Simulation of rate-dependent behaviour of normally consolidated and overconsolidated soils

Abstract

    In a constant strain rate test, a total strain rate is enforced and kept constant throughout the experiment while the stress response is measured. An increase in strain rate during soil compression is manifested by increase in soil stiffness, i.e. the larger the strain rate, the stiffer the soil. In this study, the capability of the proposed bounding surface viscoplasticity model to capture the strain rate-dependent behaviour of soils is demonstrated. Several numerical examples are also presented to show the application of the model to simulate the rate-dependent behaviour of normally consolidated as well as overconsolidated cohesive soils under undrained loading conditions.