CIVE 2004

Lecture 7 Shear Strength of Soils

Shear Strength of Soils

There is a need to define the point at which a soil fails.

Shear Strength of Soils

There is a need to define the point at which a soil fails. Peak shear strength Ultimate shear strength Critical shear strength (may be taken as equal to ultimate shear strength). After critical strength is attained, the volume of the soil remains constant as shearing continues. The soil is in a critical state. Residual shear strength. It is the lowest strength which is reached after very large displacements. For sands, the residual strength is the same as the critical state strength. For clays, the residual strength is about the critical state strength.

Shear Strength Tests

Consist of 3 main stages: Saturation stage (if required) Consolidation stage Shearing stage. Shearing can take place either under undrained conditions (that is, no dissipation of porewater pressure) or drained conditions (that is, with complete dissipation of porewater pressure). Why?

Shear Strength Tests

Soil strength depends on drainage conditions: different strengths will be measured for a given soil that (a) deforms at constant volume (undrained) total stress conditions or (b) deforms without developing excess pore pressures (drained) effective stress conditions

Stress Strain Relationships: Types of Test

Shear box test

Source: Craig (1992)

Main features:
Known normal force is applied. Shear force T is measured as shear displacement (Dl) is applied. Vertical displacement (Dh) is measured.

Shear box test

Dh

T
Dl

Shear box test

Limitations: Cannot control drainage or measure porewater pressure. Quick test gives measurements. undrained (total stress)

Slow test ensuring complete porewater pressure dissipation gives drained (effective stress) measurements. Soil is forced to shear on a predetermined plane which is not necessarily the weakest one. The stresses over the shear plane is non-uniform. Stress is higher at the edges than at the centre.

Shear box test

Dense sands
High degree of interlocking between particles. Shearing starts with initial expansion/dilation (increase in volume). Shear stress reaches a peak value at relatively low strain. As interlocking is progressively overcome with strain, shear stress decreases from the peak value and reaches an ultimate value.

Shear box test

Loose sands No significant particle interlocking. Shear stress increases gradually to an ultimate value without a peak value. Increase in stress is accompanied by decrease in volume (compression/ contraction).

Shear box test

Behaviour of sands
For tests performed under the same normal stress: Initially dense samples attain higher peak stress. The peak stress is a function of initial density state. Dense and loose samples approach the same ultimate shear stress and void ratio (critical state), irrespective of the initial relative density. A sand more dense than the critical state dilates whereas a sand less dense than the critical state contracts.

Shear box test

The angle of repose is equivalent to the ultimate f'.

Triaxial test

Triaxial test

Triaxial test

Triaxial test
Cylindrical specimen with length equal twice the diameter. Specimen is encased in a rubber membrane with rigid caps on both ends. Specimen is placed in a closed cell and subjected to an all round pressure or a confining pressure (s3). Deviator stress (s1 - s3) is applied to the ends of specimen by means of a piston.

Triaxial test

Deviator stress

Triaxial test
Porewater pressure can be measured. Drainage can be controlled from the top and bottom of the specimen.

Triaxial test
There are 3 stages in a triaxial test:

Stage 1: Application of s3 undrained, that is without dissipation of porewater pressure in all types of test Stage 2: Consolidation stage at constant s3. This stage is omitted in UU tests Stage 3: Shearing stage at constant s3. Undrained shearing in UU and CU tests Drained shearing in CD tests

Types of triaxial test

There are 3 types of triaxial test: Unconsolidated undrained (UU): No consolidation stage 2 and undrained shearing stage 3 Consolidated drained (CD): Consolidation stage 2 and drained shearing stage 3 Consolidated undrained (CU): Consolidation stage 2 and undrained shearing stage 3 with porewater pressure measurement

Types of triaxial test

To obtain shear strength parameters, tests are carried out at 3 different confining pressures so as to obtain 3 Mohr circles.

Triaxial Test - Failure Criterion

Deviator Stress (s1 - s3)

Max. (s1 - s3)

Axial Strain e1

A specimen is considered to have failed when the applied deviator stress reaches its maximum value

UU triaxial test
Volume of the specimen remains constant Area correction of specimen is required to calculate axial stress during shearing stage (Eq 7.16)
Ao A Dl 1lo

Test allows determination of total strength parameters, cu and fu

UU triaxial test
For saturated clays, fu = 0. Undrained shear strength, t = cu Unconfined compression test, that is a test in which confining pressure is zero, can be used to determine undrained shear strength of a saturated clay

CD triaxial test
Volume change of the specimen during consolidation is measured from volume of porewater expelled from specimen

Area correction of specimen is required to calculate axial stress during shearing stage (Eq 7.15)
A Ao 1 - DV 1 - Dl Vo lo

Test allows direct determination of effective strength parameters, c' and f'

CU triaxial test
Volume change of the specimen during consolidation is measured from volume of porewater expelled from specimen Area correction of specimen is required to calculate axial stress during shearing stage (Eq 7.16)
A Ao Dl 1lo

Ao and lo are dimensions of specimen after consolidation stage

CU triaxial test
Test allows measurement of total stresses and porewater pressure Effective stresses are calculated Effective strength parameters, c' and f'.

Triaxial test

t
(kPa) u1 (Test 1)

Effective Mohr Circle Total Mohr Circle

s (kPa)
0

A u2 (Test 2)

Knowing u and total stresses at failure, effective circles can be plotted

Total and Effective Shear Strength Parameters

f'

t
(kPa)

fu

c' cu
0

s (kPa)
A B

Both total stress parameters cu and fu and effective stress parameters c' and f' can be determined

Triaxial test

CD v/s CU Triaxial Tests

CD tests measure only effective stress CU tests measure both effective stress and total stress For soils of very low permeability (e.g. saturated clay), CD tests take a very long time to perform (because time required for pore pressure to dissipate), hence cost more than CU tests For the above reason,, CU Tests is commonly performed (with u measurements) in soils of very low permeability to obtain c' and f'

Pore Pressure Coefficients A and B

During undrained loading, changes in porewater pressure resulting from changes in cell pressure or axial stress, or both, are predicted from the following equation (Whitlow, Eq 4.11):

Du BDs 3 A(Ds 1 - Ds 3)
Isotropic compression: B = Du/Ds3 B = 1, in saturated soils.
Worked examples: 7.8(a), 7.9, 7.11, 7.12, 7.16, 7.17, 7.18 (a) Do problems: 7.7(a), 7.8, 7.9, 7.13

Stress Paths
The behaviour of a soil depends on the route (stress path) taken between the initial state and the final state. The stress path method in laboratory testing allows the actual field stress changes to be simulated more realistically than by using conventional test procedures alone.

Stress path: a curve drawn through a series of points on a plot of stresses. Stress point: a point on a plot of stresses representing the selected components of stress at a particular instant.

Stress Paths
Effective stress path (ESP): path plotted in terms of effective stresses. Total stress path (TSP): path plotted in terms of total stresses.

Types of Stress Path Plot

s1 v/s s3 space for total stresses s1 v/s s3 space for effective stresses t v/s s or s' space (MIT) t = (s1 s3)/2, s = (s1 + s3)/2, s' = (s1' + s3')/2 The stress point used is the maximum shear stress at any stage, that is the topmost point of each Mohr circle.