Soil Mechanics

XIII. STRESSES IN SOILS

Mohrs Circle of Stresses
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Introduction
Soils are essentially frictional materials. They are comprised of individual particles
that can slide and roll relative to one another. In the discipline of soil mechanics
it is generally assumed that the particles are not cemented.

One consequence of the frictional nature is that the strength depends on the
effective stresses in the soil. As the effective stresses increase with depth, so in
general will the strength.

The strength will also depend on whether the soil deformation occurs under fully
drained conditions, constant volume (undrained) conditions, or with some
intermediate state of drainage. In each case different excess pore pressures will
occur resulting in different effective stresses, and hence different strengths. In
assessing the stability of soil constructions analyses are usually performed to
check the short term (undrained) and long term (fully drained) conditions.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Concept of Mohrs Circle
In the late 1800s, Mohr (1887) presented a graphic solution to determine stresses
at a mass. When an external load is applied, an infinitesimal element will be
subjected to the boundary stresses as seen in Figure 10.1.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Concept of Mohrs Circle
The magnitudes of the developed stresses can only be defined when the
direction of the plane, which passes through the element, is known. On a plane
at the element, there is normal stress, which acts perpendicular (normal) to the
plane, and a shear stress, which acts on the plane parallel to the face direction.

Normal stresses act perpendicular to a plane, and in soil they are generally compressive.
Therefore a positive normal stress is compressive, and a negative normal stress would be
tension. This sign convention is opposite to that used in mechanics of materials or structures.
A compressive normal stress tends to compact the soil and increase its density.

Shear stresses act parallel to a plane and act in pairs as a couple on opposite sides of the
soil element. According to the sign convention, a positive shear rotates in a counter-
clockwise direction, and a negative shear rotates in a clockwise direction. Shear stresses
tend to deform the soil. Shear is the primary failure mode for soil.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Concept of Mohrs Circle
In Figure 10.1, normal stress and shear stress are shown on the -plane,
which inclines at + (counterclockwise) angle from the horizontal plane. The
magnitude of and do change when the angle changes. Mohrs circle is a
technique to graphically determine the values of and on a given plane
with inclination angle. Note that Mohrs stress solution is applied only to the
two-dimensional (plane strain) problems.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Stress Transformation
Figure 10.2a shows an infinitesimal element, which is subjected to boundary
normal stress and shear stress on x-plane and and on y-plane. These
stresses maintain a static equilibrium; is the shear stress applied on x-plane in
y-direction and is the one on y-plane in x-direction. We call and
conjugated shear stresses | | = | |, maintaining the moment equilibrium of
the element.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Stress Transformation
Figure 10.2b shows a triangular element ABE with all the boundary stresses on it.
Assign AE distance as unity. All normal and shear stresses are assumed to have
positive values in the assigned directions in the figure. Applying horizontal and
vertical force equilibriums to stresses on the element ABE:

And by knowing that = , and are solved as

 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Stress Transformation
By changing values, a combination of and values on any arbitrary
plane can be obtained from Equation 10.3 and Equation 10.4.

When = 0 is applied to Equation 10.3 to find the values for the maximum or

the minimum normal stress, or = 0 is applied to Equation 10.4 to seek the
value for zero shear stress, the following equation emerges:

And tan 2 takes a certain value for given , , and . This implies that the
maximum or the minimum normal stress, and the zero shear stress appear on the
same ( plane); the condition repeats in every 90 degrees from the nature of
tan 2 .
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Stress Transformation
This condition is assigned as the principal stress condition. The maximum normal
stress with the zero shear stress is called the major principal stress , while the
minimum normal stress with the zero shear stress is called the minor principal
stress (note that 3 < 1). These principal stresses act on the major and the
minor principal stress planes and intersect each other with 90 degrees as seen in
Figure 10.3.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Stress Transformation
By substituting Equation 10.5 into Equation 10.3 and Equation 10.4, Equation 10.6
and Equation 10.7 are obtained.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Stress Transformation
In Equation 10.6, the larger value is assigned as 1 and the smaller one as 3 , and
the following major and minor principal stresses are obtained:

In Figure 10.2, when y-plane coincides with the major principal stress plane and
x-plane is the minor principal stress plane, = 1 , = 3 , and = = 0;
Equations 10.3 and 10.4 yields to Equations 10.10 and 10.11.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Constructing Mohrs Circle and Using It
Mohr's circle is a graphical method to determine shear and normal stresses on
planes at various angles. It may also be used to determine principal stresses and
principal planes. Mohr's circle is constructed on a graph where the x-axis
represents normal stress and the y-axis represents shear stress. The sign
convention in geotechnical engineering is:
MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Constructing Mohrs Circle and Using It
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Constructing Mohrs Circle and Using It
The steps in constructing the
Mohr's circle include:

1. Plot the stress states that are

known on the graph.
2. Draw a circle through the
known stress states with the
center of the circle on the x or
normal stress axis.
3. Note that each point on the
Mohr's circle represents the
shear and normal stress on a
particular plane in the soil.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Constructing Mohrs Circle and Using It
The steps in constructing the
Mohr's circle include:

1. Plot the stress states that are

known on the graph.
2. Draw a circle through the
known stress states with the
center of the circle on the x or
normal stress axis.
3. Note that each point on the
Mohr's circle represents the
shear and normal stress on a
particular plane in the soil.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Constructing Mohrs Circle and Using It

To determine the shear and normal stresses on other planes:

1. Determine the angle between the plane on which the stresses are known
and the new plane on which stresses are to be calculated. Determine both
the direction and the magnitude of the angle.
2. On the Mohr's circle, begin at the known stress point and rotate twice the
angle in the same direction to locate the new point. This new point will
represent the desired shear and normal stresses.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Constructing Mohrs Circle and Using It

To determine principal stresses and principal planes.

1. The point where the circle crosses the x-axis on the right is the major principal
stress.
2. The point where the circle crosses the x-axis on the left is the minor principal
stress.
3. The angle between the principal stress point and the point representing a
horizontal plane is twice the principal plane angle.
 ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS
Shear and normal stresses are given on horizontal and vertical planes. Determine the
following:
Shear and normal stresses on plane AB
Principal stresses
Principal planes
ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS
 ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS
Shear and normal stresses are given on horizontal and vertical planes. Determine the
following using the Mohrs circle of stresses:
Shear and normal stresses on plane AB
Principal stresses
Principal planes

Plot the stress state for the horizontal plane (80 psi, 20 psi)
Plot the stress state for the vertical plane (40 psi, -20 psi)
Draw a circle through these two points with the center on the x-axis
Determine the coordinates of the center of the circle
Determine the radius of the circle
 ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS
Construct the Mohrs circle and calculate the radius and center coordinates.
 ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS
Determine the shear and normal stresses on plane AB.
 ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS
Determine principal stresses and principal planes.
 MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Pole (Origin of Planes) of Mohrs Circle
Pole Method of Finding Stresses on a Plane

1. Each stress state at one point on a plane is represented by a point M on the

Mohrs circle.
2. From that point, draw a parallel to the plane on which the stresses act (, ).
The intersection with the Mohrs circle is called the pole point P.
3. To know the stresses acting on a plane EF, draw a parallel to the plane EF
from the pole point. The intersection with the circle gives point Q. This point Q
represents the stress state on EF.
4. The major and minor principal stresses 1 and 3 are found at the intersection
with the axis (by definition, a principal stress is a stress having only a normal
component).
MOHRS CIRCLE OF STRESSES
Pole (Origin of Planes) of Mohrs Circle
Problem 1 Problem Set 10
Given an element with stresses as indicated
in the figure, find:
1.1 The major and minor principal stresses and the
planes on which they act. (113.15 kPa, 6.85 kPa)
1.2 The stresses on a plane inclined at 300 from the
horizontal. (49.69 kPa, 52. 14 kPa)
1.3 The maximum shear stress and the inclination of
the plane on which it acts. (53.15 kPa, 24.41 degrees)
Problem 2 Problem Set 10
Solve Problem 1 with the element rotated 300
clockwise from the horizontal.
Problem 3 Problem Set 10
Given an element rotated 300 clockwise from
the horizontal, find the stresses (magnitude
and direction) on the horizontal plane. Also
determine the principal stresses and planes
and maximum shear stress.
Problem 4 Problem Set 10
For the element shown in the figure, find:
4.1 The magnitude of the unknown stresses and
on the horizontal plane. (1.3 kPa, 0)
4.2 The orientation of the principal stresses.
4.3 The orientation of the planes of maximum as well
as minimum shear.
Problem 5 Problem Set 10
For the element shown, find:
5.1 The magnitude of the stresses on the horizontal
plane. (8 kPa, 2 kPa)
5.2 The maximum shear stress. (2.83 kPa)
5.3 The angle between the plane on which it acts and
the major principal plane. (45 degrees)