TRIAXIAL TEST

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 Triaxial Shear Test
• The triaxial shear test is
one of the most reliable
methods available for
determining shear
strength parameters. It is
used widely for research
and conventional testing.
Triaxial Shear Test
• Developed by Casagrande in an attempt to overcome some of
the serious disadvantages of the direct shear test.
Advantages over DST
• More Versatile
• Drainage can be well controlled
• There is no rotation of the principal stresses like the direct shear
test
• Also the failure plane can occur anywhere
Triaxial Test Equipment
Types of Tests
•Consolidated Drained (CD)
•Consolidated Undrained (CU)
•Unconsolidated Undrained(UU)
•Unconfined Compression (UC)
Cohesionless Soil
Cohesive Soil

σ3
Consolidated Drained (CD) Test
Consolidated Undrained (CU) Test
Triaxial Test (Series)
Unconfined Compression (UC)
Uniaxial
Sample Problem (CD)
A cohesionless soil has a friction angle of 30° and a
deviator stress at failure of 400kPa.
• Find the angle that the failure plain makes with the
major principal plane.
• Find the confining pressure.
• Find shear stress at the point on the failure plane.
Sample Problem (CD)
CE Board May 2004
A consolidated drained tri-axial test was conducted on a
normally consolidated clay. The results were as follows:
Chamber confining pressure=300kPa
Deviator stress 400kPa
• Compute the angle of friction of the clay sample.
• Compute the shear stress on the failure plane.
• Compute the effective normal stress on the plane of
max. shear.
Sample Problem (CD)
CE Board Nov2004
A consolidated drained tri-axial test was conducted on a
normally consolidated clay. The results were as follows:
Chamber confining pressure=138kPa
Deviator stress 258kPa
• Compute the angle of friction of the clay sample.
• Compute the normal stress on the failure plane.
• Compute the shear stress on the failure plane.
Sample Problem (CD)

A cohesive soil sample has an angle of shearing

resistance of 26° and a cohesion of 22kPa. The max.
principal stress at failure is equal to 600kPa.
• Compute for the minor principal stress.
• Compute the principal stress at the point of failure
plane.
• Compute the shearing stress at the point of failure
plane.
Sample Problem (CU)

A series of consolidated drained test on a normally consolidated

clay indicated a friction angle of 31°. A consolidated undrained
triaxial shear test on the same sample yields the following results.
Confining pressure=200kPa
Deviator stress=180kPa
• Compute the undrained friction angle of the clay.
• Compute the pore pressure at the time of failure in the
consolidated undrained test.
• Compute the shearing stress at failure plane for the consolidated
drained test.
Sample Problem (CU)

A soil sample of saturated sand was consolidated under an

all around pressure (confining pressure) of 420kPa. The axial
stress was then increased and drainage was prevented. The
soil sample failed when the axial deviator stress reached
350kPa. Pore water pressure at failure was 290kPa.
• Compute the consolidated-undrained angle of shearing
resistance.
• Compute the drained angle of friction
• Compute the major principal effective stress at failure.
Sample Problem (UU)

An unconsolidated undrained test was conducted on a

saturated clay. The cell pressure was 200kPa and failure
occurred under a deviatoric stress of 220kPa.
• Determine the angle of shearing resistance.
• Determine the maximum principal stress at failure.
• Determine the undrained shear strength.
Sample Problem (UU)

A clay soil is subjected to a tri-axial test under

unconsolidated-undrained conditions. At failure, the major
and minor principal stresses are 140kPa and 50kPa
respectively.
• Determine the cohesion of this soil.
• If this soil were subjected to an unconfined compression test,
what axial stress would result at failure?
• What is the magnitude of the shearing stress at a depth of
3m below the ground surface. Unit wt. of soil is 15kN/m3.
Sample Problem (UC)

A cylindrical specimen of a saturated soil fails under a

major principal stress of 150kPa in an unconfined
compression test. The failure plane makes an angle of
52° with the horizontal.
• Compute the angle of internal friction
• Compute the cohesion of the soil
• Compute the shearing stress at the failure plane.