Hysteresis in Soil Using the Small-Strain Overlay Model

Application ID: 111511


The small strain overlay material model captures the effect of high stiffness at low strain as well as the hysteresis under cyclic loading, which is a common effect for most soils. The formulation allows stiffness degradation with an increase in shear strain, and the full recovery of stiffness at load reversal.

In this example, cyclic tensile and shear tests show the stiffness degradation and the hysteresis effect with the small strain overlay model.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: