A Constitutive Model for Beach Sand Under Cyclic Loading and Moisture Content Coupling Effects with Application to Vehicle–Terrain Interaction

Vehicle repeated passes over soft terrain alter the soil’s bearing and shear behavior, thereby affecting vehicle mobility and energy consumption. To address this issue, this study conducted cyclic compression and shear tests on beach sand with moisture contents of 5%, 15%, and 25%. A constitutive model incorporating the coupling effects of loading cycles (N) and moisture content (ω) was developed based on the Bekker and Janosi model framework. The model expresses compression parameters as functions of N and ω, and describes shear behavior through the strength evolution function k(N,ω) and deformation modulus function h(N,ω). Results show excellent agreement between the model predictions and experimental data (R² > 0.92). Furthermore, a vehicle–soil coupled dynamics model was established based on the proposed constitutive model, forming a comprehensive analytical framework that integrates soil meso-mechanics with full vehicle–terrain interaction. This work provides valuable theoretical and technical support for predicting vehicle trafficability on coastal soft soils and optimizing vehicle suspension systems.