MANILA: Room 206, JPD Building CM Recto Avenue, Manila

CEBU: 4/F J. Martinez Bldg., Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City

Telephone Number: (02) 516 7559(Manila) E-Mail: buksmarquez1 @yahoo.com
(032) 254 9967 (Cebu)

Review MODULE – Stresses in a Soil Mass, Direct and Triaxial Tests

STRESSES IN A SOIL MASS

SITUATION. SITUATION.
For the Soil Mass subjected to the Normal and Shearing Stresses as A certain Soil Sample fails when the Shear Stress on plane AB reaches
shown. 8kPa.

1. Determine the Major and Minor Principal Stresses.

2. Locate the Major and Principal Planes.
3. Determine the Maximum Shear Stress.
4. Determine the Normal and Shearing Stress acting on plane M

SITUATION. 1. Determine force P, for failure to happen.

For the Soil Mass subjected to pressure as shown,

SITUATION.
For the triangular State of Stress.

1. Determine the Principal Stresses and the Normal Stress of Plane

AB.
1. Determine the normal and shearing stress in Plane N.

SHEAR STRENGTH PARAMETERS –

SITUATION. (1) cohesion and (2) internal friction angle
For the Soil Mass subjected to all around pressure of 80 kPa, 𝛕 = 𝐜 + 𝛔 𝐭𝐚𝐧∅ (Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion)

DIRECT SHEAR TEST

Is one of the simplest laboratory or field test used to measure the shear
strength properties of soil or rock material.

Fz
Porous Stone

Upper Shear
Box
Fx Soil Specimen

Lower Shear
1. Determine the normal and shearing stress in Plane M. Box

Porous Stone
 MANILA: Room 206, JPD Building CM Recto Avenue, Manila
CEBU: 4/F J. Martinez Bldg., Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City
Telephone Number: (02) 516 7559(Manila) E-Mail: buksmarquez1 @yahoo.com
(032) 254 9967 (Cebu)

Review MODULE – Stresses in a Soil Mass, Direct and Triaxial Tests

SITUATION. UC: UNCONFINED-COMPRESSION TEST
Direct shear tests were performed on a clayey soil. The size of the - 𝜎3 = 0, no confining pressure.
specimen was 50 mm x 50 mm x 20 mm. Test results are as follows: - Simple compression test.
- Special Case of UU:
Trial Normal Force (N) Shear Force at Failure
SITUATION.
A cylindrical specimen of saturated clay 4.50 cm-Ø and 9cm long is
1 100 40
tested in an unconfined compression apparatus.
2 120 65
4. Find the cohesion of the specimen if it failed at an axial load of 45
3 310 130 kg. The specimen’s length after the test was 8.10 cm.

4 400 185 5. Compute the angle of inclination of the failure plane with respect to
the principal stresses.
1. Determine the cohesion
SITUATION.
2. Determine the angle of internal for the soil sample
A cylindrical specimen of a saturated soil fails under a stress of 150
kPa in an unconfined compression test. The failure plane makes an
TRIAXIAL TEST angle of 52° with the horizontal.
A common method to measure the shear strength parameters of soil or
rock material. It involves subjecting a cylindrical soil sample to radial 1. Compute the angle of internal friction of the soil.
stresses (confining pressure) and controlled increases in axial stresses 2. Compute the cohesion of the soil.
or axial displacements. 3. Compute the shearing stress at the failure plane.
Triaxial test data, in general, include evolution of axial and volumetric
strain, deviatoric and isotropic stress, and pore pressure evolution. It is CD: CONSOLIDATED-DRAINED TEST
also possible to deduce the shear strength parameters; namely friction - Effective stress test
angle, cohesion, dilatancy angle, and the other dependent parameters. - S-test or Slow test
Strain - Drainage valve is always OPEN.
Gage *For sand and normally consolidated clay, 𝑐 ≈ 0

SITUATION. The data shown in the table were obtained in a

consolidated-drained triaxial test of three identical soil specimens.

Test Minor Principal Major Principal

No. Stress, 𝝈′𝟑 Stress, 𝝈′𝟏
1 50 kPa 230 kPa
2 100 kPa 385 kPa
Soil 3 150 kPa 540 kPa
σ3 Specimen
1. Compute the angle of internal friction.
2. Compute the cohesion of soil.
3. Compute the shearing stress at a depth of 6m below the ground if
Gate a phreatic line is located 2m below the ground surface and the soil
Valve has a dry unit weight of 16 kN/m³ and a saturated unit weight of 20
kN/m³.
Depending on the combination of loading and drainage condition,
three main types of triaxial tests can be carried out:
1. UU: Unconsolidated-Undrained Test SITUATION.
2. CD: Consolidated-Drained Test A consolidated-drained tri-axial test is conducted on a normally
3. CU: Consolidated-Undrained Test consolidated clay. The cell pressure is 100 kPa and the applied axial
stress at failure is 200 kPa.

UU: UNCONSOLIDATED-UNDRAINED TEST 1. Compute the angle of shearing resistance.

- Total stress test
- Q-test or Quick test 2. Determine the shear stress at failure.
- Drainage valve is always CLOSED.
3. Compute the angle of inclination of the failure plane with respect to
SITUATION. the major principal planes.
An unconsolidated undrained test was conducted on a saturated clay.
The cell pressure was 200 kPa and failure occurred under a deviator 4. Determine the maximum shear stress at failure and the angle of
stress of 220 kPa. the plane on which it acts.
1. Determine the angle of shearing resistance.
2. Determine the maximum principal stress at failure.
3. Determine the undrained shear strength.
 MANILA: Room 206, JPD Building CM Recto Avenue, Manila
CEBU: 4/F J. Martinez Bldg., Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City
Telephone Number: (02) 516 7559(Manila) E-Mail: buksmarquez1 @yahoo.com
(032) 254 9967 (Cebu)

Review MODULE – Stresses in a Soil Mass, Direct and Triaxial Tests

CU: CONSOLIDATED-UNDRAINED TEST

- Allows measurement of both total and effective stresses
- R-test, because it is faster than S-test but slower than Q-test
- Drainage is OPEN during the CONSOLIDATION PHASE but
CLOSED during the SHEAR PHASE.

SITUATION. Consolidated undrained tests were carried out on two

samples of a clay. The following results were obtained:

Confining Deviator Pore

Sample
Pressure Stress Pressure
A 420 kPa 320 kPa 205 kPa
B 690 kPa 365 kPa 350 kPa

1. Determine the drained friction angle for sample A.

2. Determine the undrained shear strength of sample A.

3. Determine the maximum shear strength of sample B.

SITUATION.
A consolidated-undrained soil test was conducted on a normally
consolidated sample with an effective confining pressure 𝝈′𝟑 of 140
kPa. The sample failed when the deviator stress was 124 kPa. The
pore water pressure in the sample at that time was 75 kPa.

1. Compute the consolidated undrained friction angle for the total

stress strength envelope.

2. Compute the drained friction angle for the effective stress strength
envelope.

3. What is the drained angle of internal friction if the soil possesses

cohesion of 12 kPa.