Abstract
When pressurized air was supplied into a soil layer to break it down, the observed nature of soil failure was varied with the moisture content of the soil. This research was conducted for analyzing the differences of stress in soil induced by injecting air into the soil layer with variable moisture content by the finite element method.
When the moisture content was below than the plastic limit, the soil was broken down by shearing stress produced by static pressure of the injected air.
When the moisture content was increased (close to the liquid limit), and soil showed a high resistance to air permeability, soil was disrupted by tensile stress as if it was torn. This phenomenon was observed even if injected fluid was liquid.
