Effective Stress Principle

The Effective Stress Principle is a key concept in soil and geotechnical engineering that explains how soil behaves under various loads. It states that the strength and stability of soil depend not just on the total pressure applied but on how much of that pressure is actually supported by the soil particles themselves. In simple terms, it divides the pressure into two components: the pressure from the weight of water (pore water pressure) and the pressure from the soil grains. Effective stress is the difference between these, determining how well the soil can hold up structures like buildings and roads.