Wolkite University

College of Engineering & Technology

Department፡ Hydraulics and Water Resource Engineering

Chapter : 2
Stress distribution
in soils due to
surface loads

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 1

Mustafa T. ( MSc. )
Introduction
Concept of Stresses In Soil Mass

Nv Nh
v  , h  Normal Stresses
Normal Area Normal Area
Tv Th
v  , h  Shear Stresses
Parallel Area Parallel Area

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 2

Introduction
At a point within a soil mass, stress will be
developed as a result of:
 The soil laying
above the point
(overburden)

 By a any
structural or other
loading imposed
on that soil mass.
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 3
Stress distribution in soil
 SOIL STRESS CAUSED BY
EXTERNAL LOAD
External Load Types
 Line Load
 Point Load

 Uniform area Load

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 4

Stress distribution in soil
SOIL STRESS CAUSED BY EXTERNAL
LOAD

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 5

 Stress distribution in soil
SOIL STRESS CAUSED BY EXTERNAL
LOAD
 Point Load
• The most important
original solution was
given by BOUSSINESQ
(1885) for the
distribution of stress
within a linear elastic
half space resulting from
a point load normal to
the surface. 6
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II
 Stress distribution in soil
 Point Load 3 P z 3 3P z3
Vertical stress, z  z  
5
2
r x y 2
2 L 2 ( r 2  z 2 )5 / 2

P 
 3 1 
 P
 z  2  5/ 2 
 2 I1
z 

2  2

r / z   1  z

Where:
Dsz = Change in Vertical Stress
P = Point Load

I1 - Boussinesq
2 2 2 2 2
L x y z  r z stress coefficient

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 7

 Stress distribution in soil
 Point Load
Vertical stress, z

P  3 1  P
 z  2  5/ 2 
 2 I1
z  2
 
r / z   1  z
2

• The variation of
I1 for various
values of r/z is;
(From DAS,Table10.1)

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 8

Stress distribution in soil
 Example 2.1 (Point Load)
A concentrated load of, P =
1000 kN is applied at the
ground surface. Compute the
vertical pressure
• at a depth of (z) 4 m below
the load (A), and Given x =
3 m and y = 4 m.
Use Boussinesq's equation.

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 9

Stress distribution in soil
 Example 2.2 (Point Load)
A concentrated load of, P =
1000 kN is applied at the
ground surface. Compute the
vertical pressure
• at a depth of (z) 4 m below
the load (A), and y = 3 m;
and x = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
what do you conclude from
your calculations?
Use Boussinesq's equation.
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 10
Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Line Load

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 11

  Stress
Verticaldistribution in soil
Stress
Caused by 2qz 3
 
a Line  x  z
2

2 2

Load
2q
 

z x z   1
2
 2

Where:
Ds = Change in Vertical Stress
q = Load per Unit Length  2

z = Depth
x = Distance from Line Load

q z   x z 2  1 2 
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 12
Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Line Load
 2

 
q z   x z 2  1 2

Variation of Δσz/(q/z)
with x/z
(From DAS,Table10.2)

Note: The value of  does

not include the overburden
pressure of the soil above
point A
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 13
Stress distribution in soil
 Example 2.3 (Line Load)
Line load of, q = 1000 kN/m along y
axis is applied at the ground surface.
Compute the vertical pressure
• at a depth of 4 m below the load
and at a distance of 3 m at the same
depth (A).
Use Boussinesq's equation.

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 14

Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Strip Load
• Such conditions are L >>> B
found for
structures extended
very much in one
direction, such as
strip and wall
foundations,
foundations of
retaining walls,
embankments,
dams and the like.
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 15
Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Strip Load
o The formulae were derived on the assumption, that the
bearing pressure (q) is distributed evenly under an
infinitely long footing

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 16

Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Strip Load

Where;

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 17

 Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Strip Load
• Under the Centre line:

Therefore, under the centre

line;

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 18

Stress distribution in soil
 Example 2.4 (Strip Load)
A 1m wide strip footing
transmitting a bearing
pressure of 300 kN/m2 to
the soil. Calculate σv at a
depth of 1m at 0.25m
intervals.

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 19

Stress distribution in soil
 Uniformly Loaded Circular Area
o Vertical Stress below the Center
of a uniformly Loaded Circular
Area.
When the circular area (A) is loaded
uniformly by either a distributed or a
point load.
The vertical stress ∆𝜎𝑧 at point below
the center of circular area loaded
uniformly in the vertical direction is:

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 20

 Stress distribution in soil
 Uniformly Loaded Circular Area
o Vertical Stress below the Center of a uniformly
Loaded Circular Area.

• The influence
coefficient for the
vertical pressure under
the centre of the area is

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 21

Stress distribution in soil
 Uniformly Loaded Circular Area
o Vertical Stress below the Center of a uniformly
Loaded Circular Area.
• Variation of Δσz/q with z/R

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 22

Stress distribution in soil
 Uniformly Loaded Circular Area
o Vertical Stress at Any Point
below a Uniformly Loaded
Circular Area

• Variation of Δσz/q with

functions of z/R and r/R

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 23

 Stress distribution in soil
 Uniformly Loaded Circular Area
r/R
o Vertical Stress at Any Point
below a Uniformly Loaded
Circular Area
• Variation of Δσz/q with
functions of z/R and r/R z/R

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 24

 Stress distribution in soil
 Example 2.5 (Circular area Load)
r/R
o Circular tank, 25 m
diameter with bearing
pressure P = 122 kPa.
Find stress induced by the
tank 10 m below the edge.
z/R
r/R

z/R

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 25

Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangular Loaded
• Area
Vertical
Stress
Below the
Corner of a
Uniformly
Loaded
Rectangula
r Area

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 26

 Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangular Loaded
•Area
Vertical Stress Below the
Corner of a Uniformly
Loaded Rectangular
Area
Dsz = q. Iz 
Where:
q is the bearing pressure
Iz is influence factor related to
the shape of the loaded area. decreases with depth, z

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 27

Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangular Loaded
Area

Dsz = q. Iz 

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 28

 Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangular Loaded
Area
o The increase in the stress at any point below
a rectangularly loaded area;
Some Possible Cases Note: Loaded area: ABCD
Case I Case II B
A B A
Iz(1) Iz(3) Iz(1)
 
Iz(4) Iz(2)
D C D C
Iz=4Iz(1) Iz=Iz(1)+Iz(2)+Iz(3)+Iz(4)
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 29
 Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical Stress Caused by a Rectangular Loaded
Area
o The increase in the stress at any point below
a rectangularly loaded area;
Case IV
A B E
Some Possible Cases
Case III B E
A

D K
C
 F

D C
Iz=Iz(AEFD)- Iz(BEFC)
H G F
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II Iz=Iz(AEFH) - Iz(BEFG) –Iz(DKFH)+Iz(CKFG) 30
 Stress distribution in soil
• Stress
influence chart
for the increase
in vertical total
stress under
the corner of a
uniformly
stressed
rectangular
loaded area.

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II

Stress distribution in soil
 Example 2.6 (Rectangularly Loaded)
A 2m x 6m rectangular base is subjected to a
uniformly distributed load of 400kN/m2;

Calculate the vertical

pressure (σV) 6m below
ground level, under
points A, B, C and D.

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II

Stress distribution in soil
 Stresses from Approximate Methods (2:1
•Method)
In this method it is assumed that the STRESSED
AREA is larger than the corresponding dimension of
the loaded area by an amount equal to the depth of
the subsurface area.
• Under center of loaded
area

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 33

Stress distribution in soil
 Stresses from Approximate Methods (2:1
Method) P
• This is called 2:1 method
because the stressed area
increases at a slope of 1 B
2 z
horizontally for each 2 of 1
depth as measured from the B+z
depth of foundation.
o The approximate method is
P reasonably accurate
z  (compared with Boussinesq’s
( B  z )( L  z )
elastic solution) when z > B.
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 34
Stress distribution in soil
 Example 2.7 (Approximate Methods )

Redo – Example 2.6 ;

by approximate
method.

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II

Stress distribution in soil
 Vertical stresses below arbitrarily shaped area.
o Newmark’s Influence Chart
• Newmark developed influence charts to compute
the vertical stress due to loaded area of any shape,
irregular or geometric, below any point either
outside or inside of the loaded area.
• The Newmark’s Influence Chart method
consists of concentric circles drawn to scale,
each square contributes a fraction of the
stress.
• In most charts each square contributes 1/200
(or 0.005) units of stress (influence value, IV).36
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II
Stress distribution in soil
 Newmark’s
Influence Chart
• In most charts each
square contributes
1/200 (or 0.005) units
of stress (influence
value, IV).
• Each area unit will
produce a vertical stress
at depth z equal to
0.005q directly below the
center.
CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 37
 Stress distribution in soil
 Newmark’s Influence Chart
 Steps to determine the
stress increase:
1) Determine the depth, z,
2) Adopt a scale of z=AB
3) Draw the footing to scale
and place the point of
interest over the center of
the chart
4) Count the number of
elements that fall inside the
footing, N
5) Calculate the stress increase
CEngas:
3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 38
Stress distribution in soil
 Importance of stresses in soil due to external
oloads.
Prediction of settlements of
• buildings,
• bridges,
• Embankments

o Bearing
capacity of
soils

o Lateral
Pressure

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 39

 Chapter : 2
Stress distribution in soil

CEng 3062 – SOIL MECHANICS II 40