CHAPTER ONE

SOIL STRESSES

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

Importance of stresses in soil due to external loads

Prediction of settlements of
buildings,
bridges,
Embankments
Bearing capacity of soils
Lateral Pressure.
 Stress in Soil
Stress due to soil weight
Contact stress

Stress due to loading

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 Forces That Increases Vertical Stress
in Soil Mass
1- Weight of soil (effective stress)
2- Surface loads
A- Point loads:
*Hydro pole, light stand, column, etc
B- Lines loads:
*Rack or rail loading, strip foundation
C- Rectangular area: Raft or rectangular footing
D- Circular area: Tank
E- Earth embankment: Road, railway, fill, ice, etc.
F- Fill large area .
Dr. Mohamed Gabr
 Stress due to Self-weight
1. General Situation

z z x k0 z

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 Three Cases:
-For Many Layers of soil, the vertical stress due to self-weight of
soil is given as following.
n
z 1 h1 2 h2 ...... n hn i hi
i 1

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

-With uniform surcharge on infinite land surface

z z p ( z h)

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 1.1 Effective Vertical Stress Due to Self-Weight of
- Consider a soil mass having a Soil
horizontal surface and with
the water table at surface level. The total vertical stress (i.e.
the total normal stress on a horizontal plane) at depth z is
equal to the weight of all material (solids + water) per unit
area above that depth ,i.e.
v = sat z
- The pore water pressure at any depth will be hydrostatic
since the void space between the solid particles is
continuous, therefore at depth z:
u = w z
- Hence the effective vertical stress at depth z will be:
v=v- u
=( sat - w)z= z
where is the buoyant unit weight of the soil. Dr. Mohamed Gabr
-Under water 1h1
Sand
Water table

Table 1'h2
wh2

Clay (watertight)

z=1h1+1'h2+wh2+sat3h3

z 1 h1 '1h2 w h2 sat 2 h3
General, for sand below water table, the is used; but for clay
below water table, it is difficult to determine which one( or sat) is
suitable.
We often choose the buoyant unit weight when the index of
liquid LI>=1; the saturated unit weight when the index of liquid
LI<=0. When 0<LI<1, the disadvantageous one is chosen.
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASES IN SOIL
TYPES OF LOADING
Point Loads (P)

Examples:
- Posts
-light stand,
column, etc.

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 Line Loads (q/unit length)

Examples:
- Railroad track

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

VERTICAL STRESS INCREASES IN SOIL
TYPES OF LOADING
Strip Loads (q) Area Loads (q)

Examples:
Examples: - Column Footings , Raft
- Exterior Wall Foundations Dr. Mohamed Gabr
 2 Stress due to loading
2.1 Stresses beneath point load
Boussinesq published in 1885 a solution for the
stresses beneath a point load on the surface of
a material which had the following properties:
Semi-infinite this means infinite below the surface
therefore providing no boundaries of the material
apart from the surface.
Homogeneous the same properties at all
locations.
Isotropic the same properties in all directions.

Elastic a linear stress-strain relationship.

Dr. Mohamed Gabr
Elastic a linear stress-strain relationship.

Linear elastic assumption

Dr. Mohamed Gabr
 VERTICAL STRESS INCREASES IN SOIL
ANALYSIS METHODS: BOUSSINESQ (1993)
Based on homogeneous, weightless, elastic, isotropic infinitely
large half-space free of initial stress and deformation. The
modulus of elasticity is assumed constant and the principle of
linear superposition is assumed valid (EM1110-1-1904, 1990).
Not accurate for layered soil stratigraphy with substantial
thickness (NAVFAC DM7.01, 1986).
Rigid Surface Layer Over Weaker Underlying Layer: If the surface layer
is the more rigid, it acts as a distributing mat and the vertical stresses in
the underlying soil layer are less than Boussinesq values.
Weaker Surface Layer Over Stronger Underlying Layers: If the surface
layer is less rigid than the underlying layer, then vertical stresses in both
layers exceed the Boussinesq values.
Dr. Mohamed Gabr
 VERTICAL STRESS INCREASES IN SOIL
ANALYSIS METHODS: WESTERGAARD
Based on the assumption that the soil on which load is applied is reinforced by
closely spaced horizontal layers which prevent horizontal displacement. The
effect of the Westergaard assumption is to reduce the stresses
substantially below those obtained by the Boussinesq equations.
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASES IN SOIL
ANALYSIS METHODS: 2V:1H METHOD
An approximate stress distribution assumes that the total applied load on the
surface of the soil is distributed over an area of the same shape as the loaded
area on the surface, but with dimensions that increase by an amount equal to
the depth below the surface.
Vertical stresses calculated 2V:1H method agree reasonably well
with the Boussinesq method for depths between B and 4B below
the foundation. Dr. Mohamed Gabr
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
POINT LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1885)
3P z 3 3P z3
z
2 L5 2 ( r 2 z 2 )5 / 2

P
3 1
P
z 2 2 I1
z



2 5/ 2
r / z 1 z
2

Where:
z = Change in Vertical
Stress
P = Point Load
Stresses in an Elastic Medium Caused by Point Loading
Figure 6.11. Das FGE (2005). 3 1
I1 =
2p r / z 2 +15/2
( )
*Based on homogeneous, elastic, isotropic infinitely large half-space

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
POINT LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1883)
Table 1.1 Variation of I1 (Das, FGE 2006).
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
LINE LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1885)
2qz 3

( x 2 z 2 )2
or
2
Dimensionless 2
Form (q / z) x
2
1
z
Where:
= Change in Vertical Stress
Line Load over the Surface of
a Semi-infinite Soil Mass q = Load per Unit Length
Figure 6.12. Das FGE (2005). z = Depth
*Based on flexible line load of infinite length on a
homogeneous, elastic, isotropic semi-infinite half-space x = Distance from Line Load
 VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
LINE LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1885)
Table 6.3 Variation of /(q/z) with x/z (Das, FGE 2006).
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
STRIP LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1885)

q
sin cos( 2 )

Where:
= Change in Vertical Stress
q = Load per Unit Area
z = Depth
x = Distance from Line Load

Flexible Strip Load over the Surface of

Angles measured in counter-
a Semi-infinite Soil Mass clockwise direction are taken as
Figure 6.13. Das FGE (2005). positive
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
STRIP LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1885)
Table 6.4 Variation of /q with 2z/B and 2x/B (Das, FGE 2006).
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
CIRCULAR LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1885)

1

q 1 3/ 2

(R / z) 1
2

Where:
= Change in Vertical Stress
q = Load per Unit Area
z = Depth
R = Radius
Vertical Stress Below Center of Uniformly Loaded
Flexible Circular Area
Figure 6.15. Das FGE (2005). Dr. Mohamed Gabr
 VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
CIRCULAR LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1883)
Table 6.5 Variation of /q with z/R (Das, FGE 2006).
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
RECTANGULAR LOADING (BOUSSINESQ 1883)
B L
3qz 3 (dxdy )

d
y 0 x 0
2 ( x y z )
2 2 2 5/ 2
qI 2

Where:
= Change in Vertical Stress
q = Load per Unit Area
z = Depth
2mn m 2 n 2 1 m 2 n 2 2
2

1 m n m n 1 m n 1
2 2 2 2 2

I2
4
1 2mn m n 1
2 2
tan 2
m n 2
m 2 2
n 1

B L
Vertical Stress Below Corner of Uniformly
Loaded Flexible Rectangular Area
m ;n
Figure 6.16. Das FGE (2005). z z
 VERTICAL STRESS
INCREASE (Z) IN
SOIL
RECTANGULAR
LOADING
(BOUSSINESQ 1885)
Variation of I2 with m and n.
Figure 6.17. Das FGE (2005).

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 VERTICAL
STRESS
INCREASE (Z)
IN SOIL
RECTANGULAR
LOADING
(WESTERGAARD)
Figure 1.8 NAVFAC DM7.01.

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
RECTANGULAR LOADED AREA
Within a Rectangular Loaded Area:
Ds = q I 2(1) + I 2(2) + I 2(3) + I 2(4)

Under Center of Footing:

Ds c = qI c
I c = f (m1, n1 )
L z
m1 = ;n1 =
Figure 6.18. Das FGE B B
(2005). 2
Dr. Mohamed Gabr
 VERTICAL STRESS INCREASE (Z) IN SOIL
CENTER OF RECTANGULAR LOADED AREA
Table 6.6 Variation of Ic with m1 and n1 (Das, FGE 2006).
BOUSSINESQ SOLUTIONS SUMMARY
(EM 1110-1-1904 TABLE C-1)
BOUSSINESQ SOLUTIONS SUMMARY
(EM 1110-1-1904 TABLE C-1)
BOUSSINESQ SOLUTIONS SUMMARY
(EM 1110-1-1904 TABLE C-1)
 STRIP SQUARE
FOOTING FOOTING
BOUSSINESQ
GRAPHICAL
SOLUTION
(EM 1110-1-1904
FIGURE 1-2)
 WESTERGAARD
GRAPHICAL
SOLUTION
(NAVFAC DM7.01 FIGURE 11)

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 WESTERGAARD
GRAPHICAL
SOLUTION
(NAVFAC DM7.01 FIGURE 11)

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

NEWMARK INFLUENCE CHARTS
(BASED ON BOUSSINESQ SOLUTIONS)
STEPS
1. Draw the footing shape to a scale
using Length AB = Depth z.
2. The point under which we look for
v, is placed at the center of the
chart.
3. Count the units and partial units
covered by the foundation (m).
4. v= p = (qo)(m)(I)
I = Influence Factor
VERTICAL STRESS INCREASES IN SOIL
ANALYSIS METHODS: 2V:1H METHOD
Q
z
( B z )(L z )
Where:
z = Change in Total
Vertical Stress
Q = Applied Foundation
Load
B = Foundation Width
L = Foundation Length

Figure C-1. USACE EM1110-1-1904. Dr. Mohamed Gabr

 Q 3 1 Q
z 2 5/ 2
2 IP
z
2 r / z 1 z
2


Dr. Mohamed Gabr



q
sin cos( 2 )

Dr. Mohamed Gabr

Question:
The footing shown in the figure below exerts a uniform
pressure of 300 kN/m2 to the soil.
Determine vertical stress increase due to uniform
pressure, at a point of 4 m directly
under; (a) point A, (b) point B.
P = 250 Kn / m2

B=2m

Z=3m