Modeling the Stress-Strain Relations of Sand in Cyclic Plane Strain Loading

Abstract

A modeling procedure to simulate stress-strain relations of sand subjected to cyclic loading is proposed. Results from drained plane strain compression, extension, and cyclic loading tests on Toyoura sand are analyzed. The monotonic loading behavior is simulated by the generalized hyperbolic equation to use as the skeleton curves in the simulation of cyclic behavior. To construct hysteretic stress-strain curves based on the skeleton curves, the Masing’s rule is generalized to the proportional rule consisting of the internal and external rules. The drag rule is then introduced to simulate cyclic stress-strain behavior in which the stress amplitude increases at a decreasing rate during cyclic loading with a constant strain amplitude. It is assumed that any plastic shear strain increment taking place in a certain direction drags the whole skeleton curve for loading in the opposite direction towards the direction of the concerned shear strain increment. The measured cyclic stress-strain behavior is well simulated by the proposed method.