Numerical simulation of centrifugal bearing capacity tests using a new constitutive model

The first aim of this study is to carry out a series of bearing capacity tests in centrifugal force field (10g, 20g, 30g, 50g) in order to observe bearing capacity on sand subsoil and deformation behavior of sand under a footing. The second aim is to verify the validity of a developed constitutive model by comparing experimental results and their FE-analysis. Deformation of sand in centrifugal model tests was measured using a developed image analysis technique, referred as the Cross-correlation and Isoparametric (CCIP) method. From the observed data it was found that deformation of sand under a footing shows a pattern of general shear failure in low centrifugal acceleration (log), and changes to a pattern of local shear failure gradually as centrifugal acceleration becomes greater (5 0 g). Bearing capacity and deformation behavior of sand are simulated by FE-analysis in which a double yield surface type model,(plastic compression and plastic shear), Mochizuki-MaXiong (MMX) model, is used. In the model a non-linear failure envelope is adopted, in which it is defined by a function of mean stress, (sigma(1) + sigma(3))/2, and the internal friction angle, phi(2) instead of using the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. It was found that the bearing capacity and deformation behavior obtained from tests could be accurately simulated by the FE-analysis using the MMX model.