Cylindrical Cavity Expansion in Elastoplastic Medium with a Variable Potential Flow

Abstract

An analytical model dealing with the problem of an expanded cylindrical cavity in an elastoplastic medium is presented. The constitutive material is assumed to be weightless, homogeneous, and isotropic; its resistance is governed by the Mohr-Coulomb’s strength criterion. Elastoplastic behavior, characterized by a variable plastic potential of flow, is then considered to determine the limit pressure of the expanded cavity. Such a constitutive model takes into account the volume variation, which depends, in particular, on the horizontal distance between the applied load and each point of the expanded medium. Potential applications in soil mechanics are suggested to perform the proposed model.