Virginia Polytechnic Institute

And State University

The Charles E. Via, Jr.
Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering

CENTER FOR
GEOTECHNICAL PRACTICE AND RESEARCH


ZSTRESS 2.0: A Computer Program
for Calculation of Vertical Stresses
Due to Surface Loads

By
Bingzhi Yang
and
J. Michael Duncan


Center for Geotechnical Practice and Research
200 Patton Hall, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0105


July 2002
INTRODUCTION
This computer program is an updated version of a program with the same name written
in 1987 by Rick Allen and Mike Duncan. The original program, which operated under DOS,
has become outdated and inconvenient by todays standards. This new version, which is
Windows-based, is easier to use. The program (called Zee-Stress) computes vertical stresses
due to surface loads, which are useful in computing settlements. The program calculates
stresses due to point loads and loads distributed over rectangular areas, using the Boussinesq
and the Westergaard equations.

ZSTRESS 2.0 was written in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. The program is interactive,
and has facilities for creating, storing and editing data files, and for printing results.

METHOD OF ANALYSIS

ZSTRESS 2.0 calculates changes in vertical stresses due to surface loads using both the
Boussinesq and the Westergaard solutions for point loads and for loads distributed uniformly
over rectangular areas. The equations used within the program are:

Boussinesq Equations (Poulos and Davis, 1974)
Point Load:
5
3
2
3
R
z Q

=
z

Where:

z
= Change in vertical stress (stress)
= magnitude of point load (force) Q
z = depth of stress point (length)
R =
2 2 2
z y x + + (length)
x = distance from load to stress point in x-direction (length)
y = distance from load to stress point in y-direction (length)

Rectangular Load:
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
=

2
2
2
1 3 3
1
1 1
tan
2 r r r
BLz
zr
BL q
z

Where:

z
= change in vertical stress beneath corner
of rectangular loaded area (stress)
q = magnitude of surface pressure (stress)
B = width of rectangle (length)
L = length of rectangle (length)
z = depth of stress point (length)

2 2
1
z B r + = (length)

2 2
2
z L r + = (length)

2 2 2
3
z L B r + + = (length)
1
Westergaard Equations (Fadum, 1948)
Point Load:
5 . 1 2 2
) 5 . 0 ( 2 2 z r
z Q
+
=

z

Where r =
2 2
y + x (length)
The other terms are the same as for the Boussinesq point load equation.

Rectangular Load:
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
+ +
=

5 . 0 2 2 2
1
) 5 . 0 (
2
tan
2 z L B z
BL q
z

Where the terms are the same as for Boussinesq rectangular load equation.

Superposition is used to compute stresses due to multiple loads, and to compute stresses
at points that are not beneath the corners of distributed loads.

The Boussinesq equations apply for any value of Poissons ratio. The Westergaard
equations are for Poissons ratio equal to zero; it has become standard practice in geotechnical
engineering to use these forms of the Westergaard equations. The stresses calculated using
these Westergaard equations are smaller than those calculated using the Boussinesq equations.
The equations for the Westergaard solution for Poissons ratio larger than zero lead to even
smaller stresses, and are seldom used.

The positions of the loads and the locations of the points at which the stresses are
calculated are specified using an x-y-z coordinate system, as shown in Figure 1. The
coordinates x and y are horizontal, whereas z is vertical and positive downward.

The origin of coordinates can be placed at any convenient location, and the value of x, y
and z for loads and stress points can be positive or negative.

Loads can be applied at any value of z. However, the equations used in calculating the
stresses were derived for loads applied at the surface of an elastic half-space. The program is
therefore best suited for calculating stresses due to loads applied at the surface or near the
surface.

The formulas for stresses due to distributed loads used in ZSTRESS 2.0 are for the
vertical change in stress beneath the corner of a uniformly loaded rectangular area. The
program uses superposition techniques to calculate changes in stress at other positions.

Stress points are the points where stresses are calculated. As seen in plan, the stress
point can be inside, outside, or on the boundary of the loaded area. Stress points can be
located at any depth. If a stress point coincides with the position of a point load, the stress is
theoretically infinite, and no value is given. If a stress point falls within a rectangular loaded
area and is at the same depth as the load, the calculated stress is equal to the applied load (q).
If a stress point falls on the edge of a loaded area (at the same depth), the change in stress is
0.5q. If a stress point falls on the corner (at the same depth), the change in stress is 0.25q.
2
z = depth, positive down
(vertical)
Vertical change in stresses at any location
= combined effect of all loads.
z

(Horizontal)
x
B
L
Uniformly loaded rectangular
areas at any locations.
Load intensity = q
Point loads at any locations.
Load magnitude = Q
(Horizontal)
y

(a) Coordinate system


y
x
B
L
(x,y)
x>0
y>0
Origin of coordinates
B (x,y)
y<0
x>0
L
B (x,y)
y>0
x<0
L
(x,y) B
y<0
x<0
L

(b) Plan view

Figure 1 Coordinate System used in ZSTRESS 2.0, and
method of describing positions of rectangular loaded areas
3

REPRESENTATION OF BUILDING LOADS,
EXCAVATION LOADS AND FILL LOADS

With ZSTRESS, three methods can be used to represent the loads of buildings:

1) If each column is supported by an individual spread footing, each footing can be
represented as a rectangular distributed load, with the size of the rectangle equal to
footing size. This is the most accurate procedure, and it requires the most input.

2) Alternatively, each column can be represented as a concentrated point load.
Although the stress at the point of application is infinite, the stress at distances
equal to twice the footing width from the point of application will be essentially
the same as those calculated using procedure 1). This procedure is used sometimes
because less input is required.

3) A third possibility is to treat the entire load of the building as if it is uniformly
distributed over the building area. This is the logical choice if the building is
supported on a continuous mat foundation. It may also be a convenient and
sufficiently accurate procedure for buildings founded on spread footings. At
distances comparable to the spacing between footings, this procedure gives
essentially the same results as procedures 1) and 2). Because only one load need be
specified for the entire building, this alternative requires the least input.

When construction of buildings is accompanied by excavation, the excavation results in
a negative component of load. If the excavation covers only the area of the building, the
negative changes in stress due to excavation can be calculated by treating the reduction in
surface pressure due to excavation as a negative distributed load. If the excavation covers a
very large area around the building, the reduction in stress due to excavation will not decrease
much in magnitude with depth, and no stress distribution calculations need be made to
determine the magnitude of the stress change due to the excavation.

Similarly, when construction of buildings is accompanied by placement of fill, the fill
load results in an increase in stress that adds to the stress due to the building loads. The
principles of calculating the stresses due to the fill are the same as for calculating stress
changes due to excavation, except that fills result in positive changes in stresses in the
underlying soil, whereas excavations result in negative changes in stresses.

4
USE OF ZSTRESS 2.0

The program can be installed by running the SETUP.EXE file that accompanies this
users manual.

During execution, the program displays the window shown in Figure 2. The user may
input units for length and force, point loads and rectangular loads, the locations of stress
points, and comments in any order. For rectangular loads, B is the width of the rectangle in
the x direction and L is the length of rectangle in the y direction, as shown in Figure 1. There
is no limit for the number of point loads, rectangular loads, or stress points.

Whenever the ENTER key is pressed or the mouse clicks at another input cell, the
program checks the input data. If the user inputs an invalid number, the program pops up a
message Invalid data. When the user clicks the Compute Stresses button, the program
checks all the data and computes the stresses. If invalid data or missing data are found, it
displays messages in the Error messages section of the window. Otherwise, it computes the
stresses.

The user may change the display format of the computed stresses by clicking on the
Format menu. The default format is floating point with two digits after the decimal point.

The user may save the input data to file at any time. Up to five files can be open at the
same time. The program assumes that data files have the extension DAT (for example,
PROBLEM1.DAT), and it is suggested that this convention be used.

The program provides two procedures to print the results. One is to click the print
command in the File menu. This procedure prints the output without page settings. Another is
to click the Save Output as command in the File menu. This procedure saves the output as a
text file, which may be opened using a word processor, and thus can be printed with page
setup. The commands Save data and Save data as in the File menu are for saving data to a
data file, which can be opened later by ZStress program.

It should be noted that the program only displays the units the user inputs. It does not
convert units. Consistent units must be used.


5









Figure 2 ZSTRESS 2.0 window
6

EXAMPLE

An example problem is shown in Figure 3. An eight-foot deep excavation results in a
negative distributed load of q = -1000 psf over the building area, and nine columns apply
positive loads through spread footings. The net load (due to both excavation and the building)
is positive.

The excavation load and footing loads can be represented in three ways:

1) Represent the excavation load and the footing loads as distributed loads. The results
are shown in Figure 4. This is the closest representation of the actual conditions.

2) Represent the excavation load as a distributed load and the column loads as point
loads. The results are shown in Figure 5.

3) Represent the excavation load as a distributed load and total building load as a single
uniform distributed load. The results are shown in Figure 6.

The results for these three methods of computing stresses are compared in Table 1. The
data files EXAMPLE1.DAT, EXAMPLE2.DAT, EXAMPLE3.DAT are included in the
program disk.

Table 1 Summary of Results for the Example Problem
Stress Point 1 Stress Point 2 Stress Point 3 Method
Boussinesq Westergaard Boussinesq Westergaard Boussinesq Westergaard
1 523 383 369 273 233 176
2 650 482 401 300 243 185
3 423 303 223 171 115 95


Table 1 shows that treating the building load as a single uniform distributed load
(Method 3) gives stress changes smaller than the most precise solution (method 1), while
treating column loads as point loads (method 2) gives stress changes larger than the most
precise solution. For stress points beneath the corner or the edge of the building, treating
column loads as point loads gives results with reasonable precision. However, for the stress
point beneath the center of the building, which is directly beneath the largest footing, and
which carries the largest load, treating column loads as point loads gives results considerably
higher than the most precise solution.
7
(corner)
stress point 3
1ft
y
Excavation 8 ft deep
stress point 2 (wall)
stress point 1 (center)
= 125 lb / ft
3
original ground level
29 ft 29 ft
1 ft
x
Footing = 6 ft X 6 ft
Q = 300,000 lb
Corner column load:
Wall column load:
Q = 550,000 lb
Footing = 8 ft X 8 ft
Center column load:
Q = 1,000,000 lb
Footing = 11 ft X 11 ft
24 ft
24 ft
1 ft
1 ft
2 ft X 2 ft columns
22 ft
8 ft
2 ft
z

Excavation Load = -(8)(125) = -1000 psf
Corner Footings: q = (300,000)/(66) = 8,300 psf
Wall footings: q = (550,000)/(88) = 8,600 psf
Center footings: q = (1,000,000)/(1111) = 8,260 psf
Equivalent uniform building load:
q = [(4300,000)+(4550,000)+1,000,000]/(6050) = 1467 psf


Figure 3 Example problem
8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Summary of Results and Input --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data File Name: Example1.dat
Date: 7/19/2002
Time: 11:05:12 AM

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Comments --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example problem #1 for the users guide
Treating excavation load and footings as distributed loads.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------- Stress Point Coordinates and Stresses ----------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z Boussinesq Westergaard
No. foot foot foot lbs/square foot
----- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
1 30 25 22 523 383
2 30 0 22 369 273
5 0 0 22 233 176

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Point Loads --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z Magnitude
No. foot foot foot lbs
----- --------- --------- --------- ---------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Rectangular Pressure Loads --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z B L Pressure
No. foot foot foot foot foot lbs/square foot
----- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
1 0 0 0 60 50 -1000
2 -2 -2 2 6 6 8300
3 26 -3 2 8 8 8600
4 56 -2 2 6 6 8300
5 -3 21 2 8 8 8600
6 24.5 19.5 2 11 11 8260
7 55 21 2 8 8 8600
8 -2 46 2 6 6 8300
9 26 45 2 8 8 8600
10 56 46 2 6 6 8300



Figure 4 Output for example, treating the excavation load
and the footings as distributed loads
9

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Summary of Results and Input --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data File Name: example2.dat
Date: 7/19/2002
Time: 11:10:20 AM

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Comments --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example problem for user's guide
Treating excavation load as distributed load, and column loads as point loads.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------- Stress Point Coordinates and Stresses ----------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z Boussinesq Westergaard
No. foot foot foot lb/square foot
----- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
1 30 25 22 650 482
2 30 0 22 401 300
3 0 0 22 243 185

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Point Loads --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z Magnitude
No. foot foot foot lb
----- --------- --------- --------- ---------
1 1 1 2 300000
2 30 1 2 550000
3 59 1 2 300000
4 1 25 2 550000
5 30 25 2 1000000
6 59 25 2 550000
7 1 49 2 300000
8 30 49 2 550000
9 59 49 2 300000

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Rectangular Pressure Loads --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z B L Pressure
No. foot foot foot foot foot lb/square foot
----- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
1 0 0 0 60 50 -1000



Figure 5 Output for example, treating the excavation load
as a distributed load, and the column loads as point loads
10

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Summary of Results and Input --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data File Name: example3.dat
Date: 7/19/2002
Time: 11:20:20 AM

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Comments --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example problem for user's guide
Treating excavation load as a single distributed
load, and building load as a single uniform distributed load

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------- Stress Point Coordinates and Stresses ----------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z Boussinesq Westergaard
No. foot foot foot lb/square foot
----- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
1 30 25 22 423 303
2 30 0 22 223 171
3 0 0 22 115 95

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Point Loads --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z Magnitude
No. foot foot foot lb
----- --------- --------- --------- ---------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Rectangular Pressure Loads --------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
x y z B L Pressure
No. foot foot foot foot foot lb/square foot
----- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
1 0 0 0 60 50 -1000
2 0 0 2 60 50 1467


Figure 6 Output for example, treating the excavation load as a distributed load,
and the building load as a single uniform distributed load
11

REFERENCES

Fadum, R.E. (1948), Influence Values for Estimating Stresses in Elastic Foundations,
Preceedings 2
nd
Int. Conf. on Soil Mech. And Found. Eng., Vol. 3, pp. 74-84

Poulos, H. G. and Davis, E. H. (1974), Elastic Solutions for Soil and Rock Mechanics, John
Wiley & Sons, New York.

12