1.1 - Total Stress
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Practice Questions
Test your understanding with targeted questions
Define total stress in soil mechanics.
💡 Hint: Think about what contributes to the pressure at a depth.
What is the formula for calculating total stress?
💡 Hint: Remember the elements involved in the formula.
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Interactive Quizzes
Quick quizzes to reinforce your learning
What is total stress defined by?
💡 Hint: Think about what contributes to the pressure in the ground.
True or False: Pore water pressure increases when the water table rises.
💡 Hint: Recall the relationship between water table height and pore pressure.
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Challenge Problems
Push your limits with advanced challenges
A construction site is excavating down to 10 meters in saturated clay with a unit weight of 20 kN/m³. If the water table is at 5 meters, calculate the expected total stress at the depth of 10 meters. Discuss the implications on effective stress if pore water pressure is also identified.
💡 Hint: Consider both the weight of the soil and the water when calculating total stress.
Explain how changes in water table levels during heavy rainfall could impact the stability of a retaining wall constructed in sandy soil. Include calculations for how much the pore water pressure changes with a water table rise of 2 meters.
💡 Hint: Evaluate how changes in pore water pressure influence effective stress and subsequently wall stability.
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