ACMEG-T: Soil Thermoplasticity Model

Abstract

This paper addresses an advanced and unified thermomechanical constitutive model for soils. Based on experimental evidence showing the nonlinear and irreversible thermomechanical responses of saturated soils, the constitutive equations of the developed model, Advanced Constitutive Model for Environmental Geomechanics-Thermal effect (ACMEG-T), are presented. In the context of elastoplasticity and critical state theory, the model uses the multimechanism plasticity and bounding surface theory. Nonlinear thermoelasticity is joined with two coupled thermoplastic dissipative processes. The yield functions, the dissipative potentials and the plastic multipliers are introduced. Attention is particularly focused on the coupling between both plastic mechanisms, an isotropic and a deviatoric one, which are in agreement with the consistency condition for multiple dissipation. As far as isotropic mechanism is concerned, a unique thermomechanical yield surface reproduces the thermoplasticity observed at low and intermediate overconsolidation ratios, as well as the plasticity under mechanical loading in an framework unifying mechanical and thermal hardenings. Finally, the efficiency of ACMEG-T is proven by validation tests on drained and undrained thermomechanical paths.