Yield loci of a granular material are derived in case of triaxial compression carried out at constant pressure. The theory is based upon a simple micromechanical model in which particles move according to an average, homogeneous deformation. We show how the presence of an inherent anisotropy in the aggregate (typical of laboratory samples due to depositional processes) produces a deviation of the yield loci in the stress space from the expected Mohr-Coulomb prediction. That is, when the compaction pressure in an anisotropic aggregate is increased, irreversibility associated with sliding between particles occurs and this will influence the yield function in the subsequent triaxial test. Numerical simulations support the theoretical result.

We focus on a triaxial compression at constant pressure in which a granular material, after an isotropic preparation, is sheared in a small range of monotone deformation. The aggregate is made by identical, elastic, spheres that interact through a non central contact forces. Because of the loading condition the material is transversely isotropic. Through a numerical analysis we show that aggregates with same pressure and porosity behave differently depending on the initial coordination number (i.e. the average number of contacts per particle). The relation of stress, volume change, elastic moduli and microstructure with the initial contact network is investigated.

We study an ideal granular aggregate consisting of elastic spherical particles, isotropic in stress and anisotropic in the contact network. Because of the contact anisotropy, a confining pressure applied at zero deviatoric stress, produces shear strain as well as volume strain. Our goal is to predict the coordination number k, the average number of contacts per particle, and the magnitude of the contact anisotropy ε, from knowledge of the elastic moduli of the aggregate. We do this through a theoretical model based upon the well known effective medium theory. However, rather than focusing on the moduli, we consider their ratios over the moduli of an equivalent isotropic state. We observe good agreement between numerical simulation and theory.

We analyze the behavior of a dense granular aggregate made by identical, elastic spheres, uni-axially compressed at constant pressure. Our goal is to predict the evolution of the effective moduli along the loading path when small perturbations are applied to stressed states. The analytical model is based upon the average strain theory. We show that the moduli in the anisotropic state normalized with the corresponding initial isotropic value, are captured by a so crude model. Numerical simulations support this result.