

Stiffness can also be obtained from field test data ( CPT, SPT) by means of correlations. “Do I need to perform all those tests to be able to use the Hardening Soil model?” They can be obtained from different soil lab tests. Therefore, the Hardening Soil model has different stiffness parameters for different loading directions. Different loading directions ( compression, shear, unloading) will cause a different stiffness response. In contrast to other engineering materials, soil stiffness cannot simply be defined by a single Young’s modulus ( E). More accurate pore pressure development in undrained loading.Realistic non-linear behavior instead of bi-linear stress-strain response.Distinction between primary loading and unloading or reloading stiffness.Strain-dependency of stiffness (modulus reduction).Stress-dependency of stiffness and strength.The Hardening Soil (HS) model (Schanz et al., 1999), or even better, the HS model with small-strain stiffness (HSsmall) (Benz, 2007) includes several features of soil behavior that are relevant for many practical applications, such as: Features of Soil BehaviorĪs mentioned in the blog on The Importance of an Appropriate Soil Model, simple models lack some important features of soil behavior. In this article, some practical details of the Hardening Soil model will be further presented, with the purpose to take away some fear and encourage engineers to use this model in their geotechnical applications.


The Hardening Soil model is a model that captures several features of real soil behavior both for sandy soils as well as for clays and silts. In a previous blog, the importance of using advanced soil models for geotechnical finite element calculations, was discussed. Brinkgreve, and first presented by Virtuosity.
