Shear strength in soils

Introduction
Definitions
Mohr-Coulomb criterion
Introduction
Lab tests for getting the shear strength
Direct shear test
Introduction
Procedure & calculation
Critical void ratio
Triaxial shear test

The strength of a material is the greatest

stress it can sustain;
So that the unit of strength is the same as
stress (Pa in SI unit system);

The shear strength of a soil is its resistance to

shearing stresses.
It is a measure of the soil resistance to
deformation by continuous displacement of
its individual soil particles
Shear strength in soils depends primarily on
interactions between particles
Shear failure occurs when the stresses
between the particles are such that they
slide or roll past each other

Soil derives its shear strength from two

sources:
1. Cohesion between particles (stress
independent component)
o Cementation between sand grains
o Electrostatic attraction between clay
particles
2. Frictional resistance between particles
(stress dependent component)

Cohesion (c), is a measure of the forces

that cement particles of soils
Dry sand with no cementation
Dry sand with some cementation
Soft clay
Stiff clay

Internal Friction angle (), is the measure

of the shear strength of soils due to
friction

Cohesionless soils If the soil do not have

physico-chemical interaction (i.e. c value =
0). The shear strength is derived from
internal friction only. Example sand, gravel
Cohesive soils These soils exhibit cohesion
but the angle of friction is = 0. Example
saturated clays and silts
Cohesive-frictional soils Composite soils or
mixture of fine grained and coarse grained
soils. These soils are also called c- soils.
Example natural soils, sandy clay, clayey
sand, silty sand etc.

Failure happens if the shear stress along

the failure surface reaches the soils
shear strength.
Soil generally fails in shear

failure surface

mobilised shear
resistance

At failure, shear stress along the failure

surface () reaches the shear strength (
f).

This theory states that a material fails

because of a critical combination of
normal stress and shear stress, and not
from their either maximum normal or
shear stress alone.

Charles Coulomb

Charles Mohr

The shear strength parameters of a soil

are determined in the lab primarily with
two types of tests: 1) Direct Shear Test;
and 2) Triaxial Shear Test

Direct shear test is Quick and

Inexpensive
Shortcoming is that it fails the soil on a
designated plane which may not be the
weakest one
Used to determine the shear strength of
both cohesive as well as non-cohesive
soils
ASTM D 3080

The test equipment consists

of a metal box in which the
soil specimen is placed
The box is split horizontally
into two halves
Vertical force (normal stress)
is applied through a metal
platen
Shear force is applied by
moving one half of the box
relative to the other to
cause failure in the soil
specimen

1.Measure inner side or diameter of shear box and find the

area
2.Make sure top and bottom halves of shear box are in
contact and fixed together.
3.Weigh out 150 g of sand.
4.Place the soil in three layers in the mold using the funnel.
Compact the soil with 20 blows per layer.
5.Place cover on top of sand
6.Place shear box in machine.
7.Apply normal force. The weights to use for the three runs
are 2 kg, 4 kg, and 6 kg if the load is applied through a lever arm,
or 10 kg, 20 kg, and 30 kg, if the load is applied directly.
Note: Lever arm loading ratio 1:10 (2kg weight = 20 kg)

8. Start the motor with selected speed (0.1 in/min) so that

the rate of shearing is at a selected constant rate
9. Take the horizontal displacement gauge, vertical
Displacement gage and shear load gage readings.
Record the readings on the data sheet.
10.Continue taking readings until the horizontal shear load
peaks and then falls, or the horizontal displacement
reaches 15% of the diameter.

Specimen preparation is easy, the test is simple and

convenient
As the thickness of the specimen is relatively small,
the drainage is immediate and the pore pressure
dissipates very rapidly. Consequently, the
consolidated-undrained and the consolidateddrained tests take long period of time
It is ideally suited for conducting drained tests on
cohesionless soils
The test apparatus is relatively cheap
Samples may be sheared along predetermined
planes. This is useful when the shear strengths along
fissures or other selected planes are required.

The stress condition is only known at failure, thus Mohr circle

cannot be drawn
The stress distribution on the failure plane is not uniform
The area under shear gradually decreases as the test
progresses.
The failure plane is fixed- this plane may not be the weakest
plane
Controlled over drainage condition is very difficult only
permeable specimen can be tested on drained conditions
The measurement of pore water pressure is not possible
The side walls of the specimen holder caused lateral restraint
on the specimen and do not allow it to deformed laterally.
Since development of the much better triaxial test, the used
of the direct shear test has decreased

Developed by Casagrande in an attempt

to overcome some of the serious
disadvantages of the direct shear test.
Advantages over DST
More Versatile
Drainage can be well controlled
There is no rotation of the principal stresses
like the direct shear test
Also the failure plane can occur anywhere

The triaxial compression test is used to

measure the shear strength of a soil
under controlled drainage conditions
A cylindrical specimen of soil is encased
and subjected to a confining fluid/air
pressure and then loaded axially to
failure.
The test is called "triaxial" because the
three principal stresses are assumed to
be known and are controlled.

During shear, the major principal

stress, 1 is equal to the applied
axial stress (= P/A) plus the
chamber (confining) pressure,3
The applied axial stress, 1-3 is
termed the "principal stress
difference" or sometimes the
"deviatory stress
The intermediate principal stress,
2 and the minor principal stress,
3 are identical in the test, and
are equal to the confining or
chamber pressure

Drained conditions occur when rate at

which loads are applied are slow
compared to rates at which soil material
can drain (k -dependent)
Sands drain fast; therefore under most
loading conditions drained conditions
exist in sands
Exceptions: pile driving, earthquake
loading in fine sands

In clays, drainage does not occur

quickly; therefore excess pore water
pressure does not dissipate quickly
Therefore, in clays the short-term shear
strength may correspond to undrained
conditions
Even in clays, long-term shear strength is
estimated assuming drained conditions

There are three types of tests:

1. Unconsolidated-Undrained (UU or Q)
Test
2. Consolidated-Undrained (CU or R) Test
3. Consolidated-Drained (CD or S) Test

Complete control over the drainage condition

Pore pressure changes and volumetric
changes can be measured directly
The stress distribution on the failure plane is
uniform
The specimen is free to fail in the weakest
plane
The state of stress at all intermediate stages up
to failure is known, Mohr circle can be drawn
at any stage during the test
The complete stress-strain-strength behavior
can be investigated

The apparatus is elaborate, costly and bulky

The drained test takes longer period of time as
compared to that in direct shear test
The strain condition at both ends of the
specimen are not uniform due to frictional
restraint produce by the loading cap and the
pedestal disc.
It is not possible to measure the cross sectional
area of the specimen at large strains/pressures
The consolidation test in the triaxial is isotropic
whereas, the in the field consolidation are
generally anistropic

Also called slow test.

Drainage valves OPEN during consolidation as well as
shearing phases.
Complete sample drainage is achieved prior to
application of the vertical load.
The load is applied at such a slow strain rate that
particle readjustments in the specimen do not induce
any excess pore pressure. (can take up to 2 weeks)
Since there is no excess pore pressure total stresses
will equal effective stresses.
This test simulates long term shear strength for
cohesive soils.

=
=

= 45 +
2

 = 2

( )

( )

( )

45

45 +
)
2

2tan (45 +
)
2

Conduct a CD test on sand.

Soil specimens will be loaded to failure
under 3 different confining pressures; 15,
30 and 45 psi
Failure will be defined as the peak or 3
maximum value of principal stress
difference reached.
ASTM D 2850

Apply 3 and wait until the soil consolidates

Drainage valves open during consolidation phase but
closed during the shearing phase
(Drainage and consolidation is allowed to take place
during the application of the confining pressure 3)
Loading does not commence until the sample ceases to
drain (or consolidate).
This test can simulates long term as well as short term shear
strength for cohesive soils if pore water pressure is
measured during the shearing phase
For this Test, cTcand T=
From this test we obtain;
c, and u (Effective stress)
cT, T (Total stress)

=
=

2(

This test is also called the quick test. 3 and

are applied fast so the soil does not
have time to settle or consolidate.
The test is performed with the drain valve
closed for all phases of the test. (Water is
not allowed to drain)
UU test simulates short term shear strength
for cohesive soils.
For this test, = = 0
s=cu= Su = (1-3)/2 = (1-3)/2

A special type of UU test that is

commonly used for clay specimen.
3 = 0
Axial load rapidly applied to the
specimens to cause failure.
At failure the total minor principal stress is
zero and total major stress is 1

Vane shear
apparatus : consists
of four thin, equal
sized steel plates
welded to a steel
torque rod

This test is used to determine shear strength of

cohesive soils
Normally done in-situ on a soft clayey soil (cohesive
soil)
The vane is pushed into the soil
Torque, T is applied at the top of the torque rod to
rotate the vane at a uniform speed
A cylinder of soil (height h & diameter d) will resist the
torque until the soil fails

where = coefficient of shear

strength mobilization at the end
of soil cylinder.
=1/2 @ 2/3 @ 3/5

Bjerrum (1974) showed that as the plasticity of soils

increases, cu obtained from VST may give results
that are unsafe for foundation design. Therefore,
he suggested that some correction should be
made :
cu (design) = cu (VST)
where = correction factor = 1.7 - 0.54log(PI)

More recently, Morris and Williams (1994) gave the

correlations of as :
= 1.18e-0.08(PI) + 0.57
= 7.01e-0.08(LL) + 0.57

(for PI 5)
(for LL 20)

1.
2.
3.
4.

Ring shear test

Cone penetration test
(ASTM D3441 and D5778)
Standard penetration test
(ASTM D1586)
Penetrometer test

Laboratory testing

Field
testing

A convenient way of plotting triaxial test data is

through diagrams called stress paths.
Stress path = line that connects a series of point,
each of which represents a successive stress state
experienced by a soil specimen during the process
of a test
Lambe (1964) suggested a new coordinate system
of p versus q where,

Results of triaxial tests can be

represented by stress path
Consider a normally consolidated clay
subjected to an isotropically
consolidated-drained triaxial test.
At the beginning of the test, the
deviatoric stress 1 = 3 = 3, so

and the p and q will plot as point I in

the figure on the next slide. As the load is
increased, the deviatoric stress 1 = 3
+ d and 3 = 3, and the Mohr circle
A corresponds to that state.

These two equations plot as point D at

the top of the Mohr circle A.
Each successive plot of p and q will
continue this straight line that is at an
angle of 45 with respect to the p axis.
Eventually we will reach the point D on
the Mohr circle B, and the sample fails (it
has reached the modified failure
envelope).
From this, q ' = p ' tan

Sensitivity = the reduction in unconfined

compression strength of clay soils due to
remolding assuming no changes in the
water content occurred

Degree of sensitivity, St =

qu (undistubed )
qu ( remolded )

Thixotrophy = is a condition where a soil

specimen that is kept in undisturbed condition
(after remolding) will experienced a continuous
increased in strength with time
The loss of strength is gradually regained with
time when the materials are allowed to rest
However most soils are partially thixotropic
(part of the strength loss caused by remolding
is never regained with time)
The soils strength will never achieved the initial
strength although the specimen were
prepared undisturbed

Factors affecting overburden pressure

i)
Depth of the point of interest
deeper the point, larger the pressure
ii)
Groundwater level
same soil profile will give different
pressure value due to the water level
iii) Types of soil
soil with higher unit weight value (dense
soil) give larger overburden pressure