Geotechnical Engineering–II [CE-321]

BSc Civil Engineering – 5th Semester

Lecture # 1
6-Sep-2017

by
Dr. Muhammad Irfan
Assistant Professor
Civil Engg. Dept. – UET Lahore
Email: mirfan1@msn.com
Lecture Handouts: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/geotech-ii_2015session
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 SOIL STRENGTH
Construction Materials
Concrete, Steel, Bricks, Wood, Aggregate,
Soil, etc.

Most important property for Civil

Engineers? Material Strength
Compressive
• Concrete, Brick, Wood 
strength
• Steel  Tensile Strength
• Soil ?

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 SOIL STRENGTH
SOIL
• Mostly loaded in compression
• But fails mostly in shear

Embankment
Strip footing

Failure surface

Mobilized shear
resistance
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 SHEAR STRENGTH
• Greatest shear stress a material can sustain before failure
• Safety of geotechnical structure dependent on soil shear strength
• Failure of soil → Failure of whole structure

Typhoon triggered landslide

Wakayama, Japan (September 2011)

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 SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS
• Resistance to shearing stresses
• Shear failure occurs due to sliding or rolling of particles past each
other.
• Sources of soil shear strength
– Cohesion (stress independent component)  Cohesion (c)
• Cementation between sand grains
• Electrostatic attraction between clay particles
– Frictional resistance (stress dependent component)  Angle of internal
• Interlocking between sand grains friction (φ)

Rolling of particles Sliding of particles

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 SHEAR FAILURE OF SOIL
Soils generally fail in shear
Embankment

Strip footing

Failure surface
Mobilized shear
resistance

At failure, shear stress/resistance along failure surface (mobilized

shear resistance) reaches the shear strength.
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SHEAR FAILURE OF SOIL
Soils generally fail in shear

Retaining wall

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 SHEAR FAILURE OF SOIL
Soils generally fail in shear

Mobilized shear
Retaining wall resistance

Failure
surface

At failure, shear stress/resistance along failure surface (mobilized

shear resistance) reaches the shear strength.
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SHEAR FAILURE MECHANISM
Failure Surface

Y
• Soil grains slide/roll
over each other along
Difference in shear strength of X & Y? the failure surface.
• No crushing of
individual grains.
At failure, shear stress/resistance along failure surface (τ)
reaches shear strength (τf).
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 MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE CRITERIA
The relationship between normal and shear stress on the failure
plane σ1
τ α f (σ )
τ f = c + σ tan φ
Graphical
representation
σ3

τ
τf = shear strength
c = cohesion
σ = normal stress
φ
Φ = angle of internal friction

Cohesion Friction angle

τf
c
σ σ
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MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE CRITERIA
Non-cohesive/Granular Soils Cohesive Soils
τ (c = 0; φ > 0) τ (c > 0; φ = 0)

φ
c

σ σ

c-φ Soils
τ (c > 0; φ > 0)

c
σ
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 MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE CRITERIA
Basic Concepts For a continuous material
N Normal stress: σ = N / A
Area: A (compression: +ve)

T Shear stress: τ = T / A
(counter-clock-wise: +ve)

Principle Stress: Max. and min. value of normal stresses

Principle Plane: Plane on which principle stresses act
• Normal stresses are either max. or min. on principle planes
• Shear stresses are zero on principle planes
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 MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE CRITERIA
τ In terms of Total Stress

τ f = c + σ tan φ

Friction angle
Cohesion
τf
c
σ σ

τf is the maximum shear stress the soil can take without failure,
under any particular normal stress of σ. 13
 MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE CRITERIA
τ In terms of Effective Stress

τ f = c′ + σ ′ tan φ ′
σ′ =σ −u
φ’
σ = Total stress
u = Pore water
Effective
Effective pressure
cohesion
τf friction angle
c’
σ’ σ’

τf is the maximum shear stress the soil can take without failure,
under any particular normal effective stress of σ’. 14
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Principles of Geotechnical Engineering – (7th Edition)
Braja M. Das
Chapter #12

Geotechnical Engineering – Principles and Practices – (2nd Edition)

Coduto, Yueng, and Kitch
Chapter #12

CONCLUDED
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