Loading path dependence and non-linear stiffness at small strain using rate-dependent multisurface hyperplasticity model

Many interpretations of small-strain experiments indicate a non-linear dependence of soil stiffness on pressure. This shows that small-strain stiffness can be expressed as a power function of the mean effective stress rather than as a linear function of stress. Many cases in the field show the importance of these behaviours to load–deformation prediction in a soil-structure interaction problem. This paper presents a numerical implementation and validation of non-linear pressure-dependent stiffness in a hyperplasticity model using a strain-driven forward-Euler integration scheme. The kinematic hardening function was incorporated into a finite number of multiple-yield surfaces of Modified Cam Clay to characterise small-strain stiffness and accommodate smooth transition of stiffness corresponding to different loading conditions and stress histories. Experimental results of current state and loading history dependence in overconsolidated clay are compared to the model prediction.