ABSTRACT
A review of the behaviour of expansive argillaceous rocks is presented in the paper. The role of bonding and stress-induced damage is highlighted. Other debonding agents of practical significance are suction cycles associated with atmospheric effects, bond leaching and osmotic effects. Material behaviour is first interpreted on qualitative basis. Then, a microstructurally based constitutive framework is described. A oned-imensional elastoplastic model is developed. A key feature of the model is the formulation of a microstructural expansion controlled by current bonding. The model is applied to the simulation of a number of tests, including cyclic loading. The model is finally extended to unsaturated states. Examples of the joint effect of stress and suction changes are also presented.
