Pressure Panel 

– This enables water and compressed air to be correctly distributed to the right
equipment to undertake a triaxial test.
Cell Pressure (σ3 - Confining Pressure) and Back pressure are controlled from here.
A pressure gauge is included so that known pressures can be applied to the test specimen using the
pressure regulators fitted to the panel.

Load Frame – The load frame is used to apply deformation to the triaxial specimen. The load frame can
be controlled to a high level of accuracy (these tests normally require a slow speed).

Air/Water Cylinders – These provide an interface between compressed air and water in triaxial system.
They contain a rubber bladder which is filled with compressed air to pressurise the water inside the
cylinder, this in turn provides the pressure used in the cell and back pressure for our triaxial test. The
pressure the system can apply to samples is limited by the compressor.

Load Cell – The load cell or other load measuring device such as a load ring, provide the loads required
to shear a triaxial specimen.

Displacement transducer –is used to accurately measure the deformation applied to the triaxial
specimen as it is sheared.

Triaxial Cell – The Triaxial cell comes in a range of sizes and pressure ratings. The cell contains the
triaxial specimen and is pressurised throughout the test.

Pore Pressure Transducer – In CU and CD triaxial tests, the pressures inside the sample are measured
(U  - Pore Pressure). This is done using a pressure transducer attached to the base of the triaxial cell.

Deairing Tank-works with a vacuum source to remove entrapped air from water supplies for triaxial

The Vacuum Pump applies deairing of water for triaxial.

Automatic Volume Change unit – The automatic volume change unit is used in some triaxial tests to
measure the volume of water going into the specimen and also the volume changes of the specimen
through the test.

Test Procedure – Specimen Setup

Samples are normally prepared to give a sample height to diameter ratio of 2:1.

The specimen’s ends are trimmed to ensure they are level and flat.

The specimen is then weighed so the bulk density can be determined and measured (both length and
diameter) so the volume and area can be calculated

Filter paper strips can also be used around the cylindrical surface of the soil specimen to allow radial
drainage to improve the drainage conditions, specially in clayey soils

The specimen is sealed inside a rubber membrane surround with distilled water (cell pressure).

Stage-01 Saturation 
(I) B Value Check
The force saturation is performed by applying cell pressure and the back pressure at constant
increments with constant difference between these two pressures.

It is important to note that cell pressure always is higher than back pressure.
Cell pressure increased from to 50 Kpa.
Back pressure is applied through a volume change line to the bottom of the specimen.

Back pressure is closed off (00 Kpa) from the specimen and maintained at a static pressure.
The increase in the cell pressure causes the pore water pressure in the specimen to gradually increase.
This stage is run until the PWP stabilises.

The degree of saturation can be expressed in terms of Skempton's pore pressure parameter (B value).

∆U = Change in pore pressure

∆σ3 = Change in Confining Pressure
(II) Back Pressure Step
The cell pressure is maintained (100 Kpa) from the previous B Value check.

The back pressure is opened to the specimen and increased in the pressure (30 Kpa).
The back pressure is maintained at a value slightly below the cell pressure.
(This is commonly 10 Kpa to 20 Kpa)

The specimen is allowed to saturate for some time (2-3 hrs) after each increment of cell pressure and
the back pressure.

As the back pressure pushes water into the specimen. The pore water pressure will change.
This step pushes water into the specimen to try and saturate it if the B check shows the sample isn’t
saturated.
These steps are repeated until the sample is saturated.
The sample is said to be fully saturated if the B value greater than 0.95 can be acquired.

Stage-02 Consolidation 
The consolidation stage is carried out for two reasons.
First-Three specimens are tested and consolidated at three different effective pressures.
In order to give specimens of different strengths which will produce widely spaced effective stress
Mohr circles.

Secondly-The results of consolidation are used to determine the minimum time to failure in the shear
stage.
 After saturation, the specimen is normally consolidated to a stress condition representative of its in-situ
condition.

Volume change of the specimen is measured from the back pressure line using Burette or an
automatic Volume controller.

During the Consolidation stage, drainage valve is kept open and the volume change is measured until
no change in volume is observed (when primary consolidation is over).

In effective stress tests

The specimen will be consolidated to an effective pressure. This is the difference between the confining
(cell) pressure and the back pressure
Once the consolidation is started the excess pore pressure in the specimen will start to dissipate as the
consolidation process drains of water from the specimen decreasing its volume.

100% dissipation of excess pore pressure is not always possible so most standards suggest a
minimum dissipation of 95% is achieved before the consolidation process is stopped.

The coefficient of consolidation of the clay can be determined by plotting volume change as a function
of the square root of time. Theoretical considerations indicate that the first 50% of volume loss during
consolidation should show as a straight line on this plot. This straight line is extended down to cut the
horizontal line representing 100% consolidation, and the time intercept at this point (termed “t 100 ” by
Bishop and Henkel) t100 can be used to obtain the coefficient of consolidation.

For CU test, strain rate must be calculated based on values from each consolidation phase

Once the consolidation process has started, the excess pore pressure in the

specimen will start to dissipate as the consolidation process drains the water from
the specimen, decreasing its volume. This process is continued until the volume
change ΔV of the specimen is no longer significant, and at least 95% of the excess
pore pressure has dissipated. At the end of the consolidation stage, a suitable rate
of strain for shearing the specimens is also calculated.
After saturation, the specimen is normally consolidated to a stress condition
representative of its in-situ condition. The consolidation is normally isotropic -
stresses applied vertically and horizontally to the sample are the same (σ3 = σ1)
Specimen consolidation is typically conducted by increasing the cell pressure
while maintaining a constant back pressure 
Stage-03 Shearing Stage 
In the shear stage the axial force (σ1) is gradually increased at the same time as the confining
pressure (σ3) is maintained until failure happens. This is the maximum shear force the soil can take.
 If the specimen is not allowed to drain this is an undrained test, the specimen will not change in
volume during this test but will change in shape.
In a CU (undrained) test, pore pressure changes (U) are allowed to take place and are measured
If drainage is allowed, water will drain from the specimen during the test, allowing the volume and
the shape of the sample to change. In a CD (Drained) test drainage is allowed to prevent pore
pressure changes happening. In this type of test, the volume change of the sample is measured
during the shear stage.
For CU and CD tests, strain rates must be calculated based on values from each consolidation
phase and are much slower.
 After the consolidation, no excess pore pressure, but after this when we apply the deviator
stress again the pore water pressure will develop.
 It can either be positive or negative depending upon the stress history of soil.
 For Normally Consolidated soils, the pore water pressure would be positive and tends to
decrease in volume and pore water tries to move out. (C=0 for NC clays)
 For overconsolidated soils, the pore water pressure would be negative and volume tries to
increase and pore water tries to enter. Effective stress would be more than total stress.
. During the shear stage the vertical stress is increased by the loading ram, and measurements are
made at regular intervals of deformation, ram load and pore pressure. These are converted to graphs of
principal stress difference (σ1- σ3) and pore pressure as a function of strain, and failure is normally
taken as the point of maximum principal stress difference. The effective stress Mohr circles are plotted
for the failure conditions of the three specimens which has been subjected to different consolidation
level, and the gradient and intercept of a straight line drawn tangential to these circles defines the
effective strength parameters c' andφ'.

CD test

When the loading is so gradual, then no pore water pressure exists. This field condition would be
simulated to find long term stability.
 For NC Clays Cohesion =0.
 For OC Clays there exists some cohesion.

The coefficient of consolidation, cV, a parameter which is used for determining the deformation
rate
 Plot delta V verses square root of time and determine t100. cv can then be determined from the
formula:

where D is the diameter of the sample in cm.

During the consolidation process ,the pore water was allowed to drain into the burette until
equilibrium was achieved. This implies that the pore water pressure at the end of consolidation
became zero, that is atmospheric pressure. The total stress on the sample is equal to the cell
pressure and since pore water pressure is zero, the effective stress is also equal to the cell
pressure. The sample can be sheared under undrained conditions with this same effective stress
and sample volume

What constitutes failure depends on the context in which results are to be used. Often used criteria
are :

( a ) at peak deviator stress.

( b ) at peak principal effective stress ratio.

( c ) at 5 percent axial strain.

( d ) at 20 percent axial strain.

In an undrained test, the specimen is not allowed to drain - its volume will not
change during this stage but will change in shape, leading to a pore pressure
development that will be measured.