An improved unified constitutive model for rock material and guidelines for its application in numerical modelling

The IUCM accounts for important and fundamental mechanisms, such as the transition from brittle to ductile response, confinement-dependent strain-softening, dilatational response, strength anisotropy, and stiffness softening. The IUCM was developed with the intention to provide a unified constitutive model that has the complexities required for application to a wide range of geotechnical applications and conditions, yet is simple enough to be used by most geotechnical practitioners.