A simple procedure to simulate a smooth elastic-plastic transition in Cam-Clay models

A simple procedure is proposed to simulate a smooth transition from elastic to elastoplastic behaviour in Cam-Clay models. The procedure consists of the definition of an external constitutive surface where full yield is assumed, and an internal one that allows the definition of the position in which plastic strains start to appear before the external yield surface is reached. The comparison of the model results with different laboratory tests shows the validity of the procedure. The method considers one additional parameter with regard to a “standard” critical state model, and it can easily be implemented in existing integration modules.