LINTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

GEO-MECHANICS
(CE2204)
Shear Strength of Soils
Lecture Week No 4

Mdm Nur Syazwani Noor Rodi

NOTATIONS
- Total Stress [kN/m2; kPa]
- Effective Stress [kN/m2; kPa]
N - Normal Stress [kN/m2; kPa]
v - Vertical Total Stress [kN/m2; kPa]
h - Horizontal Total Stress [kN/m2; kPa]
1 - Principle Stress [kN/m2; kPa]
3 - Minor Stress [kN/m2; kPa]
u - Pore Water Pressure [kN/m2; kPa]
- Shear Strength [kN/m2; kPa]
- Angle of Friction []
- Change in
C - Cohesion of Soils [kN/m2; kPa]

SHEAR FAILURE IN SOILS

WHAT IS SHEAR STRENGTH?

The shear strength of a soil is its resistance to
shearing stresses.
It is a measure of the soil resistance to
deformation by continuous displacement of its
individual soil particles
Shear strength in soils depends primarily on
interactions between particles
Shear failure occurs when the stresses between
the particles are such that they slide over each
other

SHEAR STRENGTH IN SOILS

q
STRIP FOOTING

Shear Stress,
Shear Resistance, f

The soil grains slide over

each other along the failure
surface

At failure, shear stress along

the failure surface () reaches
the shear strength (f).

SHEAR STRENGTH PARAMETERS

Soil derives its shear strength from two sources:
a) Cohesion (C), is a measurement of the
forces that cement between particles of soils
(stress independent component)
- Cementation between sand grains
- Electrostatic attraction between clay particles

b) Internal Friction angle (), is the measure

of the frictional resistance between particles
of soils (stress dependent component)

MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE CRITERION

This theory states that a material failure is

due to the critical combination of normal
stress and shear stress
The relationship between normal stress and shear
is given as

MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE CRITERION

f c N tan

MOHR CIRCLE

1 = 3 + v

c tan

SOIL
ELEMENT

General State of Stress

v
3

MOHR CIRCLE

1 = 3 + v

As loading progresses,
Mohr circle becomes
larger

SOIL
ELEMENT

General State of Stress

Initially, Mohr circle is a point

.. and finally failure

occurs when Mohr circle
touches the envelope

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

Laboratory Tests:
a) Shear Box
b) Triaxial Compression

In Situ Tests:
a) Standard Penetration
b) Shear Vane

UNDRAINED TESTS
NO drainage of pore water
simulates short term condition (e.g. end of construction)
excess pore water pressure, u is often finite

DRAINED TEST
Drainage ALLOW for pore water
simulates long term condition (e.g. many years after
construction)
excess pore water pressure, u = 0; however u is not
necessarily = 0

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

(DIRECT SHEAR BOX)

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

(DIRECT SHEAR BOX)

max

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

(DIRECT SHEAR BOX)
(kN/m2)

f Cd N tan d
d

(N3 , 3)

(N2 , 2)

(N1 , 1)

Cd

(kN/m2)

Example 1
A drained shear box test was carried out on a
sandy clay and yielded for the following results:
Normal Load (N)

108

202

295

390

484

576

Shear Load at failure (N)

172

227

266

323

374

425

Area of shear plane = 60mm x 60mm

Determine the apparent cohesion and angle of
friction for the soil

Example 2

Test

Maximum
Shear Stress
(kN/m2)

Normal Load,
P
(kg)

Normal Stress, N
(kN/m2)

P
A

max

70

36.7

36.7

9.81

2
1000 0.06

100

9.81

2
1000 0.06

200

9.81

2
1000 0.06

350

130

73.4

73.4

220

128.4

128.4

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

(TRIAXIAL TEST)

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

(TRIAXIAL TEST)
The test is designed to mimic actual field or in situ
conditions of the soil.
Triaxial tests are run by:
1. saturating the soil
2. applying the confining stress ( 3)
3. applying the vertical stress (known as deviator stress) until
failure

3 main types of triaxial tests:

a) Unconsolidated - Undrained
b) Consolidated Drained
c) Consolidated Undrained

UNDRAINED TEST
(Unconsolidated-Undrained)
0

u0

u0

uf 0

Undrained

Undrained

Stage A

Stage B

Stage C

Sample Preparation

Apply Cell Pressure

Undrained Failure

Fast - Undrained - Short term

Cu & u
for saturated soils (S=1), NO Volume Change

DRAINED TEST
(Consolidated-Drained)
0

u0

u=0

uf = 0

Drained

Drained

Stage A

Stage B

Stage C

Sample Preparation

Consolidation

Drained Failure

Extremely slow Drained Long term

Cd & d
for saturated soils (S=1), NO Volume Change

CONSOLIDATED UNDRAINED TEST

0

u0

u=0

uf 0

Drained

Undrained

Stage A

Stage B

Stage C

Sample Preparation

Consolidation

Undrained Failure

Intermediate Drained Long & Short term

C & ( Cd & d ) ; Cu & u

Example 1
A drained triaxial compression test carried out on
three specimens of the same soil yielded the
following results:
Test No.

Cell pressure (kPa)

100

200

300

Deviator stress at failure (kPa)

210

438

644

Draw the shear strength envelop and determine the shear

strength parameters, C & , assuming that the pore water
pressure remain constant during the axial loading stage.

Example 2
Three consolidation undrained triaxial tests were
carried out on 38mm diameter samples of the
same clay. The applied axial force at failure of the
samples were found to be as follows:Test No.

Cell pressure (kN/m2)

25

75

120

0.086

0.120

0.149

Applied axial force at failure (kN)

Determine the shear strength parameters of the

clay in term of total stress.

Example 3
The following results were obtained from undrained
triaxial tests on specimens of a saturated normally
consolidated clay.
Test No.

Cell Pressure (kN/m2)

100

200

300

Ultimate Deviator Stress (kN/m2)

137

210

283

Ultimate Pore Pressure (kN/m2)

28

86

147

Determine the shear strength parameters of the

clay in term of total and effective stress.

Example 4
The following results were obtained from undrained
triaxial tests on specimens of an overconsolidated
clay.
Test No.

Cell Pressure (kN/m2)

100

250

400

Deviator Stress at failure (kN/m2)

340

410

474

Deviator Pore Pressure (kN/m2)

-42

64

177

Determine the shear strength parameters of the

clay in term of total and effective stress.

Example 5
Referring to Example 2, if the shear strength
parameters of the clay in term of effective stress
were C = 10 kN/m2 and = 30, determine the
pore water pressure in each sample at failure.

Example 6
Consolidated undrained triaxial tested were carried
out on 3 samples of the same clay soil and the
following results were obtained at the point of
failure:Sample
No.

Cell
Pressure
(kN/m2)

Deviator
Stress at
failure
(kN/m2)

Pore
Water
Pressure
(kN/m2)

50

80.543

27.201

100

57.879

158.514

Cu

(kN/m2)

()

(kN/m2)

()

10

Determine the 6 unknown value (?) in the table by

Calculation and Graphical method

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

(SHEAR VANE TEST)

d 2h d 3

T C u

6
2

TYPES OF SHEAR TEST

(SHEAR VANE TEST)
Suitable for determining the in-situ undrained shear
strength of unfissured saturated clays and silts
The vane consists of four rectangular blades in a
cruciform at the end of a steel rod
Shear strength is measure by pushing the vane into
the soil and rotated by applying a torque at the surface
end of the rod
The vane is first rotated at 6-12 per minute to
determine the undisturbed shear strength and then the
remoulded strength is measured by rotating the vane
rapidly

Example 1
A shear vane used to test a soft clay had a
diameter of 75mm and a length of 150mm. The
average torques recorded after slow and then
rapid rotations were 64 and 26 Nm respectively.
Determine the undrained strength of the clay.