TASK Quarterly (Jul 2000)
INTRODUCTION TO HYPOPLASTICITY (GeoMath1)
Abstract
Rational mechanics offers a tool to objectively describe the mechanical behaviour of granular materials by means of non-linear tensorial functions. This new framework is called hypoplasticity and is characterized by the simplicity of the mathematical formulations. The stress dependency of incremental stiffness, yield, loading-unloading hysteresis and dilatancy-contractancy are included. One of the features of hypoplasticity is that yield is a natural outcome of the theory and needs not to be calibrated a priori. Also loss of uniqueness and localization of deformation are realistically predicted by hypoplasticity.