Shear Strength of Unsaturated Soil

• Shear Strength Characterization

Requirements for Shear Strength

Cannot use saturated soil parameters c' and φ' and

effective stresses because effective stresses are
unknown.

To characterize the shear strength of unsaturated soil, it is

necessary to measure the three stresses σ, ua, and uw
at failure to determine the stress state variables (σ - ua)
and (ua - uw) at failure.

Test Procedures

1) Specimen preparation:

- undisturbed specimens should be taken from

representative samples where the soil properties
(composition, moisture condition, and density) are
the same;

- disturbed samples are prepared by reconstitution of

soil from dry or saturated (slurry) state, or by
recompaction of soil samples;

- disturbed samples must be prepared at the same

moisture condition and density to be "identical".

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2) Sample "consolidation":

- stresses are applied and the soil is allowed to come to

equilibrium so that the initial stress state variables
will be known;

- the matric suction pressures can be achieved by:

a) directly measuring the pore water and air

pressures of a specimen;

b) applying both air and water pressures keeping

ua > uw (axis-translation technique).

3) Load to failure:

- soil is tested under undrained conditions by

preventing movement of air and/or water from the
soil and measuring the changes in pressure;

- soil is tested under drained conditions by allowing

movement of air and water from the soil under
regulated (constant) pressures.

- soil is loaded to failure using triaxial or direct shear

apparatus (modified to control pressures), and the
shear strength is given as half the deviator stress at
failure, (σ1 - σ3)f / 2 or the applied shear stress at
failure, τff.

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Failure Criteria

Mohr's circles are plotted using σ1 and σ3 but, for soils

that undergo large strains, there is a question as to
when does failure occur.

Maximum deviator stress = (σ1 - σ3)max

Maximum principal stress ratio = σ σ)

( 1
− 3 max

(σ 3 − u)
w

For undrained tests, the denominator of the latter

expression varies so the maximum for the two criteria
do not necessarily occur at the same value of strain.

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Test Results – How can we determine the shear strength of
unsaturated soils?

The shear strength of soil is dependent on the net normal

stress and the matric suction.

1) Drained triaxial shear tests:

a) Three-dimensional plots

Plane φ'
φb
τ (ua – uw)

φb

φ'

c'

(σ3 – ua)

τ = c' + (σ3 – ua) tan φ' + (ua – uw) tan φb

τ = [c' + (ua – uw) tan φb] + (σ3 – ua) tan φ'

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 b) Two-dimensional plots

τ φ'

c'

(σ3 – ua)

τ
φb

c'

(ua – uw)

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2) Undrained triaxial shear tests

- Linear and nonlinear behavior likely.

3) Drained direct shear tests

a) linear and nonlinear behavior reported for τ vs. (σf - ua)

b) nonlinear behavior for ϕb vs. (ua - uw) and for
τ vs. (ua - uw)

4) Undrained direct shear tests

- Linear and nonlinear behavior likely

Required Results

Shear strength parameters that give the shear strength as a

function of the net normal stress and the matric suction
pressure for a particular soil for drained or undrained
conditions.

Stress-strain behavior or volumetric strain behavior.

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Shear Strength Equations For Linear Behavior

In terms of net normal stress, (σf - ua):

τ ff = c ' + (σ f − u a ) f tan φ ' + ( u a − u w ) f tan ϕ

b

or

τ ff = c + (σ f − u a ) f tan φ '

where

c = c ' + ( u a − u w ) f tan ϕ
b

If one used the stress state variable (σf - uw):

τ ff
= c’ + (σ - u a ) f tan φ ’ + (u a − u w ) f tan φ "

For zero matric suction, the pore air and pore water
pressure are equal. The third term in the equations is
zero. Therefor the friction angle φ' is the same.

Setting the two equations equal (for matric sunction > 0):

-uaf tanφ' + (ua – uw)f tanφb = - uwf tan φ' + (ua –uw)f tanφ"

This simplifies to:

tan φ" = tan φb - tan φ'

Since, tan φb < tan φ', φ" would have to be negative.

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Stress Point Envelopes (Stress Paths)

The top point of the Mohr circle (pf, qf) is used to

represent failure where:

q = 1/2 (σ1 - σ3)

p = 1/2 (σ1 + σ3)

q
α
qf

a p
σ3f pf σ1f

Comparing Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope with the

stress point envelope, gives:

tan α = sin φ'

a = c' cos φ'

Using qf vs. pf to represent failure, a and α can be
determine by linear regression (objectively) and then φ'
and c' can be computed.

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 For unsaturated soil, the stresses are given in terms of the
net normal stress to give:
q = 1/2 (σ1 - σ3)
p = 1/2 (σ1 + σ3) - ua

q f = d' + p f tan Ψ ' + r f tan Ψ b

rf = (ua - uw)f
Comparing the extended Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope
with the stress point envelope, gives:

tan Ψ' = sin φ'

d' = c' cos φ'
tan Ψb = tan φb cos φ'

Multistage Testing
Testing a single sample under increasing matric suction
using cyclic loading or sustained loading procedure.

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Mechanics of Unsaturated Soils

Homework Assignment

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