementation of the return mapping algorithm, based on an implicit integration scheme, is presented with special attention devoted to the problem of mixed control imposed by the F.E. formulation generally used to analyse the hydromechanical behaviour of unsaturated media. Validation results on distinct generalised stress paths are given at the end.

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