Soil Models

Soil models (or constitutive models) are a core component of the GeoMechanics Application. They define how soil responds to loading by describing the relationship between stresses, strains, and other state variables in a mathematical form. These models are essential for realistic simulations, as the predictive accuracy of a geotechnical analysis strongly depends on the chosen material formulation.

The GeoMechanics Application supports both built‑in models and user‑defined soil models (UDSM), allowing users to incorporate advanced or project‑specific formulations. External libraries of models are widely used in practice. For example, the website SoilModels provides a curated database of constitutive models, calibration tools, and implementations for different finite element codes, supporting the selection and validation of appropriate models.

Within Deltares, soil model development is closely linked to research and validation efforts, bridging laboratory testing, calibration workflows, and numerical simulation. These soil models are internally available on github and TeamCity. Contact the Kratos team for more information about the soil models that are being developed within Deltares.