SURFACE SETTLEMENT OF A DEEP ELASTIC STRUCTURE WHOSE MODULUS INCREASES LINEARLY WITH DEPTH

AN EXAMINATION HAS BEEN MADE OF THE BEHAVIOR OF A HALF-SPACE OF ELASTIC MATERIAL OF CONSTANT POISSON'S RATIO, WHOSE YOUNG'S MODULUS INCREASES LINEARLY WITH DEPTH, AND WHICH IS SUBJECT TO A STRIP OR CIRCLE OF UNIFORM LOAD. POISSON'S RATIO WAS CONSIDERED IN THE RANGE ZERO TO ONE HALF, AND THE SURFACE MODULUS RANGED FROM ZERO TO THE VALUE CORRESPONDING TO A HOMOGENEOUS MATERIAL. NUMERICAL VALUES ARE PRESENTED FOR VERTICAL SURFACE DISPLACEMENT DUE TO A LOAD UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED OVER A CIRCULAR AREA FOR POISSON'S RATIO EQUAL TO 1/2, 1/3 AND 0, AND FOR A WIDE RANGE OF INHOMOGENEITY. /AUTHOR/