SOIL MECHANICS

Advantages of Direct Shear Test:

1. Quick, inexpensive and simple test

2. Ease of sample preparation

Disadvantages of Direct Shear Test

1. Drainage conditions cannot be controlled and pore water pressure cannot be

measured.
2. The test is not recommended for the conditions other than fully drained.
3. The failure plane is always horizontal.
4. The area of the soil specimen doesn’t remains constant.

4.5.2 Triaxial Shear Test/Triaxial Compression Test

In this test the specimen is compressed by applying all the three principal stresses
𝜎1 , 𝜎2 , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜎3 .

The soil specimen used in this test is cylindrical in shape of length 2 to 2.5 times the
diameter. The test consists of triaxial cell, loading frame, dial gauge, proving ring, constant
pressure system. The triaxial cell consists of high pressure cylindrical cell, made of a solid
transparent plastic made up of polymethyl methacrylate, fitted between base and top cap
and is provided at the base with inlet for cell fluid and outlets for drainage of pore water
from specimen. At the top an air release valve is provided to expel the air from the cell.

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Fig., Triaxial Test

The soil specimen is kept inside the triaxial cell with porous plates at top and bottom.
The loading cap is placed on top porous plate. The specimen is enclosed with rubber
membrane. After filling the cell with pore fluid required cell pressure (𝜎3 ) is applied by
means of constant pressure system. The additional axial force called as deviator force is
applied through plunger. The deviator stress 𝜎𝑑 at any stage of the test is given by

𝐹
𝜎𝑑 =
𝐴𝑐

Where F = Deviator Force

𝐴
𝐴𝑐 = Corrected Area = 1−𝜀
0

𝐴0 = Initial Area of the Specimen

∆𝐿
𝜀=𝐿
0

∆𝐿 = Change in length
𝐿0 = Initial length of specimen

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Fig 1 Mohr Circles at failure from test Fig 2 Mohr Circle at Failure for derivation

After finding the deviator stress the major principal stress is calculated by 𝜎1 =
𝜎𝑑 + 𝜎3 . With 𝜎1 & 𝜎3, Mohr failure is drawn. The Mohr circle at failure is drawn for each
specimen and the common tangent touching all the circles will be failure envelope (Fig 1), c
and φ are read out from the plot. From the Fig 2 Point A is the pole of Mohr Circle, AD the
failure plane and ℒ𝐷𝐴𝐶 = 𝛼, the angle made by failure plane with the major plane.

In the right angle triangle ℒ𝐷𝐹𝐶

𝐷𝐶
sin ∅′ = 𝐹𝐶

𝜎1′ −𝜎3′
DC = Radius of Mohr Circle = 2

FC = FO + OC

𝜎1′ −𝜎3′ 𝜎1′ +𝜎3′

OC = OA + AC = 𝜎3′ + =
2 2

In the right angle triangle ℒ𝐸𝑂𝐹

𝐹𝑂
= cot ∅′
𝐸𝑂

FO = 𝐸𝑂 cot ∅′ = 𝑐 ′ cot ∅′

FC = OC + FO

𝜎1′ +𝜎3′
= + 𝑐 ′ cot ∅′
2

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 SOIL MECHANICS

𝜎′1 −𝜎′3
𝐷𝐶
′
Hence sin ∅ = 𝐹𝐶 = 𝜎′1 +𝜎′3
2

+ 𝑐 ′ cot ∅′
2

𝜎1′ −𝜎3′ 𝜎1′ +𝜎3′

= sin ∅′ + 𝑐 ′ cos ∅′
2 2

𝜎1′ − 𝜎3′ = (𝜎1′ + 𝜎3′ ) sin ∅′ + 2𝑐 ′ cos ∅′

1+sin ∅′ cos ∅′
𝜎1′ = (1−sin ∅′) 𝜎3′ + 2𝑐 ′ (1−sin ∅′ )

1+sin ∅′ cos ∅′
(1−sin ∅′) = tan2 𝛼 and (1−sin ∅′ ) = tan 𝛼

∅
𝜶 = 𝟒𝟓° + 𝟐

𝝈′𝟏 = 𝝈′𝟑 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝟐 𝜶+ 𝟐𝒄′ tan 𝜶

4.5.3 Unconfined Compression Test

It is special case of triaxial test in which no lateral pressure is applied so that 𝜎2 =

𝜎3 = 0. The soil specimen is cylindrical in shape with length about 2 to 2.5 times its diameter.
The laboratory equipment for conducting this test has facilities for compressing the
specimen at uniform rate of strain and measuring the axial deformation by means of dial
gauge. The maximum compressive stress resisted by specimen before failure is called
unconfined compressive strength (qu).

𝐹
qu =
𝐴𝑐

where F = Axial compressive force at failure

𝐴
𝐴𝑐 = Corrected Area = 1−𝜀
0

𝐴0 = Initial Area of the Specimen

∆𝐿
𝜀=𝐿
0

∆𝐿 = Change in length
𝐿0 = Initial length of specimen

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