A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Advances in understanding real soil behaviour, achieved over the past twenty years, and subsequent developments of relevant soil constitutive models, have greatly enhanced the predictive ability of numerical analyses of geotechnical structures. Of particular relevance, especially for serviceability limit state (SLS) design, has been the understanding of soils' small strain behaviour. For the behaviour of London Clay, initially developed models were simple curve-fitting techniques that reproduce stiffness dependence on stress and strain level, which has shown some successes in predicting SLS behaviours. Modelling failure of London Clay is significantly more complex due to its overconsolidated and fissured nature. More recent developments in soil constitutive modelling have therefore tried to encompass most important aspects of clay behaviour within the unified framework of critical state. However, even these advanced models have insufficient features to simulate the behaviour of overconsolidated clays. In this paper, a study has been made, comparing high quality laboratory triaxial data on London Clay with the predictions of two constitutive models, highlighting these deficiencies. It is shown how relatively simple modifications of advanced models, to capture the anisotropy of small strain stiffness and to impose a strength curtailment to represent strain localisation, can significantly improve the predictions of laboratory experiments.
Advances in understanding real soil behaviour, achieved over the past twenty years, and subsequent developments of relevant soil constitutive models, have greatly enhanced the predictive ability of numerical analyses of geotechnical structures. Of particular relevance, especially for serviceability limit state (SLS) design, has been the understanding of soils' small strain behaviour. For the behaviour of London Clay, initially developed models were simple curve-fitting techniques that reproduce stiffness dependence on stress and strain level, which has shown some successes in predicting SLS behaviours. Modelling failure of London Clay is significantly more complex due to its overconsolidated and fissured nature. More recent developments in soil constitutive modelling have therefore tried to encompass most important aspects of clay behaviour within the unified framework of critical state. However, even these advanced models have insufficient features to simulate the behaviour of overconsolidated clays. In this paper, a study has been made, comparing high quality laboratory triaxial data on London Clay with the predictions of two constitutive models, highlighting these deficiencies. It is shown how relatively simple modifications of advanced models, to capture the anisotropy of small strain stiffness and to impose a strength curtailment to represent strain localisation, can significantly improve the predictions of laboratory experiments.
The constitutive modelling of London Clay
2017-02-01
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering , 170 (1) pp. 3-15. (2017)
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
DDC:
690
Numerical analyses of a tunnel in London clay using different constitutive models
| British Library Conference Proceedings | 2006
From microscale to macroscale in constitutive modelling in consolidation of clay
| British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005
Constitutive equations for Murro clay
| British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005
Modelling Volume Change Potential in the London Clay
| Online Contents | 2011