Shear Strength of Soil

The shear strength of a soil mass is the internal resistance per unit area that the soil mass
can offer to resist failure and sliding along any plane inside it. The shearing strength of soil
has two components:

1. Cohesion between particles

2. Friction between particles
Originally, the shear strength of a soil at a point on a plane was expressed by Columb as
a linear function of the normal stress at failure on the plane at same point.

𝜏𝑓 = 𝑐 + 𝜎𝑡𝑎𝑛∅

In the equation above, c and Ø are empirical parameters based on:

1. The history of soil
2. The initial state of soil, i.e., saturated or unsaturated
3. The permeability characteristics of the soil
4. The conditions of drainage allowed to take place during the test.

There are several laboratory methods available to determine the shear strength
parameters of various soil specimens.
1. Direct Shear Test
2. Triaxial Test
3. Direct Simple Shear Test
4. Plane Strain Triaxial Test
5. Torsional Ring Shear Test
Direct Shear Test
A diagram of the direct shear test apparatus is shown below. The test equipment is
consisting of a metal shear box in which the soil specimen is placed. The box is split
horizontally into halves. Normal force on the specimen is applied from the top of the shear
box. Shear force is applied by moving one-half of the box relative to the other to cause
failure on the soil specimen.

Examples
Problem 1
A series of direct shear tests were performed on a dry, sandy soil. The size of the
specimen was 50mm x 50mm x 19mm. The results are as follows:
Determine the angle of internal friction, and shear stress at failure when normal force is
500 N
Note: Since the tested soil is sand, it is to be assumed that the cohesion, c=0.

Angle of internal friction

𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
𝜎= = 35.6; 53.2; 124.4; 178 𝑘𝑁/𝑚2
(1000)(0.05)(0.05)
𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
𝜏= = 21.4; 32.6; 74.9; 106.9 𝑘𝑁/𝑚2
(1000)(0.05)(0.05)
𝜏
∅ = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1 ( ) = 31 𝑑𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠
𝜎
Note: You can also use normalize curve.
Shear stress at failure when normal force is 500 N
500
𝜎= = 200 𝑘𝑁/𝑚2
(1000)(0.05)(0.05)
𝜏 𝜏
tan ∅ = ; tan 31° = ; 𝜏 = 120.17 𝑘𝑁/𝑚2
𝜎 200

Problem 2
The size of a sand specimen in a direct shear test was 50mm x 50mm x 300mm (height).
It is known that, for the sand, tan Ø =0.65/e (where e= void ratio) and the specific gravity
of soil solids Gs= 2.65. During the test, a normal stress of 140kN/sq,m was applied.
Failure occurred at a shear stress of 105 kN/sq.m. What was the weight of the sand
specimen?
0.65 105
𝑡𝑎𝑛∅ = = ; 𝑒 = 0.867
𝑒 140
𝐺𝑠 𝛾𝑤 2.65(9.81)
𝛾𝑑 = = = 13.92 𝑘𝑁/𝑚3
1+𝑒 1 + 0.867
𝑊 = 𝛾𝑑 (𝑉) = 13.92(0.05)(0.05)(0.3) = 0.01044 𝑘𝑁
Problem 3
Following are the results of four drained direct shear tests on an over-consolidated clay:
• Diameter of specimen = 50mm
• Height of specimen = 25mm

Show a graphical representation of the shear parameters and determine the relationship
for peak shear strength and residual shear strength.
Problem 4
A series of direct shear tests was performed on a soil sample. Each test was carried out
until the specimen failed. The laboratory data for the tests are tabulated as follows:

Determine (a) cohesion of soil, (b) angle of internal friction, c() shear strength of the soil
at a depth of 4m below the ground surface if it has a unit weight of 15.8 kN/cu.m

450 − 𝑐 520 − 𝑐
= ; 𝒄 = 𝟑𝟖𝟎 𝒌𝒑𝒂
200 400
450 − 𝑐 450 − 380
tan ∅ = ; ; ∅ = 𝟏𝟗. 𝟑°
200 200
𝜏 = 𝑐 + 𝜎𝑡𝑎𝑛∅
𝑘𝑁
𝜎 = 15.84(4) = 63.2
𝑠𝑞. 𝑚
𝜏 = 380 + 63.2 tan 19.3 = 𝟒𝟎𝟐. 𝟏𝟑𝒌𝒑𝒂