Iris Publishers- Scholarly Open Access Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering
Iris Publishers - Scholarly Open Access Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering Research Progress of Effective Stress and Effective Stress Equation The Concept and Significance of the Effective Stress In 1920’s and 1930’s, Terzaghi presented the concepts of effective stress and the effective stress equation based on tests and engineering experience, which were concluded into the principle of effective stress by Jennings in 1961: firstly, effective stress equals total stress minus pore water pressure; secondly, the effective stress controls the strength and deformation of a soil. The principle of effective stress is considered the keystone of soil mechanics. Only with the concept of effective stress can we grasp the strength and deformation nature of a soil, establish the theory of strength and constitutive relationship of a soil, and thereby develop the theoretical system of Soil mechanics. Terzaghi’s principle of effective stress can only be applied to saturated soils. The a...
