ADVANCED SOIL

MECHANICS
--Stress Distribution --

UNIT 1
Introduction

Many natural things lack a universally accepted definition.

SOIL IS ONE OF THEM. One of the reasons is its
multifunctionality.
 Certini & Fiorenzo (2013), Geoderma

AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER
Historically, the prevailing concept of soil was that of agronomists a
medium for plant growth.
 Certini & Fiorenzo (2013), Geoderma

GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERS
While for geologists soil was just a rather short phase in the long global
cycle of rocks.
 Certini & Fiorenzo (2013), Geoderma

ENGINEERS
And for engineers an unconsolidated earthy material that can be moved
by machinery.
 Gave dignity to soil as something with its
own identity in the realm of natural
objects. Essentially, he referred to the soil
as a tridimensional entity located at
earth's surface with morphology and
unique physical, chemical and biological
Vasily V. Dokuchaev
properties acquired by the interaction,
through time, among living and dead
organisms, rock, and climate on a given
topographic position.
Certini & Fiorenzo (2013), Geoderma
Soil mechanics is the science of equilibrium and motion of
soil bodies.

Stress Distribution

Stress-Strain
Arora K.(1997), Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
 "Soil Mechanics is the application of laws
of mechanics and hydraulics to
engineering problems dealing with
sediments and other unconsolidated
accumulations of solid particles produced
by the mechanical and chemical
disintegration of rocks regardless of
Karl Von Terzaghi
whether or not they contain an admixture
of organic constituent.”
Arora K.(1997), Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
Elementary cube of soil
 (+)
(-)

(-) (+)

(+)

Normal stress distribution

(-)
 (σzz)

(ɣzy)
(ɣzx)
(ɣyz)
(ɣxz)
(xxy) (σyy)
(ɣyx)
(σxx)

Positive
 (σzz)

(ɣzy)
(ɣzx)
(ɣyz)
(ɣxz)
(xxy) (σyy)
(ɣyx)
(σxx)

Negative
THE BOUSSINESQ EQUATIONS

-- Joseph Boussinesq --
 Boussinesq, gave the theoretical solutions for the stress
distribution in an elastic medium subjected to a concentrated
load on its surface.

The following assumptions are made:

Arora K.(1997), Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering

(1) The soil mass is an elastic continuum, having a constant value of
modulus of elasticity (E), i.e., the ratio between the stress and strain is
constant.

(2) The soil is homogeneous, i.e., it has identical properties at different

points.

(3) The soil is isotropic, i.e., it has identical properties in all directions.

(4) The soil mass is semi-infinite, i.e., it extends to infinity in the downward
direction and lateral directions. In other words, it is limited on its top by a
horizontal plane and extends to infinity in all other directions.

(5) The soil is weightless and is free from residual stresses before the
application of the load.
STRESSES DUE TO A CONCENTRATED LOAD
Boussinesq proved that the polar stress σR at point P (x, y, z) is
given by:

Arora K.(1997), Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering

R
R

R
R

R
R

R
--The coefficient Ib is known as the Boussinesq
influence coefficient for the vertical stress.
Δσ
R
Δσ
R
Δσ
R
Δσ = *

Δσ = *

Δσ = *
Δσ =
Δσ
R
Δσ = *

Δσ = *

Δσ = *

Δσ = 3