ABSTRACT
We saw in Chapter 1 that a saturated soil is a two-phase material, comprising the soil particles and the pore water. The influence of the pore water on the overall behaviour of the soil and of geotechnical engineering structures cannot be overstated. In particular,
• The effective stress depends on both the total stress and the pore water pressure. The effective stress state of the soil governs both its stress-strain behaviour and its proximity to failure.
