Cyclic Testing and Constitutive Modeling of Saturated Sand–Concrete Interfaces Using the Disturbed State Concept

A constitutive model based on the disturbed state concept (DSC) is proposed for stress-deformation and liquefaction response of interfaces in dynamic soil-structure interaction problems. The model parameters are determined by using comprehensive test data for Ottawa sand–concrete (medium roughness) interfaces by using the cyclic multidegree of freedom device. The model is validated by comparing the finite element predictions with the test data used for the determination of parameters and independent test not used for finding the parameters. A procedure based on the critical disturbance for the identification of liquefaction in the interfaces is proposed. It is found that the liquefaction in the interface can occur earlier than that in the surrounding sand. The DSC model can provide a realistic characterization of the interface behavior and can be used in analysis and design of dynamic soil-structure interaction problems.