Geomechanics and Geoenergy Journal

Geomechanics and Geoenergy Journal

An Elasto-Thermo-Viscoplastic Constitutive Model for Predicting the Behavior of Buried Underground Infrastructures in Structured Clays

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Amir Hamidi 1
Farhad Asemi 2
Tohid Tajik 2
1 Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Kharazmi University, Karaj, Iran
10.22107/ggj.2025.525202.1253
Abstract
In numerous geotechnical applications, structured clay layers are often exposed to prolonged loading conditions and temperature variations. A comprehensive review of the technical literature indicates that most existing constitutive models tend to address the effects of structural characteristics, creep deformations, and temperature variations either independently or, in some cases, by considering only two of these factors in combination. However, there remains a significant gap in models that integrate all three phenomena simultaneously. This study aims to bridge this gap by proposing a novel constitutive model that incorporates the combined effects of structure, creep, and temperature on the thermo-mechanical behavior of structured clays. The development of this model begins with a detailed evaluation of the individual impacts of each phenomenon within the e-lnp^' consolidation plane. These individual contributions are then systematically integrated into a unified model formulation. While previous studies, such as the work by Hamidi (2020), employed a similar methodology based on the critical state soil model to analyze the combined effects of temperature, time, and structure on isotropic compression behavior, the present research extends this approach by focusing on the influence of these three factors on the shear behavior of structured clays. In this study, an effort has been made to ensure that the new parameters have obvious physical or mechanical interpretations and to use the least additional parameters compared to the Modified Cam-Clay (MCC) model. This advancement provides a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions governing the mechanical response of structured clays under varying environmental and loading conditions.
Keywords
Elasto-thermo-viscoplastic constitutive model
shear behavior
creep
structured clay
buried underground structures
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Geomechanics and Geoenergy Journal
Volume 8, Issue 1
Spring 2025
Pages 56-65