A hierarchical single yield surface for frictional materials

This paper extends the formulation of a recent yield and failure criterion [Mortara G. A new yield and failure criterion for geomaterials. Géotechnique 2008;58(2):125–32] by modifying its shape in the deviatoric representation. Such a modification improves the performance of the surface introducing a constitutive parameter associated to the variation of the Lode angle. The criterion is validated through the comparison with experimental data obtained from multiaxial tests on soils, rocks and concrete. A special form of the criterion will be also derived for numerical applications in order to remove singularities of the previous criterion.