EXAMPLE 1.

CU test

Sample: D0 = 38 mm, H0 = 76 mm
Pore water pressure at failure: u100 = 10 kPa, u200 = 61.6 kPa, u300 = 113.2 kPa

Required : a) The deviatoric stress – axial strain curve and modulus

of elasticity of the soil
b) Shear strength parameters (effective & total)
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SOLUTION 1.3
Strategy: Prepare a table or a spreadsheet and calculate the axial strain,
corrected area, and deviatoric stress for the given data.

(a) A sample calculation for axial deformation of 4.75 mm is shown below:

Step 1: Calculate the initial area A0

  D 2   38.0 2
A0    10 6 m2 = 1.134×10-3 m2
4 4

Step 2: Calculate the axial strain. Use Eqn. (1.26).

z 4.75
1    0.0625
H0 76
Step 3: Calculate the corrected area. Use Eqn. (1.30).
Note that for CU test p = 0

A0 1.134  10 3
A   1.2097  10 3
(1   1 ) (1  0.0625)

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Step 4: Calculate the deviatoric stress

For 3 = 100 kPa

Deviatoric stress = 328/1.21×10-3 = 271.9 kPa

For 3 = 200 kPa

Deviatoric stress = 499/1.21×10-3 = 412.5 kPa

For 3 = 300 kPa

Deviatoric stress = 661.2/1.21×10-3 = 546.6 kPa

The calculated results are summarized in the table below.

…Next slide…

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4
 Best tangent

Step 5: Determine the modulus of elasticity

For 3 = 100 kPa

Ei = 110.0/0.0125 = 8800 kPa.
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 For 3 = 200 kPa
Ei = 135.6/0.0125 = 10848 kPa.

For 3 = 300 kPa

Ei = 160.0/0.0125 = 12800 kPa.

(b) Determine the shear strength parameters.

Step 1: Calculate 1 at failure for each test

For 3 =100 kPa, 1 = 100 + 271.9 = 371.9 kPa.

For 3 =200 kPa, 1 = 200 + 418.3 = 618.3 kPa.

For 3 =100 kPa, 1 = 300 + 564.7 = 864.7 kPa.

Step 2: Calculate ’1 and ’3 at failure for each test

For 3 =100 kPa,

’3 = 100 - 10 = 90 kPa, ’1 = 371.9 - 10 = 361.9 kPa

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 For 3 =200 kPa,

’3 = 200 – 61.6 = 138.4 kPa, ’1 = 618.3 – 61.6 = 556.7 kPa

For 3 =300 kPa,

’3 = 300 – 113.2 = 186.8 kPa, ’1 = 864.7-113.2=751.5 kPa.

Step 2: Draw the Mohr circles and extract the shear strength
parameters.

Effective stress parameters: c’ = 0 and ’ = 370

Total stress parameters: c = 40 kPa and = 250