Session 1/17

Correlation between Angle of Internal Friction

and Angle of Shearing Resistance in Consolidated quick Triaxial
Compression Tests on Residual Clays
Relation entre l’angle de frottement interne et l’angle de résistance au cisaillement dans les essais
de compression triaxiaux rapides des argiles résiduelles préconsolidées

by M il t o n V a r g a s , Institute for T echnological Research, Civil and Electrical Engineer, Professor o f Soil M echanics and
Foundation Engineering, E scola Politécnica, University o f Sâo P aolo, Chief, Soils D ivision o f the “ Instituto de Pesquisas
T ecnológicas”, Sào Paulo, Brazil

Summary
Considering that residual clays are generally in the form of a
skeleton of coarse grains, each in his clay envelope, which gives the
soil a typical non-dilatant clay behaviour, the author generalised
Skempton's conclusions, in his study of the immediate triaxial com­
pression tests, to interpret results of slow and consolidated quick
tests on residual clays. A formula was deduced which correlates
the angle of internal friction with the angle of shearing resistance
in consolidated quick tests on such clays. The results of the tests
confirm the calculated values.
Sommaire
Considérant que les argiles résiduelles sont souvent constituées
par un squelette de gros grains enveloppés par de l’argile, ce qui
donne au sol un comportement typique d’argile non-dilatante,
l’auteur applique l’étude de Skempton sur les essais de compression
triaxiaux rapides à l’interprétation des résultats des essais lents et
rapides des argiles résiduelles préconsolidées. L’auteur propose une
formule qui établit une relation entre l’angle de frottement interne
et l’angle de résistance au cisaillement dans les essais rapides des
argiles résiduelles préconsolidées. Les résultats des essais confirment
les valeurs calculées.

Residual clays are often form ed in such a way that their AV

£l AP l + 2 A p 3 0)
structure consists o f a skeleton o f the coarse grains which 3 Cc
touch each other w ithout being cemented together, enveloped
in a clay matrix. The coarse-grain skeleton contributes a where C c is the com pressibility (volum e decrease per unit, tak­
shearing resistance similar to that o f a loose sand and the ing into account triaxial effective pressure increase) and C s is
clay matrix gives the soil a non-dilatant clay behaviour during the expansibility (volum e increase per unit, taking into account
any shearing process. triaxial effective pressure decrease) o f the clay structure.
W hen a load is applied to such a soil there is an immediate Experience has show n that the decrease o f void-ratio during
deform ation o f the coarse structure with a partial transference a triaxial com pression is similar to that observed during a
o f load to the pore-water in the clay. U nder such circumstances normal consolidation test. T he compressibility and expansi­
it seem s possible for the theory developed by Skem pton, to bility coefficients Cc and Cs may be determined by such a test,
determine the value o f the neutral pressures in clays during being the void-ratio o f the sample:
im mediate triaxial tests, to be generalised and applied with
success to this type o f soil. dV _ 1 ds
Skem pton (1948) has shown that the volum e change A V o f Cc = ( 2)
dp I + t'o d p
a cylindrical specimen with an initial volum e V0 when sub­
jected to a change in axial effective pressure A p u and a lateral 1 dV d¿
Cs == (3)
effective pressure A p 3, is: V dp 1 + e„ dp

72
 A b ove a certain load, we have during consolidation: 1 a), in the sam e manner R a plotted against er would be plotted
— K c Ig p I p 0 parallel to the consolidation curve.
E = E„ (4)
T he value o f the effective pressures in the m om ent o f rup­
and during expansion: ture in a quick-consolidated test w ould be:
e = e0 + K s Ig p jp 0 . . (5) Ra
Pi = <r3 + R a — u = cr3 + R a -
From (4) and (5) we get: 1 + 2A
Ra
de Kc J de' Ks Pz — ^3 u = a3 —
—— = ------------ and —— = --------- 1 + 2A
dp 2.3 p dp 2.3 p
or:
W hence : 2 XR a
P i = o3 +
Cs de' 1+ 2A
----- — = A ( 6) (9)
Cc de Kc Ra
P3
W hich constitutes an easy way to determine the relation 1+ 2A
between C s and C c by a simple normal consolidation test. W e have also, above a certain value o f p 3:
N ow , suppose a cylindrical sam ple o f a residual clay co n ­
solidates under a triaxial pressure a3, and then an axial load , 2 XR a
\ °3 H— :
increase A aY = a1 — cr3 is quickly applied. D uring the applica­ <Ps 1+ 2A
tion o f this axial load there is a certain deform ation o f the clay
— = # 2 |4 5 + ( 10)
Pz \ 2 Ra
structure but, as there is no water escape from the pores o f the 1+ 2A
clay matrix there is no change in volum e. A neutral pressure
occurs and the changes in effective pressures are: where <ps is the angle o f internal friction as determined in a
In the axial direction: slow triaxial com pression test (see Fig. 1 b). In addition, above
a certain pressure, we have, in a consolidated-quick triaxial
A p l = (cTj— u) — a3 = A a1 — u
com pression test:
In the lateral direction:
ff3 + Ra
= tg ■ ( 11)
d p 3 = (CTs— «) ~ a3 = — u
A s there is no volum e change, we have: where <pa is the angle o f shearing resistance for consolidated-
quick condition:
■«) — 2 A m] From (10) we can obtain:

A a 1— u = 2 Am (1 + 2 A)
- l '
Ra ( 12)
and
2X + tg > (
A (j1 « + t )
u (7)
1+ 2 A and from ( 1 1 )
If we call A o 1 = R a, the com pression strength at the m o­
ment o f rupture the neutral pressure developed in the sam ple is: Ra — ^3 tg 2 45 1 (13)

Ra Comparing (12) and (13), where R a is independent o f the

( 8)
1+2A type o f test on residual clay:

Experience has show n (Rutledge, 1947) that the value o f R a (2 + 2 A) — 1

tg'
is an exclusive function o f er, the void-ratio o f the sam ple at
t g 2 45
the m om ent o f rupture, whatever the type o f test may be. As
the void-ratio er at the m om ent o f rupture is plotted on a semi- 2 A + t g 2 45 +
logarithm ic paper parallel to the consolidation curve (see Fig. (« +*)
E x p erim en ta l R esu lts
(b) Triaxial com pression tests were extensively m ade on undis­
S’
Consolidated-quick ~
r- turbed sam ples o f tw o residual clays. One originated from
S'
S/owi / decom position o f gneiss and was a soft, greenish, saturated
(Compression
clay (L L = 53; IP = 17; moisture content: 39%, void-ratio:
tfy^rmph 1 ) the other clay originated from decom position o f granite and
had experienced, after decom position, an evolution o f lateritic
Kii; type. Its colour was brownish, consistence medium and not
saturated (L L = 6 8 ; IP = 26; moisture content: 30%, void-
Fig. 1 (a) Pressure— V o id -R a tio C urves for Ui/ct3 = 1, a1to 3 in R u p ­ ratio: 1 ).
ture and C o m p ressiv e Strength— V o id -R a tio C urve Fig. 2 show s consolidation curves for both clays obtained
C ourbes pression - indice de vides, pou r = 1, aj/u3 in standard one-dim ensional consolidation tests and triaxial
à la rupture, et résistance à la c o m p r e ss io n -in d ic e d é v id é s
(b) M oh r's E n velop es for S lo w and C o n so lid a ted -Q u ick T ests
com pression. Fig. 3 and 4 show consolidation curves o f tri­
C ourbes en v elo p p es de M o h r p o u r les essais de com pression axial com pression, the relation between R a, void-ratio and
lents et rapides, sur éch an tillon s précon solid és pressure-void-ratio during rupture for both clays. The residual

73
 clay from granite was not saturated in its natural state. There
are tw o curves for the com pression strength: one in the n on ­
saturated natural state and the other for sam ples previously
saturated in the laboratory. Fig. 5, 6 and 7 show M ohr’s enve­
lopes for slow, consolidated-quick and quick tests on both clays.
The first sam ples o f granite clay tested had previously been
saturated, and the later one had not been saturated.

110

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Void -ra tio in ru p tu re - p o in t 96%
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P re ssu re s (k g / c m 2-)— *-
Fig. 4 R esid u ai C lay from G ranite— Pressure, V o id -R a tio and C o m ­
p ressive Strength C urves
/fi5 A rgile résidu elle d e gran it - C ourbes p ression e t résistan ce à la
co m p ressio n - In d ice des vides

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lg ^ \% -2 4 .5 '
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<0 s / quick te s \
Slow-test
9**16'/ \
/ V
0 °?° <0
Quick- test' ' ( \
nT x
I > h \\ 1 i \ \
. y e
Principal Stress ( kg/cm 2) -

i F ig. 5 R esid u al C lay from G n eiss— M oh r's E n velop es

A rgile résidu elle de gneiss - C ourbes en velop p es de M o h r
0,80

075-
Slo w -test-
V f Consolide
Q u ic k r B Ç ^
0,70 I
\
Quick­
s' resr-p \ \ \
/ 4 5 G 7 8 9 ! 2 3 */ 5 6 , ,
Ot,/ (O lOfi 0 s \ n
0
\\
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\
5 0 /7
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Pressures C kg /cm 2) ——
F ig . 3 R esid u a i C lay fro m G n eiss— Pressure, V o id -R a tio and C om pres­ F ig. 6 R esid u al C lay fro m G ranite (P reviou sly Saturated Sam p les)—
siv e Strength C urves M oh r's E n velop es
A rg ile résidu elle de g neiss - C ourbes p ressio n e t résistance à la A rgile résidu elle de granit (éch an tillon s p réalab lem en t saturés) -
c om p ressio n - Indice des vides C ourbes en v elo p p es de M oh r

74

Fig. 7 R esid u al C lay from G ranite (N o n Saturated S a m p les)— M ohr's
E n velop es
A rgile résidu elle de granit (éch a n tillo n s n on saturés) - C ourbes
en v elo p p es de M ohr
For the residual clay from gneiss we obtain from the con ­
solidation curves: K s = 0.115; K c = 0.39; A = 0.295 and
from the slow triaxial test q>s = 24° 30'. W ith these values for­
mula (14) gives <pa = 16°, which was the value o f <pa obtained
in the test (see Fig. 5).
For the residual clay from granite we obtain from consolida­
tion tests K s = 0.025; K c = 0.400; A = 0.062 and from tri­
axial tests with initial saturation q>s = 31°. Applying formula
(14) we can calculate <pa = 17°; the consolidated-quick tests
on previous saturated sam ples gives <pa = 17° 30'. W ithout
initial saturation the consolidated-quick test gives <pa = 18°.
References
R u tledge, P . C. (1947): R eview o f the C oop erative T riaxial Program
o f the W ar D epartm ent, C orps o f Engineers. W aterw ays E xp. St.,
A pril.
S k em p to n , A . W. (1948): A Study o f th e Im m ediate T riaxial T est on
C o h esiv e S o ils. P roceed ings 2nd Int. C on f. S oil M ec. and F o u n d . E ng.,
R otterdam .
75