UNSATURATED SOIL

MECHANIC
TEAM MATES
MOHD FARIZ ISMAIL
MOHD FIRHAN ANUAR
ZULKIFLI ABAS
AFHAM ZULHUSMI AHMAD
MUHD HAZMAN FAKHRI
 INTRODUCTION

Dedicated to the study of unsaturated soil behavior.

To describe the interaction among the three phases that form an
unsaturated soil (solid skeleton, water, and air) plays a dominant
role.

 Application for the classical fields of soil mechanics.

 The essential for many practical problems to understand their

interaction.
 The role of pore water in the mechanical behavior of
unsaturated soils

Stre ss comp onents in unsaturate d s oi ls

•
In saturated soil,Terzaghi’s effective stress concept is applicable:
σ = σ´ + uw (1a)
therefore σ´ = σ - uw (1b)

where, σ = total stress,

σ´ =effective stress and

uw = pore-water pressure

• uw is generated so as to balance directly a part of the applied load (total stress)

• The effective stress is a component of stress which is transmitted through the soil skeleton from one boundary surface
to another.
 When the air exists as a continuous phase in the soil pore space, the pore-water pressure uw in equation (1a) and (1b)
should be replaced by the pore air pressure ua
σ = σnet + ua (2a)
therefore
σnet = σ + ua (2b)
• Terzaghi’s effective stress concept becomes inapplicable. It can be understood from the above
consideration that these stress factor, (ua – uw), χb and χm should be taken into account in
formulating the stress-strain relationships for unsaturated soils.

 degree of saturation
Sr = ( ew / e ) x 100 = w . Gs

ew = relative void ratio introduced by Toll(1995),

w = water content in percent, and
Gs = specific gravity of soil particles.

• χm = gm (Sr) = gm [h(s)]

• χb = gb(Sr) = gb [h(s)]

•
Sr = h(s)]
Figure 1. Equilibrium of stress components at surface and inside of soil element.
Figure 2. Wavy section of general unsaturated soil
 Application of unsaturated soil.

 The blocking effect of piles on ground water level in slopes under rainfall.

- Piles are effective measure to stabilize dangerous slopes, but they may also cause
higher groundwater level in the slope under rainfall due to the pile’s blocking effect.
- The pile’s blocking effect on the ground water level.
- Influences of the spacing and position of piles on the ground water level in a typical
slope under rainfall are numerically analyzed for three set of hydraulic characteristics of
soils.
- The numerical result show that the pile’s blocking effect on the ground water level in the

slope under rainfall is small.

- The used of piles to stabilize active landslides, and as a preventive measure in stable
slope.
 Stress in the ground.

 Total stress
 Pore pressure
 Effective stress
 Calculating vertical stress in the ground

-When a load is applied to soil, it is carried by the water in the pores as well as the solid grains.
The increase in pressure within the pore water causes drainag e (flow out of the soil), and the
load is transferred to the solid grains. The rate of drainage depends on the permeability of the
soil. The strength and compressibility of the soil depend on the stresses within the solid granular
fabric. These are called effective stresses.
 Total stress

 In a homogeneous soil mass

 In a soil mass below a river or lake
 In a multi-layered soil mass
 In a soil mass which is unsaturated
 In a soil mass with a surface surcharge load
-The tota l vertical stress acting at a point below the ground surface is due to
the weight of ev ery thin g lying above: soil, water, and surface loading.
Total stresses are calculated from the unit weight of the soil.

Unit weight ranges are:

 dry soil γd14 - 20 kN/m³ (average 17kN/m³)
 saturated soilγg18 - 23 kN/m³ (average 20kN/m³)
 Water γw 9.81 kN/m³ (= 10 kN/m³)

-Any change in vertical total stress (σv) may also result in a change in the
hori zon ta l total stress (σh) at the same point. The relationships between
vertical and horizontal stress are complex.
 Total stress in homogeneous soil

 Total stress increases with depth and with unit weight: Vertical total stress at depth z,

 σv = γ.z

 The symbol for total stress may also be written γz,

 i.e. related to depth z.

 The unit weight, γ , will vary with the water content of the soil. g
 Total stress below a river or lake

 The total stress at depth z is the sum of the weights of soil in each layer thickness
above.
Vertical total stress at depth z,

 σv = γ1d1 + γ2d2 + γ3(z - d1 - d2)

where
γ1, γ2, γ3, etc. = unit weights of soil layers 1, 2 , 3, etc. respectively
 Total stress in unsaturated soil

 Just above the water table the soil will remain saturated due to capillarity, but at
some distance above the water table the soil will become unsaturated, with a
consequent reduction in unit weight (unsaturated unit weight = γu)

 σ = γw . zw + γg(z - zw)

 The height above the water table up to which the soil will remain saturated depends
on the grain size.
 Total stress with a surface surcharge load

 The addition of a surface surcharge load will increase the total stresses below it. If
the surcharge loading is extensively wide, the increase in vertical total stress below it
may be considered constant with depth and equal to the magnitude of the surcharge.

Vertical total stress at depth z,

 σv = γ .z + q

 For narrow surcharges, e.g. under strip and pad foundations, the induced vertical
total stresses will decrease both with depth and horizontal distance from the load. In
such cases, it is necessary to use a suitable stress distribution theory - an example is
Boussinesq's theory.
 Pore pressure

 Groundwater and hydrostatic pressure

 Water table, phreatic surface

 Negative pore pressure (suction)

 Pore water and pore air pressure

 The water in the pores of a soil is called pore wa ter . The pressure within this pore
water is called por e p ressure (u) . The magnitude of pore pressure depends on:

-the depth below the water table

- the conditions of seepage flow

 Groundwater and hydrostatic pressure

 Under hydrostatic conditions (no water flow) the pore pressure at a given point is given by the
hy dros tatic p res sure :

 u = γw .hw

where
 hw = depth below water table or overlying water surface

 It is convenient to think of pore pressure represented by the column of water in an imaginary

standpipe; the pressure just outside being equal to that inside.
 Water table, phreatic surface

 The natural static level of water in the ground is called the wat er t able or the
phr eat ic surf ace (or sometimes the ground wat er lev el ). Under conditions of no
seepage flow, the water table will be horizontal, as in the surface of a lake. The
magnitude of the pore pressure at the water table is zero. Below the water table,
pore pressures are positive.

u = γw .hw
 In conditions of steady-state or variable seepage flow, the calculation of pore
pressures becomes more complex.
See Groundwater
 Negative pore pressure (suction)

 Below the water table, pore pressures are posi tive . In dry soil, the pore pressure is
zero . Above the water table, when the soil is saturated, pore pressure will be
neg at ive .
 u = - γw .hw

 The height above the water table to which the soil is saturated is called the cap ill ary
ri se , and this depends on the grain size and type (and thus the size of pores):

· in coarse soils capillary rise is very small

· in silts it may be up to 2m

· in clays it can be over 20m

 Pore water and pore air pressure

 Between the ground surface and the top of the saturated zone, the soil will often be
partially saturated, i.e. the pores contain a mixture of water and air. The pore
pressure in a partially saturated soil consists of two components:
 · pore water pressure = uw
 · pore-air pressure = ua
 Note that water is incompressible, but air is compressible. The combined effect is a
complex relationship involving partial pressures and the degree of saturation of the
soil. In Europe and other temperate climate countries most design states are
associated with saturated conditions, and the study of partially saturated soils is
considered to be a specialist subject.
 Pore pressure in steady state seepage conditions

 In conditions of seepage in the ground there is a change in pore pressure.

Consider seepage occurring between two points P and Q.

 The hydraulic gradient, i , between two points is the head drop per unit
length between these points. It can be thougth of as the "potential" driving
the water flow.
i = constant
 Effective stress
 Terzaghi's principle and equation
 Mohr circles for total and effective stress
 Importance of effective stress
 Changes in effective stress
-Ground movements and instabilities can be caused by changes in total
stress (such as loading due to foundations or unloading due to
excavations), but they can also be caused by changes in pore pressures
(slopes can fail after rainfall increases the pore pressures). In fact, it is the
combined effect of total stress and pore pressure that controls soil
behaviour such as shear strength, compression and distortion. The
difference between the total stress and the pore pressure is called the
effective stress:
 ef fect iv e stre ss = total stres s - pore pre ssure
 or σ´ = σ - u

Note that the prime (dash mark ´ ) indicates effective stress.