Shear strength of soil

1. Introduction

The shear strength of a soil mass is the internal resistance per unit area that the
soil mass can offer to resist failure and sliding along any plane inside it.
➢ Shear strength 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 or roll past each other.

The shear strength is important to analyze soil stability problems, such as:
Bearing capacity, slope stability, and lateral pressure on earth-retaining
structures.
2. shear strength components
1. Friction resistance:
It occurs between the particles of the soil due to the external load consists of:
Friction due to sliding
Friction due to rolling
Friction due to interlocking
2. Cohesion
2a. True Cohesion
Cementation

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 Due to the presence of cementing agents such as calcium carbonate or iron
oxide
Electrostatic and electromagnetic attractions
Primary valence bonding (adhesion) Occurs primarily during
overconsolidation
2b. Apparent Cohesion
Negative pore water pressure
Negative excess pore water
pressures due to dilation (expansion)
Apparent mechanical forces
cannot be relied on for soil Strength

3. Mohr-coulomb failure criteria

Mohr (1900) presented a theory for rupture in materials, "a material fails
because of a critical combination of normal stress and shearing stress''.
The relationship between normal stress and shear stress on a failure plane is Mohr–
Coulomb failure criterion:
𝝉𝒇=𝒄+𝝈 𝒕𝒂𝒏∅
where
c = cohesion;
∅ = angle of internal friction;
𝜎 = normal stress on the failure plane;
𝜏𝑓 = shear strength.
In saturated soil, the total normal stress at a point is:

𝝈=𝝈′+𝒖

The Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion in terms of effective stress is:

𝝉𝒇=𝒄′+𝝈′ 𝒕𝒂𝒏∅′
where
𝑐′= cohesion and ∅′= friction angle, based on effective stress.

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➢ The value of 𝑐′ for sand and inorganic silt is 0.
➢ For normally consolidated clays, 𝑐′ can be approximated at 0.
➢ Overconsolidated clays have values of 𝑐′that are greater than 0.
➢ The angle of friction ∅′ is sometimes referred to as the drained angle of friction.

The Figure below shows the plot of the failure envelope defined by Mohr–
Coulomb.
Point A represents the magnitudes of σ' and τ, so shear failure will not occur
along this plane.
Point B represents the magnitudes of σ' and τ, so shear failure will occur
along that plane, which falls on the failure envelope.
Point C represents the magnitudes of σ' and τ, so a state of stress along that
plane cannot exist.

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 4. Plane of failure
Shear failure will occur when the shear stress on a plane reaches the shear
strength (the value given by Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion). To determine the
inclination of the failure plane with the major principal plane, consider the failure
plane EF makes an angle θ with the major principal plane.
𝟐𝜽=𝟗𝟎+∅′

𝜽=𝟒𝟓+∅′𝟐

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Thus
𝝈𝟏′=𝝈𝟑′ 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝟐(𝟒𝟓+∅′/𝟐)+𝟐𝒄′𝒕𝒂𝒏(𝟒𝟓+∅′/𝟐)

In terms of total stresses, the equation becomes:

𝝈𝟏=𝝈𝟑 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝟐(𝟒𝟓+∅/𝟐)+𝟐𝒄 𝒕𝒂𝒏(𝟒𝟓+∅/𝟐)

To determine the normal stress and failure shear strength of failure plane:

5. Laboratory Tests for Determination of Shear Strength Parameters

(c, ∅, c', ∅')

5.1 Direct shear test

The direct shear test is the oldest and simplest shear test. The test is used to
determine the shear strength of both cohesive as well as non-cohesive soils. The
soil specimens may be square or circular in plan. The size of the specimens
generally used is about (51x51) mm or (102x102) mm across and about 25mm
high. The box is split horizontally into halves.
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Step 1: Apply a vertical load to the specimen and wait for consolidation
Step 2: Lower box is subjected to a horizontal displacement at a constant rate.
Step 3: Repeat this test three times. Each time increase “N”

Analysis of test results

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How to determine strength parameters c and ∅

Some important facts on strength parameters c and φ of sand

Sand is cohesionless hence c = 0
Direct shear tests are drained and pore water pressures are
Dissipated, hence u = 0, Therefore, ∅ = ∅' and c= c' = 0

For sand:
𝝉𝒇= 𝝈 𝒕𝒂𝒏∅

Direct shear tests on clays

In case of clay, horizontal displacement should be applied at a very slow rate to
allow dissipation of pore water pressure (therefore, one test would take several
days to finish)
𝝉𝒇= c + 𝝈 𝒕𝒂𝒏∅

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5.2Triaxial Shear Test

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 In this test, a soil sample about 38 mm (1.5//) in diameter and 76 mm (3//) is
generally used (L = 2D – 3D)
Sample is encased by thin rubber membrane and placed inside a plastic
cylindrical chamber that is usually filled with water or glycerine.
Confining pressure is applied by compression of fluid in the chamber (air
sometimes used as a compression medium)
To cause shear failure in the sample, axial stress is applied through a vertical
loading ram (called deviator stress). This can be done in one of two ways
Stress-controlled – load is applied in increments and the deformation is
measured
Strain-controlled – load is applied at a constant rate of deformation
In a triaxial test, 𝜎1′ is the major principal effective stress at failure and 𝜎3′ is
the minor principal effective stress at failure.
As confining pressure is applied, the pore water pressure of the specimen
increases by uc (if drainage is prevented). This increase in the pore water
pressure can be expressed as a nondimensional parameter in the form:
𝑩=𝒖𝒄/𝝈𝟑
where B = Skempton’s pore pressure parameter.
The following three standard types of triaxial tests are:
1. Consolidated-drained test or drained test (CD test);
2. Consolidated-undrained test (CU test);
3. Unconsolidated-undrained test or undrained test (UU test).
Consolidated-drained test or drained test (CD test)
In the CD test, the saturated specimen is subjected to confining pressure, σ 3, by compression of
the chamber fluid. If the connection to drainage is opened, the excess pore water pressure will be
dissipated and consolidation will occur. With time, uc will become equal to 0. In saturated soil, the
change in the volume of the specimen (ΔVc) that takes place during consolidation can be obtained
from the volume of pore water drained. Next, the drainage connection is kept open, and the slow rate
of deviator stress application (Δσd) allows complete dissipation of any pore water pressure that
developed as a result (Δud = 0).

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𝝉𝒇=𝒄′+𝝈′𝒕𝒂𝒏𝝋𝟏

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Consolidated-undrained triaxial test (CU test)
The consolidated-undrained test is the most common type of triaxial test. In this
test, the saturated soil specimen is first consolidated by an all-around chamber fluid
pressure, σ3 that results in drainage. After the pore water pressure generated by the
application of confining pressure is dissipated, the deviator stress, Δσd, on the
specimen is increased to cause shear failure. Because drainage is not permitted, the
pore water pressure, Δud, will increase. The increase in the pore water pressure,
Δud, can be expressed in a nondimensional form as:
𝑨=Δ𝒖𝒅/Δ𝝈𝒅
where A= Skempton’s pore pressure parameter for uniaxial compression.
Because the pore water pressure at failure is measured in this test, the principal
stresses may be analyzed as follows:
➢ Major principal stress at failure (total): 𝝈𝟑+(Δ𝝈𝒅)𝒇=𝝈𝟏
➢ Major principal stress at failure (effective): 𝝈𝟏− (Δ𝒖𝒅)=𝝈𝟏′
➢ Minor principal stress at failure (total): 𝝈𝟑
➢ Minor principal stress at failure (effective): 𝝈𝟑−(Δ𝒖𝒅)𝒇=𝝈𝟑′
wher (Δud)f = pore water pressure at failure.

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Unconsolidated-undrained triaxial test (UU test)

In unconsolidated-undrained tests, drainage from the soil specimen is not

permitted during the application of chamber pressure σ3. The test specimen is
sheared to failure by the application of deviator stress, Δσd, and drainage is
prevented.
Because drainage is not allowed at any stage, the test can be performed quickly.
Because of the application of chamber confining pressures σ3, the pore water
pressure in the soil specimen will increase by u c. A further increase in the pore
water pressure (Δud) will occur because of the deviator stress application.

Unconfined compressive strength test

The unconfined compression test is a special type of unconsolidated-undrained

test that is commonly used for clay specimens. In this test, the confining pressure
𝜎3 is zero. An axial load is rapidly applied to the specimen to cause failure. At
failure, the total minor principal stress is zero and the total major principal stress is
𝜎1.
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Stress path
Results of triaxial tests can be represented by diagrams called stress paths. A
stress path is a line that connects a series of points, each of which represents a
successive stress state experienced by a soil specimen during the progress of a test.
There are several ways in which a stress path can be drawn.
Lambe (1964) suggested a type of stress path representation that plots 𝑞′ against
for 𝑝′ (where for 𝑝′ and 𝑞′ are the coordinates of the top of the Mohr’s circle).
Thus, relationships for 𝑝′and 𝑞′are as follows:

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