Average Soil Skeleton Stress for Unsaturated Soils and Discussion on Effective Stress
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 16, Issue 6
Abstract
The principle of effective stress is the most fundamental and important principle in soil mechanics. It serves as the foundation of modern soil mechanics. This paper starts with a discussion of effective stress expressions for unsaturated soils. The relationship between the total stress and stress of each phase in unsaturated soils is developed based on three-phase equilibrium equations of a representative element volume (REV). The expression of average soil skeleton stress, defined as effective stress, for unsaturated soils is then derived. This expression is consistent with the effective stress equation in unsaturated soils derived based on deformation work in the energy conservation equation. The general philosophy for the definition of effective stress in unsaturated soils is pointed out, followed by the discussion of some fundamental problems of unsaturated soils, including effective stress, choice of stress state, capillary phenomenon, and so on. The limitations and application scope of the effective stress in unsaturated soils are also addressed.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51478135, 51278047), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2013YJS066), and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi (2012GXNSFGA060001). Their financial support is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 16 • Issue 6 • December 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 22, 2014
Accepted: Sep 1, 2015
Published online: Dec 31, 2015
Discussion open until: May 31, 2016
Published in print: Dec 1, 2016
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