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ENCE 361
Soil Mechanics

Triaxial Compression Tests

Principles of
Triaxial
Tests

The triaxial
compression
test is used to
measure the
shear strength
of a soil under
controlled
drainage
conditions.

Mechanism of Soil Shear in

the Triaxial Test

A soil mass may be considered as a compressible

skeleton of solid particles. Shear stresses are
carried only by the skeleton of solid particles,
whereas the normal stress on any plane is carried
by both the solid particles and the pore water.

In a triaxial test, the shear strength is determined

in terms of the total stress (intergranular stress
plus pore water pressure), unless:

Complete drainage is provided during the test so that

the pore pressure is equal to zero at failure, or
Measurements of pore pressure are made during the test.

Types of Triaxial Tests

The three types of basic triaxial

compression tests are:

Unconsolidated-undrained Q (or U-U)

Consolidated-undrained R (or C-U)

Consolidated-drained S (or C-D)

They are derived from the drainage

conditions allowed to prevail during the
test. The type of test is selected to
closely simulate, or to bracket, the
conditions anticipated in the field.

Loading Devices

Various devices may be used to apply

axial load to the specimen.

Loading devices can be further grouped

under controlled-strain or controlledstress types.

In controlled-strain tests, the specimen is

strained axially at a predetermined rate

In controlled-stress tests, predetermined

increments of load are applied to the
specimen at fixed intervals of time.

Triaxial Compression Chamber

Triaxial Compression Chamber

Side Friction for Top Bearings

May be useful to
measure this friction
before starting test

Specimen End Caps

Rubber
Membranes

Rubber membranes used to encase the

specimen should provide reliable
protection against leakage, yet offer
minimum restraint to the specimen.

Commercially available rubber

membranes having thicknesses ranging
of 0.0025 (for soft clays) to 0.010
(for sands or for clays containing sharp
particles) are generally satisfactory for
1.4 diameter specimens.

Trimming Frame
(Cohesive
Specimens)

Cohesionless soils use

forming jackets as they
cannot be practically trimmed

Membrane
Stretcher

Other equipment:

Pressure Reservoir

Measuring Equipment

Deaired Water

Vacuum and Air pressure

supply

Bourdon gages

Timing Device

Balances

Water content apparatus

Preparation of Specimens

Three soil conditions for preparing

specimens

Cohesive soils containing negligible

amounts of gravel

Cohesionless soils containing negligible

amounts of gravel

Soils Containing Gravel

Cohesive Specimens,
Little Gravel

Cohesive Specimens
Little Gravel

Squaring ends
using mitre
box

Cohesionless Soils
Little Gravel

Virtually impossible to trim into a

specimen

Freezing can be used; frozen specimens

can be cut and trimmed, put into
chamber and thawed before testing

Specimens can also be compacted in a

mould and then tested

Soils Containing Gravel

If the material to be tested is in an

undisturbed state, the specimens shall be
prepared as with shown earlier.

In testing compacted soils, the largest

particle size is usually known, and the entire
sample should be tested, whenever possible,
without removing any of the coarser
particles. However, it may be necessary to
remove the particles larger than a certain
size to comply with the requirements for
specimen size, though such practice will
result in lower measured values of the shear
strength and should be avoided if possible.

Q (U-U) Test

In the Q test the water content of the test

specimen is not permitted to change
during the application of the confining
pressure or during the loading of the
specimen to failure by increasing the
deviator stress.

The Q test is usually applicable only to

soils that are not free draining, i.e., to
soils having a permeability less than 10 x
10-4 cm/sec (cohesive soils)

Q (U-U) Test

Record all identifying

information

Place one specimens

on the base

Place the rubber

membrane using the
membrane stretcher.
Release so membrane
is tight around
specimen.

Rolling the Rubber

Membrane

With insensitive soils,

the membrane is more
simply rolled over the
specimen

Valve
B

Valve C

Q (U-U) Test

Valve A

Assemble the chamber and place it in the

loading device

With Valve C closed and Valve A & B

open, fill the chamber with fluid; close
Valve B when overflow takes place

Valve
B

Valve C

Q (U-U) Test

Valve A

With Valves A & C closed, adjust

pressure regulator to preset the desired
chamber pressure.

Open Valve A and apply the pressure to

the chamber. Piston will be forced
upward.

Valve
B

Valve C

Q (U-U) Test

Valve A

Start test with piston approx. 0.1 above

the specimen cap, to compensate for
piston friction

Set strain indicator

Valve
B

Valve C

Q (U-U) Test

Valve A

Axially strain specimen at a rate of

about 1% per minute for plastic
materials and 0.3% per minute for
brittle materials

At these rates, elapsed time to reach the

maximum deviator stress is about 15
20 minutes

Valve
B

Valve C

Q (U-U) Test

Valve A

Axially strain specimen at a rate of

about 1% per minute for plastic
materials and 0.3% per minute for
brittle materials

At these rates, elapsed time to reach the

maximum deviator stress is about 15
20 minutes

Valve
B

Valve C

Q (U-U) Test

Valve A

Observe and record the resulting load at

every 0.3% for first 3% of strain and at
every 1% thereafter

Continue test until axial strain of 15%

has been reached unless stress is
decreased, then test until 20% strain

Valve
B

Valve C

Q (U-U) Test

Valve A

When loading is complete, release

pressure by shutting off air supply with
the regulator and opening Valve C.

Open Valve B and draw fluid back into

reservoir by applying a low vacuum at
Valve C

Remove membrane from specimen.

Determine water content of specimen

Q (U-U)
Test

Typical
Stress-Strain
Curves for
Soils Tested
in U-U Test

Computations for Q (U-U)

Tests

Record the following

data:

Compute the
following for each
data point:

Initial Water Content

Volume of Solids

Axial Strain

Initial Void Ratio

Initial Degree of
Saturation

Corrected Specimen
Area

Deviator Stress

Initial Dry Density

Record time to failure

Membrane Correction Factor

The membrane will increase the apparent

strength of the specimen.

Membrane correction stress:

 D o M 1
r
Ao

Do = initial specimen diameter

M = compression modulus of membrane

= axial strain

Ao = initial cross-sectional area of specimen

Presentation using Mohr's Circle

Deviator Stress

Strength
Envelopes
for UTests
Typical for in-situ
cohesive soils

c
 tan 
Mohr-Coulomb Formula
Complete Formula for
shear strength in soils

R (C-U) Test

In the R test, complete consolidation

of the test specimen is permitted
under the confining pressure.

Then, with the water content held

constant, the specimen is loaded to
failure by increasing the deviator
stress.

Specimens must as a general rule be

completely saturated before
application of the deviator stress.

R (C-U) Test

General Notes

All specimens must be completely

saturated before application of the deviator
stress in the R test.

In general, it is preferable to saturate the

soil after the specimens have been
prepared, encased in membranes, and
placed within the compression chamber,
using back pressure.

Apparatus for R (C-U) and S (C-D) Tests

Procedure for R (C-U) Test

All lines should be
filled with deaired
water

Set up specimen in similar

manner as Q (U-U) Test

All valves closed

Procedure for R (C-U) Test

After lines are pressurised, close

Valves F and G

2 psi
Open

Open
Open

7 psi

Procedure for R (C-U) Test

Increase pressures in 5 20 psi

increments until pore pressure equals
back pressure

Difference
< 5psi
Increase
Open Increase

Open

For each increment, open Valve G and measure pore water pressure at base

Procedure for R (C-U) Test

Verify that the specimen is completely

saturated when chamber pressure and pore
pressure move together

Difference
< 5psi

Open

Procedure for R (C-U) Test

Hold back pressure constant and

increase chamber pressure until desired
consolidation pressure is reached

Consolidation Pressure = Chamber Pressure Back Pressure

Procedure for R (C-U) Test

Open Valve F (maybe E also) and

record changes in dial indicator until
specimen is consolidated

Consolidation criteria similar to those used with the consolidation test

Procedure for R (C-U) Test

Load specimen in manner similar to Q

(U-U) Test

Computations for R (C-U)

Test

Initial Water Content

Volume of Solids

Initial Void Ratio

Initial Degree of Saturation

Initial Dry Density

Specimen Area after Consolidation

Final Void Ratio

Final Degree of Saturation

Computations for R (C-U)

Test

Axial Strain
H

Hc

Corrected Area of Specimen
Ac
Acorr 
1

Deviator Stress
P

Acorr

Stress-strain plots similar to Q test

Strength
Envelopes for
R (C-U) Tests

Typical for in-situ

cohesionless soils

c
 tan 
Mohr-Coulomb Formula
Complete Formula for
shear strength in soils

S (C-D) Test

In the S test, complete consolidation of

the test specimen is permitted under the
confining pressure and during the
loading of the specimen to failure by
increasing the deviator stress.

Consequently, no excess pore pressures

exist at the time of failure.

S (C-D) Test

Usually done only on

pervious (generally
granular/cohesionless)
soils

Set-up and procedure

similar to R test
except for addition of
burette and vacuum
line

Vacuum applied to
burette to drain
specimen

Stress
envelopes
similar to R
test

Homework Set 6

Textbook Reading

Chapter 11 (pp. 396-430)

Laboratory Soils Testing

Drained (S) Direct Shear Test (Appendix IX)

Triaxial Compression Tests (Appendix X)

Unconfined Compression Tests (Appendix XI)

Homework Problems:11-2, 11-11, 11-14,

11-17, 11-23, 11-25, 11-28, 11-32

Any problem calling for Mohr's Circle can

be solved using equations as well

Due Date: 19 November 2001

Questions?