WEEK 6

ACTIVITY
Lecture (3 hours)

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Week 6 : (3HL) Coverage : Laboratory tests to
determine engineering properties of soils : Strength,
Compressibility and Permeability

Learning Outcomes :
At the end of this lecture/week, the students
will be able to :
1. Discuss the purpose and objectives of
engineering properties tests in the context
of designing geotechnical structures
2. Determine important engineering properties
of soils based on the analysis of laboratory
test data

LABORATORY TESTING

OUTLINE of PRESENTATION
1.0
2.0
3.0

Overview
Scope of laboratory test
Mechanical properties tests
and their application

LABORATORY TESTING

1.0 Overview

Based on the soil exploration works carried

out two types of samples are normally
retrieved from the site. These are disturbed
and undisturbed samples.
The engineer/designer must specify the
tests that need to be carried out in the
laboratory so that relevant and appropriate
parameters are obtained to be used in the
design of the geotechnical structures.

LABORATORY TESTING

Standards for testing

BS Standards BS1377:1990, BS5930:1999

American Standards ASTM

Malaysian Standards MS

LABORATORY TESTING

Standards for testing

BS Standards BS1377:1990, BS5930:1999
Shear Box Test

Triaxial test (UCT, UU, CIU, CID)

Vane Shear test

Compressibility test
Permeability Tests
Find the correct references for each test in the
BS and the equivalent ASTM

LABORATORY TESTING

3.0 Mechanical Properties of Soils

3.1 Strength test
3.1.1 Shear Box
3.1.2 Triaxial Test
3.1.3 Vane Shear test
3.2 Compressibility Test
3.3 Permeability Test

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Shear Box Apparatus & Accessories
3.1.1 Shear box
apparatus and
its accessories

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Shear box apparatus

Schematic diagram of a shear box apparatus

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Data analysis of shear box test

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Triaxial sample

3.1.2 Triaxial Test

TESTS AVAILABLE
Unconfined compression
test (UCT)

Unconsolidated undrained
test (UU)
Consolidated isotropically
undrained test (CIU)
Consolidated isotropically
drained test (CID)
SET-UP OF THE
SAMPLES

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Interpretation of test results
UNCONFINED COMPRESSION TEST

Is a special case
of triaxial
compression,
carried out at
zero cell pressure
(3 = 0).

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Interpretation of test results
UNCONFINED COMPRESSION TEST

Is a special case
of triaxial
compression,
carried out at
zero cell pressure
(3 = 0).
Mohr-Coulomb plot for the unconfined
compression test

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Triaxial apparatus and accessories

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Diagram of Triaxial cell
THE TRIAXIAL CELL
AND POSITION OF
THE SAMPLE

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Interpretation of test results
INTERPRETATION OF TRIAXIAL TEST RESULTS

Strains and stresses in the triaxial test (a) Principal strains

(b) Cell pressure only (c) Stresses at shear failure

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Failure modes
MODE OF SHEAR FAILURE IN THE TRIAXIAL TEST

(a) Brittle shear

failure

(b) Intermediate
shear failure

Plastic yielding
failure

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Interpretation of test results
OBTAINING MOHR-COULOMB PARAMETERS

Three specimens of the same soil usually tested at

different cell pressures and a Mohr circle drawn for each
peak or ultimate failure stress. Common tangent drawn as
the strength envelope.

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength

Comparison of Mohr circles for drained and undrained tests

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength

Undrained test envelopes for a normally consolidated clay

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength

Typical example of Mohr circles construction

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength

ANALYSIS OF SHEAR STRENGTH

DATA TO OBTAIN SHEAR STRENGTH
PARAMETERS USING STRESS PATH
CONCEPT
(a) HALF DIFFERENCE HALF SUM PLOT
(b) SPACE PLOT

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength

BEFORE WE PROCEED, PLEASE

DEFINE THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
Mohr Circles
Stress Paths
Normally consolidated clay
Overconsolidated clay

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength

STRESS POINT AND MOHR COULOMB FAILURE ENVELOPES

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
(a) STRESS PATHS FOR TRIAXIAL TEST (Half Difference Vs Half Sum

(a) Drained Test

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
(a) STRESS PATHS FOR TRIAXIAL TEST (Half Difference Vs Half Sum

(b) Consolidated Undrained Test (Normally consolidated clay)

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
(a) STRESS PATHS FOR TRIAXIAL TEST (Half Difference Vs Half Sum

(c) Consolidated Undrained Test (Overconsolidated clay)

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
(a) STRESS PATHS FOR TRIAXIAL TEST (Half Difference Vs Half Sum)

Correlation between the parameters from Shear strength

envelope and the stress point failure envelope

sin ' tan '

' sin- 1 (tan - 1 )

c'

a'
cos '

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
(B) SPACE PLOT

(a) PRINCIPAL STRESS ELEMENT

(b) PRINCIPAL STRESS SPACE

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
STRESS PATH IN PRINCIPAL STRESS
SPACE

(a) Drained test (back pressure = uo)

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
STRESS PATH IN PRINCIPAL STRESS
SPACE

(b) Consolidated undrained test

SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS

Graphical representation of strength
(b) STRESS PATHS FOR TRIAXIAL TEST (Space Plot)

Correlation between the parameters from Shear

strength envelope and the stress point failure envelope

2 tan ' - 1
sin '
2 tan ' 1
2 tan ' - 1
' sin

2 tan ' 1
-1

1
c' b' (1 - sin ' )
2

FIELD RESULTS & ANALYSIS I

3.1.3 Vane Shear Tests

Shear vane
Apparatus

d
d d

T cu hd x 2 x
2
4 3