Improvement of a hypoplastic model for sand under undrained loading conditions

Abstract

An important drawback of the hypoplastic model is the inaccurate prediction of the sand behavior under undrained monotonic loading conditions. The model is not able to reproduce the limited liquefaction type response widely observed in undrained tests on loose sand, and it often underestimates the initial stiffness and hardening rate of sand during the shearing. To address these issues, three novel modifications are introduced into a basic hypoplastic model to enhance its undrained predictive capability. Firstly, a new factor is added to the nonlinear term of the model, allowing the simulation of a purely elastic response at the beginning of loading. By doing so, the model can accurately capture the initial stiffness and undrained effective stress path of sand. Secondly, the characterized void ratios are related to an evolving state variable, enabling the model to reasonably reproduce the limited flow response and quasi-steady state. Furthermore, a new term is incorporated into the deviatoric part of the strain rate to adjust the hardening rate of the model. The model performance for undrained loading is significantly improved through the above modifications, as evidenced by the good agreement between simulation results and experimental data for tests with varying densities and confining pressures.