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LaboratoryTeststoDetermineShear
StrengthofSoils
GeotechnicalEngineeringII
(ENGI6723)
PresentedbyRodneyP.McAee,Ph.D.,P.Eng.
LaboratoryTeststoDetermineShear
StrengthofSoils
LectureTopics
oBriefoverviewofdirectsheartest
oDeterminesoilshearstrengthparameters
fromtriaxialtesNng:
UnconsolidatedUndrained
ConsolidatedUndrained
oTriaxialtestsetupandbehaviour
oUseofresultsinengineeringpracNce
oExamplesoftriaxialtestresults
ShearStrength
Shearstrengthofsoilsisrequiredtosolveproblems
ofstability
oBearingcapacity,earthpressures,slopestability,etc.
ShearstrengthisafuncNonofeecNvenormalstress
LaboratoryTeststoDetermineShear
StrengthofSoils
DirectShearTest
TriaxialTests
oPorewaterpressuremeasurement
oTesNngunderbackpressure
TypesofTriaxialTests
oUnconsolidatedUndrained
oConsolidatedUndrained
oConsolidatedDrained
DirectShearTest
DirectShearTest
Disadvantages
oFailureplaneisforcedtobehorizontal
oCannotcontroldrainage
oStressconcentraNonsatthesampleboundaries
oUncontrolledrotaNonofprincipalplanesandstresses
Advantages
oTestininexpensive
oFastandsimple
oEasytoprepareforcohesionlesssamples
TriaxialTesNng
CasagrandedevelopedtriaxialtesNnginthe1930s
MorecomplicatedthandirectsheartesNng
oButmoreversaNle
Drainagecanbecontrolled
NorotaNonofprincipalstresses
oSomesmallshearstressesdoactontheboundaries
StressconcentraNonsarelimited
Failureplanecanoccuranywhere
Stresspathstofailurecanbecontrolled
TriaxialTestApparatusand
assumedStressCondiNons
Loadframewithsteppermotordrive
Triaxialcell
Dataacquisitonsystem
Electronicmeasurementtransducers
oLoad,displacement,pressure,and
volumechange
ComputerSoZwarefortriaxialtesNng
Controlpanelanddeairedwater
controlsystem
ControlPaneltoregulate
pressureandowsduring
tesNng
DrainagePathsinTriaxialTesNng
The3permissibledrainagepathsare:
Q-Test
(for quick test)
S-test
(for slow test)
ConsolidatedUndrained(CU)
TestBehaviour
Sampleisrstconsolidatedunderdesiredstresses
AZerconsolidaNoncomplete,drainagevalvesclosed
Typically,porewaterpressuresaremeasured
oCalculatetotalandeecNvestresses
Excessporewaterpressure(u)caneither:
oIncrease(+ive):specimencontractsorconsolidates
oDecrease(ive):specimenexpandsorswells
Axialstressincreasedincrementallyoratconstant
rateofstrain
BackPressureduringTesNng
Toensure100%saturaNon(necessarytogive
accurateporewaterpressures),abackpressureis
appliedtotheporewater
Cellpressurealsoincreasedbysameamountto
maintainthesameeecNveconsolidaNonstresses
Typical Stress-Strain
Curves for CU Tests
Withporewaterpressuresmeasured,wecancalculateboth
totalandeecNvestressesatfailure
Typically,anumberoftestsoverarangeofstressesis
carriedout
NCclayspecimensdevelopposiNveporewaterpressures
(= u)
OCclaystendtoexpandduringshearcausingdecreasedpore
waterpressures
(= (-u))
TesNngonsaturated
sandwithmeasurement
ofporewaterpressure
MohrenvelopesintermsofbothtotalandeecNve
stressesforconsolidatedundrainedtestsonnormally
consolidatedclaysamples
Mohrenvelopesin
termsofbothtotal
andeecNve
stressesfor
consolidated
undrainedtestson
overconsolidated
claysamples
UseofCUStrengthinEngineeringPracNce
Soilsarefully
consolidatedand
atequilibriumwith
theexisNngstress
system
Then,addiNonal
stressesare
appliedquickly
ExampleTestforNCClay:
oConsolidatedunderastressof150kPa
oThenshearedundrainedinaxialcompression
oPrincipalstressdierenceatfailure=100kPa
oInducedporewaterpressureatfailure=88kPa
UnconsolidatedUndrained(UU)
TestBehaviour
Sampleisplacedinthetriaxialcellwiththedrainage
valvesclosed
NoconsolidaNonoccurswhenconningpressureis
applied
Usually,porewaterpressuresarenotmeasured
Sampleisloadedtofailurein10to20minutes
oCalledQtest(forquick)
Testisatotalstresstestandityieldsthestrengthin
termsoftotalstresses
Typical Stress-Strain
Curves for UU Tests
Changeinboth
strengthand
deformaNon
aZerremolding
anundisturbed
sampleofNC
clay
u=0when
resultsare
plogedwith
respecttototal
stress
UseofUUStrengthinEngineeringPracNce
Engineering
loadingisassumed
totakeplaceso
rapidlythatu
cannotdissipateor
forconsolidaNon
tooccur
Changeintotal
stressdoesnot
aecttheinsitu
undrainedshear
strength
Scope
Terminology
Signicanceofuse
Apparatus
TestSpecimens
Procedure
CalculaNon
Report
ASTMD2850:UnconsolidatedUndrained
Terminology
oFailureisdenedasthemaximumprincipalstress
dierenceorthatmeasuredat15%axialstrain
TestSpecimens
oMinimumdiameterof3.3cm
oHeighttodiameterraNobetween2and2.5
oProcedurestoprepareundisturbedandcompacted
samples
Procedure
oAxialstrain:1%/minforplasNcand0.3%/minforbrigle
oTestshouldlastapproximately15to20minutes
ASTMD2850:UnconsolidatedUndrained
CalculaNons
oAxialstrain,=H/H0
oAveragecrosssecNonalarea,A=A0/(1)
oPrincipalstressdierence,13=P/A
oCorrecNonequaNonsfor:
Ifallaroundpressurechangesspecimenlength
CorrecNonforsNnessoftherubbermembrane
Report
oIndexproperNesofmaterialbeingtested
oIniNalH0,Diam.,d,voidraNo,w.c.,saturaNon,etc.
oRateofaxialstrain,strainandstressesatfailure
oStressstraincurveandfailuresketch
ASTMD4767:ConsolidatedUndrained
Terminology
oFailureisdenedasthemaximumprincipalstress
dierenceorthatmeasuredat15%axialstrain,or
oMaximumstressobliquity,1/3
TestSpecimens
oSameasforUUtest
Procedure
oSaturaNonproceduretoensure:
PorePressureParameter,B>0.95(B=u/3)
oConsolidaNonprocedurestoensurespecimenreaches
equilibriuminadrainedstateattheeecNveconsolidaNon
stressrequired
ASTMD4767:ConsolidatedUndrained
Procedure
oAxialloadingtoproduceequalizaNonofporewater
pressuresthroughoutthesampleatfailure
oAssumingfailurewilloccurat4%axialstrain
Rateofstrain=4%/(10xt50)
oDetailsformeasuringporewaterpressures
CalculaNons
oEquaNonsforheightandareaaZerconsolidaNon(Hc&Ac)
oAxialstrain,=H/Hc
oAveragecrosssecNonalarea,A=Ac/(1)
oPrincipalstressdierence,13=P/A
ASTMD4767:ConsolidatedUndrained
CalculaNons
oCalculateeecNvestressesbasedonumeasured
oCorrecNonequaNonsfor:
CorrecNonforlterpaperstrips
CorrecNonforsNnessoftherubbermembrane
Report
oIndexproperNesmeasuredformaterialbeingtested
oEecNveconsolidaNonstress,t50
oHc,Ac,Diam.,d,voidraNo,w.c.,saturaNonaZer
consolidaNon
oRateofaxialstrain,strainandstressesatfailure
oStressstraincurveandfailuresketch
USArmyCorpsof
EngineersProcedure:
Drawstrengthenvelope
inaposiNonsuchthat
datafromtwothirdsof
thetestslieabovethe
failureenvelope
PrimaryReferences:
oA.W.BishopandD.J.Henkel,1962.TheTriaxialTest
oR.D.HoltzandW.D.Kovacs,1981.Introduc:onto
GeotechnicalEngineering
oUSArmyCorpsofEngineers:EngineeringandDesign
Manual:SlopeStability,AppendixDShearStrength
Characteris:cs(EM111021902,Oct31,2003)
oASTMD2850andD4767StandardTestMethods
Summary/QuesNons
LectureTopics
Briefoverviewofdirectsheartest
Determineshearstrength
parametersfromtriaxialtesNng:
UnconsolidatedUndrained
ConsolidatedUndrained
Triaxialtestsetupandbehaviour
UseofresultsinpracNce
Examplesoftriaxialtestresults