From very small strains to failure

Abstract

Numerical methods of solution of many boundary problems in rock and soil mechanics require the knowledge of the entire stress-strain relationship through the entire range of strains from very small to strains at peak and beyond peak strengths - to failure. This paper is a contribution to clarify many of the peculiarities of soil and rock complex behaviour in this large range of strains. For this purpose a method is outlined using two types of artificial materials: grains without and with “glue” and materials without and with fissures. This has been the base to explain many of the features of several natural grounds, from rocks to soils, investigated experimentally along a wide spectrum of stress paths in laboratory tests.