Elastoplastic Solution of Cylindrical Cavity Expansion in Unsaturated Offshore Island Soil Considering Anisotropy

Abstract

An elastoplastic analysis scheme for the cylindrical cavity expansion in offshore islands unsaturated soils considering anisotropy is established. The hydraulic properties and anisotropy caused by stress of unsaturated soils are coupled in an elastoplastic constitutive matrix for unsaturated soil to obtain the governing equations for the cylindrical cavity expansion problem, with an analytical solution that utilizes the original hydro-mechanical state of the soil as the initial conditions. Through a comparative analysis with other analytical solutions, the effectiveness of the new solution is verified. Moreover, the swelling response of the cylindrical cavity expansion in unsaturated soils is examined by systematically analyzing different parameters of the surrounding soil. The findings reveal that the development and rate of anisotropy in normal consolidated soil and over-consolidated soil exert a significant impact on the soil’s mechanical characteristics. Nevertheless, the alteration in the model constant h has little effect on the soil’s mechanical characteristics. The analytical solution introduces anisotropy and broadens the expansion theory of unsaturated soils to yield a more comprehensive theoretical framework for the comprehensive analysis of offshore islands’ unsaturated soils.