The Determination of Stress Fields During Plane of a Sand Mass

Synopsis A method is described of determining the stress distribution throughout the soil at any stage prior to failure in a model earth-pressure test under conditions of plane strain. The strains throughout the soil mass are first determined by the X-ray technique described by Roscoe, Arthur and James (1963) and the stresses are then calculated on a digital computer from a stress–strain relationship for the soil which has been determined from the results of tests in the simple shear apparatus. The method takes account of the fact that the soil is a dilatant medium. The stress field is determined by integration from an unloaded portion of the boundary surface of the soil mass and from this field the stress distribution on a loaded portion of the boundary may be calculated and compared with observed values. The application of the method is illustrated by data obtained from tests on Leighton Buzzard sand but may be extended for use with other types of soil and granular media. The problem of the extension of...