Vulcanhammer.

net
Online Course:
Soil Mechanics

Shear Strength Theory

Methods of Determining Shear Strength Properties

Review of Soil Strength

Tension in soil is seldom (if

ever) used

Even rock is seldom used in

tension

All applications of soil as an

Two questions we need

to ask with soil strength

What constitutes soil

strength?
How to we test for it?

engineering material are in

compression

The most important failure

The two are not
mode to consider is shear
failure
unrelated, but they are
The shear strength of the soil
not identical either
is the key property to
determine
The way shear strength acts in
a soil depends upon the soil
type

Plane of Shear Failure

Failure Criteria of Soils

(in consolidated or
drained condition)

Shear Envelope for Multiple

Effective Stresses (3)
Assume that the smaller

principal stress 3 is:

Horizontal Stress
Confining Stress

Assume that the larger

principal stress 1 is

Vertical Stress

Then the 3 stress is the

effective stress of the soil

Vertical stress 1 includes
effective stress and
foundation loading
These conditions will be
different in some situations,
but illustrate the significance
of varying 3

Types of Tests for Shear Strength

Direct
Shear Test

Direct Shear Test

The most obvious way

to test for shear strength

Failure mechanism in
direct shear test is
different than in most
actual soils
Reproducibility is
problematic
Is used in some cases,
but not the most
common test for shear
strength

Triaxial
Test

Testing for Various Soil Conditions

Ductile and Brittle Failure

Ductile Failure

Brittle Failure

Use of Mohr's Circle to Determine

Failure Envelope
Deviator Stress d

Results of Shear Strength Tests

Cohesionless Soils

Soils with a combination

of both

Cohesive Soils

Shear Failure in Cohesionless and

Cohesive Soils

Typical for Cohesive Soils InSitu: f =0, cu > 0

Typical for Cohesionless Soils:

cu = 0, f > 0 (but effects from
overconsolidation must be
considered)

Triaxial Shear
Test
Relationships

Shear Strength
Purely Cohesionless Soils
Shear strength of

cohesionless soils is only

developed with the
presence of effective
stress
Shear strength increases
with increasing effective
stress
The increase of shear
strength depends upon
the internal friction angle
of the soil

s tan f

Cohesion in Soils
True Cohesion
Cementation

Apparent Cohesion
Negative pore water
pressure
Due to the presence of
cementing agents such as
Negative excess pore
calcium carbonate or iron oxide
water pressures due to
Electrostatic and
dilation (expansion)
electromagnetic attractions
Apparent mechanical
Primary valence bonding
forces
(adhesion)
Cannot be relied on for
Occurs primarily during
soil strength
overconsolidation

Purely Cohesive Soils

All of the strength of the

soil is developed from the

cohesion of the soil
The strength of the soil is
essentially independent of
the effective stress

qu = unconfined
compression strength
c = cohesion or shear
strength
DO NOT CONFUSE THE
TWO

qu
sc
2

Soils with Both Cohesion and

Internal Friction
Ideally soils are either purely cohesive or

cohesionless
This is frequently not the case because:

Composition of soils are mixed

(combinations of sands, clays and silts)
Drainage and/or remoulding of clays
produces conditions similar to drained
triaxial or direct shear conditions

Combined Shear
Strength:
General
Relationship

Soil Model

Example
Given

Dry Cohesionless
Soil
Tested to determine
f
Confining Pressure
= 1000 psf
Failure Pressure =
3200 psf

Find

Value of f

Example
Equation for failure

envelope and Mohr's

Circle

1 sin f
1 sin f
1 3
2c
1 sin f
1 sin f

Solve for f

(cohesionless soils only)

1 3

f arcsin
1 3
Substitute variables:

Simplification for c = 0

1 sin f
1 3
1 sin f

f = arcsin((32001000)/(3200+1000))
f = arcsin(2200/4200)
f = arcsin(0.524)
f = 31.59

Example 2
Given
Granular soil

Find
Shearing Strength 4m
Unit Weight = 19.6
below surface before
kN/m3
installation of structure
Internal Friction Angle =
35
Whether soil will shear
Proposed Structure
with additional load
Causes vertical stress to
Whether soil will shear
increase 60 kPa at 4m depth
with additional load
Causes shear stress to
increase 52 kPa on horizontal
and elevation of water
plane at this depth
table

Also consider case where

water table increases to
ground surface

Example 2
Solution No Structure

Load

Overburden pressure
w/o structure load @ 4
m = (19.6 kN/m3)(4 m) =
78.4 kPa

s tan f

Shearing resistance =
(78.4) tan (35) = 54.9
kPa without structure
load

Solution Structural

Load, no water table

elevation

Soil vertical stress

w/structural load = 78.4
+ 60 = 138.4 kPa
Shearing strength
w/structural load =
(138.4) tan (35) = 96.9
kPa > 52 kPa so shear
failure does not occur

Example 2
Solution structural load, with water table elevation

s tan f

Soil overburden pressure = (19.6-9.81)(4) = 39.2 kPa

Soil vertical stress w/water table and structural load =
39.2 + 60 = 99.2 kPa
Shearing strength w/water table and structural load =
(99.2) tan (35) = 69.46 kPa > 52 kPa so shear failure
does not occur; however, margin of safety is decreased

Drained Triaxial Tests on Clay

Example
Given
Drained (S or CD) Triaxial
Test on Saturated Clay
Sample 1

Governing equation

1 sin f
1 sin f
1 3
2c
1 sin f
1 sin f

Confining Pressure = 70
kPa
Failure Pressure = 200

kPa
Sample 2
Confining Pressure =
160 kPa
Failure Pressure = 383.5
kPa
Find
Cohesion and Internal Friction
Angle

Noting that

1 sin f
f
2
tan
1 sin f
4 2
(angles in radians)

Drained Triaxial Tests on Clay

Example
Governing equation

Governing equation

becomes

reduces further to

f
f
1 3 tan 2 2c tan
4

1 3 Nf 2c Nf
Substituting:

Define:

f
Nf tan
4 2
2

200 70 Nf 2c Nf
383.5 160 Nf 2c Nf

Drained Triaxial Tests on Clay

Example
Solving these equations

200 70 Nf 2c Nf
383.5 160 Nf 2c Nf
Results in

c 20.06 kPa
Nf 2.04

f 0.349 radians 20

Unconfined Compression Test

No confining

pressure
Only applicable to
purely cohesive
soils
Best way to
determine the
unconfined
compression
strength and
cohesion (qu/2) of
a cohesive soil

Other Methods of Determining

Shear Strength

Typical Values for Cohesionless

Soils

Friction Angle vs. Relative Density (very dependent upon grain size)

Values of Internal Friction Angle

Typical Values of Cohesion

Very approximate; for preliminary purposes only

Vane Shear Test

Useful for a quick

determination of shear
stress in situ
Applicable to cohesive
soils
Good for determining
undrained shear
strength

Best if qu < 1 ksf or 50

kPa

Test procedures

ASTM D3573
AASHTO T 223-74

Procedure for Vane Shear Test

Vane Shear Test Calculations

Torque of vane shear
cu D 2
D
T
H

2
3
2T
cu

D 2 H

cu = undrained shear
strength
T = maximum torque
applied
D = diameter of vanes
H = height of vanes

Assumes uniform shear

strength distribution

Corrections for vane

shear test

Correction for
plasticity index:
1.7 0.54 logPI
Correction for
overburden stress

See Murthy, p. 302

(Figure 8.33)

Application of

correction factors:

cu corrected =
cu uncorrected

Sensitivity and Vane Shear

Undrained and

undisturbed strength
determined by measuring
maximum torque while
rotating vanes at 0.1
deg./sec.
Remoulded shear
strength measured by
rotating vane about ten
(10) times, then recording
a final torque value
Sensitivity St =
undisturbed shear
strength/remoulded shear
strength

Field and Laboratory Tests for Various

Soil Types

Questions?