The Generalized Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion

Abstract

With the construction of supertall buildings such as high earth dams, the linear envelope of the Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) failure criterion fitted to lower confined pressure would significantly underestimate the loading capacity of foundations, causing a huge increase in the amount of earthwork. Given that the M-C criterion has dominated in the stability analysis of geotechnical structures, it is proposed in this study that the M-C criterion remain invariant in form but the cohesion c and the frictional factor f be related to the coefficient of intermediate principal stress b, called the Generalized Mohr-Coulomb (GMC) criterion. In other words, c and f are both functions of b, written as c(b) and f(b). In the simplest way, the GMC criterion for soils, a true three-dimensional failure criterion, can be established by using a piece of conventional triaxial apparatus. The GMC has a non-smooth strength surface like its conventional version. However, we prove from true triaxial tests and the characteristic theory of stress tensors that the failure surfaces in the stress space should be non-smooth per se for b = 0 or 1. Comparisons with other prominent failure criteria indicate that the GMC fits the test data best.