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Module 7 Shear Strength of Soil

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Module 7 Shear Strength of Soil

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shotofaviro
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CE 304

GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEERING
Module 5.2
Shear Strength of Soil

Engr. Jaasheile de Guzman


Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lecture, students should be able to:
1. Understand the concept of shear strength of soil and its
influencing factors
2. Describe the different mechanisms of soil failure
3. Comprehend the Mohr-Coloumb Failure Criterion
4. Identify and differentiate different laboratory tests in
evaluating shear strength parameters
5. Solve problems related to shear strength of soil
Introduction
o One of the most important and the most controversial engineering
properties of soil is its shear strength or ability to resist sliding along
internal surfaces within a mass.

Strength of different materials

Steel Concrete Soil

Tensile Strength Compressive Shear Strength


Strength
Influencing Factors on Shear Strength

1. Soil composition: mineralogy, grain size and grain


size distribution, shape of particles, pore fluid type
and content, ions on grain and in pore fluid
2. Initial state: state can be described by terms such as
loose, dense, over-consolidated, normally
consolidated, stiff, soft, etc.
3. Structure: the arrangement of particles within the soil
mass, the manner in which the particles are packed
or distributed
Soil Failure and Shear Strength

Soil failure usually occurs in the form of “shearing”


along internal surface within the soil.
Soil Failure and Shear Strength

Bearing capacity Failure


Shear Failure

The soil grains slide over each other along the failure surface. No
crushing of individual grains. At failure, shear stress along the failure
surface reaches the shear strength.
Shear Failure

At failure, shear stress along the failure surface (mobilized shear


resistance) reaches the shear strength
Shear Failure

oWhen an external load is applied, an infinitesimal element will be


subjected to the boundary stresses as seen.
Mohr-Coloumb Failure Criterion

Mohr (1900) presented a theory for rupture in


materials that contended that a material fails
because of a critical combination of normal stress
and shearing stress, and not from either
maximum normal or shear stress alone.
Mohr-Coloumb Failure Criterion

In terms of total stresses


Mohr-Coloumb Failure Criterion

In terms of effective stresses


Shear Strength Parameters

Shear strength consists of two components:


cohesion and frictional resistance

Laboratory Tests
1. Direct shear test
2. Triaxial shear test
3. Unconfined compression
test
Direct Shear Test
o This is the earliest and simplest device to
determine soil strength parameters.
o As seen in the figure, it consists of upper and
lower shear boxes, and a soil specimen is
placed inside the box. In most devices, the
upper box is fixed, and the lower box is
movable on low-friction rollers at the base.
o Vertical normal force N and hence the normal
stress σ (= N/specimen area) is applied and
kept constant.
o The lower box is pulled or pushed to apply Direct Shear Test: https://youtu.be/GyKA51Sop2I
shear force T, and hence the shear stress τ
(= T/specimen area) is induced along the
middle plane of the specimen.
Direct Shear Test
Normally consolidated soil (c = 0) Cohesive soil (c ≠ 0)
Example 1
Following data are given for a direct shear test conducted on dry
sand:
Specimen dimensions: 63mm x 63mm x 25mm (height)
Normal stress: 105 kN/m2
Shear force at failure: 300 N

a. Find the angle of internal friction


b. For a normal stress of 180 kPa, what shear force is required to
cause failure?
Example 2
In a direct shear test, the soil was determined to have an angle of
internal friction of 31° and cohesion of 26 kPa. If the normal
stress is 150 kPa. Compute the following:
o Total shear stress
o Normal load applied on the sample with dimension when the
sample has a dimension of 50 mm by 50 mm and height of 75
mm
o Force required that will cause failure in shear
Unconfined Compression Test
o This rather simple test is used for
cohesive specimens only, which can stand
alone without any lateral confinement of
the specimen during the test.
o As seen in the figure, a specimen is
trimmed to have a cylindrical shape and
placed on a loading platform. The
specimen height-to-diameter ratio should
be at least 2.0 or more to avoid the end
boundary effect during the shear. Axial
compressive force Fv is gradually
increased until failure with a measurement
of axial deformation δv. Unconfined Test:
https://youtu.be/hq4UlLm8oIs?si=i0ThPdXHE6b5Oq
xu&t=501
Unconfined Compression Test
Example 3
An unconfined compression test was conducted on a sample of
clay having a diameter of 50 mm. The failure load was recorded
at 240 N. Determine:
1. Unconfined compression strength in kPa
2. Cohesion strength of clay in kPa
3. Shear strength at failure plane in kPa
Triaxial Compression Test
oA triaxial compression test device is
routinely used to determine the shear
strength of soils for more general
stresses and drainage conditions.
oThe following three standard types of
triaxial tests generally are conducted:
o Unconsolidated-undrained test or undrained test
(UU test)
o Consolidated-drained test or drained test (CD
test)
o Consolidated-undrained test (CU test)

Triaxial Test: https://youtu.be/hq4UlLm8oIs?si=EvTl33Yuse7Ywse9


Drainage Conditions
Phase 1: Consolidation
• Unconsolidated (U)
• Drainage valve closed
• No volume change
• Excess pore pressure will be
generated
• Consolidated (C)
• Drainage valve open
• Volume change allowed
• No excess pore pressure
Drainage Conditions
Phase 2: Shearing
• Drained (D)
• Drainage valve open
• No excess pore pressure
• Undrained (U)
• Drainage valve closed
• No volume change
• Excess pore pressures generated
Where:
∅ = angle of internal friction;
𝑐 = cohesion of soil
𝜎3 = minimum principal stress;
confining pressure;
lateral pressure;
radial stress;
cell pressure; and
chamber pressure.
∆𝜎 = additional pressure; and
deviator stress (𝜎1 − 𝜎3 )
𝜎1 = maximum principal stress; and
axial stress.
∅
𝜃 = angle of failure in shear (45° + )
2
Unconsolidated-undrained (UU) Test
When no drainage of water is
allowed during the entire test
process, an increase in the total
stress produces a corresponding
stress increase in pore water
pressure. As no account of pore
water pressure is taken, the
shear strength parameters are
called total shear strength
parameters.

https://youtu.be/hq4UlLm8oIs?si=MAGaNqcgJdmq57AL&t=552
Consolidated-Undrained (CU) Test
During the consolidation stage,
the specimen is allowed to
consolidate under conditions of
constant applied stress and full
drainage. During the shear stage,
the specimen is subjected to a
shear under no drainage
condition with or without pore
pressure measurements.

https://youtu.be/hq4UlLm8oIs?si=Gxd-vlNTZTYPcNjb&t=791
Consolidated-drained (CD) Test
When the consolidation stage is
complete, the specimen is
sheared with full drainage so that
the rate of loading does not
increase the pore water pressure.
Since there is no increase in pore
water pressure, the increase in
total stress is equal to the
increase in effective stress.

https://youtu.be/hq4UlLm8oIs?si=ObrDUjrzDOXsIc8l&t=683
Triaxial Compression Test
CD Test & CU Test UU Test
Example 4
A consolidated-drained triaxial test was conducted on a normally
consolidated clay. The results are as follows:
• 𝜎3 = 276 𝑘𝑁/𝑚2
• Δ𝜎 = 276 𝑘𝑁/𝑚2
Determine:
a. Angle of friction, 𝜙
b. Angle 𝜃 that the failure plane makes with the major principal
plane
c. Normal stress and shear stress on failure plane
d. Effective normal stress on the plane of maximum shear stress
Example 5
A specimen of saturated sand was consolidated under an all-
around pressure of 105 kN/m2. The axial stress was then
increased and drainage was prevented. The specimen failed
when the axial deviator stress reached 70 kN/m2. The pore water
pressure at failure was 50 kN/m2. Determine:

a. Consolidated-undrained angle of shearing resistance


b. Drained friction angle
c. Drained angle of internal friction if the soil possess a cohesion
of 12 kPa
Example 6
The results of two consolidated-drained triaxial tests on a clay
are given below:
Specimen Chamber pressure (kPa) Deviator stress (kPa)
I 105 220
II 210 400

a. Calculate the shear strength parameters (c and 𝜙)


b. What are the normal and shear stresses on a plane inclined at
40degrees to major principal plane for Specimen I?
c. What are the normal and shear stresses on the failure plane
at failure for Specimen II?

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