ABSTRACT
The limit stress condition of a soil body is a set of circumstances at which the smallest increment of force or the smallest reduction of soil strength can bring about disequilibrium — that is the loss of stability of soil body. In the theory of limit soil equilibrium one considers the soil stability problems applied to foundations of structures, slope stability, earth pressure on confining structures and soil resistance to the movement of various anchors and bulkheads. The growth of the horizontal earth resistance brings about slowdown of the shear zones, although it is accompanied by increasing soil deformations on the sides of the foundation zone with the highest stresses. In the failure prism behind the retaining wall at active earth pressure, the greatest principal stress is a predominantly vertical, while the horizontal direction prevails in the passive earth pressure.
