A constitutive model for cemented geomaterials

Abstract

This study presents a constitutive model developed for lightly cemented geomaterials. The cemented geomaterials, when subjected to loading, exhibit hybrid mechanical responses: elastic-brittle due to bond breaking and elastic-plastic due to grains friction. This constitutive model is developed to capture the two mechanical responses by using three physical elements, i.e., the spring, the bond and the slider. These elements are combined to mimic the mechanical responses of lightly cemented soils under triaxial loading conditions. The model formulation is presented and validation with experimental data performed to demonstrate its capability in capturing the material behavior under both low and high confining pressures.