Evaluation of Stresses in Soil under Rigid Wheels by Finite Element Method

Abstract

The author tried to evaluate the stresses in soils (moisture contents=8.3-9.9%) under three rigid wheels by using the finite element method. The results obtained from this study were as follows.
(1) The calculated vertical stresses gave good approximation to measured values at the depth 15.7cm under the original surface.
(2) Four zones were found in the figure of isobars of shearing stresses in soil under a moving, wheel.
(3) Soil particles seemed to move in three zones, that is, foward, backward and lower zone of major principal stresses.
The author would like to continue to invsetigate the adapitability of this method to wetter soil conditions.