Name:Rex Adrian S.

Natingga Section: IV-BSAE-A

Instructor: Engr. Ryan Art M. Tuling Rating:__________

LABORATORY NO. 8
Laboratory Test To Determine Shear Strength Parameters

I. INTRODUCTION

They recommend a direct shear apparatus with vertical stresses being measured with a load cell
situated in the lower half. Stoewahse (2001) recommends a direct shear apparatus with a vertically
movable upper half to avoid wall friction effects. This fact has been considered in DIN 18137-3 (2002) in
which a direct shear apparatus with a vertically movable upper half of the box is recommended as a
standard device for the performance of direct shear tests. However, the comparisons of different
apparatuses have been focused on values of friction angle and cohesion, only. Neither the measured
values of peak shear resistance have been considered nor has statistical evidence has been produced for
a discrepancy which may be due to the box suspension. With this in mind, it is not surprising that in
Lindemann (2003) and Stoewahse (2001) partially contrary results can be found in respect of the
influence.
The shear strength of soils is of special relevance among geotechnical soil properties because it
is one of the essential parameters for analyzing and solving stability problems (calculating earth
pressure, the bearing capacity of footings and foundations, slope stability or stability of embankments
and earth dams). Triaxial tests, direct shear testsand torsional direct shear tests are usually used to
determine the shear strength of soils using laboratory tests.
Indeed, the number of variables governing the shear strength is so great that any investigation
has to be restricted to a specific aspect of the subject (Rowe 1969).In this paper the uncertainties due
to the preparation by different laboratory assistants, different sizes of the shear plane and different
displacement rates will be considered and statistically evaluated. In a previous publication(Thermann,
Gau & Tiedemann 2005) the statistical assessment of the influence of the bearing of the upper box has
already been described and discussed.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. To know the different test in determining the shear strength of soil.

2. To determine the apparatus use in conducting shear strength laboratory test.
3. To determine the procedures in shear strength laboratory test.

III. MATERIALS:

1. Laptop
2. Bond paper
3. printer
4. Flash drive

IV. METHODS AND PROCEDURES

1. Research about the equipments and procedure in different shear strength laboratory test.
2. Gather all the necessary data which are relevant to the different shear strength laboratory
test.
3. Make an outline or format which compose of introduction, objectives, methodology, re-
sults and discussion, conclusion and reference.
4. Print the document with the required size of the bond paper.
V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS:

1. conventional triaxial apparatus is widely used apparatus to determine the shear strength
parameters and the stress–strain behavior of soils is the triaxial apparatus. The direct shear test is
useful when a soil mass is likely to fail along a thin zone under plane strain conditions. The purpose of
unconfined compression test is to determine the undrained shear strength of saturated clays quickly.

Apparatus
1. Triaxial cell
2. Triaxial automated system

Procedure
1. Preparation and system preparation-- The test specimen itself
must firstly be prepared from a sample
of soil before placing into the triaxial cell. For cohesive soils this
may involve trimming undisturbed specimens extruded from
Shelby tubes or cut from block samples, whilst for granular soils
the specimen may require preparation directly on the pedestal
using a split-part mould.
2. Saturation- The saturation process is designed to ensure all voids within the
test specimen are filled with water, and that the pore pressure
transducer and drainage lines are properly de-aired. This may
be achieved by firstly applying a partial vacuum to the specimen
to remove air and draw water into the transducer and drainage
lines, followed by a linear increase of the cell and back pressures.
3. Consolidation-- The consolidation stage is used to bring the specimen to the
effective stress state required for shearing. It is typically
conducted by increasing the cell pressure whilst maintaining a
constant back pressure (often equal to the pore pressure reached
during the final saturation.
4. Shearing stage-- The soil is sheared by applying an axial strain εa to the test
specimen at a constant rate through upward (compression) or
downward (extension) movement of the load frame platen. This
rate, along with the specimen drainage condition, is dependent on
the type of triaxial test being performed.
 Calculation Parameters

2. Vane shear test is typically used for measuring the

undrained shear strength of soft clay.

Apparatus
1. Direct shear box

Procedures

The equipment used for determining the shear stressdisplacement relationship in the horizontal
shearing plane is the
conventional direct shear box. The shear box consists of two halves: the lower half of the box can
slide freely relative to the upper half when pushing by a motorized drive unit. The size of the specimen
is 6 cm in diameter and 2 cm in height. The tested sample is trimmed into cylindrical shape by the
cutting shoes mounted on a trimming frame. For consolidation, the vertical load was applied
incrementally until the overburden
effective stress was reached. The preshear consolidation stress is maintained for 24 h to ensure that
the end of primary consolidation is fully reached. The undrained shear condition is achieved by
maintaining the height of the sample constant during shearing with adjustment on the vertical applied
load. During the shearing process, the relative displacement of the two portions of the specimen and
the applied shearing force are measured by a load cell and displacement transducer. The rate of
shearing is 1 mm/min, and the test was terminated when the horizontal displacement reached 2 cm.

Calculation

Standards and parameters

3. Direct shear test is the oldest and simplest form of shear test arrangement.

Apparatus

Procedures
A soil specimen of size 60 x 60 x 25 mm is taken. It is placed in the direct shear box and compacted.
The upper grid plate, porous stone and pressure pad is placed on the specimen. Normal load and shear
load is be applied till failure

Calculation

Parameters and standards

4. Unconfined compression test is a specialtype of unconsolidated-undrainecl test

that is commonly used for clay spccimen. In this test,the confining pressure oj is 0.
An axial load is rapidly appliedto the specimento cause failure.

Apparatus
Procedures

A consolidated drained compression test is performed in two stages. The first stage is consolidating the
soil to a desired effective stress level by pressurizing the water in the cell and allowing the soil sample
to drain until the excess porewater pressure dissipates. In the second stage, the pressure in the cell
(cell pressure or confi ning pressure) is kept constant, and additional axial loads or displacements are
added very slowly until the soil sample fails. The displacement rate (or strain rate) used must be slow
enough to allow the excess porewater pressure to dissipate. Because the hydraulic conductivity
of fine-grained soils is much lower than that of coarse-grained soils, the displacement rate for testing
fine-grained soils is much lower than for coarse-grained soils

Calculation

Parameters and standards

VII. CONCLUSION

I conclude that the strength of a material in any mode is the highest or ultimate value of
stress it can sustain or resist in that mode. The shear strength of soils is of special relevance among
geotechnical soil properties because it is one of the essential parameters for analyzing and solving
stability problems (calculating earth pressure, the bearing capacity of footings and foundations, slope
stability or stability of embankments and earth dams). Triaxial tests, direct shear testsand torsional
direct shear tests are usually used to determine the shear strength of soils using laboratory tests. In
general, conductiong this laboratory able us to know the parameters in determining shear strength.

VIII. References:

 http://.ASABTechnicalAbstract.html
 http://hydraulicconductivity.html
 http://myword.info/definition.php?id=oval_head_1-a
 http://www.technologystudent.com/joints/screws1.html