Concepts and Techniques Used in Foundation Engineering 1 (kPa) 60 cy [50.8 kPa a=0 40. 20 2 40 «6080100 o (kPa) FIGURE 1.11 Mohr circle diagram for a UU test for Example 1.3, (From Cancrete Design Handbook, CRC Press. With permis sion.) It should be noted that the subscript “w’” is used to distinguish the UU test parameters. Under UU conditions, if Equation (1.6) is applied, then the undrained shear strength Su = Cs The most critical foundation design scenario presented by saturated, slow draining soils such as clays and silts involve undrained conditions prevailing immediately after the foundation is constructed. Therefore, the undrained shear strength (5,) is typically used to design foundations on soils where the predominant soil type is clay or silt. 1.4.3. Unconfined Compression Test Very often, it is convenient to use the unconfined compression strength to express the undrained shear strength of clayey soils especially when in situ tests are used for such determinations. An unconfined compression test can be used to determine the c, values based on the measured unconfined compression strength (q,). Since this test can be visualized as an undrained triaxial test with no confining pressure (hence unconsolidated), the Mohr circle for stress conditions at sample failure can be shown as in Figure 1.12. Then, it can be seen that Gu (Ly) ‘The same triaxial apparatus including the loading frame shown in Figure 1.8 can be used to test a clayey soil sample under unconfined compression conditions as well. Example 1.4 Determine the unconfined compression strength and the undrained shear strength of the soil tested in unconfined compression conditions as shown in Table 1.4. Solution The compression test data in Table 1.4 are plotted in Figure 1.13. From Figure 1.13, the unconfined compression strength is determined to be 320 kPa. Therefore, from Equation (1.11), the undrained strength of the clay is estimated to be 160 kPa.