Elastoplastic analysis of pressure-sensitive materials by an effective three-dimensional mixed finite element

This work is focused on the analysis of three-dimensional bodies whose mechanical behavior can be modeled by an elastoplastic pressure-sensitive material description. To this end the yield condition is assessed with respect to a general quadratic function capable to represent both standard surfaces, such as Drucker–Prager surface, or more generic surfaces. For the sake of the efficiency and robustness of the numerical analysis of general-shape solids, an effective mixed tetrahedral finite element is used to perform a step-by-step analysis obtaining the complete equilibrium path and the collapse load. Some numerical results regarding technical problems, such as masonry walls and footing problems, show the effectiveness of the mechanical model and of the numerical strategy.