Is Terzaghi's effective stress a stress variable under seepage conditions?

From the continuum mechanics perspective, an attempt was made to clarify the role of Terzaghi's effective stress in the theoretical analysis of saturated soil subjected to seepage. The necessity of performing a coupled hydromechanical analysis to solve the seepage-deformation interaction problem was illustrated by examining the equations of static equilibrium among the effective stress, seepage force, pore-water pressure and total stress. The conceptual definition of stress variable that satisfies the principles of continuum mechanics is applied in the coupled hydromechanical analysis. It is shown that Terzaghi's effective stress is in fact not a stress variable under seepage conditions, and the seepage force acting on the soil skeleton cannot be viewed as a body force. This offers a clue to the underlying cause of a paradox between the real Pascal's hydrostatic state and the hydrostatic state predicted by a class of continuum hydromechanical theories.

INTEGRAL EQUATION METHOD'S APPLICATION IN HOLE-EDGE STRESS OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL PLATE WITH DIFFERENT SHAPED HOLES

The strength of composite plate with different hole-shapes is always one of the most important but complicated issues in the application of the composite material. The holes will lead to mutations and discontinuity to the structure. So the hole-edge stress concentration is always a serious phenomenon. And the phenomenon makes the structure strength decrease very quickly to form dangerous weak points. Most partial damage begins from these weak points. According to the complex variable functions theory, the accurate boundary condition of composite plate with different hole-shapes is founded by conformal mapping method to settle the boundary condition problem of complex hole-shapes. Composite plate with commonly hole-shapes in engineering is studied by several complex variable stress fimction. The boundary integral equations are founded based on exact boundary conditions. Then the exact hole-edge stress analytic solution of composite plate with rectangle holes and wing manholes is resolved. Both of offset axis loadings and its influences on the stress concentration coefficient of the hole-edge are discussed. And comparisons of different loads along various offset axis on the hole-edge stress distribution of orthotropic plate with rectangle hole or wing manhole are made. It can be concluded that hole-edge with continuous variable curvatures might help to decrease the stress concentration coefficient; and smaller angle of outer load and fiber can decrease the stress peak value.