Shearing Tests

SHEAR BOX (DIRECT SHEAR) TEST

Fv
loading porous
platen filters (stones)

water
Fs
bath
soil

split box
(usually square)

 water bath keeps soil saturated - porous stones allow water to flow into or out of soil without loss of soil particles.

 no control of drainage – soil will drain and compress when it wants to! – depending on its permeability

 essentially an oedometer with a split that can apply a shear load Fs (but it is usually square not circular)
 SHEAR BOX (DIRECT SHEAR) TEST (2)
Fv
dial gauge for proving ring
vertical (measures shear
force Fs)
ΔS
displacement ΔV

motor σv
Fs
dial gauge for
split box in shear
H0
τ
water bath displacement ΔS U=0

load hanger
for vertical
lever arm to
load Fv A
apply larger
vertical loads

 vertical stress σv = Fv/A where A is current area

 shear stress τ = Fs/A where A is current area
 vertical strain εv = ΔV/H0 where ΔV is the vertical displacement and H0 is initial height

 no horizontal strain, εh, ensured by rigid confining box, so volumetric strain = vertical strain

 shear strain ϒ= ΔS/H0 where ΔS is the shear displacement

 if pore pressure u=0 then σ′v=σv τ' = τ regardless of pore pressure
Carriage/water bath
ASSEMBLING A SHEAR BOX Top platen placed on
Carriage and box mounted in box
loading frame

Top platen Shear box

The box
movement

Making a sand
Load hanger placed on top platen sample

Shearing the sample,

recording 1) shear load
Placing a 2) shear displacement
vertical load 3) vertical displacement
 Shearing – Typical Data
σ'v
τ ∆S
∆v
Ho U=0

γ= ∆S/Ho
εv= ∆v/Ho

increasing σ'v

 stress-strain behaviour is highly non-linear

 for some soils stress-strain curves will have a peak, but this tends to reduce (relative to the
γ final state) as stress level increases

τ
 strength (the maximum or final τ depending on your choice) will increase with σ’v (i.e. the soil
behaviour is frictional)
increasing σ'v

 stiffness (gradient) increases with σ'v

γ
 Shearing – Typical Data (2)
τ σ'v
∆S
∆v
Ho U=0  to eliminate σ’v effect, we can plot τ/σ’v

 overconsolidated clay (OC) will have a peak strength, but normally consolidated (NC)
γ= ∆S/Ho
will not
εv= ∆v/Ho

τ/σ’v
peak  critical state is defined when the shear stress is constant and the volumetric strain is
OC constant while the shear strain increases
tanφ′cs
critical
state  overconsolidated samples will expand (dilate) during shearing while normally
NC consolidated will compress

γ  the peak strength is linked to the dilation of the overconsolidated samples

-ve OC
dilation
 strength of NC samples is unique for a given soil, but strength of OC will increase as
εvol overconsolidation (OCR) increases (i.e. degree of unloading from maximum past stress)
γ
+ve
comp-  dense sand behaves like overconsolidated clay and loose sand like normally consolidated
ression NC
 Disadvantages
Direct Shear Test
σ’v
• no control of drainage or pore pressure measurement
τ

• predetermined failure plane gives concentration of strains in middle of

sample and inaccuracy of γ and εv which are calculated with the
whole sample height

Assumed shape for Actual shape

calculation of γ and εv

τ σ’v τ
• complete stress state not known and cannot draw Mohr’s circle
φ’ – often assume φ’ = tan-1(τ/σ’v)

σ’ • φ’ is the effective angle of shearing resistance or “friction angle”

?

Advantage
• cheap…
 Dependence of Strength on Stress – Mohr-Coulomb Failure Envelope

τ′ τ′
peak failure φ′p critical state
envelope failure envelope φ′cs
tests at
different
stress levels
τ = c′ + σv′tanφ′p
c′
τ = σv′tanφ′cs

σ′v σ′v

• φ’ is the effective angle of shearing resistance (or “friction angle”), either peak φ’
p or critical state φ’
cs

• the “cohesion intercept” c’ MUST be zero for the critical state

• strength behaviour can basically be described with a frictional type of model, i.e. shear resistance is dependent on the normal stress

• but we must not think that φ’ is related to friction between the particles. This is only a minor factor and more important is the particle angularity
(causes interlocking)
 This Slide is “Entertainment” Only!
Inter-Particle
Loading Apparatus
• inter-particle friction between sand grains is typically about
10-20° - depends on particle roughness
Interferometry for Roughness
of Particle Surface

φ’cs = 33°
φ’cs = 40°
• φ’ depends mostly on shape of particles