Due to the availability of large digital computers and advances in computational analysis techniques, it has become feasible to perform stress analyses of geotechnical structures involving complex geometries and material behavior. A key element in such analyses is the proper modeling of the constitutive behavior of soils.
Intensive research in recent years has led to a proliferation of constitutive models which have been postulated to represent soil behavior under general loading conditions. In this paper some of these models are reviewed regarding their basic assumptions and the requirement of input data for their characterization. A classification of constitutive models is given on the basis of basic approaches to relating stress and strain. Representative models from each class are selected for detailed examination, with the hyperbolic model, the elastic—perfectly plastic model, the Cam-Clay model, the cap model, Lade's model, Prevost's model, and the endochronic model being selected. Finally, a comparison is made of these models regarding their range of applicability.
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