A constitutive model for cemented granular materials capturing bond degradation

A constitutive model for cemented granular materials based on modified Cam-clay model has been developed. The model is capable of predicting the stress–strain response of cemented granular materials subject to mechanical and chemical bond degradation. Two simple variables, the void ratio e and cement content C_c are used to evaluate the mechanical and chemical degradation ‘history’ of cemented granular materials. Simulation results show the effect of confining pressure, and the change from strain softening to hardening behaviour can be successfully reproduced. Moreover, the model also reproduces the changes of mechanical properties such as strength, bulk modulus and shear modulus due to the increase of void ratio and degradation of bond strength caused by chemical dissolution. Comparisons with experimental data show that the model can capture the stress–strain response of cemented geomaterials subjected to chemical degradation at different stress levels.