Stresses in a Soil Mass

EFFECTIVE STRESS CONCEPT

A. Stresses in Saturated Soil without Seepage

The total stress at the elevation of point A, can be

obtained from the saturated unit weight of the soil and
the unit weight of water above it. Thus,

 The total stress given by Equation can be divided into

two parts:
1. A portion is carried by water in the continuous void
spaces. This portion acts with equal intensity in all
directions.
2. The rest of the total stress is carried by the soil solids
at their points of contact. The sum of the vertical
components of the forces developed at the points of
contact of the solid particles per unit cross-sectional area
of the soil mass is called the effective stress.
 The total stress,

Where: u is also referred to as neutral stress

σ' is the effective stress

Example:
1. A soil profile is shown in Figure 6.2. Calculate the total stress, pore water pressure, and effective stress
at points A, B, C, and D.
B. Stresses in Saturated Soil with Seepage

If water is seeping, the effective stress at any point in a soil mass will be different from the static case. It will
increase or decrease, depending on the direction of seepage.

B.1 Upward Seepage

B.2 Downward Seepage

 Example:
1. An exploratory drill hole was made in a saturated stiff clay (Figure 1). It was observed that the sand layer
underlying the clay was under artesian pressure. Water in the drill hole rose to a height of H 1 above the
top of the sand layer. If an open excavation is to be made in the clay, how deep can the excavation
proceed before the bottom heaves? We are given H = 8 m, H 1 = 4 m, and w = 32%.
2. A 10-m-thick layer of stiff saturated clay is underlain by a layer of sand (Figure 2). The sand is under
artesian pressure. If H =7.2m, what would be the minimum height of water h in the cut so that the
stability of the saturated clay is not lost?

Figure 1 Figure 2

C. Effective Stress in Partially Saturated Soil

In partially saturated soil, water in the void spaces is not continuous,

and it is a threephase system—that is, solid, pore water, and pore air
(Figure 6.7). Hence, the total stress at any point in a soil profile is made
up of intergranular, pore air, and pore water pressures. From
laboratory test results, Bishop et al. (1960) gave the following equation
for effective stress, σ ‘, in partially saturated soils:

In Eq. , represents the fraction of a unit cross-sectional area of the soil occupied by water. For dry soil X = 0,
and for saturated soil X = 1. Bishop, et al., pointed out that the intermediate values of X depend primarily on
the degree of saturation, S. However, these values are also influenced by factors such as soil structure.