Explicit Constitutive Model to Predict the Stress–Strain Response of Waste Materials

Knowing that the use of waste materials as sustainable alternatives to quarried natural aggregates has become increasingly popular in recent years, it is imperative to develop reliable models that can be used to predict their stress–strain behavior. In this paper, an explicit model developed to describe the stress–strain response of frictional materials is modified to simulate the stress–strain response of waste materials. Three explicit equations for stress ratio, volumetric strain, and dilatancy were developed analytically. The novelty of this model is its ability to accurately capture the lower shear strength of waste materials as compared to natural aggregates. Also, the model captures the effect of adding a compressible material like rubber on the stress–strain response of a granular mixture. The model was calibrated using experimental data for mixtures of coal wash and rubber crumbs. Experimental results obtained for mixtures of coal wash, rubber crumbs, and steel furnace slag and for mixtures of rubber shreds and sand were also used to test the model. The model prediction showed good agreement with the experimental data. Thus, the model can be incorporated in numerical simulations to provide a preliminary prediction of the behavior of waste materials in different applications and under different loading conditions.