Laboratory Tests on Samples

(which ones are for shear strength determination?)

1. Soil Classification The USCS

2. Direct Shear Test
3. Triaxial Test
4. Proctor Test
5. CBR Test
6. Consolidation Test
7. Permeability Test
1. Soil Classification The Unified Soil
Classification System (USCS)

USCS is based on the results of:

1. Sieve Analyses
2. Atterbergs Limit Tests
3. Systematic Use of Classification Charts
4. Separating Coarse and Fine Grained Soils
Symbols used in USCS
 Results of a Sieve Analysis

Sieve Cumulative Cumulative

Opening Weight Weight Weight
Diameter Retained Retained Retained Passing
(mm) (g) (g) (%) (%)
25.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0
19.0 17.3 17.3 1.5 98.5
12.5 13.6 30.9 2.6 97.4
4.8 58.4 89.3 7.7 92.3
2.0 144.5 233.8 20.4 79.6
0.4 481.2 714.9 63.6 36.4
0.2 255.5 970.4 89.0 11.0
0.1 77.1 1047.4 97.3 2.7
Grain Size Distribution (from a sieve analysis)

D60
Coarse Grained vs. Fine Grained
Chart 1
Partial
Class.
Chart
for
Coarse
Grained
Soils
For coarse grained soils:
Chart 2

Partial
Chart
for
Fine
Grain-
ed
Soils
Plasticity Chart for Fine Grained Soils
Chart 3 Chart for USCS
2. Direct Shear Test
Direct Shear Test Result like this one:
t
t = s tan f

1. Is generally equivalent to having a consolidated drained (CD) test

2. Is equivalent to the effective failure envelope resulting from a Consolidated
Un-drained (CU) test result on sand and normally consolidated clay
3. Has no pore water pressure developed in the tests
4. Represents normal failure in sand and normally consolidated clay
 Direct Shear Test
t
t = s tan f + c

1. Effective failure envelope of CD tests on over-consolidated clay

2. No pore water pressure developed in the tests
3. Represents normal failure in over-consolidated clay
4. Equivalent to having a consolidated drained (CD) test
 3. Triaxial Test
Unconsolidated Undrained (UU)
Consolidated Undrained (CU)
Consolidated Drained (CD)
Unconsolidated Drained (No Such Test)
Consolidated Isotropic Undrained (CIU)
Unconsolidated Un-drained (UU)
Unconsolidated Un-drained (UU)
t

tf = c

1. Quick failure in clayey soils

2. Cannot be used to predict strength in drained condition
3. Confined triaxial tests or unconfined compression tests
4. c remains the same with changing s
5. c equals 0.5qu
Unconfined compression test is a form of Unconsolidated Un-drained (UU) test
Consolidated Un-drained (CU)
 Consolidated Un-drained (CU)
tf = s tan f
t Effective stress failure envelope

tf = s tan f
(Total stress failure envelope)

1. Results from un-drained tests can be used to predict drained strength

2. There are the confining stress, the developed pore water pressure, and the
axial stress.
3. The developed pore water pressure is unregulated and effective stress is
simply total stress, confining or axial, minus the developed pore water
pressure.
Consolidated Un-drained (CU)
tf = s tan f
t Effective stress failure envelope

tf = s tan f
(Total stress failure envelope)

u u

s3 s1
Consolidated Drained (CD)
 Consolidated Drained (CD)
t
t = s tan f

1. Effective failure envelope of CD tests on sand and normally consolidated clay

2. No pore water pressure developed in the tests
3. Represents normal (slow) failure in sand and normally consolidated clay
4. Take several days to complete
5. Equivalent to having a (slow) direct shear test
 Consolidated Drained (CD)
Overconsolidated Normally Consolidated
t

sc
Consolidated Isotropic Un-drained (CIU)
Consolidated Isotropic Un-drained (CIU)
 CU vs CIU
CU is simply Consolidated Un-drained while CIU is
Consolidated Isotropic Un-drained.

In a CU test, the developed pore water pressure is

unregulated. The effective stresses are simply total
stresses minus whatever pore water pressures
developed.

In a CIU test, the developed pore water pressure is

regulated, for example, 5 Mpa (in case of test on rock).
The axial stresses are increased while maintaining the
same pore water pressure.
 Direct Shear vs Triaxial
1. In Direct Shear, the failure surface is pre-
determined. In Triaxial, the failure surface is
not pre-determined, and will only appear
along the surface with that unique s-t
combination.
2. In Direct Shear, s3 and u, are not normally
available, or cannot be provided for, or
cannot be directly or accurately measured.
 4. Proctor Test
3 items of proctor test:

Proctor or Modified Proctor

Maximum Dry Density
Optimum Moisture Content
 Proctor versus Modified Proctor
Standard Proctor: Vol. 943.3 cm cu., 3 layers,
25 blows/layer, hammer 24.4 N (2.5 kg), drop
304.8 mm.

Modified Proctor: Vol. same, 5 layers, same

blows/layer, hammer 44.5 N (4.5 kg), drop
457.2 mm.
 5. CBR Test
The standard material is a Crushed California Limestone. The
standard CBR value is 100. CBR=(pressure to penetrate test
material/pressure to penetrate standard material) x 100.
Plunger is 50 mm diameter and rate is 1.25 mm/min. Load
vs. penetration to about 15 mm is recorded. Pressure to
penetrate 2.5 mm is taken and to divide over pressure to
penetrate standard material to the same depth (6.74 Mpa
or Load of 13.24 kN). Sometimes, pressure to penetrate 5.0
mm is taken and to divide over pressure to penetrate
standard material to the same depth (10.12 Mpa or Load of
19.96 kN). JKR accepts 5% for sub-base soils and 80% for
crusher run at 2.5 mm penetration.
Soaked and Unsoaked
 6. Consolidation Test
To determine:
1. Compression Index, Cc
2. Coefficient of Consolidation, Ca
3. Rebound (Swell) Index, Cs
4. Pre-consolidation stress and OCR
 7. Permeability Test
To determine Coefficient of Permeability by:
1. Constant head test
2. Falling head test
END