8.

0 Stress Distribution in Soils

 Distribution of Applied Stresses
• Applied stresses cause settlement of the soil surface.
• Stresses due to loads from structure are transmitted
into soil through the foundation .
• The stress at the interface between foundation and
soil is referred to as contact pressure.
• The contact pressure beneath the foundations is
distributed within the soil mass.
• Stability of the soil under the structure and its
foundation depends on the distribution of the applied
stresses in the soil.

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 Distribution of Applied Stresses
 As the depth increases, the foundation load P stays the
same, the area over which the load is distributed, A,
increases and the stress, q decreases.

P Area A
P/A=q (psf)

A increases, P stays
the same, q decreases

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 Distribution of Applied Stresses
• The applied loads produce corresponding increases in the
vertical stress, σv in the soil.

• Settlement refers to the compression that soils undergo as

a response to contact pressure on the surface (from
structural loading).

• If the settlement is not kept to tolerable limit, the desired

use of the structure may be affected and the design life of
the structure may be reduced - (serviceability limit state)
• Important to have a means of predicting stress increase in
the soil due to loads applied and the resulting amount/level
of compression or settlement. 4
Distribution of Applied Stresses

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Distribution of Applied Stresses

Rigid Foundation Flexible Foundation

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Distribution of Applied Stresses
Contact Pressure and Settlement in clay

a) Flexible Foundation in Clay

b) Rigid Foundation in Clay

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Distribution of Applied Stresses
Contact Pressure and Settlement in Sand

a) Flexible Foundation in Sand

b) Rigid Foundation in Sand

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 Stresses in a Soil Mass
 Stresses at a point in a soil layer are caused by:
‐ Self weight of the soil layers (overburden stress)
‐ Applied load (from buildings, bridges, dams etc)

 Load types;
- Point loads e.g. electricity poles, light stands,
columns etc
- Lines loads e.g. rail tracks, strip foundations
- Rectangular loads e.g. rafts or rectangular footings
- Circular loads e.g. tanks
- Earth embankment loads e.g. road, railway, soil fill
etc.
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Determination of Vertical Stress Increase
Assumptions
• Uniform distribution of contact pressure is assumed.
• Soil is assumed to have elastic behaviour (linear
stress-strain relationship).
• The soil mass is assumed to be:
- homogeneous, and
- isotropic.
• Soil is assumed to be semi infinite – extends
infinitely in all directions from the ground surface.
(the only boundary is the ground surface)
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 Boussinesq’s Equation
• The stress distribution in soil is estimated based on a theory
by Boussinesq.
• In 1885, Boussinesq derived a relationship for the stress at a
point beneath the location of a point load on the surface of
the mass.
• Developed an equation to model the stress at any point in a
mass due to the point load.
• The equation was based on an elastic, homogeneous and
isotropic material.
• The relationship he developed is used to obtain the stresses
at different depths in a soil.
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 Boussinesq’s Equation
Point Load

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 Boussinesq’s Equation

His equation for a point load:

where :
P = Surface point load applied at the ground
sz = Vertical stress increase at any depth z and
distances in directions x and y from the point
load
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 Point Load

From;

If : x2 + y2 + z2 = R2

then:

where:
R = the distance from the point of loading

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 Point Load

From;

If r2 = x2 + y2 r is the radial distance from the axis of loading

Then;

Or:
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 Point Load
 Boussinesq equation is reduced to;

where I = influence factor

= f(r/z)

 I is referred to as the influence factor for a point load

 The influence factor, I is a function ratio of the radial distance

of the point of interest from the axis of loading and the depth z.

 Several values of the variation of I with r/z have been tabulated

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Table of influence factors (Ip) for vertical stress due to a point load

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Vertical stress distribution under a concentrated load

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 FIGURE 2 Vertical stress versus depth.

Vertical stress versus depth.

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Vertical stress versus r. 20
Stress due to a Uniform Line Load

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Stress due to a Uniform Line Load

Influence factors (IL) for vertical stress due to a line load

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 Distributed Loads / Stresses
 Strip Loads (L >> B)
– Wall Footings
– Embankments

 Circular Loads (R)

– Storage Tanks

 Rectangular Loads (B x L)
– Spread Footings (rectangular, square)
– Mat/Raft Foundations

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Uniformly Loaded Rectangular Strip

 z

q
z    sin  cos(   2 )  q  I

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25
Table 3 Influence factors for vertical stress due to a uniform strip load

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Uniformly Loaded Triangular Strip

q x 1 
z   c   2 sin 2 )  q  I
   27
Table 4 Influence factors for vertical stress due to a triangular strip load

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 Long embankment
- To determine the vertical stress increase, sv beneath the centre of
a long embankment.
- Split the embankment down the middle and use the chart for
determining stress beneath one half of an embankment.

Point of interest 29
30
 Long embankment

Multiply by 2 the final result obtained from using the charts. (i.e.,
for two parts of the embankment).

Point of interest 31
Directly below the centre of a Circular Area

z

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Directly below the centre of a Circular Area

z

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Points away from the centre of a Circular Area

2r

qo

z

x
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35
 Below the corner of a Rectangular Area

The vertical stress below the corner of a flexible uniformly

loaded rectangular area of width B and length L.

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 Below the corner of a Rectangular Area

The vertical stress below a corner of a flexible uniformly loaded

rectangular area of width B and length L can be computed from:

sv = q·I3

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38
 Below the corner of a Rectangular Area

The vertical stress below the corner of a flexible uniformly

loaded rectangular area of width B and length L can be computed
from:
sv = q·I3

How do we then determine the vertical stress below the centre or

below a point within the rectangle??

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 Below a point within the Rectangular Area

The vertical stress below the centre or below a point within a

uniformly loaded rectangular area of width B and length L.

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 Below a point within the Rectangular Area
The vertical stress below a point within and outside a uniformly
loaded rectangular area of width B and length L

ABCD + ADEF + AFGH + AHJB

ACEG - ABFG - ACDH + ABJH
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 Triangular load on a Rectangular Area

The vertical stress below a rectangular footing of width B and

length L subjected to a triangular load can be computed from:

sv = q·I4

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