GEOTECH 525

STRESSES
IN SOILS
STRESSES IN SOILS
• Stress due to the self weight of soil
• Stress due to additional/surface load
• Stress due to the pore water
STRESSES IN SOILS
•  
BASIC FORMULAS
•    
PROBLEM 1
• Compute the total, effective and pore water pressure at a depth of 12m
below the bottom of a lake 5m deep. The bottom of the lake consists of soft
clay with a thickness of more than 12m. The average water content of the
clay 50% and the specific gravity of soils may be assumed to be 2.7.
PROBLEM 2
• A clay layer 8m thick rests beneath a deposit sand layer 20m in thick. Water
table is located 5m below the ground surface. When water table is lowered from
original ground water level by 10m, the water content and specific gravity of
saturated sand are 30% and 2.65, respectively.
a. Determine the total and effective stress at 20m depth before and after water table
is lowered.
b. Determine the stress increased in the mid height of the clay layer if the specific
gravity and the void ratio of the clay layer are 2.75 and 0.90, respectively.
c. If by dewatering, the water level lowered by 20m from original water level,
determine the effective stress increase at the bottom of soil formation.
PROBLEM 3
• A cut is made in a stiff, saturated clay
that is underlain by a layer of sand.
The saturated unit weight of clay is
19kN/m3 and that of sand is
18kN/m3.
• a. What should be the height of the
water, h, in the cut so that the
stability of the saturated clay is not
lost?
• b. Determine the maximum depth of
cut before heaving occur if the ratio
of thickness of water to depth of cut
is 1/2.
PROBLEM 4
• A dense silt layer has the following properties: void ratio is 0.75, effective
diameter is 10μm, capillary constant (C) is 0.20 cm2. Free ground water level
is 7m below the ground surface.
• Find the height of capillary rise in the silt. Capillary rise is given as h = C / (e
x D10).
• Find the vertical effective stress in kPa at 5m depth. Assume unit weight of
solids is 26.5 kN/m3 and that the soil above the capillary rise and ground
surface is partially saturated at 60%.