Sand Plasticity Model Accounting for Inherent Fabric Anisotropy

Abstract

A sand plasticity constitutive model is presented herein, which accounts for the effect of inherent fabric anisotropy on the mechanical response. The anisotropy associated with particles’ orientation distribution, is represented by a second-order symmetric fabric tensor, and its effect is quantified via a scalar-valued anisotropic state variable, A. A is defined as the first joint isotropic invariant of the fabric tensor and a properly defined loading direction tensor, scaled by a function of a corresponding Lode angle. The hardening plastic modulus and the location of the critical state line in the void ratio—mean effective stress space, on which the dilatancy depends, are made functions of A. The incorporation of this dependence on A in a pre-existing stress-ratio driven, bounding surface plasticity constitutive model, achieves successful simulations of test results on sand for a wide variation of densities, pressures, loading manners, and directions. In particular, the drastic difference in material response observed experimentally for different directions of the principal stress axes with respect to the anisotropy axes, is well simulated by the model. The proposed definition and use of A has generic value, and can be incorporated in a large number of other constitutive models in order to account for inherent fabric anisotropy effects.