JENNOE CHARLES C.

BUADLART BSCE – IV 02-04-20

1. This law is governed basically by the equation;

Where ‘c’ is the apparent cohesion, ‘σ’ refers to the normal stress, ‘φ’ is the angle of
internal friction of the soil. To further explain this, you must understand that soils’ shear
strength is composed majorly of its friction and its cohesion. The friction arises from the
grains of the soil. This inter granular friction increases if the normal shear stress action
on the surface increases (they are proportional). Cohesion is however dependant on the
properties like soil type, grain size and packing and also suction properties.
2.

3. Unconsolidated Undrained Test

Drainage is not permitted throughout the test. In the case of direct shear test drainage is
not permitted during the application of both normal stress and shear stress. In the case of
triaxial compression test drainage is not permitted during the application of both cell
pressure and deviator stress. Since the test is conducted fast allowing no time for either
consolidation of sample initially or dissipation of pore pressure in later stage, the test is
also called quick test.

Consolidated Undrained Test

In this type of shear test the soil specimen is allowed to consolidate fully under initially
applied stress and then sheared quickly without allowing dissipation of pore pressure. In
the case of direct shear test the specimen is allowed to consolidate fully under applied
normal stress and then sheared at high rate of strain to prevent dissipation of pore
pressure during shearing. In the case of triaxial compression test the specimen is allowed
to consolidate fully under the applied cell pressure and then the pore water outlet is closed
and the specimen is subjected to increasing deviator stress at higher rate of strain.

Consolidated Drained Test

In this type of shear test drainage is allowed throughout the test. The specimen is allowed
to consolidate fully under the applied initial stress and then sheared at low rate of strain
giving sufficient time for the pore water to drain out at all stages. The test may continue
for several hours to several days.

4. Advantages

 The stress distribution on the failure plane is uniform.

 The specimen is free to fail on the weakest plane
 There is complete control over the drainage.
 Pore pressure changes and the volumetric changes can be measured directly.
 The state of stress at all intermediate stages upto failure is known. The Mohr circle
can be drawn at any stage of shear.
 This test is suitable for accurate research work and the apparatus adaptable to special
requirements such as extension test and tests for different stress paths.
 Disadvantages

 The apparatus is elaborate, bulky and costly.

 The drained test takes place a longer period in comparison with a direct shear test.
 It is not possible to determine the cross-sectional area of the specimen at larger
strains, as the assumption that the specimen remains cylindrical does not hold good.
 The strain conditions in the specimen are not uniform due to frictional restraint
produced by the loading cap and the pedestal disc. This leads to the formation of the
dead zones at each end of the specimen.
 The consolidation of the specimen in the test is isotropic, whereas in the field, the
consolidation is generally anisotropic.

5. The method is used primarily for saturated, cohesive soils recovered from thin-walled
sampling tubes. The unconfined compression test is inappropriate for dry sands or
crumbly clays because the materials would fall apart without some land of lateral
confinement.

6. Unconfined compression test (UCT)

In this test, a cylindrical specimen of undisturbed soil with height to diameter ratio between
2 and 2.5 is subjected to unconfined axial stress and the maximum stress it can sustain is
used to determine the undisturbed shear strength of the soil. The same test procedure is
used on the same specimen at the same water content after complete remoulding.

Field vane test (FVT)

In this test, torque is applied to the soil through a cruciform bladed device (typically
2:1[height to width] aspect ratio) in the field at different depths. The undrained shear
strength is calculated using the applied torque on the soil. The conversion of torque into
undrained shear strength is found to be a function of the blade geometry and shape, and
depends on the assumed stress distribution

Laboratory vane test (LVT)

The laboratory vane test follows the same principle as that of the field vane test. A four
bladed vane is inserted into the soil specimen, and the torque necessary to rotate the vane
is measured and is related to the undrained shear strength.

Fall cone test (FCT)

In this test, a cone of known weight and dimensions is brought into contact with surface of
the soil sample. It is released for 5 sec interval and allowed to penetrate the soil under its
own weight.

Cone Penetration Test (CPT)

The sensitivity of soil can also be estimated using the friction ratio obtained from CPT test.
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