The vertical load Q continues to increase until the soil sample fails (Figure 2).

vertical load, Q

ACEG220 SOIL MECHANICS II Triaxial cell Objective In this lecture we will learn about another method of testing the shear strength of a soil in the laboratory other than the shear box test.
shear failure

axial displacement, ay

Introduction So far, you have learned how to measure the shear strength of a soil using the shear box. There is another method, called a triaxial test so called because the sample of soil is loaded on 3 axes. The apparatus is called a triaxial cell. The soil is not sheared directly like in a shear box but is sheared by shear stresses generated in the sample by the difference between vertical and horizontal normal stresses applied to the sample. The triaxial test is a more advanced method of testing which allows the soil to be tested in many different ways. Triaxial cell apparatus A cylindrical (column-shaped) sample of soil is contained in a rubber membrane and placed inside the clear Perspex triaxial cell (Figure 1). The cell is filled with water and the water is given a pressure (the cell pressure). The cell pressure applies a normal stress all around the sample of soil. This pressure represents the in-situ stresses that are present in the ground due to the weight of soil above.
1 D = 38mm or 100mm cell filled with water 2 Soil sample cell pressure 3 clear Perspex cell wall soil sample contained in rubber membrane sample drainage
drained undrained

Figure 2: Shear failure of soil sample at end of test In a triaxial cell, either drained or undrained tests can be carried out by opening or closing a tap that allows water to flow into or out of the sample. In drained tests volume changes of the soil sample can also be measured. In the shear box tests you measured the vertical movement of the lid to estimate the volume change (dilation or compression). In a triaxial test, the volume of water flowing into the sample (dilation) and the volume of water of flowing out of the sample (compression) can be measured directly. Triaxial testing on sands as part of a typical site investigation is unusual. Most triaxial testing is done on clays and silts. There three basic types of triaxial test: i) Unconsolidated undrained test (UUT) The most basic type and is used to measure the undrained shear strength cu of a clay. Each sample of clay is placed in the triaxial cell, a cell pressure is applied and the vertical load Q increased to failure. The tap to the sample is always closed so there is no consolidation of the sample and the shear failure is undrained. It is a quick and cheap method but the disadvantages are that the results are highly variable and inaccurate and the test does not simulate soil conditions in the ground. ii) Consolidated undrained test (CUT) In this test the soil sample is saturated and consolidated back to its in-situ state in the ground before the vertical load Q is increased. Once the sample is in equilibrium, the tap to the sample is closed and the deviator stress is increased until undrained failure occurs. iii) Consolidated drained test (CDT) The soil sample is brought to equilibrium as in the CUT but the tap to the sample is left open as the vertical load Q is increased. Depending on the permeability of the sample, the vertical load Q must increase very slowly so that drained shear failure occurs. Volume change can also be measured directly from the volume of water entering (dilation) or leaving (compression) the sample.

vertical load, Q

L = 2D

Figure 1: Triaxial cell apparatus and soil sample Test procedure At the start of the test, the cell pressure all around the soil sample is the same. The deviator stress, q (= 1 3) is the extra vertical stress in the sample caused by the vertical load, Q. At the start of the test Q = 0 but it is increased while the horizontal stresses 2 and 3 stay the same.

A quick way to measure the effective stress strength () properties of a clay Imagine you need to find the effective stress (drained) friction angle of a clay. To do a drained triaxial test on a clay could take days and would be expensive. What would be a quicker and cheaper way? If we measured the pore pressure, u in a consolidated undrained test, we would be able to calculate the effective stresses inside the sample and hence the friction angle , even though the soil failed in an undrained way. This type of triaxial test is called a consolidated undrained test with measurement of pore pressure. Calculation of soil shear strength or cu in a triaxial test You may remember that in a shear box test the shear strength of a soil is obtained by measuring the shear force (T) at failure under at least three different normal forces (N). These results are then plotted and either a friction angle (drained test) or an undrained shear strength cu is obtained (Figure 3).
Shear stress (kPa) Shear stress (kN) Undrained shear strength cu

Effective stress test (CDT or CUT with measurement of pore pressure) Calculate 1 and 3 at failure for each test. Then draw the Mohrs circles at failure for each test by plotting the 1 and 3 values along the horizontal axis of the graph shown below (where each axis has THE SAME SCALE). The friction angle is then found by drawing a failure line that touches all three circles and passes as close to the origin as possible compare with the failure line in Figure 3.
(kPa) 150 100 50

failure line = c + tan test 1 test 2

0
3 3 1 3

shear stress

test 3

c
0 50

100 150 200 250 300 350 400

normal effective stress ' (kPa)

Reading from the failure line on the graph, slope = (140 8)/(230 0). = tan-1 (slope) = tan-1 (132/230) Therefore, = 29.9, c = 8kPa Total stress test (UUT) Calculate 1 and 3 at failure for each test. Then draw the Mohrs circles at failure for each test by plotting the 1 and 3 values along the horizontal axis of the graph shown below (where each axis has THE SAME SCALE). The undrained shear strength cu is then found by drawing a horizontal failure line that touches the tops of all three circles. The point where the failure line crosses the vertical axis is the cu value. Compare with the undrained failure line in Figure 3.
(kPa) 150 100 test 1 cu 50 0 0
3 3 3 1

Friction angle (strength) of soil Normal effective stress (kPa)

Normal total stress (kPa)

Figure 3: Reminder of shear strengths obtained from shear box tests Soil shear strengths are measured in a similar way in a triaxial test. The deviator stress q at failure is calculated from triaxial tests on samples of soil with different cell pressures.
Deviator stress, q = (1 - 3)
Deviator stress at failure

shear stress

failure line test 2 test 3

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 normal total stress (kPa)
1 1

stiff clay

50

Axial strain, a

Reading from the failure line on the graph, the undrained shear strength of the clay cu = 80kPa. Advantages of the triaxial test There are several advantages of the triaxial test over the shear box test for measuring the shear strength of a soil. These include: i) direct measurement of volume change of saturated soils ii) shear failure occurs on preferred planes in the soil rather than forced on a particular plane as in a shear box iii) more control of parameters, such as pore pressure and normal stress, is possible iv) pore pressure can be measured.

Figure 4: Typical graph of deviator stress during a triaxial test on a stiff clay The deviator stress q = Q/A where is A is the cross-sectional area of the sample. However, A changes during the test due to compression of the sample and this is taken into account by using the equation q = (Q/A0)(1 a)/(1 vol) where A0 is the cross-sectional area of the sample at the start of the test. Since the soil shears within the sample without any shear force being applied directly or being measured, we must calculate the shear stress in the soil from Mohrs circles. This process will be explained by example, but the Mohrs circles you plot will look something like those shown below.
3