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8 Elastic Solutions in Geomechanics
Fig. 8.11 Distribution of
horizontal displacements
surrounding the point load
P
x
y
displacements take the sign of x, and hence, particles move downwards in front of
the load and upwards behind the load.
8.6 Mindlin’s Problem
The two variations of the point load problem were solved by Mindlin (1936). These
are the problems of either vertical or horizontal point load acting in the interior of
an elastic
half-space. Mindlin’s problem is illustrated in Fig. 8.12. The load P acts at a point
located a distance z = 2 h beneath the half-space surface. Mindli’s problem is more
complex than Boussinesq’s or Kelvin’s or Cerrutti’s
Fig. 8.12 Mindlin’s problem