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An elastoplastic strainhardening model for soil allowing for hydraulic bonding-debonding effects
No full text
An elastoplastic strainhardening model for soil allowing for hydraulic bonding-debonding effects
No full textSaturation-induce failure: mechanics of a class of unstable processes.
No full textThis paper presents an analytical investigation on the stability of multiphase
porous media subjected to changes in fluid pressures and/or saturation conditions. For
this purpose, we revisit the concept of second-order work and explore its relation with
the incremental energy input in partially saturated media. Our analytical results show
that second-order work contributions do not involve only effective stresses and
skeletal deformation, but also depend on the changes in fluid pressures and degree of
saturation. This result provides a novel approach to address unstable processes in
unsaturated porous media and enables a number of theories originally conceived only
for fluid-saturated compounds to be extended for unsaturated medi
Soil stability and flow slides in unsaturated shallow slopes: Can saturation events trigger liquefaction processes?
No full textThis paper illustrates an application of the theory of material stability to the analysis of unsaturated
slopes. The main goal is to contribute to the understanding of rainfall-induced flow slides. For this
purpose, a coupled hydromechanical constitutive model is combined with a simplified approach for
the analysis of infinite slopes. Simple shear-test simulations are used to evaluate triggering perturbations
and investigate the role of both initial suction and stress anisotropy in the activation of slope
failures. The numerical simulations clearly show that different mechanisms of activation can be
originated. The onset of instability is detected by introducing appropriate stability indices for distinct
modes of failure: localised shear failure, static liquefaction and wetting-induced collapse. Critical
intervals of slope inclinations are identified, cautioning that the predicted failure mode may change
dramatically depending on initial conditions, slope angle and material properties. The numerical
simulations demonstrate that, in particular circumstances, saturation of the pore space can be the
unexpected result of a volumetric instability. According to this interpretation, a rainfall-induced flow
slide can originate from a complex chain process consisting of a sudden volume collapse, uncontrolled
saturation of the pores and, eventually, catastrophic liquefaction of the deposit
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