YIELD-STRENGTH OF ANISOTROPIC SOILS.

Natural soils often exhibit a significant mechanical anisotropy. Taking it into account in structure stability analyses requires defining the procedure and the interpretation of experimental tests properly, describing the strength-characteristics of the soil through a mechanically correct criterion, and devising adequate stability analysis methods. Soil mechanical reinforcement has been developed and is now commonly used: the composite material so obtained at the structure level can be modelized as a homogeneous continuum with an anisotropic yield-strength, allowing anisotropic stability analysis methods to be used.