Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular Materials
Because artificially cemented granular (ACG) materials employ diverse combinations of aggregates and binders—including cemented soil, low-cement-content cemented sand and gravel (LCSG), and concrete—their stress–strain responses vary widely. In LCSG, the binder dosage is typically limited to 40–80 k...
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2025-08-01
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| author | Xiaochun Yu Yuchen Ye Anyu Yang Jie Yang |
| author_facet | Xiaochun Yu Yuchen Ye Anyu Yang Jie Yang |
| author_sort | Xiaochun Yu |
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| description | Because artificially cemented granular (ACG) materials employ diverse combinations of aggregates and binders—including cemented soil, low-cement-content cemented sand and gravel (LCSG), and concrete—their stress–strain responses vary widely. In LCSG, the binder dosage is typically limited to 40–80 kg/m<sup>3</sup> and the sand–gravel skeleton is often obtained directly from on-site or nearby excavation spoil, endowing the material with a markedly lower embodied carbon footprint and strong alignment with current low-carbon, green-construction objectives. Yet, such heterogeneity makes a single material-specific constitutive model inadequate for predicting the mechanical behavior of other ACG variants, thereby constraining broader applications in dam construction and foundation reinforcement. This study systematically summarizes and analyzes the stress–strain and volumetric strain–axial strain characteristics of ACG materials under conventional triaxial conditions. Generalized hyperbolic and parabolic equations are employed to describe these two families of curves, and closed-form expressions are proposed for key mechanical indices—peak strength, elastic modulus, and shear dilation behavior. Building on generalized plasticity theory, we derive the plastic flow direction vector, loading direction vector, and plastic modulus, and develop a concise, transferable elastoplastic model suitable for the full spectrum of ACG materials. Validation against triaxial data for rock-fill materials, LCSG, and cemented coal–gangue backfill shows that the model reproduces the stress and deformation paths of each material class with high accuracy. Quantitative evaluation of the peak values indicates that the proposed constitutive model predicts peak deviatoric stress with an error of 1.36% and peak volumetric strain with an error of 3.78%. The corresponding coefficients of determination <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> between the predicted and measured values are 0.997 for peak stress and 0.987 for peak volumetric strain, demonstrating the excellent engineering accuracy of the proposed model. The results provide a unified theoretical basis for deploying ACG—particularly its low-cement, locally sourced variants—in low-carbon dam construction, foundation rehabilitation, and other sustainable civil engineering projects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb078b277a064fc1a4cc528d63baafd2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2075-5309 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Buildings |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb078b277a064fc1a4cc528d63baafd22025-08-20T03:02:58ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-08-011515272110.3390/buildings15152721Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular MaterialsXiaochun Yu0Yuchen Ye1Anyu Yang2Jie Yang3School of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, ChinaSchool of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, ChinaNational Research Institute for Rural Electrification of Ministry of Water Resources, 122 Xueyuan-ro, Xihu-gu, Hangzhou 310012, ChinaSchool of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, ChinaBecause artificially cemented granular (ACG) materials employ diverse combinations of aggregates and binders—including cemented soil, low-cement-content cemented sand and gravel (LCSG), and concrete—their stress–strain responses vary widely. In LCSG, the binder dosage is typically limited to 40–80 kg/m<sup>3</sup> and the sand–gravel skeleton is often obtained directly from on-site or nearby excavation spoil, endowing the material with a markedly lower embodied carbon footprint and strong alignment with current low-carbon, green-construction objectives. Yet, such heterogeneity makes a single material-specific constitutive model inadequate for predicting the mechanical behavior of other ACG variants, thereby constraining broader applications in dam construction and foundation reinforcement. This study systematically summarizes and analyzes the stress–strain and volumetric strain–axial strain characteristics of ACG materials under conventional triaxial conditions. Generalized hyperbolic and parabolic equations are employed to describe these two families of curves, and closed-form expressions are proposed for key mechanical indices—peak strength, elastic modulus, and shear dilation behavior. Building on generalized plasticity theory, we derive the plastic flow direction vector, loading direction vector, and plastic modulus, and develop a concise, transferable elastoplastic model suitable for the full spectrum of ACG materials. Validation against triaxial data for rock-fill materials, LCSG, and cemented coal–gangue backfill shows that the model reproduces the stress and deformation paths of each material class with high accuracy. Quantitative evaluation of the peak values indicates that the proposed constitutive model predicts peak deviatoric stress with an error of 1.36% and peak volumetric strain with an error of 3.78%. The corresponding coefficients of determination <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> between the predicted and measured values are 0.997 for peak stress and 0.987 for peak volumetric strain, demonstrating the excellent engineering accuracy of the proposed model. The results provide a unified theoretical basis for deploying ACG—particularly its low-cement, locally sourced variants—in low-carbon dam construction, foundation rehabilitation, and other sustainable civil engineering projects.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2721triaxial shear testmechanical propertiesconfining pressureelastoplastic constitutive modelartificially cemented granular materials |
| spellingShingle | Xiaochun Yu Yuchen Ye Anyu Yang Jie Yang Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular Materials Buildings triaxial shear test mechanical properties confining pressure elastoplastic constitutive model artificially cemented granular materials |
| title | Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular Materials |
| title_full | Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular Materials |
| title_fullStr | Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular Materials |
| title_full_unstemmed | Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular Materials |
| title_short | Triaxial Response and Elastoplastic Constitutive Model for Artificially Cemented Granular Materials |
| title_sort | triaxial response and elastoplastic constitutive model for artificially cemented granular materials |
| topic | triaxial shear test mechanical properties confining pressure elastoplastic constitutive model artificially cemented granular materials |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/15/2721 |
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