Shear Strength

The strength of a material is the

greatest stress it can sustain
The safety of any geotechnical
structure is dependent on the
strength of the soil
If the soil fails, the structure
founded on it can collapse

Shear Failure in Soils

Bearing Capacity
Failure

Transcosna Grain Elevator

Canada (Oct. 18, 1913)

West side of foundation sank 24-ft

Shear Strength of
Soils
-- Shear failure
Soils generally fail in
shear
embankment
strip footing

failure surface

mobilised shear
resistance

At failure, shear stress along the failure

surface reaches the shear strength.

Shear failure

failure
surface
The soil

grains slide
over each other along
the failure surface.
No crushing of
individual grains.

Shear failure

At failure, shear stress along the failure

surface () reaches the shear strength (f).

Mohr-Coulomb Failure
Criterion

f c tan
re
failu

cohesio
n

e
p
o
l
e
env

friction
angle

f is the maximum shear stress the soil can take

without failure, under normal stress of .

Mohr-Coulomb Failure
Shear
strength consists of two
Criterion
components: cohesive and frictional.

f c f tan

f tan

frictional
compone
nt

c
f

c and are measures of shear

strength.
Higher the values, higher the shear

Mohr Circles & Failure Envelope

X
Y

Soil elements at
different locations

X ~ failure
Y ~ stable

Mohr Circles & Failure Envelope

The soil element does not fail
if the Mohr circle is contained
within the envelope
GL

c
Y

c
c
Initially, Mohr circle is a point

c+

Mohr Circles & Failure Envelope

As loading progresses, Mohr
circle becomes larger

GL

c
Y

c
c
.. and finally failure occurs
when Mohr circle touches the
envelope

Orientation of Failure Plane

Failure plane
oriented at 45 + /2
to horizontal

Y
GL

c
Y

45 + /2

45 + /2 90+

c
c

c+

1- 3 Relation at Failure
1
3

X
X

soil element at failure

1 3 tan ( 45 / 2) 2c tan( 45 / 2)
2

3 1 tan ( 45 / 2) 2c tan( 45 / 2)
2

Envelopes in terms of &

Identical specimens
initially subjected to
different isotropic stresses
(c) and then loaded
axially to failure

f
c

c
Initially

At failure,

3 = c; 1 = c+ f
3 = 3 u f ; 1 = 1 - u f

uf
Failure

c,
in terms of
c,
in terms of

Triaxial
Test
Apparatus

Strains in triaxial specimens

From the measurements of change in height, dh, and change in
volume dV we can determine

dh
h0

dV
V0

Axial strain
Volume strain
where h0 is the initial height and V0 is the initial volume
It is assumed that the specimens deform as right circular cylinders.
The cross-sectional area, A, can then be determined from

A =

dV
1 +

V
0
Ao
1 + dh

1 - v
Ao

1 - a

Types of Triaxial
Tests Stage 1

Under all-around
cell pressure c

Is the drainage valve open?

yes

Consolidated
sample

no

Unconsolidated
sample

Stage 2
deviatoric stress ()

Shearing (loading)

Is the drainage valve open?

yes

no

Drained

Undrained

loading

loading

Types of Triaxial Tests

Depending on whether drainage is
allowed or not during
initial isotropic cell pressure
and
application,
shearing,
there are three special types of triaxial
tests that have practical significances.
They are:
Consolidated Drained (CD) test
Consolidated Undrained (CU) test
Unconsolidated Undrained (UU) test

CD, CU and UU Triaxial Tests

Consolidated Drained (CD) Test
no excess pore pressure throughout
test
the
very slow shearing to avoid build-up of
pore
pressure
gives c and
Use c and for analysing fully drained
situations (e.g., long term stability,
very slow loading)

CD, CU and UU Triaxial Tests

Consolidated Undrained (CU) Test
pore pressure develops during shear
Measure

gives c and
faster than CD (preferred way to find c
and )

CD, CU and UU Triaxial

Tests
Unconsolidated Undrained (UU) Test
pore pressure develops during shear
= 0; i.e., failure envelope is
Not measured
horizontal
unknown
analyse in terms of gives cu and
uvery quick test
Use cu and u for analysing undrained
situations (e.g., short term stability,
quick loading)

CD test

11.4Stress-strain and volume change-strain behaviour of sands under drained

CU test

Fig. 11.5Pore water pressure developed under undrained shear

Ex. 11.2: Three samples of a soil were tested under CU

conditions with measurement of PWP. The confining pressures
and the conditions at failure observed were as follows:

etermine the effective cohesive intercept and angle of shearing resistanc

Sol:- Calculate the effective stress at failure

Plot the Mohr circle in terms of effective stresses

Fig. 11.16Mohrs Circles at failure and the failure envelope

Ex. 11.3: from the results of CU test, it was found that

A soil sample is tested in CU test with confining
pressure of 150 kPa.
Determine the
(a) Deviator stress at failure
(b) Major effective principal stress at failure
(c) Minor effective principal stress at failure
(d)Pore water pressure at failure

Draw the two failure envelopes.

Draw the Mohr circle at failure in terms of total
c with
stresses starting
= 150 kPa
and find

1 f 250kPa

The Mohr circle at failure in terms of effective

stresses must have the same diameter as the
Mohr circle at failure in terms of total stresses,
and it is tangent to the failure envelope in terms
of effective stresses.
So shift the circle to the left until it is tangent to
the line inclined at 300.

( 1 3 ) f 100 kPa 1f 150 kPa 3f 50 kPa

u f 100kPa

11.17Failure envelopes and Mohrs Circles in terms of total and effective stres