Load Bearing and Soil Loosening Processes

Abstract

Soil influenced at a certain moment by a tool or wheel may be assumed to be composed of small volume-elements as demonstrated in Fig. 3.1 for a wheel. Such a volume element should be chosen so small, that there is an even stress distribution on each face, and at the same time the element should be so large that the soil in it may be treated as a continuum. Within such an element the state of stress does not vary from place to place but, in general, the stress state will change with time. Mechanical behavior of such elements was treated in Sections 2.1 – 2.5 as compaction, deformation, breaking, soil-material friction, and adherence, successively. Knowledge of such behavior should be obtained by measurements.