Single Hardening Elasto-Plastic Model for Kaolin Clay with Loading-History-Dependent Plastic Potential Function

Abstract

The effect of principal stress rotation on the mechanical behavior of Kaolin clay is investigated using combined axial-torsional tests on hollow cylindrical specimens. The yielding behavior and failure criteria are found to be strongly dependent on the principal stress rotation angle (β) and plastic work. A unique plastic potential function determined solely by the current stress state is not sufficient to model the plastic flow observed in these experiments. Therefore, a single hardening elasto-plastic model that includes a loading-history-dependent plastic potential function is proposed for normally consolidated Kaolin clay subjected to principal stress rotation. A general methodology for incorporating history dependency in modeling complex elasto-plastic behavior of cohesive soils is presented along with comparisons of model predictions with experimental data.