The thermomechanical approach to establishing elastoplastic constitutive model for geomaterials is introduced briefly. The major attraction of this approach is that it not only provides a tight mathematical structure

but also satisfies the laws of thermodynamics automatically. The whole of the constitutive structure (yield condition

flow rule

hardening laws and elasticity law) is determined just from two thermodynamic potentials (the free energy and the increment of dissipation function). It is demonstrated that

whenever the dissipation potential depends on the current stress; the flow rule is necessarily non-associated; and the concepts of friction and of non-associated flow rule are intimately linked. Then

some research advances

including three-dimensional problems

characteristic of geomaterials on micro and meso level

homogenization of stress-strain relation

dilation and anisotropy

are given. Several important concepts

such as “stored plastic work or frozen elastic energy” and “Reynolds-Taylor State”

are explained and analyzed. Finally

some proposals for further research are made.