Simplified

Critical-State Soil Mechanics

Paul W. Mayne
Georgia Institute of Technology
 PROLOGUE
 Critical-state soil mechanics is an effective
stress framework describing mechanical soil
response
 In its simple form here, we consider only
shear loading and compression-swelling.
 We merely tie together two well-known
concepts: (1) one-dimensional consolidation
behavior (via e-logsv’ curves); and (2) shear
stress-vs. normal stress (t-sv’) plots from
direct shear (alias Mohr’s circles).
 Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM)
 Experimental evidence
 1936 by Hvorslev (1960, ASCE)
 Henkel (1960, ASCE Boulder)
 Parry (1961)
 Kulhawy & Mayne (1990): Summary of 200+ soils
 Mathematics presented elsewhere
 Schofield & Wroth (1968)
 Roscoe & Burland (1968)
 Wood (1990)
 Jefferies & Been (2006)
 Basic form: 3 material constants (f', Cc, Cs)
plus initial state parameter (e0, svo', OCR)
 Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM)
 Constitutive Models in FEM packages:
 Original Cam-Clay (1968)
 Modified Cam Clay (1969)
 NorSand (Jefferies 1993)
 Bounding Surface (Dafalias)
 MIT-E3 (Whittle, 1993)
 MIT-S1 (Pestana, 1999; 2001)
 Cap Model
 “Ber-Klay” (Univ. California)
 others (Adachi, Oka, Ohta, Dafalias, Nova, Wood, Huerkel)
 "Undrained" is just one specific stress path
 Yet !!! CSSM is missing from most textbooks and
undergrad & grad curricula.
 One-Dimensional Consolidation
Sandy Clay (CL), Surry, VA: Depth = 27 m
1.0
svo'=300 kPa
sp'=900 kPa
Cr = 0.04
0.9
Void Ratio, e

0.8 Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR = 3

Cs = swelling index (= Cr)
0.7 cv = coef. of consolidation
D' = constrained modulus
Cae = coef. secondary compression
0.6
k ≈ hydraulic conductivity
Cc = 0.38
0.5
1 10 100 1000 10000

Effective Vertical Stress, s v’ (kPa)

svo'
 Direct Shear Test Results
Slow Direct Shear Tests on Triassic Clay,NC Slow Direct Shear Tests on Triassic Clay, Raleigh, NC
140 140
sn' Strength Parameters:

(kPa)
Shear Stress, t (kPa)

c' = 0; f ' = 26.1 o

120 120
(kPa)=
Peak
214.5
100 100

t
80

Shear Stress,
80 Peak

60 135.0 60
0.491 = tan f '
40 40
Peak
20 45.1 20

0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0 50 100 150 200 250

Displacement, d (mm) Effective Normal Stress, sn' (kPa)

t t sv’ t t sv’
d

gs

Direct Shear Box (DSB) Direct Simple Shear (DSS)

 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

sCSL’  ½sNC’
e0 NC NC

CSL CSL

sCSL’ sNC’ Log sv' Effective stress sv'

CSL

Shear stress t tanf'

CSSM Premise:
“All stress paths fail
on the critical state
line (CSL)” f
c=0
Effective stress sv'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC
Void Ratio, e

Void Ratio, e
e0
De NC
NC
ef
CSL CSL

svo
Log sv' Effective stress sv'
CSL
tmax = c + s tanf
Shear stress t
tanf'
STRESS PATH No.1
NC Drained Soil
Given: e0, svo’, NC (OCR=1)
Drained Path: Du = 0
Volume Change is Contractive: c’=0
svo
evol = De/(1+e0) < 0
Effective stress sv'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC
Void Ratio, e

Void Ratio, e
e0
NC
NC
CSL
CSL
svf svo Effective stress sv'
Log sv' CSL

Shear stress t
tanf'
STRESS PATH No.2
NC Undrained Soil Du
tmax = cu=su
Given: e0, svo’, NC (OCR=1)
Undrained Path: DV/V0 = 0
+Du = Positive Excess svf
Porewater Pressures svo
Effective stress sv'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

NC NC

CSL CSL

Log sv' Effective stress sv'

CSL

Note: All NC undrained Shear stress t

tanf'

stress paths are parallel

to each other, thus:
su/svo’ = constant
DSS: su/svo’NC = ½sinf’
Effective stress sv'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC
Void Ratio, e

Void Ratio, e
CS OC
NC NC

CSL CSL

Effective stress sv'

Log sv' s p'
CSL

Overconsolidated States: Shear stress t tanf'

e0, svo’, and OCR = sp’/svo’
where sp’ = svmax’ = Pc’ =
preconsolidation stress;
OCR = overconsolidation ratio
Effective stress sv' s p'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

e0
OC
CS NC
NC

CSL CSL

svo' svf' Log sv' Effective stress sv'

CSL
Stress Path No. 3 Shear stress t tanf'
Undrained OC Soil: Du
e0, svo’, and OCR
Stress Path: DV/V0 = 0
Negative Excess Du
svo' Effective stress sv'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

e0
OC
CS NC
NC

CSL CSL

svo' Log sv' Effective stress sv'

CSL
Stress Path No. 4 Shear stress t tanf'
Drained OC Soil:
e0, svo’, and OCR
Stress Path: Du = 0
Dilatancy: DV/V0 > 0
svo' Effective stress sv'
 Critical state soil mechanics
• Initial state: e0, svo’, and OCR = sp’/svo’
• Soil constants: f’, Cc, and Cs (L = 1-Cs/Cc)
• For NC soil (OCR =1):
 Undrained (evol = 0): +Du and tmax = su = cu
 Drained (Du = 0) and contractive (decrease evol)

• For OC soil:
 Undrained (evol = 0): -Du and tmax = su = cu
 Drained (Du = 0) and dilative (Increase evol)

There’s more ! Semi-drained, Partly undrained, Cyclic response…

 Equivalent Stress Concept
CC

Void Ratio, e
NC
Void Ratio, e

e0
OC NC
De CS sp'
sp'
ep

CSL CSL

svo' svf' se' Log sv' Effective stress sv'

1. OC State (eo, svo’, sp’) CSL

2. Project OC state to NC Shear stress t tanf'

line for equivalent stress, se’ su

De = Cs log(sp’/svo’) at se’
De = Cc log(se’/sp’) suOC = suNC
3. se’ = svo’ OCR[1-Cs/Cc] svo' s e' Stress sv'
 Critical state soil mechanics
• Previously: su/svo’ = constant for NC soil
• On the virgin compression line: svo’ = se’
• Thus: su/se’ = constant for all soil (NC & OC)
• For simple shear: su/se’ = ½sin f’
• Equivalent stress: se’ = svo’ OCR[1-Cs/Cc]

Normalized Undrained Shear Strength:

su/svo’ = ½ sinf’ OCRL

where L = (1-Cs/Cc)
 Undrained Shear Strength from CSSM
0.4
AGS Plastic
Amherst
Ariake
Bootlegger
su/svo' NC (DSS)

0.3 Bothkennar
Boston Blue
Cowden
Hackensack
0.2 James Bay
Mexico City
Onsoy
Porto Tolle
Portsmouth
0.1 Rissa

su/svo'NC (DSS) =½sinf'

San Francisco
Silty Holocene
Wroth (1984)
0.0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
sinf'
 Undrained Shear Strength from CSSM

10 Amherst CVVC
DSS Undrained Strength, su/svo'

Atchafalaya
Bangkok
Bootlegger Cove
o
L Boston Blue
f' = 40 Cowden
Intact
30o Drammen
Clays
20o
Hackensack
Haga
1 Lower Chek Lok
Maine
McManus
Paria

su/svo' = ½ sinf' OCRL

Portland
Portsmouth
Silty Holocene
Note: L = 1 - Cs/Cc  0.8 Upper Chek Lok
0.1 40
30
1 10 100 20
Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR
 Porewater Pressure Response from CSSM

1 Amherst CVVC
L
Dus/svo' = 1 - ½cosf'OCR Atchafalaya
Bangkok
Normalized Porewater, Du/svo'

0
Bootlegger Cove
Boston Blue
-1 Cowden
Drammen
Hackensack
-2
Haga
Lower Chek Lok
-3 Maine
Intact McManus
Clays Paria
-4
Portland
f' = 20 o o
30 o
40 Portsmouth
-5 Silty Holocene
Upper Chek Lok
L = 0.9 0.8 0.7
20
-6
30
1 10 100
Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR
40
 Yield Surfaces
NC NC
CSL

Void Ratio, e
OC
Void Ratio, e

OC

sp'

CSL

sp' Normal stress sv'

Log sv'
CSL

 Yield surface represents Shear stress t

3-d preconsolidation

 Quasi-elastic behavior
within the yield surface

Normal stress sv'

 Critical state soil mechanics
• This powerpoint: geosystems.ce.gatech.edu
• Classic book: Critical -State Soil Mechanics by
Schofield & Wroth (1968):
http://www.geotechnique.info

• Schofield (2005) Disturbed Soil Properties and

Geotechnical Design Thomas Telford
• Wood (1990): Soil Behaviour and CSSM
• Jefferies & Been (2006): Soil liquefaction: a
critical-state approach www.informaworld.com
 ESA versus TSA
• Effective stress analysis (ESA) rules:
 c' = effective cohesion intercept (c' = 0 for OCR < 2
and c' ≈ 0.02 sp' for short term loading)
 f' = effective stress friction angle
 t = c' + s' tan f' = Mohr-Coulomb strength
criterion
 sv' = sv - u0 - Du = effective stress
• Total stress analysis (TSA) is (overly) simplistic
for clay with strength represented by a single
parameter, i.e. "f = 0" and tmax = c = cu = su =
undrained shear strength (implying "Du = 0")
Explaining the myth that "f = 0"
The effective friction angle (f') is usually
between 20 to 45 degrees for most soils.
However, for clays, we here of "f = 0"
analysis which applies to total stress
analysis (TSA). In TSA, there is no
knowledge of porewater pressures (PWP).
Thus, by ignoring PWP (i.e., Du = 0), there is
an illusional effect that can be explained by
CSSM. See the following slides.
 0.8 0.8
f' = 30 °
Cc = 0.50
Cr = Cs = 0.05

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

0.7 0.7

0.6 0.6

0.5 0.5
10 100 1000 0 100 200 300 400 500
Log Effective stress, s v' sv' (kPa)
300

(Undrained) Total Stress

t = Shear Stress (kPa)

Analysis - Consolidated 200

Undrained Triaxial Tests 100

Three specimens initially consolidated

to svc' = 100, 200, and 400 kPa 0
0 100 200 300 400 500

sv ' (kPa)
 (Undrained) Total Stress Analysis
In TSA, however, Du not known, so plot stress paths for "Du = 0"
Obtains the illusion that " f ≈ 0° "
300
t = Shear Stress (kPa)

200
su400
su200
su100
100

0
0 100 200 300 400 500

Effective stress, sv' (kPa)

 0.8 0.8

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

0.7 0.7

VCL
0.6 CSL 0.6
Cs from Pc' = 400 kPa
Cs from Pc' = 500 kPa
Cs from Pc' = 600 kPa

0.5 0.5
10 1000 0 100 200 300 400 500 600
sv' (kPa) sv' (kPa)

300

t = Shear Stress (kPa)

Another set of undrained Total
Stress Analyses (TSA) for UU tests 200

on clays: 100

UU = Unconsolidated Undrained 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600

s v ' (kPa)
 (Undrained) Total Stress Analysis
Again, Du not known in TSA, so plot for stress paths for "Du = 0"
Obtains the illusion that " f = 0° "
300
t = Shear Stress (kPa)

200

su
100

0
0 100 200 300 400 500

Effective stress, sv' (kPa)

Explaining the myth that "f = 0"
 Effective Stress Analyses (ESA)
• Drained Loading (Du = 0)
• Undrained Loading (DV/V0 = 0)

 Total Stress Analyses (TSA)

 Drained Loading (Du = 0)
 Undrained Loading with "f = 0"
analysis: DV/V0 = 0 and "Du = 0"
Cambridge University q-p' space
s 1'
6 sinf '
q = (s1 - s3)

s 2' = s 3' Triaxial Mc =

Compression 3 - sinf '

Undrained OC
Stress Path
L
M c  OCR 
Undrained NC ( su / p0 ' )TC =  
Stress Path 2  2 
Drained
Stress Path
3V : 1H

svo' = P0'
P' = (s1' + s2' + s3')/3
 Port of Anchorage, Alaska

0.8
10
Deviatoric Stress = q* = (s 1-s 3)/s p'

Critical State Soil Mechanics

0.7
(Modified Cam Clay)
Bootlegger
0.6 f ' = 27.7o
Cove Clay

Strength Ratio, su/s vo'

L = 0.75
0.5

0.4
1
0.3 M c = (q/p')f = 1.10
M c = 6sinf '/(3-sinf ') DSS Data
0.2
f ' = 27.7o CIUC Data
MCC Pred CIUC
0.1
MCC Pred DSS
0.0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.1
1 10 100
Effective Stress, p'* = (s 1'+s 2'+s 3')/(3s p') Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR
 Cavity Expansion – Critical State Model for Evaluating
OCR in Clays from Piezocone Tests
1/ L
 1  qT - ub  
OCR = 2   
. M  1  s vo '  
 195
where M = 6 sinf’/(3-sinf’) Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR

and L = 1 – Cs/Cc 
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
0.8 0

Depth (meters) 6

fs 8
Bothkennar, UK
10

12 CPTU
ub 14
CRS
IL Oed
16 RF

qc  qT 18

20
Cambridge University q-p' space
6 sin f '
Mc =
3 - sin f '
q = (s1 - s3)

Yield Surface
Original Cam Clay
Modified Cam Clay

Bounding Surface

Cap Model

Pc'

P' = (s1' + s2' + s3')/3

 Anisotropic Yield Surface
Mc = 6sinf’/(3-sinf’)
q = (s1 - s3)

Yield Surface fctn(K0NC)

sp’
OC Y2

NC
e0
Y1
svo’
Y3 = Limit State
K0
G0

P’ = (s1’ + s2’ + s3’)/3

Cambridge University q-p' space 6 sin f '
Mc =
3 - sin f '
Yield Surface
q = (s1 - s3)

Apparent
fctn(K0NC)
Mc

sp’

Y3 = Limit State

P' = (s1' + s2' + s3')/3

MIT q-p' space
q = ½(s1 - s3) tan a c = sinf '

fctn(K0NC)
Yield Surface
sp’

Diaz-Rodriguez, Leroueil,
OC and Aleman (1992, JGE)

P' = ½(s1' + s3')

 Yield Surfaces
of Natural Clays

Diaz-Rodriguez,
Leroueil, & Aleman
(ASCE Journal
Geotechnical
Engineering July 1992)
Friction Angle of Clean Quartz Sands
(Bolton, 1986 Geotechnique)
 State Parameter for Sands, y
(Been & Jefferies, 1985; Jefferies & Been 2006)

l10
void l10 Wet of Critical
ecsl
ratio (Contractive)
e y = e0 - ecsl
e0 VCL
Dry of Critical
(Dilative)
CSL
p0'
p' = ⅓ (s1'+s2'+s3')
log p'
 State Parameter for Sands, y
(Simplified Critical State Soil Mechanics)

y = (Cs - Cc )∙log[ ½ cos f' OCR ]

l10 Du = (1 - ½ cos f' OCRL ]∙svo'
l10
void then CSL = OCR = 2/cosf'
ecsl
ratio
e y = e0 - ecsl
e0 VCL
CSL
p0' p' = ⅓ (s1'+s2'+s3')

log p'
 State Parameter for Sands, y
(Been, Crooks, & Jefferies, 1988)

log OCRp = log2L + Y/(k-l)

where OCRp = R = overconsolidation ratio in Cambridge
q-p' space, L = 1-k/l, l = Cc/ln(10) = compression
index, and k  Cs/ln(10) = swelling index

Georgia Tech
 MIT Constitutive Models
 Whittle et al. 1994: JGE Vol. 120 (1)
"Model prediction of anisotropic behavior
of Boston Blue Clay"
 MIT-E3: 15 parameters for clay
 Pestana & Whittle (1999) "Formulation of
unified constitutive model for clays and
sands" Intl. J. for Analytical & Numerical
Methods in Geomechanics, Vol. 23
 MIT S1: 13 parameters for clay
 MIT S1: 14 parameters for sand
MIT E-3 Constitutive Model

Whittle (2005)
MIT S-1 Constitutive Model
Pestana and Whittle (1999)
 MIT S-1 Constitutive Model
Predictions for
Berlin Sands
(Whittle, 2005)
 Critical state soil mechanics
• Initial state: e0, svo’, and OCR = sp’/svo’
• Soil constants: f’, Cc, and Cs
• Link between Consolidation and Shear Tests
• CSSM addresses:
 NC and OC behavior
 Undrained vs. Drained (and other paths)
 Positive vs. negative porewater pressures
 Volume changes (contractive vs. dilative)
 su/svo’ = ½ sinf’ OCRL where L = 1-Cs/Cc
• Yield surface represents 3-d preconsolidation
• State parameter: y = e0 - ecsl
 Simplified Critical State Soil Mechanics
NC
CC

Void Ratio, e
dilative
Void Ratio, e

eOC
CS -Du

OC
eNC +Du
contractive

Log sv' s p' Effective stress sv' f'

tmax = stanf
Four Basic Stress Paths:
Shear stress t
1. Drained NC (decrease DV/Vo) tmax = su NC
2 1
2. Undrained NC (positive Du)
su OC
3. Undrained OC (negative Du) Yield
Surface
4. Drained OC (increase DV/Vo) 3

4 sCS½sp sp'
tmax = c+stanf c'
Effective stress sv'