Chapter 4

Stresses in a Soil Mass

4.1 Stresses and Mohr's Circle

4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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 4.1 Stresses and Mohr's Circle

Stresses

On plane α : Normal stress (σ) and Shear stress (τ)

F1
z z
F1
F4 F4
σ
P
τ
F2
F2 O
O
x F3 x
F3
y y

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 4.1 Stresses and Mohr's Circle

Stresses

Stress at a point in Cartesian coordinate system:

 3 normal stresses σz z

σx , σy , σz τzx

 3 shear stresses τyz τzy

τyx
τxy = τyx τxy
σy
τxz = τzx σx
τxz
τyz = τzy y
x

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 4.1 Stresses and Mohr's Circle

Stresses at a point in plane strain

 2 normal stresses: σz , σx
 1 shear stress: τxz = τzx
∞

x
σz σz
τz
x
τzx
σx σx
y x τxz
τx
z
z z 4
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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

4.2.1 Stresses in dry soil (without water)

 Weight of soil column with small area dA G.L.

dP = γ × z × dA

 Normal stress (vertical stress) on

horizontal plane at point M γ
z

dP
σv = σ z = =γ ×z
dA
dA
or σv = σ z = γ × z
M
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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

4.2.1 Stresses in dry soil (without water)

G.L.

 Normal stress (horizontal stress) on

vertical plane at point M γt
z
σ x = σ y = σ h = K0 × σ z = K0 × γ t × z σz

σx (= σy)
K0 – coefficient of earth pressure at rest
σy M
 Shear stress (ground surface is horizontal
hay σv
plane and unlimited area)
σh
τ = τ xy = τ xz = τ yz = 0 σh
M
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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

4.2.1 Stresses in dry soil (without water)

 Multi-soil-layer:
 Normal stress (vertical stress) on G.L.

horizontal plane at point M γ1

Layer 1 z1
n
σ z = σ v = ∑ (γ i × zi ) K01
i =1
γ2
 Normal stress (horizontal stress) on Layer 2 z2
vertical plane at point M K02
n
σ x = σ h = K 0 n × σ z = K 0 n × ∑ (γ i × zi ) z…

…
i =1

 Shear stress: γn zn
Layer n
τ = τ xy = τ xz = τ yz = 0 K0n M
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 Coefficient of earth pressure at rest K0
 Normal consolidated soil (K0 ≤ 1)
Soil K0
K 0 = (1 − sin ϕ ′ ) (Jaky, 1944)
Loose sand (dry) 0.64
K 0 = 0.9(1 − sin ϕ ′ ) (Fraser, 1957) Loose sand (saturated) 0.46
Dense sand (dry) 0.49
K 0 = 0.19 + 0.233 log I p (Kenney, 1959) (cohesive)
Dense sand (saturated) 0.36
 2  1 − sin ϕ ′ 
K 0 = 1 + sin ϕ ′   (Kezdi, 1962)
 3 ′
 1 + sin ϕ  Dense sand (compacted) 0.80
K 0 = (0.95 − sin ϕ ′) (Brooker and Ireland, 1965)
Soft clay (Ip = 30) 0.60
 Overconsolidated soil (K0 ≤ 1 or K0 ≥1)
Stiff clay (Ip = 9) 0.42

K 0 = (1 − sin ϕ ′ ) OCR (Eurocode 7, 1997) Silty clay (Ip = 45) 0.57

K 0 = (1 − sin ϕ ′ )( OCR )sin ϕ ′ (Mayne and Kulhawy, 1982)

ϕ′ - internal friction angle with effective stress OCR – overconsolidation ratio

𝜇𝜇
𝐾𝐾0 = µ - Poisson’s ratio 10
1 − 𝜇𝜇
 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

Effective Stress A
σ σ
A'' A''
F u
A' Aw
A'
(A – Aw)
Aw – cross-sectional area occupied by
Soil
Water particle water in the voids
u – pore water pressure
Plane A' - A’ is cross-section area
(*)
A – cross-sectional area of plane A'-A'
occupied by solid-to-solid contacts
and water in the voids Aw ≈ A
(cross-sectional area occupied by solid-to-
solid contacts is very small)
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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

Forces on plane A'- A'

A
σA = F + uAw σ
 F   uAw  A' A'
σ = +  (2)
 A  A  F u
Aw Aw
with: wa =
A (A – Aw)
F
σ′ = : effective stress
A (*) cross-sectionalarea occupied
(2) ⇒ σ ′ = σ − uaw (3) by solid-to-solid contacts is very
small: Aw ≈ A
Soil is saturated: A ≈ Aw, aw= 1
σ – total stress
(3) ⇒ σ ′ = σ − u
u – pore water pressure
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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

4.2.2 Stresses in saturated soil (below water table)

G.L.
 Total vertical stress at point M

z1 γt
σ v = γ t × z1 + γ sat × z2
W.T.

 Pore water pressure at M (neutral stress)

γsat
u = γ w × z2 z2

 Effective vertical stress at point M σz

σ v′ = σ v − u σx (= σy)
u
σy

or σ v′ = γ t × z1 + γ ′ × z2
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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

4.2.2 Stresses in saturated soil (below water table)

 Total horizontal stress at point M G.L

σ h = K 0 × σ v′ + u z1 γt
W.T.
(Pore water pressure u is neutral stress)
γsat
z2
 Effective horizontal stress at point M
σv
σ h′ = σ h − u
σh
u
or σ h′ = K 0 × σ v′ σh

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil
4.2.3

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil
4.2.3

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil
4.2.3

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil
Critical hydraulic gradient

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil
4.2.4

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

Seepage Force No Seepage

Upward Seepage

Downward Seepage

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

piezometer W.T.

4.2.5 Stresses in soil with artesian aquifer h

G.L

 Total vertical stress at point M Sand γt z1

W.T.

σ v = γ t × z1 + γ sat 1 × z2 + γ sat 2 × z3 + γ sat 3 × z4 γsat1 z2

 Pore water pressure at point M

Clay
γsat2 z3
u = γ w × (h + z1 + z2 + z3 + z4 )

 Vertical effective stress at point M Sand γsat3

σz z4
σ v′ = σ v − u

σy u σx (= σy)
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A soil profile is shown in the Figure 2m piezometer

Determine σv, u and σ′v at B and C Water

2m γw = 10 kN/m3
A G.L.

Sand
3m
γsat =17.2 kN/m3

Clay
2.5m
γ = 15.6 kN/m3

2m Sand

4m γsat =18.4 kN/m3

C

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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

4.2.6 Stresses in the Soil Zone of Capillary Rise G.L

Point M on the Zone of Capillary z1 γt

Rise (hc – height of capillary rise)

Zone of Capillary Rise

 Total vertical stress
z2 γsat
σz
σ v = γ t × z1 + γ sat × z2
hc

 Pore water pressure (isotopic stress) σy u σx (= σy)

zc
u = −γ w × zc W.T.

 Vertical effective stress

Saturated soil
σ v′ = σ v − u γsat
or σ v′ = γ t × z1 + γ sat × z2 + γ w × zc
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 4.2 Stresses due to Self-Weight of Soil

Pore water pressure in partial saturation soil caused by capillary action

Sr : saturation degree

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 Examples

Sand

Clay
The coefficient of earth
pressure at rest:
𝜇𝜇
𝐾𝐾0 =
1 − 𝜇𝜇
Sand

Draw the diagram showing the variation with depth of: vertical total stress, pore
water pressure, vertical effective stress, lateral effective stress, lateral total stress.
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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.1 Stresses Caused by a Point Load

P
A point load P applied on the
O x
surface of an infinitely large half- G.L.
r
space ground y

Soil is homogeneous, elastic, and

L
isotropic medium with Young’s z
modulus E and Poisson’s ratio ν
E, ν
∆σz
Boussinesq (1883) solved the
problem of stresses produced at ∆σx
any point in the ground ∆σy
z M(x,y,z)

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.1 Stresses Caused by a Point Load

 Increment of normal stresses at point M P

O G.L. x
r
y

L
z

∆σ
z

∆σx
∆σy
z M(x,y,z)

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads
4.3.1 Stresses Caused by a Point Load

with

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.1 Stresses Caused by a Point Load

 One point loads:

 Multiple point loads:

𝑃𝑃1 𝑃𝑃2 𝑃𝑃3

∆𝜎𝜎𝑧𝑧 = 2 𝐼𝐼11 + 2 𝐼𝐼12 + 2 𝐼𝐼13
𝑧𝑧 𝑧𝑧 𝑧𝑧

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.2 Stresses Caused by a Vertical Line Load

 Increment of vertical stress at point M

q

O
x
x y

R
y z
∆σz

z M

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.3 Stresses Caused by a Horizontal Line Load

 Increment of vertical stress at point M q

x x
dy
O
y

y R ∆σz
z
M

z
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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.4 Vertical Stress Caused by a Vertical Strip Load

 Increment of vertical stress at point M B

q
x

∆σz z

∆σz/q = f(2x/B, 2z/B) (see in Table on M

x
next page)
z
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4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.5 Linearly increasing vertical loading on an infinite strip

 Increment of vertical stress at point A

∆σz/q = f(2x/B, 2z/B) (refer to

the Table on next page)

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.5 Linearly increasing vertical loading on an infinite strip

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.6 Vertical Stress Due to Embankment Loading

 Increment of vertical stress at point M

∆σz

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.6 Vertical Stress Due to

Embankment Loading

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.7 Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangularly Loaded Area

 Increment of vertical stress at point M
L
below the CORNER of the rectangular area y

B qdxdy

q dy
∆σz = q × I3 y
x O
dx x
I3 ∈ m = B/z and n = L/z (see in Table
on next page)
∆σz

M(0,0,z)

z
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4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads
CORNER method
A B A E B

M
N M G H

D C D F C
I3(M) = I3(ABMN) + I3(NMCD) I3(M) = I3(AEMG) + I3(EMHB) + I3(GMFD) + I3(MFCH)

A B E A B E

G H
M

D F
D C F C
I3(M) = I3(AEMG) + I3(GMDF) - I3(BEMH) - I3(HMFC)
G H M
I3(M) = I3(AEMG) - I3(BEMH) - I3(DFMG) + I3(CFMH)
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= -

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.7 Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangularly Loaded Area

 Increment of vertical stress at point M L

below the CENTER of the rectangular area

B
O x
p

I4 ∈ m1 = L/B and n1 = z/b with b = B/2

(see in Table on next page) y ∆σz

M(0,0,z)

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4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.8 Vertical Stress Caused by a Uniformly Loaded Circular Area

 Increment of vertical stress at point C
below the CENTER of the Uniformly Loaded
Circular Area q

𝑅𝑅 2𝜋𝜋 qρ d ρ dϕ
3𝑞𝑞𝑧𝑧 3 𝜌𝜌𝜌𝜌𝜌𝜌𝜌𝜌𝜌𝜌
∆𝜎𝜎𝑧𝑧 = �� dρ ρ dϕ O R
2𝜋𝜋 5�
0 0
𝜌𝜌2 + 𝑧𝑧 2 2 ϕ

1
= 𝑞𝑞 1 − z
3�
2 2 σz
1 + 𝑅𝑅�𝑧𝑧

C(0,0,z)
z
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 4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

4.3.8 Vertical Stress Caused by a Uniformly Loaded Circular Area

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4.3 Stresses due to External Loads

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