Modelling of the pressure and density sensitive behaviour of sand within the framework of hypoplasticity

In this paper a hypoplastic model proposed by Gudehus and Bauer is presented which is apt to describe the mechanical behaviour of loose and dense sand within a wide range of pressures and densities using a single set of constants. State changes are assumed to depend on the current void ratio, the Cauchy stress tensor and the stretching tensor. The constitutive equation is of the rate type and based on non-linear tensor-valued functions. By including a pressure dependent relative density the hypoplastic model describes the influence of pressure and density on the incremental stiffness, the peak friction angle and on the void ratio in a stationary state. The performance of the hypoplastic models is discussed and the results of numerical simulations are compared with experiments.