Unsaturated soil dynamics: Finite element solution including stress-induced anisotropy

Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel framework for solving boundary and initial-value problems involving multiphase granular soils under monotonic, cyclic, and dynamic loads. To achieve this, a constitutive model was developed using the concept of loading surface that allows the development of a stress integration scheme with less algorithmic complexity compared to its counterparts developed for the models that involve a yield or bounding surface. The developed model was implemented in a fully coupled framework to tackle several challenging issues in the numerical modelling of granular soils, including induced anisotropy and the response in scenarios including elevated stress levels, cyclic loading, during wetting and drying reversals, and under impact loads. Several numerical examples are presented, providing verification of the approach, and demonstrating the capabilities of the proposed solution framework.