{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/107071"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/107071","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Implementation and evaluation of a recently developed rate-dependent effective stress soil model 'MIT-SR'","abstract":"Reliable modeling of rate-dependency in soil properties remains a major challenge for accurate solutions of many geotechnical problems. Although there are many sources of experimental data concerning rate dependent properties of clays, most pre-existing soil models have been found to have severe predictive limitations. Yuan (2016) developed a new elasto-viscoplastic model, MIT-SR, for rate-dependent behavior of clays. The model unifies the existing elasto-plastic framework from prior MIT soil models (3-D surface system and generalized hysteretic formulation) with a physically-based evolution law that attributes the macroscopic viscoplastic strain to an internal strain rate related to the prior strain rate history. MIT-SR has the capability of describing a wide range of observed time-effects within a unified framework and resolves the long-stranding dilemma regarding creep effects at field scale (i.e., Hypothesis A vs B). This thesis implements MIT-SR model to evaluate strain rate effects on two longstanding geotechnical problems: insitu soil characterization from pressuremeter tests and long-term performance of embankments on soft clays. The first part of this research presents a review of the constitutive model framework and discuss the implementation and validation in non-linear finite element analyses using a User Defined Material (UMAT) in the ABAQUSTM program. Part two consists of the investigation of how disturbances (modeled using Strain Path framework; Baligh, 1985) and strain rate effects (modeled by MIT-SR) affect the results of the Full Displacement or cone-pressuremeter (FDPM) and self-boring pressuremeters (SBPM) for Resedimented Boston Blue Clay (RBBC). The results show that that disturbances of the stress field play a vital role in the interpretation undrained shear strength. For the FDPM case, using the same expansion rate, the disturbed NC RBBC can have as low as 40% of the undrained shear strength of the undisturbed NC RBBC. In contrast, for the SBPM case, the disturbed NC RBBC tend to have a slightly higher undrained shear strength (approximately 10%) than the undisturbed NC RBBC. The third part consists of a re-analysis of a well-instrumented test embankment built on a 40m deep layer of Boston Blue Clay. Finite element analyses of embankment performance are conducted using coupled consolidation with the MIT-SR effective stress model. The results were compared with previous numerical results using MIT-E3 presented by Ladd et al. (1994). Overall, MIT-SR contributes a significant improvement in predictions of settlements, but does not significantly improve predictions of lateral spreading. The overall results suggest that the dependent creep properties play only a secondary role in the performance of this particular test embankment.","abstract_html":"Reliable modeling of rate-dependency in soil properties remains a major challenge for accurate solutions of many geotechnical problems. Although there are many sources of experimental data concerning rate dependent properties of clays, most pre-existing soil models have been found to have severe predictive limitations. Yuan (2016) developed a new elasto-viscoplastic model, MIT-SR, for rate-dependent behavior of clays. The model unifies the existing elasto-plastic framework from prior MIT soil models (3-D surface system and generalized hysteretic formulation) with a physically-based evolution law that attributes the macroscopic viscoplastic strain to an internal strain rate related to the prior strain rate history. MIT-SR has the capability of describing a wide range of observed time-effects within a unified framework and resolves the long-stranding dilemma regarding creep effects at field scale (i.e., Hypothesis A vs B). This thesis implements MIT-SR model to evaluate strain rate effects on two longstanding geotechnical problems: insitu soil characterization from pressuremeter tests and long-term performance of embankments on soft clays. The first part of this research presents a review of the constitutive model framework and discuss the implementation and validation in non-linear finite element analyses using a User Defined Material (UMAT) in the ABAQUSTM program. Part two consists of the investigation of how disturbances (modeled using Strain Path framework; Baligh, 1985) and strain rate effects (modeled by MIT-SR) affect the results of the Full Displacement or cone-pressuremeter (FDPM) and self-boring pressuremeters (SBPM) for Resedimented Boston Blue Clay (RBBC). The results show that that disturbances of the stress field play a vital role in the interpretation undrained shear strength. For the FDPM case, using the same expansion rate, the disturbed NC RBBC can have as low as 40% of the undrained shear strength of the undisturbed NC RBBC. In contrast, for the SBPM case, the disturbed NC RBBC tend to have a slightly higher undrained shear strength (approximately 10%) than the undisturbed NC RBBC. The third part consists of a re-analysis of a well-instrumented test embankment built on a 40m deep layer of Boston Blue Clay. Finite element analyses of embankment performance are conducted using coupled consolidation with the MIT-SR effective stress model. The results were compared with previous numerical results using MIT-E3 presented by Ladd et al. (1994). Overall, MIT-SR contributes a significant improvement in predictions of settlements, but does not significantly improve predictions of lateral spreading. The overall results suggest that the dependent creep properties play only a secondary role in the performance of this particular test embankment.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sottile, Mauro Giuliano"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Andrew J. Whittle."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016","date_published":"2016","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:55Z","subjects":["Civil and Environmental Engineering."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/107071","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Andrew J. Whittle."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/107071"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2016.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-136)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Reliable modeling of rate-dependency in soil properties remains a major challenge for accurate solutions of many geotechnical problems. Although there are many sources of experimental data concerning rate dependent properties of clays, most pre-existing soil models have been found to have severe predictive limitations. Yuan (2016) developed a new elasto-viscoplastic model, MIT-SR, for rate-dependent behavior of clays. The model unifies the existing elasto-plastic framework from prior MIT soil models (3-D surface system and generalized hysteretic formulation) with a physically-based evolution law that attributes the macroscopic viscoplastic strain to an internal strain rate related to the prior strain rate history. MIT-SR has the capability of describing a wide range of observed time-effects within a unified framework and resolves the long-stranding dilemma regarding creep effects at field scale (i.e., Hypothesis A vs B). This thesis implements MIT-SR model to evaluate strain rate effects on two longstanding geotechnical problems: insitu soil characterization from pressuremeter tests and long-term performance of embankments on soft clays. The first part of this research presents a review of the constitutive model framework and discuss the implementation and validation in non-linear finite element analyses using a User Defined Material (UMAT) in the ABAQUSTM program. Part two consists of the investigation of how disturbances (modeled using Strain Path framework; Baligh, 1985) and strain rate effects (modeled by MIT-SR) affect the results of the Full Displacement or cone-pressuremeter (FDPM) and self-boring pressuremeters (SBPM) for Resedimented Boston Blue Clay (RBBC). The results show that that disturbances of the stress field play a vital role in the interpretation undrained shear strength. For the FDPM case, using the same expansion rate, the disturbed NC RBBC can have as low as 40% of the undrained shear strength of the undisturbed NC RBBC. In contrast, for the SBPM case, the disturbed NC RBBC tend to have a slightly higher undrained shear strength (approximately 10%) than the undisturbed NC RBBC. The third part consists of a re-analysis of a well-instrumented test embankment built on a 40m deep layer of Boston Blue Clay. Finite element analyses of embankment performance are conducted using coupled consolidation with the MIT-SR effective stress model. The results were compared with previous numerical results using MIT-E3 presented by Ladd et al. (1994). Overall, MIT-SR contributes a significant improvement in predictions of settlements, but does not significantly improve predictions of lateral spreading. The overall results suggest that the dependent creep properties play only a secondary role in the performance of this particular test embankment."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Implementation and evaluation of a recently developed rate-dependent effective stress soil model 'MIT-SR'"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Andrew J. Whittle."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering."],"dc:contributor.other":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering."],"dc:creator":["Sottile, Mauro Giuliano"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2017-02-22T19:02:13Z"],"dc:date.available":["2017-02-22T19:02:13Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2016"],"dc:description":["Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2016.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-136)."],"dc:description.abstract":["Reliable modeling of rate-dependency in soil properties remains a major challenge for accurate solutions of many geotechnical problems. Although there are many sources of experimental data concerning rate dependent properties of clays, most pre-existing soil models have been found to have severe predictive limitations. Yuan (2016) developed a new elasto-viscoplastic model, MIT-SR, for rate-dependent behavior of clays. The model unifies the existing elasto-plastic framework from prior MIT soil models (3-D surface system and generalized hysteretic formulation) with a physically-based evolution law that attributes the macroscopic viscoplastic strain to an internal strain rate related to the prior strain rate history. MIT-SR has the capability of describing a wide range of observed time-effects within a unified framework and resolves the long-stranding dilemma regarding creep effects at field scale (i.e., Hypothesis A vs B). This thesis implements MIT-SR model to evaluate strain rate effects on two longstanding geotechnical problems: insitu soil characterization from pressuremeter tests and long-term performance of embankments on soft clays. The first part of this research presents a review of the constitutive model framework and discuss the implementation and validation in non-linear finite element analyses using a User Defined Material (UMAT) in the ABAQUSTM program. Part two consists of the investigation of how disturbances (modeled using Strain Path framework; Baligh, 1985) and strain rate effects (modeled by MIT-SR) affect the results of the Full Displacement or cone-pressuremeter (FDPM) and self-boring pressuremeters (SBPM) for Resedimented Boston Blue Clay (RBBC). The results show that that disturbances of the stress field play a vital role in the interpretation undrained shear strength. For the FDPM case, using the same expansion rate, the disturbed NC RBBC can have as low as 40% of the undrained shear strength of the undisturbed NC RBBC. In contrast, for the SBPM case, the disturbed NC RBBC tend to have a slightly higher undrained shear strength (approximately 10%) than the undisturbed NC RBBC. The third part consists of a re-analysis of a well-instrumented test embankment built on a 40m deep layer of Boston Blue Clay. Finite element analyses of embankment performance are conducted using coupled consolidation with the MIT-SR effective stress model. The results were compared with previous numerical results using MIT-E3 presented by Ladd et al. (1994). Overall, MIT-SR contributes a significant improvement in predictions of settlements, but does not significantly improve predictions of lateral spreading. The overall results suggest that the dependent creep properties play only a secondary role in the performance of this particular test embankment."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/107071"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Civil and Environmental Engineering."],"dc:title":["Implementation and evaluation of a recently developed rate-dependent effective stress soil model 'MIT-SR'"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:55Z"}