PAPER

Coulomb error is to suppose that peak strength seen in Hvorslev's dense,

newly remoulded shear test samples indicates strong cohesive bonds,
when it really indicates dense packing of particles. Figure 1 shows how
the peak strengths are caused by particle interlocking. Strength in
Hvorslev's tests depends on packing geometry, not on chemistry of
bonds.

0 11' F08 OiII )

III

errOr COrreCI:iO11
by Andrew

Taylof's Interlocking; peak, and ulmmate strength of slff clay

In Figure 2, dense soil in a drained box is sheared a distance x by shear
force T. It dilates and lifts the piston (and the normal force o'hat acts on
it) by a distance y. Taylor's peak strength of sand in drained shear box
tests involves (i) a critical state friction component and (ii) an

Schofield, Cambridge University

Tenaghl and the Mohr Coulomb error

In the 1st ISSMFE Conference (1936) proceedings, Terzaghi writes that
newly over-consolidated clay strength fits Mohr's rupture hypothesis
(he used the word hypothesis, not criterion). He quotes data for drained
shear box tests which his research student Hvorslev fits to the Mohr
Coulomb equation. They are wrong. They contradict Coulomb's paper
which, in three separate places, states that "I'adherence est nulle dans
les terres nouvellement remuees" (newly worked soil has no cohesion),
and they have no data for soil strength on the wet side of critical states
(cs). There is no "true" cohesion on the dry side of the critical state. The
peak strength of dense soil paste is due to interlocking and friction
among the soil particles.
When soil flows, many soil particles change partners, and there is no
time to bond particle to particle. It is only when soil is left to age and
creep that bonds develop at particle contacts and turn it into soft rock.
Renewed strains destroy this strength. Broken bonds do not resist
ground failure mechanisms. Bonds are not remade until there has been
time for ageing and creep, long after a failure event. Terzaghi's Mohr

interlocking component, which increased with increase in the distance

of the state of the soil at failure from the ultimate states in the drained
test. This applies both to dense sand and stiff clay. In particular, it
applies to any paste made by mixing fine particles and water; for
example, a mixture of cornflour and water exhibits dilatancy. In Critical
State Soil Mechanics (CSSM) 1968, pp232/3, Schofield and Wroth
describe North London retaining walls failures, Figure 3, and the stiff
fissured clay behind them that disintegrated "into a rubble of lubricated
blocks, sliding on each other on very thin moist layers of soft,
lubricating clay paste". How did those layers become moist and "slick" ?
That stiff over-consolidated London clay was a paste dilating to a critical
state; suction during shearing led it to soften to a critical state after peak

strength.
Earth pressure in that rubble of clay blocks satisfies a calculation
based on critical state friction because the effective pressure that acts
between blocks, and the strength with which they adhere to each other,
increases with depth in the rubble; (however, note that care is needed to
detect old slip planes where ground in the past had very large
displacements; a field shear box

Dais

There is no "true"
cohesion on the dry

cs

side of the critical

state. The peak
strength of dense
soil paste is due to
interlocking and
friction among the
soil particles.

Cohesion

Taylor

Terzaghi

Rgure

1:Peak srengths

test on such a surface may find the

strength there to have fallen below
the critical state value).
Movement may stop for long

are caused hy Darthde Interloddng, nol chemlslryof honda.

cs

i/o'eak
strength
(jj)

dy/dx

Ixl
n
V

Work done in shearing

Tdx = Iitf'dx+ a'dy

Tl/r5'

ll + dyldx

"Apparent cohesion" of soil

During critical state flow of soil,

dy/

Strength = friction + interlocking

X

2: Dense soll In a drained sheaihox.

In as figures the spectrum of colours from red
Figure

30

periods, and ageing may then

begin to create bonds, but renewed
deformation
of a rubble of
fissured clay soon strains a clay
paste layer and returns it to the
critical state. As intact blocks
come under new stress, their
strength to resist rupture will
always exceed the critical state
strength of the paste on their
boundaries; CSSM analysed the
pressure of stiff fissured London
clay on the dry side of critical state
in terms of a material with an
angle of friction based on the
M
parameter
critical
state
(denoting capital mu).

to violet Indicates strengths at Increasingly high slress ratios.

the undrained cohesion results

from effective stress and critical
state friction, not chemical bonds
between soil particles. All that
small clay mineral particles and
steady
chemicals
do during
plastic deformation of soft soil is
GRQUND ENGINEERING AUGUST

1998

p~
Future corregtl0ion of
the Mohr Coulomb
error will invigorate

ER

0.30

0,20

Water
content

100

geotechnical
teaching, research,
and laboratory
testing.

Tension cracks
Bank before

Feet
-40

50

from

soft zone

(mm)

p ore waater suction,

be measure .

-30

Slip
zone

Distance

-20
Retaining

50

s ction x (friction

astic

. it remains

Slip zone

i'i.

Uncovered

'

ma e

at constant vo
e auseitisa taconstan eff
ss and critical sta e r

'r'efafnfng

'n

3:Neth

ng walls fagnra

Londonrefafn

'alysis
v

eo

am clay asserts that the plastic vo

g
p articles. Coulomb's
clay theory ive a better insig

ee

state line w
where
Av'
nt is

po
d rupture

roun d

o
unstable.

at represen
tates inevi

'

s
.
strength
specimens a
have an in
e dry si de of cr t
in the Mohr

cattered
strength

t"

Co 1o

The axi'al and radial eeffective

k.
S

he Drucker Prager or a sim'milar

is obvious r
eth
oh ive"
ill
d
ate
e
n interlocking is neg

in an office usin
model, ar

g'oh

ates soil at s res

these high pea
eakstrengths
s

ca

wall

11

'

rial

worked so
behaviour than
ant

-0

ilure of retain'
An example of ion g term faiu

Observations o
of wa
water content
one
of a slip zon

analyses
yo f sooffl o
p
ritical stat

CSSM

slip planes

I Soil samples

100

wall

d by

an

giv

effective

triaxial devi ator

P'+P c~l
is called the wet side;

empress to
ki g and emit
acking
le
o
t ' spe im
ae
the left of the critical state
where
line, w
p c~t

E as tic compresssion and

imens in

swe

generral follows lines

aggregates s to
g causes ag
k in water an d
ground slips at pe ak str gth

with unsta ble failures.

At large strain, so
'cal state strength.
le a simple cs
'
calculatio gi'ves th e tr gth
o
w ater co
o
from its cs p
spec'
2.7

X=0.16, x=

M=0.89, hence p, -, =
=140.78kN m,
an c

study of yielding on the wet side.

Um Itlng
Two

stress and FE

n of

define eac ag

equa i

plane

'brium

articles.
ar
Each

aggr,

ect to shear

do'/
dx+dz/dy=0

'lar

hr

if combined

wi
Cou 1om b equation

pressure p'

cs

en
s o

ed

critical
at whic h it

Pl

t on

Diy side

e. Frictional flow o

soil in a cri'ti'cal state

which have a sool tio b
ch a racteristics or
ess conditions on

e A five

thodo
g

ghi criticises
b solutions for
strains, but tli

re p

Wet side

cri

Drain

test p

has equation

lies in h
ohesion; the
in the equations
lve strain
calculations exist

'oints

',

all

Vx

five

Successive stress state

(q,p,

d undrained

triaxi
s

tes

FlgnrnA: Crnkal slafos

a laboratory tes

AUGUST
GROUND ENG INEERING A

1998

p'1

p'crit

In

PAPER

Original cam clay

p'dv+qdk=MP dk bene
= Mp (M = 0.888)
cu

An

equation is
calculated
below for a
yield locus,
Figure B,
that
defines the
resistance
of soil to
some
applied
stress (q,p')

60
(dvk dk)

40

20

60

40

80
p (Ib/ink)

p'c

This curve
has an
int
orange tangent at thee poin
wheret h es tress vector reaches
and
it. When the soil yields an
hardens under a stress
increment (dq,dp') directed
outward from the locus, the
eld stress (q,p') is
assoc iated" with the plastic
strain rates (dv,dk) o
yielding.
The plastic strain rate
vector (associated flow)
is normal to the tangent. To
ensure stability, outward
increment vectors
stress
t
inc
e
from
must not release energy
ductile stable soil on the wet
side of the cs line. The
equation
(dp'dv +dqdk)>0, gives

p'L

Undrained

Wet
side

cs

RteHT- Rgtnu

s(de

D: Ilntttutntnt

test tutttt.

In p'

(q/p'+dv/dk) =M .

Eliminating dv/dk from

these equations and
integrating gives the origin
cam clay equation

'l

drained test of a triaxial

si
specimenonthewe tsideof
cs,
repr od uc ed here from CSSM
Figures 7.12.Any undrain ed
test has

v=(constant)
(q/Mp') =1-ln(p'/p,').

Confirmation of cam clay

theory came from an

Correc5on
c5 of the Mohr Coulomb enw
'on of the Mo
M hrr Coulomb

error

=v-tdnp'hich

is an inclined line in
Figure D. At points along this
test path there is an

dl bo
ric
small roug
ro erties that can e e
with critical state prop

an unstable

'1

2.2m

'ersectionwitheac
h yi eld
in
er
locus as the specimen yi'elds
and hardens.
The fact that data pointsts fit
the prediction for the
undrained test path Figure C
(given
( 'ven in detail in CSSM)
th re was no cohesion
s
on the wet side of critical state,
hence no cohesion on the dry
side either.

more wet) than the critical

d
ib (ib
th
iti 1 t t it
d )th
which
ic gouge
wi
with
rupture planes onn w
r channels that sudden y

til

w',

1S

test path

VK

=0.

The equation for frictional

wor k ing by the yield stress
plastic strain
u
during ductile

geo e

20

when
q/p'<M.

(dq/dp'+dv/dk)

80

manner, ,

t bl

cts do not fit t ' e oh Cul

bl
1 roblems
G
theory fits the facts a nd solves stmp
'
'alcontrolof cons t ruc tion,
numerical mo
't'
t t th
d
using
pr
tall
o
d bl
m
m
'
nnt
At
i re 4) to demonstrate failure mec h
cen r'
'
that
1
o
will be prepared wit chemical,therma, 1 an d
model soft rock bodies.

0iq

em'reate

Rgure

32

4: A drum centrltuga
GROUND ENGINEERING

AUGUST

1998