New Era University

College of Engineering and Architecture

Department of Civil Engineering

CE 522L
FOUNDATION ENGINEERING (LAB)

LABORATORY EXERCISE NO. 7

“CONSOLIDATED UNDRAINED (CU) TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION TEST”

RATING

Name: Date Performed: Date Submitted:

Soriano, Mark Anthony M. FEBUARY 13, 2018 February 24, 2018
Course/ Year: Subject Schedule:
BSCE/ 5th YEAR TUESDAY 10:00-1:00 P.M.

BRO. GERMAN B. BARLIS

INSTRUCTOR
Abstract

The tri axial test is one of the most versatile and widely performed geotechnical
laboratory tests, allowing the shear strength and stiffness of soil and rock to be determined for
use in geotechnical design. The consolidated undrained (CU) test is the most common tri axial
procedure, as it allows strength parameters to be determined based on the effective stresses
whilst permitting a faster rate of shearing compared with the CD test. This is achieved by
recording the excess pore pressure change within the specimen as shearing takes place.
Advantages over simpler procedures, such as the direct shear test, include the ability to control
specimen drainage and take measurements of pore water pressures. The tri axial test typically
involves placing a cylindrical specimen of soil into a cell that can be pressurized. Specimens
have an approximate 2:1 height-to-diameter ratio, and are sealed within a rubber membrane.
Following this initial preparation the specimen is saturated, consolidated, and sheared, allowing
the soil response to be observed under conditions that may approximate those in positon.
During the shear stage, the soil is loaded axially, either in compression, or less-commonly in
extension.
Name: Soriano, Mark Anthony M. Date Performed: Febuary 6, 2018
Schedule: Tuesday 10:00AM - 1:00PM Instructor: Bro. German B. Barlis

Soils Testing Laboratory

Consolidated Undrained (CU) Tri axial Compression Test
Laboratory Exercise No. 7
Final Data Sheet

Specimen Data
A. Type of specimen Undisturbed
B. Diameter of specimen 0.049m
C. Initial area of specimen 0.00189345 m2
D. Initial height of specimen 0.1149m.

Tri axial Compression Data

A. Chamber pressure on test specimen 200kPa
B. Rate of axial strain 1.27mm./min
C. Initial height of specimen 0.1149 m

Unit Axial
Deformation Axial Cross- Applied
Elapsed Load
Sectional Axial
Time Dial, ΔH Strain, є (Deviator
Area, A Load
(min) (mm) (mm/mm) Stress)
(mm2) (kN)
(kPa)
∆𝐻 𝐴𝑜 (5)
𝐻𝑜
Load = (4)
1−∈
0 0 0 1893.45 0 0
0.29 0.002523934 1898.241035 0.01 5.26803
2.207 0.019208007 1930.531666 0.01 5.17992
3.612 0.031436031 1954.904437 0.02 10.2307
3.689 0.032106179 1956.257969 0.06 30.6708
3.756 0.032689295 1957.437244 0.10 51.0872
3.899 0.033933856 1959.958964 0.13 66.3279
4.042 0.035178416 1962.487191 0.14 71.338
4.243 0.036927763 1966.051899 0.16 81.3814
4.386 0.038172324 1968.595879 0.18 91.4357
4.587 0.039921671 1972.182834 0.19 96.34
5.074 0.044160139 1980.928059 0.20 100.963
5.189 0.04516101 1983.004485 0.21 105.9
5.934 0.051644909 1996.562276 0.22 110.189
7.97 0.069364665 2034.577808 0.23 113.046
10.063 0.087580505 2075.196782 0.23 110.833
*Data for Deformation and Applied Axial Load was obtained from recorded video of the test.

Minor principal stress = 200 kPa

Unit axial load at failure = 110.833 kPa
Major Principal Stress at failure = 310.833kPa
Pore pressure corresponding to unit axial load at failure = 6 kPa
Effective minor principal stress = 194 kPa
Effective major principal stress = 304.833 kPa

1 Time (min.) Burette Reading (ml)

02/13/2018 0.1 3
0.2 3.16
0.5 3.34
1 3.62
2 3.98
4 4.46
8 5
15 5.54
30 6.22
60 6.98
120 7.88
240 8.92
480 10.4
960 11.6
02/14/2018 1440 12.44

TIME VS CHANGE IN VOLUME

0

2
CHANGE IN VOLUME, ML

10

12

14
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000
LOG TIME, MINUTE
 COMPUTATION

Area of Soil Specimen: Unit Axial Load Deviator

Stress
𝜋𝑑2
𝐴𝑜 = 4
𝜋(49.1mm)2 𝑃
Ao= σd =
4 Acorr

𝐴𝑜 = 1893.44 𝑚𝑚2
0.01
σd = 1898.24 (1/1000)^2
Volume of Specimen:
𝑉 = 𝐴𝑜(𝐻𝑜) 𝜎d = 5.268 kPa

V= 1893.45mm2 𝑥 114.9𝑚𝑚
Major principal stress at failure,
𝑉 = 217557.4𝑚𝑚.3
σ1 = 𝜎3 + ∆𝑝

Axial Strain, є (mm/mm) σ1 = 200 + 110.833ԓ

∆𝐻 𝜎1 = 310.833 kPa
є=𝐻
𝑜
Effective minor principal stress,
0.29
є = 114.9 𝜎′3 = . 𝜎3 − 𝜇1

є = 0.002523934 mm/mm 𝜎′3 = 200 – 6

𝜎′3 = 194 kPa

Cross-Sectional Area, A
𝐴
𝑜
Acorr = 1−∈ Effective major principal stress,
𝜎′1 = . 𝜎1 − 𝜇1
1893.45
Acorr = 1−0.002523934
𝜎′1 = 310.833 – 6

Acorr = 1898.24 mm2 𝜎′1 = 304.833 kPa

 MOHR CIRCLE, DRAINED AND
UNDRAINED CONDITION
100
90
80
70
SHEAR STRESS

60
50
40
30 Փd
20
Փu
10
0
150 200 250 300 350
NORMAL STRESS

R = σd / 2
R = 110.833 / 2 Sin Փu = R / C
R = 55.42 Փu = sin-1 (55.42 / 255.42)
C = σ3 + R Փu = 12.530
C = 200 + 55.42
C = 255.42
Sin Փd = R / C’
C’= σ′3 + R Փd = sin-1 (55.42 / 249.2)
C’ = 194 + 55.42 Փd = 12.840
C’ = 249.42

DEVIATOR STRESS VS STRAIN

120

100

80
STRESS, KPA

60

40

20

0
0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
STRAIN, MM/MM
Analysis and Interpretation of
Data and Result

Base on the data sheet, the burrete reading drastically increases within a day, from 3ml
to 12.44. In addition, the axial strain, cross sectional area and unit axial load of the specimen has
significantly increased. Its Deviator stress has increased from 5.26803 to 110.8833, it is because
the applied load also increased from time to time from 0.01 to 0.23. The height of the sample
was deformed from its original state of 11.49mm to 10.063. The value of C was 249.42, on the
other hand, the value for R1 was 55.42 and these values were used to check the result of Mohr
circle (as shown in the graph). From the graph can be seen that corrected deviator stress vs
longitudinal stress are both linear and nonlinear however as longitudinal stress increases so does
corrected deviator stress increases too .

CONCLUSION

This lab can be considered a success, as we were able to describes the procedure for the
determination of the effective shear strength parameters of a soil using the triaxial compression
apparatus and also to study the shear strength behavior of a soil under undrained conditions
using a multi-stage testing approach.
PHOTOS OF THE SET-UP