Comparison of UBCSAND and Hypoplastic soil model predictions using the Material Point Method

Abstract

Liquefaction effects predicted by implementing two well-known constitutive models for sandy soils are compared; i.e., the Hypoplastic soil model (HPS) and the UBCSAND model. To numerically simulate dynamic loading, the Convected Particle Domain Interpolation (CPDI) method, an advanced Material Point Method (MPM), is employed within a multi-phase framework. The numerical results from the UBCSAND model are compared against published experimental data. A comparison between the performance of UBCSAND and HPS model is presented by calibrating the former’s constitutive behaviour for Berlin sand to that of the HPS model. The shake table test performed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is numerically simulated and results are compared against the published experimental data. Good agreement between the experiment and the numerical calculation is obtained. Thereafter, models are employed to numerically simulate a driven pile installation. The results from both models are compared against published experimental data. The multi-phase CPDI formulation is shown to be capable of reproducing liquefaction for the the pile driving example.