A large strain analytical solution for cavity contraction in dilatant soils

Abstract An infinite dilatant elastic–plastic soil mass contains a single cylindrical or spherical cavity within which a slowly increasing pressure is applied. The removal of the cavity pressure takes place after a partly plastic state of the soil has been reached. Closed form solutions for the stress and displacement fields in the soil during any stage of the unloading process are derived. The non‐associated Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion is used to account for dilation of the soil during shearing. Large strains are taken into account by adopting an appropriate strain definition within the plastically deforming region.