Effect of load occurred by soil thickness on soil stress

Evaluation of soil stress is important to soil management and related cultural processes to be done in appropriate time, and also important to soil fertility and conservation. In this study, stress and deformation in solid media; the functional relation between stress and strain were investigated theoretically. To evaluate the soil stress due to load on soil surface, an analytical statement was obtained using the time-independent equations between stress and deformation. Soil stress values for different soil depths were calculated using soil particle density values in this expression. The vertical surface stress was found to be directly proportional with particle density and soil depth. Increment in soil depth is more effective on soil stress than increment in particle density. When particle density ranged from 2.50 to 2.80 kg/m3 and average Poisson number was 0.25, soil stress values for a sandy soil varied between 0.0327 and 0.0366 kPa in 0.20 cm soil depth, and between 0.8175 and 0.9156 kPa in 0.50 cm soil depth. When average Poisson number 0.40, clay soil stress values varied between 0.0163 and 0.0183 kPa in 0.20 cm soil depth, and between 0.4087 and 0.4578 kPa in 5.0 cm soil depth