54

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Module 4:
Lecture 5 on Stress-strain relationship
and Shear strength of soils

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Contents
 Stress state, Mohr’s circle analysis and Pole, Principal
stress space, Stress paths in p-q space;
 Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria and its limitations,
correlation with p-q space;
 Stress-strain behavior; Isotropic compression and
pressure dependency, confined compression, large stress
compression, Definition of failure, Interlocking concept
and its interpretations, Drainage conditions;
 Triaxial behaviour, stress state and analysis of UC, UU, CU,
CD, and other special tests, Stress paths in triaxial and
octahedral plane; Elastic modulus from triaxial tests.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Stress-strain relationships and Failure criteria
 The little hump in the stress‐strain curve for mild steel after
yield is an example of work hardening.
 Many soils are also work‐hardening, for example,
compacted clays and loose sands. Sensitive clay soils and
dense sands are examples of work‐softening materials.
 At what point on the stress‐strain curve do we have failure?
 In some situations, if a material is stressed to its yield point,
the strains or deflections are so large that for all practical
purposes the material has failed.
 This means that the material cannot satisfactorily continue
to carry the applied loads. The stress at “failure” is often
very arbitrary, especially for nonlinear materials.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Stress-strain relationships and Failure criteria

 With these materials, we usually define failure at some

arbitrary percent strain, i.e. 15% or 20%, or at a strain or
deformation at which the function of the structure might be
impaired.
 Now we can also define the strength of a material.
 It is the maximum or yield stress or the stress at some strain
which we have defined as “failure.”
 There are many ways of defining failure in materials; or put
another way, there are many failure criteria.
 Most of the criteria don’t work for soils.
 The most common failure criterion applied to soils is the
Mohr‐ Coulomb failure criterion.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion
Charles Augustin de COULOMB (1736‐1806) is well known from his
studies on friction, electrostatic attraction and repulsion.

Christian Otto MOHR (1835‐1918) hypothesized (1900) a criterion of

failure for real materials in which he stated that materials fail when the
shear stress on the failure plane at failure reaches some unique
function of the normal stress on that plane:
τff = f (σff)
where τ is the shear stress and σ is the normal stress.
The first subscript f refers to the plane on which the stress acts (in this
case the failure plane) and the second f means “at failure.” τff is the
shear the material.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion
 A failure theory is required to relate the available
strength of a soil as a function of measurable
properties and the imposed stress conditions.

 The Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is commonly used

to describe the strength of soils.

 Its main hypothesis is based on the premise that a

combination of normal and shear stresses creates a
more critical limiting state than would be found if only
the major principal stress or maximum shear stress
were to be considered individually.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion

 An element at failure with the

principal stresses that caused failure
and the resulting normal and shear
stresses on the failure plane.

 We will assume that a failure τ

plane exists, which is not a bad
assumption for soils, rocks, and
many other materials. τff = f (σff)
 If we know the principal stresses
at failure, we can draw a Mohr
circle to represent this state of
stress for this particular element. σ
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion
Mohr hypothesis: the
MOHR‐COULOMB FAILURE
CRITERION failure point of tangency
defines the angle of the failure plane in
the element or test specimen.
The Mohr failure hypothesis is
illustrated for the element at failure shown.
Stated another way: the Mohr
failure hypothesis states that the point
of tangency of the Mohr failure
envelope with the Mohr circle at
failure determines the inclination of
the failure plane.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria Failure will thus occur at
any point in the soil where a
critical combination of shear
stress and effective normal
τ stress develops
τf = c + σ tanφ
φ

Cohesion Friction angle

τf
c
σ σ
τf is the maximum shear stress the soil can take just before failure,
under normal stress of σ.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria
Shear strength consists of two components : Cohesion and Friction
τ

φ Frictional component

σf tanφ
τf = c + σf tanφ
Cohesive component
c
σf σ
Higher the values of c and φ , Higher the shear strength of soil

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr Circles & Failure Envelope:

Slip surface τ

A
B
A B
σ
A = Failure
B = Stable

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope for shear strength of soils
 So even though the
stress combination, σn
and τmax, for circle A is Circle B is tangential to the Mohr-
obviously greater than Coulomb envelope (critical stress
that of circle B, it is conditions corresponds to failure)
circle B that is on the
verge of failure. Circle A well below
the Mohr-Coulomb
 State of stress envelope (safe state
represented by Mohr of stress)

circles that exist

beyond the Mohr-
Coulomb envelope
can not exist.
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope for shear strength of soils

 Now, if the stresses increase so that failure occurs, then

the Mohr circle becomes tangent to the Mohr failure
envelope.
 According to the Mohr failure hypothesis, failure occurs
on the plane inclined at αf and with shear stress that
plane of τff.
 This is not the largest or maximum shear stress in the
element!!!
 The maximum shear stress acts on the plane inclined at
45° and is equal to:

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope for shear strength of soils
Why does not failure occur on 45° plane?
 It cannot because on that plane the shear strength
available is greater than τmax. So failure cannot occur.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope for shear strength of soils

 This condition is represented by the distance from

the maximum point on the Mohr circle up to the
Mohr failure envelope
That would be the shear strength available
when the normal stress available on the 45°
plane was (σ1f + σ3f)/2.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope for shear strength of soils
 The only exception would be when shear strength is
independent of normal stress, i.e., when Mohr failure
envelope is horizontal and φ = 0.
 Such materials are called purely cohesive for
obvious reasons or this may result in completely
saturated and un-drained conditions.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr Circles & Failure Envelope

τ
∆σ Initially
Mohr’s circle
is a point

σc

Y B
σc σc σc+∆σ
σc σ

∆σ
Soil element does not fail if the Mohr’s circle is
σc contained within the envelope
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Mohr Circles & Failure Envelope:
As loading progresses,
τ Mohr’s circle becomes larger
∆σ++

σc

Y B
σc σc
σc σ
σc+∆σ++

Failure occurs when Mohr’s

circle touches the envelope
σc
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Mohr Circles & Failure Envelope:
Failure plane oriented at
τ (90+φ)/2 to horizontal. i.e.
∆σ++ (45+φ/2) with horizontal

σc

φ 90+φ
σc Y σc
σc σc+∆σ σ

σc Loading plane orientation

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Mohr Circles in terms of effective stresses:

σv τ
Effective stresses
Y σh

σv' u

= Y Y
σh' σv' σh σv σ
σh' u
u

Total stresses

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Mohr Circles failure envelope in terms of effective stresses:
∆σf
c – φ in terms of σ
σc σc τ
σc σc
Y Y
σ

c′ – φ′ in terms of σ′
τ
At failure,
σ3 = σc; σ1 = σc + ∆σf
σ3′ = σ3 – uf ; σ1′ = σ1 - uf
σ'

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Principal stress relations at failure
 The relationship between the shear strength parameters
and the effective principal stresses at failure at a
particular point can be deduced.

θ is the For c′ = 0
theoretical
angle
between
the major
principal
plane and
the plane
of failure.

c′cotφ′
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Principal stress relations at failure

Now

Therefore
 The following equation is referred to as the Mohr-Coulomb
failure criterion:

With c′ = 0 

In the special case, when φ = 0:

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Principal stress relations at failure
The essential points are:
1. Coupling Mohr’s circle with Coulomb’s frictional law
allows us to define shear failure based on the stress
state of the soil.
2. The Mohr-Coulomb criterion is:

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Principal stress relations at failure σ1
σ3
τ X
σ 1 = σ 3 tan 2 (45 + φ ′ / 2)
+ 2c′ tan(45 + φ ′ / 2)
σ 3 = σ 1 tan 2 (45 − φ ′ / 2)
φ 90+φ
− 2c′ tan(45 − φ ′ / 2)
σ3 σ1 σ

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Relationship between Kf line and Mohr-Coulomb failure
envelope
From geometries of the two circles, it can be shown that:
sinφ = tan Ψ ⇒ So, from a p-q diagram the shear
strength parameters φ and c may
c = a/cosφ readily be computed.

q qf = a + pf tanΨ τ τf = c + σf tan φ
Kf
Ψ φ

a c
p σ
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 Mohr circles for three dimensional state of stress

Effect of intermediate principal stress σ2 on condition at

failure.
Since by definition σ2 lies
somewhere between the major and minor
principal stresses, the Mohr circles for the
three principal
Stresses look like those
shown herein.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Mohr circles for three dimensional state of stress
Effect of intermediate principal stress σ2 on condition at
failure.
 It is obvious that σ2 can have no influence on the
conditions at failure for the Mohr failure criterion, no
matter what magnitude it has.

 The intermediate principal stress σ2 probably does

have an influence in real soil, but the
Mohr‐Coulomb failure theory does not consider it.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Limitations of Mohr-Coulomb theory:
1. Linearization of the limit stress envelope
τ Usual experimental range φ, c
in the laboratory

• Possible overestimation of the safety factor in slope stability calculations,

• Difficulties in calibration because of linearization
Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
2. Mohr-coulomb failure criterion is well proven for most of
the geomaterials, but data for clays is still contradictory.
3. Soils on shearing exhibit variable volume change
characteristics depending on pre-consolidation pressure
which cannot be accounted with Mohr-Coulomb theory.
4. In soft soils volumetric plastic strains on shearing are
compressive (negative dilation) whilst the Mohr-Coulomb
model will predict continuous dilation.

Prof. B V S Viswanadham, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay