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Soil Mechanics
CHAPTER FOUR

Compiled by Mahidere M.
2016 EC

STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN SOIL

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Introduction

vEstimation of vertical stresses at any point in a soil-mass due to

external vertical loadings are of great significance in the
prediction of settlements.

vEquations have been developed to compute stresses at any

point in a soil mass on the basis of the theory of elasticity.

v Stress Distribution in Soil

Ø due to self weight of the soil

Ø due to surface load

Total and effective stresses

v The Principle of Effective Stress

vConsider an element of a saturated soil
subjected to a stress, σ, applied on the
horizontal boundary as shown in the Fig.

vThe stress σ is called the total stress and

for Equilibrium (Newton’s third law) the
stresses in the soil must be equal and
opposite to σ.

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Total and effective stresses . . .

v The Principle of Effective Stress . . .

• The resistance or reaction to σ is provided by a combination of

the stresses from the solids, called effective stress (σ′), and
from water in the pores, called pore water pressure (u).

   'u

 '   u
is called the principle of effective stress

Total and effective stresses . . .

v The Principle of Effective Stress . . .

• Deformations of soils are a function of effective stresses and not total
stresses.

• The principle of effective stresses applies only to normal stresses and

not to shear stresses.

• The pore water cannot sustain shear stresses and therefore the soil
solids must resist the shear forces

• Soils cannot sustain tension. Consequently, the effective stress cannot be less than
0. Pore water pressures can be positive or negative. That latter is sometimes called
suction or suction pressure.

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Effective Stresses due to Geostatic Stress Fields

vThe effective stress in a soil mass not subjected

to external loads is found from the unit weight of
the soil and the depth of ground water.

• The total vertical stress is:   sat z

• The pore water pressure is: u  wz and
• The effective stress is:

 '    u  satz  wz  (sat  w) z   ' z

Effective Stresses due to Geostatic Stress Fields . . .

• If the GWL is at a depth Zw below ground level (Fig. b) then

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Effective Stresses due to Geostatic Stress Fields . . .

• The pore water pressure due to capillarity is negative (suction) and is a

function of the size of the soil pores and the water content.

• At the ground water level, the pore water pressure is zero and
decreases (becomes negative) as you move up the capillary zone.

• The effective stress increases because the pore water pressure

decreases. For example, if the height of the capillary zone is hc the
pore water pressure at the top of the capillary zone is –hc γw and the
effective stress is

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads

vThe distribution of surface stresses within a soil is determined by

assuming that the soil is
Ø a semi-infinite,
Øhomogeneous,
Ølinear, isotropic,
Øelastic material.

v A semi-infinite mass is bounded on one side and extends infinitely

in all other directions; this is also called an “elastic half space.” For
soils, the horizontal surface is the bounding side. Equations and
charts for several types of surface loads based on the above
assumptions are presented.

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vPoint Load

Figure : Point load and vertical load distribution with depth and radial distance.

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vPoint Load . . .
Ø Example electric pole. The increases in stresses on a soil element
located at point A (as shown above) due to a point load, Q, are

5/ 2

 z 
3Q  1 
 ………………(A)
2 z 2  1  (r / z ) 2 


Q  3r 2 z 1  2 
 r    
2  ( r 2  z 2 ) 5 / 2 r 2  z 2  z ( r 2  z 2 )1 / 2 
 

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vPoint Load . . .

Q  z 1 
    (1  2 ) 2  2 
2  2 3 / 2
r  z  z (r 2  z 2 )1 / 2
2 
 (r  z ) 

3Q  rz 2 
 rz   2 
2  ( r  z ) 
2 5 / 2

where  is Poisson’s ratio.

Most often, the increase in vertical stress is needed in practice. Equation
(a) can be written as
Q
z  I
z2

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vPoint Load . . .

where I is an influence factor, and

5/ 2
3  1 
I   
2  1  (r / z ) 2 
 

If there are more than one point load applied on the soil
profile at different positions , you should calculate Δσz for each
load and then : Δσz,t=Δσz,1+Δσz,2+Δσz,3+⋯ +Δσz,n

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vPoint Load . . .
Table : influence factors due to vertical stress for point load

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vPoint Load . . .
Table : influence factors due to vertical stress for point load

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vLine Load

Figure : (a) Line load and (b) line load near a retaining wall.

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

vLine Load . . .
The increase in stresses due to a line load, Q (force/length), are
2Q z 3
 z 
 (x 2  z 2 )2

2Q x 2 z
 x 
 (x 2  z 2 ) 2

2Qx z 2
 zx 
 (x 2  z 2 ) 2

Example : long brick wall.

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Line Load Near a Buried Earth Retaining Structure

The increase in lateral stress

on a buried earth retaining
structure (Fig. b) due to a line
load of intensity Q
(force/length) is
4Qa 2 b
 x 
H 0 (a 2  b 2 ) 2
The increase in lateral force is
Figure: (b) line load near a 2Q
Px 
retaining wall.  (a 2  1)

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Strip Load

Figure : Strip load imposing (a) a uniform stress and (b) a linearly varying stress. (c) Strip
load near a retaining wall and (b) lateral force near a retaining wall from a strip load.

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Strip Load . . .
vA strip load is the load transmitted by a structure of finite width
and infinite length on a soil surface.

vTypes of strip loads

v uniform stress
( example, the middle section of a long embankment) .

v triangular stress distribution over an area of width B.

(example stress under the side of an embankment.)

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Strip Load . . .
(a) Area transmitting a uniform stress (Fig. a)
qs
 z    sin  cos(  2 )


qs
 x    sin  cos(  2 )

qs
 zx  sin  sin(  2 )


where qs is the applied surface load.

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Strip Load . . .
(b) Area transmitting triangular stress (Fig. b)

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Strip Load . . .
(c) Area transmitting triangular stress (Fig. c,d)
2q s
 x  (   sin  cos 2 )


The lateral force and its location

q
 Px  s H 0 ( 2   1 ) 
90

H 02 ( 2  1 )  ( R1  R2 )  57.3BH 0
z
2 H 0 ( 2  1 )

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Strip Load . . .
(c) Area transmitting triangular stress (Fig. c,d) . . .

where
 a  aB
1  tan 1  ,  2  tan 1  ,
H
 0 H
 0 
R  (a  B ) (90   ), and R  a 2 (90   )
2

   
2 2
R1  (a  B) (90   2 ), and R2  a (90  1 )

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Circular Area

EX. a circular foundation of an oil or
water tank. The increase of vertical and
radial stresses under a circular area of
radius r0 are  z  q s 1   1    q s I c
3/ 2

  1  (r z ) 2  
  0  

where   
3/ 2 
is an influence factor
1
I c  1    
and

  1  (r0 z ) 2  
  

qs  2 (1   ) 1 
 r      (1  2 )   3/ 2 
2  1  ( r0 z ) 2 
1 / 2
 
1  ( r0 z ) 2  

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Circular Area . . .

The vertical elastic settlement at the surface of due to a
circular flexible loaded area is
qs D(1   2 )
z 
E
Below center of loaded area :

Below edge : 2 q s D(1   2 )

z 
 E

where D = 2r0 is the diameter of the loaded area.

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area.

Ø Many structural foundations
are rectangular .

Ø The increase in stresses

below the corner of a
rectangular area of width B
and length L are

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

Ø The increase in stresses below the corner of a rectangular area of
width B and length L are
qs  B z2B 
q  LB LBz  1 1   zx  
 z  s tan 1     
2  zR3 R3  R12 R22 

2 2
 R 2 R1 R3 

qs  1 LB LBz 
 x   tan   where R1  ( L2  z 2 )1 2 ,
2  zR3 R12 R3 

R2  ( B 2  z 2 )1 2 , and
qs  1 LB LBz 
 y   tan  2 
2  zR3 R 2 R3  R3  ( L2  B 2  z 2 )1 2

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

These equations can be written as

 z  q s I z  y  q s I y

 x  q s I x  zx  q s I 

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

These equations can be written as

where I denotes the influence factor. The influence factor for the vertical
stress is

  
1  2mn m 2  n 2  1  m 2  n 2  2  2 2
1  2mn m  n  1  
Iz   tan
4  m 2  n 2  m 2 n 2  1  m 2  n 2  1   m 2  n 2  m 2 n 2  1 
  
where

and

B: Smaller dimension , L: Larger dimension

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

You can program your calculator or use a spreadsheet to find Iz.
You must be careful in the last term (tan-1) in programming.
If

then you have to add to the quantity in the last term. In general, the vertical
stress increase is less than 10% of the surface stress when z > 3B.

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

The vertical elastic settlement at the ground surface under a
rectangular surface load is

q s B(1   2 )
z  Is
E

where Is is a settlement influence factor that is a function of the L/B

ratio (L is length and B is width).

Setting

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

the equations for Is are

Ø At center of a rectangle (Giroud, 1968

2  1  1   s2 

Is  ln( s  1   s2   s ln
 s 
 

Ø At corner of a rectangle (Giroud, 1968):

 1  1   s2 
1 
Is  ln( s  1   s2   s ln
 s 
 

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

The above equations can be simplified to the following
for
.

At center of a rectangle: I s  0.62 ln( s )  1.12

At corner of a rectangle: I s  0.31 ln( s )  0.56

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .
Table :- Influence factor, Is, for vertical stress increment due to uniformly loaded
rectangular area

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Area. . .

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Approximate Method for Rectangular Loads

vGeotechnical engineers often use an approximate method

v sometimes this method is called the 2:1 method.

vThe surface load on an area, B  L , is dispersed at a depth z
over an area as illustrated in Fig. 4.14.

vThe vertical load increase under the center of the rectangle is

q s BL
 z 
( B  z )( L  z )

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Approximate Method for Rectangular Loads

Figure : Dispersion of load for approximate increase in vertical stress

under a rectangle

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Vertical Stress below Arbitrarily Shaped Area

• Newmark (1942) developed a chart to determine the increase
in vertical stress due to a uniformly loaded area of any shape.

• The chart consists of concentric circles divided by radial lines

• The area of each segment represents an equal proportion of

the applied surface stress at depth z below the surface.

Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Vertical Stress below Arbitrarily Shaped Area . . .

Ø there are 10 concentric circles (only
9 are shown because the 10th
extends to infinity)

Ø 20 radial lines, the stress on each

circle is q s 10 and on each
segment is q s (10  20 ) . The
radius to depth ratio of the first
(inner) circle is found by setting
in Eq. (4.47), that is,

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Stresses in Soil from Surface Loads . . .

v Vertical Stress below Arbitrarily Shaped Area . . .

Ø The radius to depth ratio of the first (inner) circle is
found by setting in Eq. (4.47), that is,

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