SHEAR

STRENGTH OF
SOILS
ASLAM KHAN
WHAT IS SHEAR STRENGTH
OF SOIL?
Shear strength of a soil is its resistance to shearing stresses.
The internal resistance per unit area that the soil mass can offer
to resist failure and sliding along any plane inside it is called
shear strength.
Strength of soil is a key design parameter in designing
o building foundations
o Embankments
o retaining structures and
o other earth structures

Slope stability analysis also requires the strength of the soil as a

resisting force against sliding along potential sliding surfaces.
FACTORS CONTROLLING
SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOILS
1. Soil composition (basic soil material)
2. State (loose, dense, stiff, over-consolidated etc.)
3. Structure (undisturbed, disturbed, compacted,
remolded)
4. Loading conditions (static or dynamic)
FAILURE CRITERIA
Soil derives its shear strength from the following sources:
Cohesion between particles (stress independent component).
Frictional resistance between particles (stress dependent
component).
Moisture content and pore-water pressure in the soil mass.

MOHR-COULOMB THEORY
This theory states that a material fails because of a critical combination
of normal stress and shear stress, and not from their either
maximum normal or shear stress alone.
MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE
CRITERIA
f = c + tan
Where,
f = frictional resistance
= normal stress
= angle of internal
friction of soil
c = cohesion of soil
MODIFICATION OF THE
MOHRCOULOMB EQUATION
Terzaghi (1925) modified the MohrCoulomb equation to
include his effective stress concept as
f = c + tan = c + ( u) tan
where all strength parameters c & are expressed in terms of
the effective normal stress (= u).
In saturated soil, the total normal stress at a point is the sum
of the effective stress ( ) and pore water pressure (u), or
= + u
DETERMINATION OF SHEAR
STRENGTH PARAMETERS

The shear strength parameters of a soil are

determined in the laboratory with the following types
of tests:
Direct Shear Test
Unconfined Compression Test
Tri-axial Compression Test
DIRECT SHEAR TEST
A simplest device used to determine soil strength parameters.
It is quick and inexpensive method.
Its is used to determine the shear strength of both cohesive as well
as non-cohesive soils.

Apparatus:
Upper shear box
Lower shear box
Soil specimen
Dial indicators
DIRECT SHEAR TEST
DIRECT SHEAR TEST
InFigure (b), initial dense soils
undergo initial contraction and then
dilation.
Loose soils contract all the way till
failure.
Specimen in between dense and
loose, there is a specimen of which
the void ratio remains nearly the
same during the shear.
That void ratio is called critical
void ratio and this specimen does
not contract or dilate during
UNCONFINED
COMPRESSION TEST
This test is only used for cohesive
specimens, which can stand alone
without any lateral confinement of the
specimen during the test.

Apparatus:
Two metal plates
Dial gauge
Soil sample
Soil trimmer
Vernier calipers
UNCONFINED
COMPRESSION TEST

Test is completed within 10 to 20 minutes, so during this process
the water content of the specimen remains nearly constant.
Pore water pressure may build up inside the specimen, but it will
not have enough time to dissipate.
This process is called an undrained shear test.
According to the ASTM standard, the unconfined compressive
strength (qu) is defined as the compressive stress at which an
unconfined cylindrical specimen of soil will fail in a simple
compression test.
Maximum shear stress at failure Cu is equal to:

Cu =
UNCONFINED
COMPRESSION TEST RESULT
Axial normal stress
v (= Fv /specimen area)
and axial strain v (= v /initial
specimen height) are plotted
in Figure.
Two curves for typical soils
are seen:
(a)heavily overconsolidated
or dense soils with a clear
peak value, and
(b) normally consolidated or
loose soils without a clear
TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION
TEST
It is used for the determination of shear characteristics of all
types of soils under different drainage conditions.
It applies three principal stresses, ( 1, 2, and 3), to a
cylindrical specimen; the intermediate principal stress 2 is
equal to the minor principal stress 3 ( 2 = 3 ).
Axial stress is increased until failure, while the lateral confining
pressure is kept constant during the shear.
TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION
TEST
Axial stress is the major principal stress 1 and the lateral
confining pressure is the minor principal stress 3 .
1 > 2 = 3
Apparatus:
Thin rubber
membrane (8-15 m
thick)
Lucid cylinder

Cylindrical specimen
Pore water pressure
gauge
Vertical deformation
dial gauge
STAGES OF TRIAXIAL
COMPRESSION TEST
1st Stage:
Soil sample is set in the triaxial cell & confining pressure is
then applied.
2nd Stage:
Additional axial stress (also called deviator stress) is applied
which induces shear stresses in the sample. The axial stress
is continuously increased until the sample fails.
During both the stages, the applied stresses, axial strain, and
pore water pressure or change in sample volume can be
measured.
TYPES OF TRIAXIAL
COMPRESSION TEST
a) Consolidated-drained test or drained test (CD test)
The specimen is fully consolidated and then it is sheared slowly to allow
the generated pore water pressure to be fully dissipated.
b) Consolidated-undrained test (CU test)
In a consolidated undrained test the sample is not allowed to drain. The
shear characteristics are measured under undrained conditions and the
sample is assumed to be fully saturated.
c) Unconsolidated-undrained test or undrained test (UU test)
In an unconsolidated undrained test the loads are applied quickly, and
the sample is not allowed to consolidate during the test. The sample is
compressed at a constant rate.
OTHER SHEAR TEST
DEVICES
Vane Shear Device
Vane shear device is rigid and
cross shaped.
Used for soft clay.
Stress conditions are in-situ.
Test involves pushing a four-
bladed vane into a clay stratum
and slowly rotating it and applied
torque is measured at failure.
It can be categorized as an
unconsolidated-undrained test.
OTHER SHEAR TEST
DEVICES
Tor-Vane Shear Test
This device is recommended for the
rapid determination of shear
strength of cohesive soils, in either
the field or laboratory.
Similarly to the vane shear test, it is
also rigid and is inserted into the
surface of soil and twisted until
failure.
Measured torque is converted into
the shear resistance.
Used for both stiff and soft clays.
OTHER SHEAR TEST
DEVICES
Pocket Penetrometer
Pocket penetrometer is a punching
probe.
The device is pushed by hand into the
soil until failure.
Maximum deformation of the spring is
registered to identify the punching
force.
Failure punching force is an indication
of the soils bearing capacity and is
calibrated to UU shear strength.