Coherent thermodynamical modelling of geomaterial reinforced by wires

The TexSol is a composite geomaterial : a sand matrix and a wire network reinforcement. For small strains a thermodynamical continuous model of the TexSol including the unilaterality of the wire network is postulated. This model is described by two potentials which depend on some internal variables and a state variable either strain or stress tensor (the choice of this last one gives two different ways of identification). The TexSol continuous model is implemented in a finite element code to recover the mechanical behaviour given by discrete elements numerical experiments.