9.5 Total and effective stress analyses
There are now two different criteria of the strength of soils which determine the shear
stress at the critical state. The first, given by Eq. (9.2), relates the strength to the effective
normal stress through a friction angle. In order to use this equation it is necessary to
be able to calculate the effective stress which requires knowledge of the pore pressure.
In general the pore pressure will be known only if the soil is drained. Analyses using
Eq. (9.2) to determine strength are known as effective stress analyses and they are used
when the soil is fully drained.
The second, given by Eq. (9.4), gives the strength directly as the undrained strength
su and, for a given water content, this is independent of the total normal stress. This
equation can be used when the soil is undrained and the voids ratio does not change
during construction. Analyses using Eq. (9.4) to determine strength are known as total
stress analyses and they are used when saturated soil is undrained.
It is important to get this right. You can do an effective stress analysis if the soil is
fully drained and you know the pore pressure. You can do a total stress analysis if the
soil is saturated and undrained. You must not mix these. If you are uncertain whether
the soil is drained or not you should do both analyses and consider the worst case.
We will meet examples of total and effective stress analyses for foundations, slopes
and retaining walls in later chapters of this book.