CEGB 333

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
CHAPTER 1: SOIL STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS
MISS INTAN NOR ZULIANA BINTI BAHARUDDIN

BN-3-009
EXT:2215
INTAN@UNITEN.EDU.MY

WEEK 1: COURSE OUTLINE

COURSE OBJECTIVE:

To introduce concept of soil failure models and its behaviours.

To provide an understanding in analyses of soil problems associated with
structures and its application to civil engineering.

To enhance students technical judgments in solving complex soil

engineering problems.

WEEK 1: COURSE OUTLINE (SYLLABUS)

MODULE 1: SOIL STRENGTH AND STIFNESS
Stress-strain, Mohr-Coulomb Failure Theory and Strength of
Soil.
Soil Stiffness and Elasticity.
Soil Deformation: Elastic (linear and Non-Linear), PerfectlyPlastic
and Elasto-Plastic (strain-Hardening and Strain-Softening)
models.
Stress Paths.
MODULE 2: CRITICAL STATE SOIL MECHANICS
Critical State Concept.
State Boundary Surface.
Critical State Line and Stress Paths.
Soil Yielding.

MODULE 4: LATERAL EARTH PRESSURES

Types of Retaining Walls.
Rankines Theory of Earth Pressure.
Coulombs Theory of Earth Pressure.
MODULE 5: CONSOLIDATION SETTLEMNTS
Method of Consolidation Settlement Analysis: OneDimensional Method, Skempton-Bjerrum Method, and StressPath Method.
Degree of Consolidation and Terzaghis Theory of OneDimensional Consolidation.
Coefficient of Consolidation: Log-Time and Root-Time
Methods.
Compression Ratios and Secondary Compression (Creep).

MODULE 6: STABILITY OF SLOPES

MODULE 3: STRESSES AND DISPLACEMENTS OF SOIL MASS
Mass Movement and Landslides.
Stresses in Soil Mass due to Applied Loading: Point Load, Line Taylors Stability Number Method.
Load, Uniform pressures (strip, circular and rectangular areas) Method of Slices for Circular Slip: Conventional
and Linearly-increasing pressures.
(Fellenius/Swedish) and Bishops Simplified methods.
Influence Chart for vertical Stress.
Translational Slide on Infinite Slope.
Elastic Displacements.
Slope with Plane Failure Surface (Culmanns Method).

WEEK 1: COURSE OUTLINE

WEEK 1: COURSE OUTLINE

WEEK 1: COURSE OUTLINE

QUIZ 1: WEEK 4 DURING CLASS TIME
TEST 1: WEEK 7 18TH JULY 2014. FRIDAY. 3PM-4PM. VENUE (TBA)
TEST 2: WEEK 11 14TH AUGUST 2014. WEDNESDAY. 6PM-7PM. VENUE (TBA)
GROUP PROJECT: DEADLINE BY 5PM THE END OF WEEK 14. INDIVIDUAL
ASSESSMENT ON REPORT WRITING AND ORAL PRESENTATION.

CO1-PO1a:Ability to comprehend the stress-strain behaviour of soilsApply fundamental knowledge of mathematics, science and civil engineering
principles in solving complex problems (Comprehend (C1,C2))

This chapter covers :

Stress-strain, Mohr-Coulomb Failure Theory and Strength of Soil.

Soil Stiffness and Elasticity.
Soil Deformation: Elastic (linear and Non-Linear), PerfectlyPlastic

and Elasto-Plastic (strain-Hardening and Strain-Softening)

models.

Stress Paths.

INTRODUCTION

Soil consists of solid particles with continuous voids filled with air
and/or water.

Soil particles and water can be considered as incompressible

materials unlike air which is highly compressible.

Thus this will change the volume of the soils due to

rearrangement of soil particles into new positions through
rolling, sliding , with regards of changes in inter-particles force.

MOVEMENT OF WATER IN SOIL

INTRODUCTION

However, in fully saturated soil mass the changes in volume

occurs only if the water (highly incompressible) manage to
escape from the void. Whilst, in partially saturated soil, reduction
in volume occurs when the air in the voids is compressed
provided that the soil is not in its densest state. (e>emin).

Shear stress can be resisted only by the skeletal of solid particles,

by means of reaction forces developed at the inter-particle
contacts. Whilst, normal stress can be resisted through the
increase of inter-particle forces. In fully saturated soils, the
normal stress can be resisted through the increase of pore water
pressure.

EFFECTIVE STRESS

The effective stress concept (Terzaghi, 1943) is mainly applicable

to saturated soil mass. Where there are only 2 phase; solid and
liquid.

The principle of effective stress only applies to fully saturated

soil.

The effective stress consists of 2 other stresses: the total stress

and power water pressure.

the total normal stress () on a plane being the force per unit
area acts in a normal direction across the plane by assuming the
soil in a single solid phase material.

EFFECTIVE STRESS

The pore water pressure (u) is a pressure of the water filling up

the voids between soil particles.

the effective normal stress () represents the stress transmitted

through soil skeletal due to interparticle forces.

Compression and shear strength are the function of effective

stress.

Effective stress is the stress that controls engineering behaviour.

EFFECTIVE STRESS

WEEK 1: STRESS-STRAIN

Soil behaviour is observes through the study of stress- strain curves

Stress is being force per unit area.
Whilst strain is deformation in a unit length, area, or volume.
Normal stress

Shear stress

LOAD

xy
x

L
L

y
STRESS

STRAIN

STRESS-STRAIN

In principle, soils behave like other solids when subject to changes in

loading, but there are significant differences to, say, steel or concrete:

Except for some partially cemented types, soils cannot sustain tension.
When loaded, soils will generally undergo a change in volume or an increase in
pore fluid pressure.

Saturated soils can only undergo a change in volume as pore water is

squeezed out (or lost by drying, etc.); the rate of water loss (drainage) is
controlled by the permeability of the soil.

Some (hard or still) soils will exhibit brittle failure by shearing, while others
simply distort plastically.

Once a shear slip has occurred the problem changes from one of solid
mechanics to one of rigid body mechanics.

MOHR COULOMB THEORY

Mohr (1900) presented a theory for rupture in materials. This theory

contended that a materials fails because of a critical combination of
normal stress and shear stress, and not from either maximum
normal or shear stress alone. Thus the functional relationship
between normal stress and shear stress on a failure plane can be
expressed in the form
f = f()
where
f = shear stress on the failure plane
= normal stress on the failure plane

Equation 1.1

MOHR COULOMB THEORY

The failure envelope defined by equation 1.1 is a curved line .for

most soil mechanics problems , it is sufficient to approximate the
shear stress on the failure plane as a linear function of the normal
stress (Coulomb, 1776). This relation can be written as
f = c + tan
Where

c = cohesion
= angle of internal friction
The preceding equation is called the Mohr-Coulomb failure
criterion.

SHEAR STRENGTH ENVELOPE

FAILURE ENVELOPE

X
X
Y

STRESS-STRAIN BEHAVIOUR
TRIAXIAL TEST

= 1- 3

1C

1B
1A

VC
expansion
a

1
3 < 1, therefore:
3 = minor principal stress
1 = major principal stress

1A
1B
1C

contraction

STRESS-STRAIN BEHAVIOUR
Dense sand / OC clay

loose sand / NC clay

Dense sand

stresses

Loose sand

stresses

STRENGTH OF SOIL
Shear strength model as MC failure criterion is used to determine shear
strength parameters of soil; friction angle, and cohesion, c.

Shear strength parameters are not constant and depending on

Initial state of the soil (stress history)

Type of loading (drained or undrained)

Shear strength parameters are used to define ultimate strength of particular

soil.

STRESS-STRAIN BEHAVIOURS
Typical soil model
Plastic flow

Linearly elastic

elastic-perfectly plastic

rigid-perfectly plastic

Elastic strain
hardening/softening plastic

SOIL STIFFNESS & ELASTICITY

Young Modulus, Y
Youngs modulus is the stress needed to
compress the solid to shorten in a unit strain.

Soil A
High Y
Stiffness?

Higher stiffness?

Soil B
Low Y
Stiffness?

ANALYSIS OF STRESS PATH

In an elastic body the deformation caused by a change in

loading is predictable from the value of E and the total
change in load.

The final value of strain is not affected by intermediate

variations in the pattern of loading, but only with the
overall change.

Soil masses, however, demonstrate elasto-plastic

behaviour, so that the exact pattern of loading or
unloading may significantly affect the final result.

ANALYSIS OF STRESS PATH

In an analysis of elasto-plastic behaviour it is instructive to
plot the stress change that take place throughout the
entire pattern of loading.

Diagrams or graphs of stress changes are referred to as

stress path diagrams.
The will take a number of forms dependent on type of
analysis required.

STRESS PATHS
Describes a change in the stress state of a soil.
Is a line drawn through the stress points for successive stress

states.
Can be linear or curve depending on the loading pattern.
Stress path is a convenient way to keep track of the progress
in loading with respect to failure envelope.
important to show the stress/strain/volumetric behaviour of
soil.
Can be shown in / space, 1/3 space ,t/s space and q/p
space.

Stress path in / space

Loose or soft soils in compression generally exhibit strain-hardening
characteristics i.e. they contract and become stiffer. The shear behaviour of
soil is more complex and much depends on the density.

In compact sands and overconsolidated clays a brittle failure in the form of a

shear slip is likely to occur at peak stress.

In loose or soft soils contraction takes place up to the yield point and then
continuous shearing occurs at constant or decreasing ultimate stress. Where
very large strain (>1m) occur, e.g. in hillside or embankment landslips. The
ultimate stress may further decrease to a lower residual stress which is a
form of strain softening behaviour.

Stress path in / space

/ space

Idealized types of stress-strain behaviors: (a) nonlinear elastic

Model, (b) linear elastic model, and (c) elasto-plastic model

Various types of elastoplastic behaviors: (a) strain hardening, (b)

perfectly plastic, (c) strain softening, and (d) combination of a to c.

Stress path in 1/3 space

For many problems and in the interpretation of shear test results

comparisons are often required between drained and undrained
behaviour and between effective stresses and total stresses.
Stress paths plotted on principal stress axes may be used.

Stress path in 1/3 space

Stress path in t/s space

Stress path can be conveniently represented by the Mohr

circle and this can also be related to a failure criterion.
The coordinated of the maximum shear stress point of a
Mohr circle are given by :
s = (1 + 3)
t = (1 - 3)

Stress path in t/s space

Stress path in q/p space

While the stress path methods
described above are useful in
problem involving plane strain, they
are somewhat limited in a general
sense since they cannot easily
represent true triaxial conditions.
If the mean stress p and the
deviator stress q are used instead
of s and t then the plane stain,
biaxially symmetrical and true
triaxial stress states can be
represented with equal facility.