ABSTRACT
When a load is applied to the soil surface, it increases the vertical stresses within the soil mass. The increased stresses are greatest directly under the loaded area, but extend indefinitely in all directions. Many formulas based on the theory of elasticity have been used to compute stresses in soils. They are all similar and differ only in the assumptions made to represent the elastic conditions of the soil mass. The formulas that are most widely used are the Boussinesq and Westergaard formulas. These formulas were first developed for point loads acting at the surface. These formulas have been integrated to give stresses below uniform strip loads and rectangular loads.
