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2024-01-13

Model – Modified Mohr-Coulomb

Material Behavior

An overview of the properties of the modified Mohr-Coulomb model is provided in the corresponding chapter of Theoretical Principles.

Input Dialog Box

In order to represent the material behavior, the model requires the following parameters to be entered.

  • φ – Friction angle
  • c – Cohesion
  • ψ – Dilatancy angle
  • E – Modulus of elasticity
  • ν – Poisson's ratio

The shear strength parameters—friction angle and cohesion—as well as the dilatancy angle of the soil can be entered in the specific input tab for the Mohr-Coulomb model. This is shown in the image below.

The modulus of elasticity and the Poisson's ratio have to be defined in the “Main” tab, which is shown in the parent chapter Input – Materials of Soil Type.

Options

Linear Elastic with Nonlinear Criteria

This option allows for a short-term deactivation of the material nonlinearity. This can be useful if you need to determine the cause of instabilities.

Non-Regularized Yield Surface

This option controls whether the rounding of the yield surface corners should be taken into account for the Mohr-Coulomb model.

  • If this check box is not activated, the Modified Mohr-Coulomb model is applied including the rounding of the yield surface corners according to Abbo-Sloan.
  • If this option is activated, the classic Mohr-Coulomb model without a regularized yield surface is applied with the corners of the yield surface rounded off.

Additional Notes

Cohesion

When using numerical methods, such as FEM, in geotechnical engineering, it is recommended to always apply a non-zero cohesion. Therefore, a small cohesion between 0.5 and 1.0 kN/m² can be applied even for non-cohesive soils.

Dilatancy Angle

The following relation can be used for the dilatancy angle. [1]


References
Parent Chapter