Review of the Development of Cap Models for Geomaterials

Abstract

The history of the development of Cap constitutive models is reviewed. The Cap family of models provides a powerful, yet adaptable way of representing many aspects of the dynamic stress‐strain behavior of geological materials. These models have been extensively used for more than three decades to characterize the highly nonlinear behavior of soils, rocks and concrete, and are particularly well suited to the dynamic analysis arising in ground shock and seismic applications. The modern series of Cap Models is based on the adaptation of several earlier models, and was introduced in the early 1970’s as a result of university and corporate R&D technology development sponsored by the United States government. Dr. Eugene Sevin played a role in these activities during his tenure at the Defense Nuclear Agency. In this paper, the basic behavior of the early models is briefly discussed and compared, and the reasons for the introduction of Cap Models are outlined. Many adaptations of the Cap Model have been developed since the first model was introduced, and the salient features of some of these model extensions are also reviewed.