Hardening soil model parameters for sands and clays from laboratory testing

Abstract

In recent years, the emergence of various numerical tools has assisted engineers in predicting and solving geotechnical problems. The accuracy of predicting soil failure or deformation dependend on the skill in modelling and precise assumptions. This paper presents the computation of hardening soil (HS) model parameters from conventional laboratory testing on sand and clay. Conventional laboratory tests refer to oedometer testing, consolidated drained (CD) and consolidated undrained (CIU) triaxial tests. The parameters determined are the Mohr-Coulomb effective strength parameters, secant stiffness from triaxial tests, unloading/reloading stiffness, tangent stiffness from oedometer and power for stress level dependency of stiffness. In the case of lack of data, correlations can be made to obtain the desired parameters. The results from laboratory testing are then simulate using PLAXIS soil test tool to evaluate their differences and sensitivity. Finally, calibrated HS model parameters would lead to higher accuracy of results when simulated in numerical models.