Soil modelling: South East Asia: October-November 2010

5. Cam clay
David Muir Wood
d.muirwood@dundee.ac.uk
 Py2
load Py1
P
a.

b. c.

l extension l l1 l2
P
loading and unloading of annealed copper wire
linear (elastic?) response when load less than previous
maximum load
nonlinear response when load exceeds previous
maximum load (yield load)
cycle of loading and unloading that exceeds past
maximum load leaves permanent (plastic) extension of
wire - but also enlarged elastic (stiff) region

p. 2/2
 Py2
load Py1
P
a.

b. c.

l extension l l1 l2
P
penalty for increased elastic region (Py2 Py1 ) is
permanent increase in length of wire (2 1 ):
hardening law
elastic (recoverable) deformation occurs whenever the
load changes
change in load causing yield produces both elastic
(recoverable) and plastic (irrecoverable) deformations

p. 3/2
 increase in yield load
Py2
Py1

plastic deformation = separation of

unloading-reloading lines

unloading-reloading lines

l1 l2
increase in permanent extension

elastic properties do not change when yielding occurs

(assumption)
concept of unloading-reloading lines for loads below the
current yield load
plastic deformation is equal to separation of
unloading-reloading paths at any load

p. 4/2
q

elastic region
p'

Cam clay
elastic-plastic model for soil
first question: are plastic strains occurring?
assume elliptical yield locus bounding elastic region

p. 5/2
 Cam clay
effective stress plane
volumetric changes are
q
important: develop
model in parallel in
effective stress plane
(p , q) and compression
p' plane (p , v)
v bulk modulus K = vp /,
shear modulus G:
unloading-reloading line isotropic nonlinear
elasticity
v = v ln p : unloading-
reloading line in com-
compression plane pression plane for all
p' stresses within current
yield locus

p. 6/2
q

p' p'o

assume that shape of yield locus is not affected by prior

loading history
current yield locus characterised by size po at
intersection with p axis
second question: what is the penalty for increase in po ?
(hardening law)

p. 7/2
q

B
A
penalty for increase in
p' p'oA p'oB po ? (hardening law)
volumetric hardening
iso-ncl
v
model: change in po
linked only with change
url A in volume

pp = po
v po
url B

p'

p. 8/2
q
isotropic normal
B compression line: p = po
A
plastic volumetric strains:

p po p
p' p'oA p'oB p = v po = v p
elastic volumetric strains:
iso-ncl

v
ep = v p
p

url A v = vp =
p
v(ep + pp ) = p
url B isotropic normal com-
pression line (iso-nc):
v = N ln p
p'

p. 9/2
 =M
q

yl B
yl A

p' p'oA p'oB

geometry of yield locus fixed: soil property M

yield locus expands to accommodate the change in
stress: size po
po not affected by stress increment causing expansion

p. 10/2
 =M
q

=0

N
p' yield loci
N
v v always pass
iso ncl through origin
iso ncl
slope geometric
v v similarity of
=0
intersection
url points of
paths with
url q/p = =
=0 slope
constant
=M =M
p'=1
p' ln p'

p. 11/2
 =M
q

=0
anisotropic
p' consolidation
N N
v v
lines slope
iso ncl in semiloga-
iso ncl rithmic
slope
v v compression
plane
=0
url unloading-
reloading
url
lines have
slope
=0 slope in
=M =M ln p , v plane
p'=1
p' ln p'

p. 12/2
Cam clay state boundary surface
in p, q, v space

each yield locus is associated with

an unloading-reloading line
state boundary surface encloses all
permissible states
 qp

p
q pp
M

p'o p'

third question: what is mechanism of plastic

deformation? (relative amounts of plastic distortional
and plastic volumetric strain: pq /pp )
assume normality of plastic strain increments to yield
locus at current stress
= 0, pq /pp = 0; = M , pq /pp =
p. 13/2
 Cam clay

volumetric hardening model: penalty for increased size

of elastic region is permanent change in volumetric
packing
adopt a graphical approach to the explanation of the
way in which the model operates in p , q effective stress
plane and in p , v compression plane
behaviour bounded in these two planes: stresses and
volume cannot change indefinitely (failure, limits to
density of packing)
compute stress:strain response: distortional strain is
unbounded and can increase indefinitely

p. 14/2
q
B
A graphical construction
of the Cam clay
p' stress:strain response
increment AB in
drained compression
v iso-ncl test q/p = 3
stress increment
defines intersection
A with new yield locus
and po
B
project down to
unloading-reloading
line in compression
p' plane

p. 15/2
v iso-ncl

A
-vp
B

p'
separation of urls produces irrecoverable volume
change v p
plastic volumetric strain pp = v p /v

p. 16/2
 1
q B D
A

p'
normality to yield locus gives D = pp /pq and hence
plastic distortional strain

p. 17/2
 qe qp
q
3G B q
A

q
elastic distortional strain increment is eq = q/3G
elastic and plastic components summed to give total
distortional strain
then repeat for next increment

p. 18/2
 =M
q

p'
as stress ratio = q/p increases, so ratio of plastic
strain increments pp /pq reduces
yield locus can only expand if plastic volumetric strain
occurs
as M , soil tends to state of perfect plasticity
critical state: continuing shearing with no further
change in stresses or volume
p. 19/2
Cam clay drained compression test (1)

B-C-D-E-F: slope of yield locus becomes flatter

ratio distortional/volumetric strain becomes larger

F: no plastic volumetric strain (normality)

q : end of test!
 Cam clay drained compression test (2)
how did we reach B? normal compression to A?
behaviour beyond B not affected by previous history
 Cam clay drained compression test (3)
how did we reach B? overconsolidation to A?
behaviour beyond B not affected by previous history
 Cam clay drained compression test (4)
heavily overconsolidated KP: yielding at Q with pp < 0

q
yield locus shrinks: softening stress:strain response

elastic: q > 0

Q-R-S-T: slope of yield locus becomes flatter:

ratio distortional/volumetric strain becomes larger:
T: no plastic volumetric strain (normality)
q : end of test!

elastic: p' > 0

 Cam clay ambiguity of response
softening regime: yielding with > M
same stress change associated either with plastic (QR) or elastic
(QR') strain
bifurcation of response
numerical ambiguity
 Physical consequence of uncertainty of response

elastic unloading

plastic softening confined to thin localised region

Taylor, 1948
Cam clay hardening and softening response
q yl B
yl A Q
P
p'
stress increment PQ
inside yield locus yA
v
purely elastic
url A Q
ep = p /vp
P
url B
iso-ncl

p'

p. 20/2
q yl B
R
yl A
P
stress increment PR
p'
p = 0 ep = 0
expands yield locus
v from yA to y B:
url A po = poB poA
P plastic volumetric strain
url B
R pp = ( )po /vpo
iso-ncl

p'

p. 21/2
q yl B S
R
yl A Q
P
p' stress increment PS
pP S = pP Q and
poP S = poP R
v
url A Q project down to
P unloading-reloading
url B lines in compression
S
R iso-ncl plane
v = 0: undrained

p'

p. 22/2
q yl B S
R
yl A Q
P
stress increment PS:
p'
v = 0: undrained
elastic + plastic
v volumetric strain = 0
url A Q ep + pp = 0
P
url B p
vp po
+ ( ) vpo =0
S
R iso-ncl

p'

p. 23/2
q yl B S
R
yl A Q
P
stress increment PS:
p' v = 0: undrained
elastic + plastic
v volumetric strain = 0
url A Q plastic compression
P po > 0
url B
S elastic expansion p < 0
R iso-ncl

p'

p. 24/2
q
B
yl A yl B

A graphical construction of
Cam clay stress:strain
p' p'o response
increment AB in
iso-ncl undrained compression
v test v = 0
url A volume constraint
url B defines intersection with
A new unloading-reloading
B line and po
project up to yield locus
in effective stress plane
p'

p. 25/2
 url A iso-ncl
v
url B

-vp A

p'
separation of urs produces irrecoverable volume
change v p
plastic volumetric strain pp = v p /v
elastic volumetric strain ep = pp
p. 26/2
q 1
B D
yl A
yl B
A

p'
normality to yield locus gives D = pp /pq and hence
plastic distortional strain

p. 27/2
 qe qp
q
3G B q
A

q
elastic distortional strain increment is eq = q/3G
elastic and plastic components summed to give total
distortional strain
p. 28/2
q -p' p
yl B
B
yl A q
esp tsp
A

p'

pore pressure from total and effective stress paths

pore pressure parameter a = q/p

then repeat for next increment

p. 29/2
Cam clay undrained compression

undrained stress increments in effective stress

plane and compression plane
plastic hardening AB: < M, p' < 0, p'o > 0
plastic softening QR: > M, p' > 0, p'o < 0
perfect plasticity G: = M, p' = p'o = 0
 Cam clay undrained compression

step through undrained test on

normally compressed soil
conventional compression q = 3p
Cam clay undrained compression

step through undrained test on lightly

overconsolidated soil
conventional compression q = 3p
Cam clay undrained compression

step through undrained test on

heavily overconsolidated soil
conventional compression q = 3p
Weald clay undrained response division of pore pressure