Shear Strength of Soil

Shear Strength of Soil

The Coulomb Equation

Shearing strength of soil has two components:
• Cohesion between particles
• Friction between particles
 Shear Strength of Soil

The Coulomb Equation

In coulomb equation, c and Ø are empirical parameters based on:
• The past history of soil
• The initial state of soil, i.e., saturated or unsaturated
• The permeability characteristics of the soil
• The conditions of drainage allowed to take place during the test
 Shear Strength of Soil
Methods of determining shear strength parameters
• Laboratory Method:
• Direct or box shear test
• Triaxial compression test
• Field Method:
• Vane Shear test
 Shear Strength of Soil
Direct Shear Stress
A diagram of the direct shear test apparatus is shown. The test equipment is consisting
of a metal shear box in which the soil specimen is placed. The box is split horizontally
into halves. Normal force on the specimen is applied from the top of the shear box.
Shear force is applied by moving one-half of the box relative to the other to cause
failure on the soil specimen.
 Shear Strength of Soil
  
Direct Shear Stress
a. For normally consolidated

b. For over consolidated

Example:
The
   angle of friction of a compacted dry sand is 37. In a direct shear test on the
sand, a normal stress of 150 was applied. The size of the specimen was 50 mm x
50 mm x 30 mm (height). Compute the shearing stress. What shear force will
cause shear failure?

Solution:
Shearing stress:  Shear force that cause shear failure:
 Example:

The size of a sand specimen in a direct shear test was 50mm x

 

50mm x 300mm (height). It is known that, for the sand, tan

(where e= void ratio) and the specific gravity of soil solids Gs=
2.65. During the test, a normal stress of 140kN/sq.m was applied.
Failure occurred at a shear stress of 105 kN/sq.m. What was the
weight of the sand specimen?
Solution:
  

 Weight of the sand specimen:

Example: Direct Shear Stress
A  series
 of undrained shear box test (area of box = 360 ) were carried out on a
soil with the following results.
Normal load (N) Shear Force at Failure (N)
90 70
180 96.5
270 123

• Determine the cohesion with respect to the total stresses

• Determine the angle of friction
Solution:
Normal stress Shear stress

 
  
Tri-Axial Test (Consolidated drain test)
• In this test, a soil specimen about 36 mm in diameter and 76 mm (3 in.)
long generally is used. The specimen is encased by a thin rubber
membrane and placed inside a plastic cylindrical chamber that usually
is filled with water or glycerine. The specimen is subjected to a
confining pressure by compression of the fluid in the chamber.

• (Note: Air is sometimes used as a compression medium.) To cause

shear failure in the specimen, one must apply axial stress (sometimes
called deviator stress) through a vertical loading ram. This stress can be
applied in one of two ways:
 Tri-Axial Test

Stress can be applied in one of two ways:

1. Application of dead weights or hydraulic
pressure in equal increments until the
specimen fails. (Axial deformation of the
specimen resulting from the load applied
through the ram is measured by a dial gauge.)
2. Application of axial deformation at a
constant rate by means of a geared or
hydraulic loading press. This is a strain-
controlled test.
Consolidated drained test

In this test, the specimen is first subjected to

an all-around confining pressure, σ3, by
compression of the chamber fluid. As the
deviator stress, σD, on the specimen is
increased at a very slow rate, the drainage
connection is kept open and the slow rate of
deviator stress application allows complete
dissipation of any pore water pressure, thus
consolidation will occur.
Tri-Axial Test (Consolidated drain test)
• For normally consolidated soil • For Over Consolidated Soil
(non-cohesive, c=0) (cohesive soil)

  𝑟
  𝑟    𝑐
∅ ∅
 
∅
  ∅
 
 𝜎 3
 𝜎 3  𝜎 𝐷

 𝜎 1
 𝜎 𝑁
  
Where:

 Example:

 A consolidated drained tri-axial was conducted on a normally consolidated

clay. The results were: = 300 kPa, deviator stress = 300 kPa. Determine (a)
the angle of shearing resistance (b) the angle that the failure plane makes
with the major principal stress (c) Compute the shear stress on the failure
plane
 Solution:
 a. Effective normal stress on the plane of max. shear:
Failure
plane

b. Stress angle of friction:

19.47°
 

c. Normal stress on failure plane: 𝑟=150

 
∅
  𝑎 
 150  150
𝜎  3 =300
 300
 𝜎 𝑛

 𝜎 𝑁
 Consolidated-Undrained Test (CU Test)

In this test, the saturated soil specimen is first consolidated by an all-

around chamber fluid pressure, σ3, that results in drainage. After the pore
water pressure generated by the application of confining pressure is
dissipated, the deviator stress on the specimen is increased to cause shear
failure. During this phase of the test, the drainage line from the specimen
is kept close because drainage is not permitted.
Consolidated-Undrained Test (CU Test)
Total stress
failure envelope
Effective stress
failure envelope
 

∅
  𝑐𝑢   𝑟
∅
  𝐶𝐷

 ∆ 𝑢  𝜎 𝐷

 𝜎 3
 Example:

A sample of normally consolidated clay was subjected to a consolidated

undrained tri-axial compression that was carried out until the specimen failed
at a deviator stress of 50 kPa. The pore water pressure at failure was recorded
to be 18 kPa and a confining pressure of 48 kPa was used in the test.
Compute (a) the consolidated undrained friction angle for the total stress
strength envelope, and (b) the normal stress at the effective stress strength
envelope.
 Solution:
 a. Consolidated undrained friction angle for the total stress
strength envelope:

b. Friction angle for the effective stress strength envelope:

27°
 

∅
  𝑐𝑢 𝑟=25
 
c. Normal stress at the effective stress strength envelope: ∅
  𝐶𝐷
  50
 30   18

 55

 𝜎 𝑁   𝑥
 Unconsolidated undrained test (UU-test)
 Inunconsolidated-undrained tests, drainage from the soil specimen is not permitted
during the application of chamber pressure. The test specimen is sheared to failure by the
application of deviator stress and drainage is prevented.

  𝑟   𝑟
𝐶
  𝑢

 𝜎 ′ 3  ∆ 𝑢  𝜎 𝐷
 𝜎 3
 𝜎 ′ 1
 𝜎 1
 Example:
At a point in a stressed material, the major principal stress is 5000 psf
compression and the minor principal stress is 2000 psf compression.
Compute (a) the max shear stress acting on the same plane (b) the value of
normal stress acting on the same plane
 Solution:
a. Max. shear stress:

  𝑟
b. Normal stress acting on the same
plane:  2 000  2 𝑟
 𝜎 𝑁
 5 000