Numerical Investigation of strain localization in heterogeneous soft clay under undrained condition

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Strain localization and shear band formation are key phenomena in geotechnical engineering, as they strongly influence the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of soils. Understanding the effect of material inhomogeneity on these processes is particularly important for stability analyses. Considering the relatively low permeability of clay, its mechanical response is often governed by undrained conditions; therefore, investigating its behavior under such conditions is essential. Previous studies have commonly assumed homogeneous soil conditions or introduced heterogeneity through simplified stiffness or cohesion variations with depth. In reality, however, natural soils are inherently heterogeneous, and incorporating more realistic spatial variability can improve the reliability of numerical analyses and provide results that are closer to actual soil behavior. The current study investigates the influence of material inhomogeneity and boundary conditions on strain localization and shear band formation in soft clay utilizing finite element simulations. For this purpose, fine-meshed 2D and 3D biaxial tests as well as 3D triaxial tests under monotonic loading are simulated using coupled hydro-mechanical finite-element analyses under consolidated undrained conditions. The results indicate that material inhomogeneity reduces the peak shear strength, increases the excess pore-pressure buildup, and intensifies the post-peak softening, while biaxial and triaxial simulations exhibit distinctly different localization patterns.

International Conference on Advances and Innovations in Soft Soil Engineering (ICAISSE2026)

Constitutive, Numerical, and Machine Learning Modelling