Critical-State Soil Mechanics

For Dummies

Paul W. Mayne, PhD, P.E.

Civil & Environmental Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0355
www.ce.gatech.edu
Email: paul.mayne@ce.gatech.edu

2006
 PROLOGUE
 Critical-state soil mechanics is an effective stress framework
describing mechanical soil response
 In its simplest form here, we consider only shear-induced
loading.
 We merely tie together two well-known concepts: (1) one-
dimensional consolidation behavior, represented by e-logv’
curves; and (2) shear stress-vs. normal stress (v’) from
direct shear box or simple shearing.
 Herein, only the bare essence of CSSM concepts are presented,
sufficient to describe strength & compressibility response.
 Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM)
 Experimental evidence provided by Hvorslev (1936; 1960, ASCE); Henkel
(1960, ASCE Boulder) Henkel & Sowa (1961, ASTM STP 361)
 Mathematics presented elsewhere, including: Schofield & Wroth (1968);
Burland (1968); Wood (1990).
 In basic form: 3 material constants (', Cc, Cs) plus initial state (e0, vo',
OCR)
 Constitutive Models, include: Original Cam-Clay, Modified Cam Clay,
NorSand, Bounding Surface, MIT-E3 (Whittle, 1993) & MIT-S1 (Pestana)
and others (Adachi, Oka, Ohta, Dafalias)
 "Undrained" is just one specific stress path
 Yet !!! CSSM is missing from most textbooks and undergrad & grad curricula
in the USA.
 One-Dimensional Consolidation
Sandy Clay (CL), Surry, VA: Depth = 27 m
1.0
vo'=300 kPa
p'=900 kPa
0.9
Cr = 0.04
Void Ratio, e

0.8 Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR = 3

Cs = swelling index (= Cr)

0.7
cv = coef. of consolidation
D' = constrained modulus
0.6
Ce = coef. secondary compression
Cc = 0.38
k ≈ hydraulic conductivity
0.5
1 10 100 1000 10000

v’
Effective Vertical Stress, 
svo' (kPa)
 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:
120

(kPa)
Shear Stress, t (kPa)

120
Peak
(kPa)= c' = 0; f ' = 26.1 o
214.5
100 100

t
80 80

Shear Stress,
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)

  v’   v’


s

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

 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

NC NC

CSL CSL

Log v' Effective stress v'

CSL

Shear stress  tan'

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

Void Ratio, e
e0
e NC
NC
ef
CSL CSL

vo
Log v' Effective stress v'
CSL
max = c +  tan
Shear stress 
tan'
STRESS PATH No.1
NC Drained Soil
Given: e0, vo’, NC (OCR=1)
Drained Path: u = 0
Volume Change is Contractive: c’=0
vo
vol = e/(1+e0) < 0 Effective stress v'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC
Void Ratio, e

Void Ratio, e
e0
NC
NC
CSL
CSL
vf vo Effective stress v'
Log v' CSL
tan'
STRESS PATH No.2 Shear stress 
NC Undrained Soil u
maxcu=su
Given: e0, vo’, NC (OCR=1)
Undrained Path: V/V0 = 0
+u = Positive Excess vf
Porewater Pressures vo
Effective stress v'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

NC NC

CSL CSL

Log v' Effective stress v'

CSL

Shear stress 
tan'
Note: All NC undrained
stress paths are parallel
to each other, thus:
su/vo’ = constant

DSS: su/vo’NC = ½sin’

Effective stress v'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC
Void Ratio, e

Void Ratio, e
CS OC
NC NC

CSL CSL

Effective stress v'

Log v' p'
CSL

Overconsolidated States: Shear stress  tan'

e0, vo’, and OCR = p’/vo’

where p’ = vmax’ = Pc’ =
preconsolidation stress;
OCR = overconsolidation ratio
Effective stress v' p'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

e0
OC
CS NC
NC

CSL CSL

vo' vf' Log v' Effective stress v'

CSL
Stress Path No. 3 Shear stress  tan'
Undrained OC Soil: u
e0, vo’, and OCR
Stress Path: V/V0 = 0
Negative Excess u
vo' Effective stress v'
 CSSM for Dummies
CC

Void Ratio, e
Void Ratio, e

e0
OC
CS NC
NC

CSL CSL

vo' Log v' Effective stress v'

CSL
Stress Path No. 4 Shear stress  tan'
Drained OC Soil:
e0, vo’, and OCR
Stress Path: u = 0
Dilatancy: V/V0 > 0
vo' Effective stress v'
 Critical state soil mechanics
• Initial state: e0, vo’, and OCR = p’/vo’
• Soil constants: ’, Cc, and Cs ( = 1-Cs/Cc)
• For NC soil (OCR =1):
 Undrained (vol = 0): +u and max = su = cu
 Drained (u = 0) and contractive (decrease vol)

• For OC soil:
 Undrained (vol = 0): -u and max = su = cu
 Drained (u = 0) and dilative (Increase vol)

There’s
There’smore
more!! Semi-drained,
Semi-drained,Partly
Partlyundrained,
undrained,Cyclic…..
Cyclic…..
 Equivalent Stress Concept
CC

Void Ratio, e
NC
Void Ratio, e

e0
OC NC
e CS
p' p'
ep

CSL CSL

vo' vf' e' Log v' Effective stress v'

1. OC State (eo, vo’, p’) CSL

2. Project OC state to NC Shear stress  tan'

line for equivalent stress, e’ su

e = Cs log(p’/vo’) at e’
e = Cc log(e’/p’) suOC = suNC

3. e’ = vo’ OCR[1-Cs/Cc] vo' e ' Stress v'

 Critical state soil mechanics
• Previously: su/vo’ = constant for NC soil
• On the virgin compression line: vo’ = e’
• Thus: su/e’ = constant for all soil (NC & OC)
• For simple shear: su/e’ = ½sin ’
• Equivalent stress: e’ = vo’ OCR[1-Cs/Cc]

Normalized Undrained Shear Strength:

su/vo’ = ½ sin’ OCR

where  = (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
f' = 40 Boston Blue
Cowden
Intact o
30 Drammen
Clays o
20 Hackensack
1 Haga
Lower Chek Lok
Maine
McManus
Paria
su/svo' = ½ sinf' OCRL Portland
Portsmouth
Note: L = 1 - Cs/Cc  0.8 Silty Holocene
0.1 Upper Chek Lok
20
1 10 100
30
Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR 40
 Porewater Pressure Response from CSSM

1 Amherst CVVC
Dus/svo' = 1 - ½cosf'OCRL Atchafalaya
Bangkok
0
Normalized Porewater Pressure,

Bootlegger Cove
Boston Blue
-1 Cowden
Drammen
Hackensack
-2
Haga
Du/svo'

Lower Chek Lok

-3 Maine
Intact McManus
Paria
-4
Portland
f' = 20 30
o o
40 o
Portsmouth
-5 Silty Holocene
Upper Chek Lok
L = 0.9 0.8 0.7
20
-6
30
1 10 100
40
Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR
 Yield Surfaces
NC NC
CSL

Void Ratio, e
OC
Void Ratio, e

OC

p'

CSL

p' Normal stress v'

Log v'
CSL

 Yield surface represents Shear stress 

3-d preconsolidation

 Quasi-elastic behavior
within the yield surface

Normal stress v'

 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 o
0.6 f ' = 27.7
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/ 
 1  q T  ub  
OCR 2  
 1.9 5 M  1   vo '  
where M = 6 sin’/(3-sin’) Overconsolidation Ratio, OCR
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
and  = 1 – Cs/Cc  0.8 0

4
Depth (meters) 6

fs 8
Bothkennar, UK
10

12
CPTU
ub 14
CRS
IL Oed
16 RF

qc  qT
18

20
 Critical state soil mechanics
• Initial state: e0, vo’, and OCR = p’/vo’
• Soil constants: ’, Cc, and Cs ( = 1-Cs/Cc)
• Using effective stresses, CSSM addresses:
 NC and OC behavior
 Undrained vs. Drained (and other paths)
 Positive vs. negative porewater pressures
 Volume changes (contractive vs. dilative)
 su/vo’ = ½ sin’ OCR where  = 1-Cs/Cc
 Yield surface represents 3-d preconsolidation