Abstract
The incremental nonlinearity has been studied experimentally and theoretically for the exact modeling of mechanical behavior of geomaterials. However, the micro-mechanical origin of the incremental nonlinearity has not yet been clarified. We discuss the micromechanism with the aid of discrete element simulations. The results obtained by a series of stress probe tests, which are conducted under the true tri-axial stress states in terms of the 3D-GEM, suggest that the behavior of granular materials have to be described by the incremental nonlinearity. The characteristic deformation modes and fabric parameters calculated for each stress probe give important information to clarify the micromechanism of incremental nonlinearity.
