Figure 4 Comparison of simulations obtained from various approaches with experimental results of an undrained loading/reverse loading test on a dense (e=0.735) sample of Toyoura sand (data taken from Verdugo and Ishihara [3]). assume that sand behavior at the very beginning of loadings or reverse loadings is mainly elastic. The tangent to the stress path (namely q/p) at point A, and the slope of unloading-reloading curve at points B, and C are practically vertical (to fortify reasoning, the tangent to stress path at point C is shown in Fig. 1 by dashed line). Also, deviation of unloading-reloading curve at points D and E from vertical axis is not relatively significant. Phase transformation took place at point F. Noting that phase transformation point is defined as where contraction turns into dilation or vice versa [28]. At point G, located in dilative zone of behavior, the last unloading was conducted on the sample. As illustrated by the dashed line constructed at point G, deviation of the tangent line to the unloading path from the vertical direction is considerable which cannot be explained by the theory of isotropic elasticity (i.e., Eq. (7)). The similar pattern of behavior has been reported in many other experimental studies (e.g., [3,19,20,22-24]). Graham and Houlsby [17] paid attention to this particular behavior and attributed it to the development of anisotropic elasticity in soil mass. At this time, this conclusion has been adopted by many researchers in this field of study (e.g., [7, 20,21]). The pattern shown indicates that anisotropy evolves with shear loading and evolution of anisotropy intensifies when stress state approaches phase transformation. Immediately after the stress state passes the phase transfor- mation point and steps into the dilative regime of behavior, the slope of the very beginning point of the loading/unloading curve reaches an ultimate limit and remains unchanged upon the