A new Drucker–Prager model considering material softening effects

Purpose This study aims to introduce a new version of the Drucker–Prager model (DPM) to effectively capture the strain-softening effects in geotechnical materials. Design/methodology/approach In this study, small step size convergence and limited computational efficiency were used during the numerical implementation of the new model. Findings The amalgamation of direct measurement, equation solving and optimization theory proves to be a highly effective approach for determining the parameters of intricate constitutive models. Originality/value The conventional DPM is an ideal plastic model but lacks the capability to represent material softening effects, rendering it fundamentally inadequate. In contrast, the new model can effectively capture material softening effects, rendering it better suited for describing geotechnical materials exhibiting softening behavior.