Determination of Stresses and Strains – Why?

• A geotechnical engineer must ensure that a

geotechnical structure
– must not collapse under any anticipated loading
conditions
Stresses and Strains – must not settle beyond a certain tolerable limit
• Calculation of collapse load and maximum
settlement require that the stresses and strains
Lecture No. 6 within the soil layer be determined.
• Spectacular failures that are often catastrophic,
October 01, 2002 have occurred due to a lack of proper
understanding of the stresses and strains within
the soil layer.

The Case of the “Kissing” Silos “Kissing” Silos (Continued..)

• By deciding to put the two
• Complete disregard silos close to each other,
for accurate the engineer ensured that
estimation of the zone of influence of
stresses and the stresses imposed by the
resulting strains in two silos – Pressure
the foundation soil Bulbs – overlapped
layer for these two significantly as shown in
silos resulted in their the figure.
construction so close • As a result, the soil in the
to each other. zone of overlap
• The result was experienced much higher
spectacular as shown stresses and duly obliged
in the picture. The “Kissing” Silos by settling much more.
Pressure Bulbs Zone of Overlap
3 4
 Normal Stresses and Strains Volumetric Strain
Pz σz • Considering the same cube, the Pz
Z Y original volume of the cube was: Z Y

Vo = xyz
∆z ∆z
Px σx • The new volume of the cube after Px
compression is:
∆y ∆y
Py X σy V1 = (x − ∆x )(y - ∆y )(z - ∆z ) Py X
∆x ∆x
• Consider a cube of dimensions • Let us assume that under • The change in volume is ∆V=Vo-V1 and the volumetric strain
x, y and z that is subjected to these three forces the cube is defined as:
normal forces Px, Py and Pz as compresses by ∆x, ∆y and ∆z ∆V xyz − (x − ∆x )(y - ∆y )(z - ∆z )
εv = =
shown above. in X-,Y- and Z-directions. Vo xyz
• The normal stresses are: • The normal strains are: • Neglecting second and third order terms of ∆, we get:
Px P P ∆x ∆y ∆z ∆x ∆y ∆z
σx = ,σ y = y ,σ z = z εx = ,εy = ,εz = εv = + + = εx + εy + εz
yz xz xy x y z x y z
5 6

Shear Stresses and Strains

Y Principal Stresses and Strains
Z Y Z
F
∆x τ • Generally, any plane will
be acted upon by both σz
Z Y
z z normal and shear stresses
γzx as shown in the figure on
y τ τ
X X the right.
F τ τ τ
• If the shear stress on a σx
x τ
• Let’s apply a couple F in the X-direction distorting the square in plane is zero, the plane is τ
X-Z plane to into a parallelogram as shown in the figure above. called a principal plane σy
X
• The couple F is called • Shear strain is a measure of the angular and the normal stress is
the shearing force distortion of a body by shearing forces.
called the principal stress.
and the shear It is defined as: ∆x
stress is defined as: γzx = tan−1 • We will discuss the concept of principal planes
z and principal stresses later in this topic.
τ = F (xy )
• For small strains, tan(γzx)=γzx. Therefore, γzx = ∆x z 7 8
 Stresses and Strains – Sign Convention Plane Strain Condition
• In geotechnical engineering, compressive normal
stresses and compressive strains are positive.
• Soils cannot sustain any appreciable magnitude of
tensile stresses and therefore, the tensile strength z
of soils is generally considered negligible.
Z y
• Shear stresses are always x
complementary as shown in the τzx
• For a plane strain condition, one dimension is considerably
figure on the right in order to greater than the other two dimensions (in the figure shown
satisfy the equilibrium, that is, above, the y-direction).
τxz τxz
• Strains along the y-direction can be assumed to be zero.
τ zx = τ xz X • We only have to solve for strains in one plane (in this case,
τzx the x-z plane).
• Shear stresses that provide anti-clockwise • For seepage problems, the term plane flow is used for a 2-
D seepage analysis.
couple are considered positive. 9 10

Axisymmetric Condition Mohr’s Circle of Stress

• For an axisymmetric problem, τ σ1
C
L σz
both the structure and the
loading exhibit radial symmetry z τzx (σx,τxz)
r τxz
about the central vertical axis.
• Circumferential strains can be σx σ3 σ1 σ
ignored in the solution.
• If the loading is not symmetric (σz,−τzx)
Pole σ3
about the central vertical axis,
the problem is not truly
axisymmetric.
• An example of a geotechnical • Mohr’s Circle of Stress represents a convenient way of
conducting stress analysis and has been covered in the
axisymmetric problem: Strength of Materials course.
–pile foundation subject to concentric • The only difference here is that compressive normal stresses
vertical load are taken as positive instead of tensile stresses.
11 12
 Mohr’s Circle of Stress (Continued..) Mohr’s Circle of Strain
• Stresses σ1 and σ3
lie on the normal δεz
stress axis, i.e. the
τ σ1 1
δγ
1
2 δγzx 2
shear stresses at
these points are (σx,τxz) (δε x , 12 δγxz )
zero. Therefore,
these stresses are
1
2
δγxz
termed as principal σ3 σ1 σ δεx
stresses. δε3 δε1 δε
• Since σ1 > σ3, σ1 is (σz,−τzx)
called the major Pole σ3
principal stress and
“Zero Extension”
σ3 is called the
minor principal points
stress.
• The procedure for construction of Mohr’s Circle of Strain is
• The plane on which the major principal stress σ1 acts is called
similar to that for the Circle of Stress.
the major principal plane.
• Since strain has no absolute zero, increments of strain are
• Minor principal stress σ3 acts on minor principal plane that
used for plotting.
is perpendicular to the major principal plane.
13 14

Mohr’s Circle of Strain (Continued..) Soil Strength

σ1 − σ 3 σ1
• Note that the y-axis of τ τmax =
2
2 δγ
1
the coordinate system
for Mohr’s circle of
strain is represented by
(δε x , 12 δγxz ) σ3 σ1 σ σ3
0.5 times the
Planes of τmax at 45°
incremental shear strain
to planes of σ1 and σ3
(δγ). δε3 δε1 δε
• The strains δε1 and δε3 • In geotechnical engineering, strength may be
are known as the major
defined as the ability to resist shear.
and the minor principal “Zero Extension”
strains, respectively. points
• It is the ability of a material to resist shear that
enables the major and the minor principal
• Unlike the stresses, incremental normal strains can be tensile
stresses to be different.
(for example, minor principal strain is δε3 negative and hence,
tensile). • This is indicated by the Mohr’s Circle of Stress for
• At zero extension points, the normal strains are zero. At the plane containing the two principal stresses as
these points the material experiences pure shear strains. 15 shown above. 16
 Soil Strength (Continued..) Soil Strength (Continued..)
σ1=P
τ
• Unless a material can withstand shear stresses,
σ1 =σ3=P we won’t be able to use it to make non-
σ σ3 =P
horizontal surfaces (e.g. embankments and
Hydrostatic stress state:
slopes).
σ1 = σ3 – no shear • Soil is able to withstand shear stresses while the
water is not.
• Fluids such as water cannot sustain shear • Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish the
stresses when they are stationary. component of stress carried by the soil
• The stress within a stationary fluid must particles from the component carried by the
therefore be equal in all directions, and the pore water.
Mohr’s Circle of Stress is effectively a single • This is done using the Effective Stress
point (zero radius) as shown in the figure above. Principle.

17 18

The Effective Stress Principle Effective Stress Principle (Continued..)

• The Effective Stress Principle is the most • The Effective Stress Principle applies only to
important concept in geotechnical engineering. normal stresses and not to shear stresses.
• It states that the total stress carried by a • Since pore water cannot resist shear stresses, these
saturated soil layer is the sum total of effective must be entirely resisted by the soil particles. Thus:
stress carried by the soil particles and the τ = τ′
pressure carried by the pore water:
• Effective stress is not
σ = σ′ + u or σ′ = σ − u the contact stress
where σ is the total stress, σ’ is the effective between two soil
stress and u is the pore water pressure. particles but is the
average stress on a
• Deformation of a soil is a function of the
plane through the soil
change in effective stress and not total stress.
mass as shown in the
19
figure on the right. 20