NPTEL- Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

Chapter 3
Lecture 14
Stresses in Soil Mass-4
Topics

1.1.9 Linearly Increasing Vertical Loading on an Infinite Strip on the Surface of a

Semi-infinite Mass
1.1.10 Vertical Stress in a Semi-infinite Mass due to Embankment Loading

1.1.9 Linearly Increasing Vertical Loading on an Infinite Strip on the Surface

of a Semi-infinite Mass

Figure 13 shows a vertical loading on an infinite strip of width 2. The load increases from zero to q across
the width. For an elementary strip of width , the load per unit length can be given as (/2) .
Approximately this as a line load, we can substitute (/2) in equations (13) to (15)
to determine the stresses at a point (, ) inside the semi-infinite mass. Thus,

Figure 13 Linearly increasing vertical loading on an infinite strip

1 2 =2 3
= = =0 [ 2 + 2 ]2
= 2 sin 2 (43)
2

1 2 2 ()2 z R2
= = 0 [ 2 + 2 ]2
= 2 2.303 b log R 12 + sin 2
2 2
(44)
1 2 2 2
= = 0 [ 2 + 2 ]2
= 2 1 + cos 2 (45)
2

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Nondimensional values of [equation (45)] are given in table 5.

Table 4 Values of / [equation (38)

/
/ 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 1.0 1.5
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.1 0.1287 0.1252 0.1180 0.1073 0.0946 0.0814 0.0687 0.0572 0.0317 0.012
0.25 0.3253 0.3181 0.2982 0.2693 0.2357 0.2014 0.1692 0.2404 0.0780 0.0301
0.5 0.6995 0.6776 0.6195 0.5421 0.4608 0.3851 0.3188 0.2629 0.1475 0.0598
0.75 1.2390 1.1496 0.9655 0.7855 0.6379 0.5210 0.4283 0.3541 0.2058 0.0899
1.0 - 1.5908 1.1541 0.9037 0.7312 0.6024 0.5020 0.4217 0.2577 0.1215
1.25 1.3990 1.3091 1.1223 0.9384 0.7856 0.6623 0.5624 0.4804 0.3074 0.1548
1.5 1.0248 1.0011 0.9377 0.8517 0.7591 0.6697 0.5881 0.5157 0.3489 0.1874
1.75 0.8273 0.8170 0.7876 0.7437 0.6904 0.6328 0.5749 0.5190 0.3750 0.2162
2.0 0.6995 0.6939 0.6776 0.6521 0.6195 0.5821 0.5421 0.5012 0.3851 0.2386
2.5 0.5395 0.5372 0.5304 0.5194 0.5047 0.4869 0.4667 0.4446 0.3735 0.2627
3.0 0.4414 0.4402 0.4366 0.4303 0.4229 0.4132 0.4017 0.3889 0.3447 0.2658
4.0 0.3253 0.3248 0.3235 0.3212 0.3181 0.3143 0.3096 0.3042 0.2846 0.2443
5.0 0.2582 0.2580 0.2573 0.2562 0.2547 0.2527 0.2504 0.2477 0.2375 0.2151
6.0 0.2142 0.2141 0.2137 0.2131 0.2123 0.2112 0.2098 0.2083 0.2023 0.1888

2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.1 0.0051 0.0024 0.0013 0.0007 0.0004 0.0003 0.0002 0.00013 0.0001
0.25 0.0129 0.0062 0.0033 0.00019 0.0012 0.0007 0.0005 0.00034 0.00025
0.5 0.0269 0.0134 0.0073 0.0042 0.0026 0.0017 0.00114 0.00079 0.00057
0.75 0.0429 0.0223 0.0124 0.0074 0.0046 0.0030 0.00205 0.00144 0.00104
1.0 0.0165 0.0333 0.0191 0.0116 0.0074 0.0049 0.00335 0.00236 0.00171
1.25 0.0825 0.0464 0.0275 0.0170 0.0110 0.0074 0.00510 0.00363 0.00265
1.5 0.1049 0.0613 0.0373 0.0236 0.0155 0.0105 0.00736 0.00528 0.00387
1.75 0.1271 0.0770 0.0483 0.0313 0.0209 0.0144 0.01013 0.00732 0.00541
2.0 0.1475 0.0928 0.0598 0.0396 0.0269 0.0188 0.01339 0.00976 0.00727
2.5 0.1788 0.1211 0.0826 0.0572 0.0403 0.0289 0.02112 0.01569 0.01185
3.0 0.1962 0.1421 0.1024 0.0741 0.0541 0.0400 0.02993 0.02269 0.01742
4.0 0.2014 0.1616 0.1276 0.0999 0.0780 0.0601 0.04789 0.03781 0.03006
5.0 0.1888 0.1618 0.1362 0.1132 0.0934 0.0767 0.06285 0.05156 0.04239
6.0 0.1712 0.1538 0.1352 0.1173 0.1008 0.0861 0.07320 0.06207 0.05259

1.1.10 Vertical Stress in a Semi-infinite Mass due to Embankment Loading

In several practical cases, it is necessary to determine the increase of vertical stress in a soil mass due to
embankment loading. This can be done by the method of superposition as shown in figure 14 and described
below.

The stress at A due to the embankment loading as shown in figure 14a is equal to the stress at A due to the
loading shown in figure 14b minus the stress at A due to the loading shown in figure 14c.

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Figure 14 Vertical stress due to embankment loading

Referring to equation (43), the vertical stress A due to the loading shown in figure 15b is
+(/)
(1 + 2 )

Table 6 values of / [equation 43)]

/
/ 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 4.0 5.0
-3 0 0.0003 0.0018 0.00054 0.0107 0.0170 0.0235 0.0347 0.0422
-2 0 0.0008 0.0053 0.0140 0.0249 10.0356 0.0448 0.0567 0.0616
-1 0 0.0041 0.0217 0.0447 0.0643 0.0777 0.0854 0.0894 0.0858
0 0 0.0748 0.1273 0.1528 0.1592 0.1553 0.1469 0.1273 0.1098
1 0.5 0.4797 0.4092 0.3341 0.2749 0.2309 0.1979 0.1735 0.1241
2 0.5 0.4220 0.3524 0.2952 0.2500 0.2148 0.1872 0.1476 0.1211
3 0 0.0152 0.0622 0.1010 0.1206 0.1268 0.1258 0.1154 0.1026
4 0 0.0019 0.0119 0.0285 0.0457 0.0596 0.0691 0.0775 0.0776
5 0 0.0005 0.0035 0.0097 0.0182 0.0274 0.0358 0.0482 0.0546

Note that in this case we substituted + , ( + )/2 for 1 + 2 in equation (43),

Similarly, the stress at A due to the loading shown in figure 14c is

1
2

Thus the stress at A due to embankment loading (figure 14a) is

+
= 1 + 2 2 (46)

Where I is the influence factor,

1 + 1
= 1 + 2 2 = ,

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The values of the influence factor for various / and / are given in figure 15. A typical problem
demonstrating the use of figure 15 is given in example 2.

Figure 15 Influence factor for embankment loading. (After J. O. Osterberg, Influence Values for Vertical
Stresses in Semi-infinite Mass Due to Embankment Loading, Proc. 4th International Conference on Soil
Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, vol. 1, Butterworths, London, 1957)

Example 2. A 10-ft high embankment is to be constructed as shown in figure 16. If the unit weight of
compacted soil is 120/ 3 , calculate the vertical stress due solely to the embankment at , , .

Figure 16 (Not to scale)

Solution. = = 120 10 = 1200 / 2

Vertical stress at A: Using the method of superposition and referring to figure 17a.

= (1) + (2)

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Figure 17 (Not to scale)

For the left-hand section, / = 5/10 = 0.5 / = 10/10 = 1. From figure 15, 1 = 0.396. For the
right-hand section, / = 15/10 = 1.5 / = 10/10 = 1. From figure 15, 2 = 0.447. So,

() = 1+2 = 0.396 + 0.477 1200 = 1047.61/ 2

Vertical stress at B: Using figure 17b,

() = (1) + (2) (3)

For the left-hand section, / = 0/10 = 0 , / = 5/10 = 0.5. So from figure 17, 1 = 0.14. For the
middle section, / = 25/10 = 2.5, / = 10/10 = 1. Hence, 2 = 0.493. For the right-hand section,
3 = 0.14 (same as the left-hand section). So,

() = 1 120 5 + 2 120 10 3 120 5 = 0.493 1200 = 591.61/ 2

Vertical stress at C: Referring to figure 17c,

() = (1) (2)

For the left-hand section, / = 40/10 = 4, / = 10/10 = 1. So 1 = 0.498. For the right-hand section,
/ = 10/10 = 1, / = 10/10 = 1. So, 1 = 0.456. Hence,

= 1 + 2 = 0.498 0.456 1200 = 50.41/ 2

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