Soil Behavior Modeling

The complex relationship of stresses and strains for soils involved in the geotechnical projects are derived from mathematical equations that predict the soil behavior also known as constitutive models.

Over the years, numerous models that predict the stress-strain response of soils have been developed. Those models are based on mechanics principles and are validated by experimental data. They are then in numerical modeling such as finite element or finite difference methods to simulate simple or more complicated geotechnical problems.

The complexity of soil behavior creates several challenges in modeling and therefore, constitutive models are still evolving to address specific aspects of the soil behavior.

Different constitutive models are used depending on the type of material and the geotechnical project requirement. The soil parameters must be derived trough in-situ or laboratory testing and the most suitable constitutive model must be selected to predict the actual behavior of the ground.