Slope Stability and Soil/rock Strength

Slope stability and soil/rock
strength
Lecture 6
Soil Strength
Laboratory tests
Several types of laboratory tests exist for measuring the
shear strength of soil. They differ in the type of
apparatus and the procedures used for applying loads to
specimens. Each type of apparatus and each type of
loading condition are discussed in the sections that
follow. Apparatus Three different types of laboratory test
apparatus are commonly used to measure the shear
strength for soils, and clays in particular:
(1) direct shear.
(2) unconfined compression
(3) triaxial compression.
Among other tests we will start with these three tests.
Direct Shear Test
- In the direct shear test, specimens are sheared in a metal box that is split into two halves.
- There is a small gap between the upper and lower halves of the box and a horizontal shear plane
forms through this gap.
- Vertical loads are applied to a plate placed on the top of the specimen and fitted loosely inside the
shear box.
- There is a small gap between the top loading plate and the sides of the shear box. Because of the
gaps between the two halves of the box and between the top (and bottom) loading plates and the
sides of the metal shear box
- It is impossible to prevent drainage of water into or out of a specimen in the direct shear tests.
- The only meaningful test that can be performed in the direct shear device is one where the specimen
is allowed to fully drain. Thus, the direct shear test is only applicable to measuring shear strength
under drained (long-term) conditions. The direct shear apparatus should not be used to measure
undrained shear strengths.
Direct Shear Test
- In order to measure the drained shear strength properly in the direct shear
apparatus, the rates of loading must be chosen so that they are slow
enough to allow the specimen to fully drain.
- After the vertical (normal) load is applied, a sufficient period of time must
be allowed for the soil to fully consolidate before the specimen is sheared.
- Similarly, when the specimen is sheared the shear load must be applied at a
slow enough rate to allow any excess pore water pressures generated
during shear to fully dissipate.
- If the shear load is applied too fast and the soil tends to expand (dilate)
during shear, the shear strength will be incorrectly overestimated.
Because specimens are sheared in the direct shear test at a
rate that allows the soil to drain fully, there are no excess pore
water pressures. That is, the pore water pressures equal
those in the water that surrounds the specimen. Thus, the
effective stress can be calculated and strengths can be plotted
in terms of effective stresses as shown in Figure 2.3. The
corresponding shear strength parameters determined from
the direct shear tests are the effective stress cohesion and
friction angle, c′ and φ′, respectively.
Unconfined Compression Test
- The unconfined compression test is performed on a
cylindrical specimen by increasing the axial load until
the specimen fails by either reaching a maximum load
or attaining some maximum level of axial strain.
- Specimens are sheared at a relatively fast rate that
generally produces failure in less than 15 minutes.
- The test is restricted to soils that have a low enough
permeability to prevent the expulsion or taking up of
water by the specimen during the relatively short time
of loading.
- Accordingly, the unconfined compression test is
appropriate for measuring the undrained shear
strength of soils for short-term stability problems.
- Unconfined compression tests are only applicable to
saturated soils where the Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope
can be represented by a horizontal line when plotted in
terms of total stresses (Figure 2.4).
- When a soil is saturated and there is no drainage, the shear
strength is independent of the total confining pressure
because the applied confining pressure is carried entirely by
the pore water.
- There is no increase in effective stress with an increase in
confining pressure and no increase in shear strength.
- In this case the shear strength is expressed by a value of
cohesion (c) and φ is assumed to be zero. The undrained
shear strength in this case (φ = 0) is also commonly
expressed by the symbol, su.
- Analyses using this representation of shear strength (s = c =
su, φ = 0) are performed using total stresses; effective
stresses are neither known nor used.
- Theoretically any confining pressure, including zero, should be acceptable for
determining the undrained shear strength (c) of a saturated soil when φ is zero.
However, in actual practice the shear strength of even saturated soils will probably
vary with confining pressure, particularly for natural soils where the confining
pressures in the laboratory are less than in the field.
- The actual strengths are lower at low confining pressures because when a
saturated soil is sampled the stress is reduced and air that is originally dissolved in
the pore water comes out of solution and allows the soil to expand.
- The stress release caused by sampling may also allow joints and fissures that are
closed in the field to open. Expansion and the opening of joints and fissures will
result in a reduction of shear strength. Although the lower strengths measured in
unconfined compression tests may be considered “conservative,” they may also
impose an unnecessary penalty to the design caused by use of unreasonably low
values for shear strength.
Triaxial Compression Test
- Triaxial tests are performed on cylindrical specimens that are
surrounded by a rubber membrane.
- The specimen is subjected to an all-around confining pressure
applied through fluid (normally water) in the triaxial cell.
- The specimen is sheared by increasing the axial load through
a piston extending out through the top of the triaxial
chamber.
- During the application of both the confining pressure and
axial load the specimen may or may not be allowed to drain.
- If the specimen is allowed to drain the volume of water
flowing into or out of the specimen may be measured. If the
specimen is not allowed to drain during the application of the
axial load the pore water pressures in the specimen may be
measured.
• Several different types of loading may be
applied in triaxial tests depending on whether
the specimen is allowed to drain during (1) the
application of the confining pressure and (2)
the application of the shear load. Depending
on the drainage allowed, different shear
strengths are measured.

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