TABLE OF CONTENTS An understanding of the total stress analysis and the effective stress analysis is essential in geotechnical engineering, and these two methods are used in the evaluation of all types of earth projects, such as slope stability, earth pressure calculations, and foundation design. The total stress analysis and effective stress analysis are defined as follows:
Total stress analysis. The total stress analysis uses the undrained shear strength of the soil. The total stress analysis is typically only used for cohesive soil. The total stress analysis is often used for the evaluation of foundations and embankments to be supported by cohesive soil. The actual analysis is performed for rapid loading or unloading conditions often encountered during the construction phase or just at the end of construction. This analysis is applicable to field situations where there is a change in shear stress which occurs quickly enough that the cohesive soil does not have time to consolidate, or in the case of heavily overconsolidated cohesive soils, the negative pore water pressures do not have time to dissipate. For this reason, the total stress analysis is often termed a short-term analysis. The total stress analysis uses the total unit weight t of the soil, and the location of the groundwater table is not considered in the analysis.
The total stress analysis is also applicable when there is a sudden change in loading condition of a cohesive soil. Examples include wind or earthquake loadings that exert...
