ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the concept of limit equilibrium method and introduces a more rigorous limit analysis method that can be used to replace the limit equilibrium method. The limit analysis is founded in the theory of plasticity and can be used to obtain upper- and lower-bound solutions for problems such as foundation bearing capacity and lateral earth pressure. Limit analysis is particularly suitable for applications to shallow foundations and lateral earth pressure computations. The limit equilibrium method is widely used in geotechnical practice for assessing the stability of a soil mass or calculating the collapse load. An appropriate statically admissible stress state may vary smoothly from point to point or there may be sudden jumps or discontinuities, but in both cases equilibrium must be satisfied. Across a discontinuity, the stresses normal to the stress discontinuity on both sides must be the same to satisfy equilibrium.
