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TMP 90 F2
TMP 90 F2
TMP 90 F2
Article history: An analysis of test results performed by common type of direct shear apparatuses shows
Received 13 October 2012 that normal stress on the shear plane of soil sample is not equal to vertical component of
Accepted 10 November 2013 distributed external load applied to the top of soil sample. Performed measurements
Available online 2 December 2013 cleared that only 65–85% of total vertical load is transmitted to the sample shear plane.
Keywords: Thus, determining of the soil shear strength depends on shear apparatus construction, i.e.
Direct shear test on actual magnitude of vertical load transmitted to the shear plane. The paper presents an
Movable lower shear ring of sample analysis of shear strength parameters of sand determined by two different construction of
Constant volume direct shear apparatuses with movable lower shear ring. The soil shear strength para-
Soil shear strength parameters meters by employing direct shear apparatus SPF-2 have been obtained under constant
Angle of internal friction vertical load and measuring the vertical load at different positions, namely: at the bottom
and that of at the top of soil sample, respectively. The soil strength parameters by
employing the universal shear testing device ADS 1/3 were determined under two
conditions, namely: by maintaining constant soil volume and that of for constant vertical
load, respectively. In both cases the vertical load was measured at the top of soil sample.
& 2013 Politechnika Wroc"awska. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights
reserved.
n
Corresponding author. Tel.: þ370 52745220.
E-mail addresses: Jonas.Amsiejus@vgtu.lt (J. Amšiejus), Neringa.Dirgeliene@vgtu.lt (N. Dirgėlienė),
Arnoldas.Norkus@vgtu.lt (A. Norkus), Sarunas.Skuodis@vgtu.lt (Š. Skuodis).
1644-9665/$ - see front matter & 2013 Politechnika Wroc"awska. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2013.11.004
328 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 14 (2014) 327–334
necessity for deeper analysis and subsequent improvements obtained with two different constructions of direct shear
to ensure the more reliable and adequate testing and data apparatuses with movable lower shear ring. The tests with
processing methods using this technique [4,18]. The efforts apparatus SPF-2 have been performed under constant normal
are applied to eliminate/reduce an influence of unexpected stress and by measuring the vertical load at the top and at the
factors, that influencing the accuracy of shear strength bottom of the sample, respectively. The direct shear tests
parameters to be determined [3,9,15,17]. But one can face with apparatus ADS 1/3 have been performed under two
the cases when the tools being employed to eliminate conditions: by maintaining the constant soil volume and by
negative above mentioned factors of applied apparatuses measuring the vertical load at the top of soil sample, and that
induce the new additional negative factors. of by applying the constant vertical load and by measuring
The main mentioned negative factors met in practice of the vertical load at the top of soil sample, respectively.
determining strength parameters via the usual direct shear
apparatuses can be listed as follow: non-uniform stress and
strain distribution in sample; the vertical compressive load 2. Construction of employed direct shear
applied on the top is not completely transferred to the sample; apparatuses
the actual distribution of normal load on shear plane is
unknown; the testing conditions do not imitate a soil sample The shear tests with modified standard apparatus SPF-2 have
behavior in ground; one cannot perform the test under the been performed at Laboratory of Department of Geotechnical
constant volume condition [10,19,21]. The distribution of stres- Engineering of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. Mod-
ses in sample applying the direct shear box depends on: the ification of apparatus has been developed via implementing a
way of vertical load transmission; the position of the movable vertical load measuring system at shear plane. The principal
part of shear ring; the horizontal displacement of the movable scheme of employed apparatus is given in Fig. 1.
part of the ring; the shape and stiffness of the loading plate; the When applying the modified direct shear apparatus SPF-2
clearance between the upper and the lower rings of the box [3]. it is possible to measure not only the vertical compressive
Generally it is assumed that vertical load applied onto the top force applied onto the sample, but also the normal stress
of shear box specimen is completely transmitted to the soil transferred on the shear plane. For determining the normal
shear plane. Hence the frictional force mobilized between the force acting on the shear plane the load transducer is placed
specimen and that of the vertical walls of the shear box is not onto the lower ring. One can also perform the test under the
taken into account [12,13]. It is obvious that the above listed constant volume. The cut cone loading plate, that reducing
reasons influence to the accuracy of determined actual soil probability of contact between ring and loading plate, is
shear strength parameters. All the above factors finally result employed. The loading plate can freely tilt.
that shear strength parameters to be either underestimated (for The vertical load is transmitted to the sample via a hinge
contractant soils) or overestimated (for dilatant soils) [6,7,14,22]. transmission applying the lever mechanism. Such method of
The performed by authors measurements of normal stress loading ensures constant vertical load magnitude on the top
in the shear plane showed that it is of 65–85% magnitude of of sample i.e. developing constant normal stress per whole
vertical force applied on the top of the sample. The tests have loading history. During test the normal load is measured at
been performed by direct shear apparatus SPF-2 with movable the bottom of the sample. The sample is sheared by moving
lower shear ring. The normal stress magnitude on the shear with a constant velocity the lower part of the ring. Thus, the
plane also depends on the magnitude of horizontal displace- shearing velocity is controlled and the lateral force is perma-
ment (varying from zero till the fixed magnitude) of movable nently measured.
part of shear box during the testing procedure. The testing
procedure was stopped when the following requirements have
been reached, namely: the horizontal displacement reached
6 mm, and the normal stress on the shear plane exceeded 10%
of normal stress being developed on the top of the dense
sample. The vertical load to the soil sample was applied via the
loading plate by using the special lever mechanism. When the
horizontal (lateral) force is applied, the soil in the front of an
upper ring is lifted, and in the contrary side of upper ring the
soil moves down. The tangential stresses being developed at
internal surface of upper ring front is much larger the ones
being developed at the internal surface of the contrary side of
the upper ring. The developed frictional forces between ring
and sample will be larger in the front of the upper ring.
So one can conclude, that the soil shear strength depends on
construction of the shear apparatus. Hence aiming to reduce the Fig. 1 – Principal scheme of modified shear box apparatus
influence of shear apparatus construction on experimentally SPF-2: 1 – soil; 2 – lower ring; 3 – upper ring; 4 – fixed
determined shear strength parameters, one should manage the support; 5 – movable part of apparatus; 6 – bell track;
actual regularity of normal stress distribution in shear plane. 7 – lower part of apparatus; 8 – load transducers; 9 – table
The performed investigation is assigned to an analysis of of apparatus; 10 – supports; 11 – loading plate; 12 – fixator;
determined shear strength parameters of sandy soil being 13 – porous stone; 14 – plate of support.
archives of civil and mechanical engineering 14 (2014) 327–334 329
Fig. 5 – Stress paths for the tests with SPF-2 obtained under
constant vertical load condition and measuring vertical load
at the top of soil sample.
Fig. 7 – Residual values of soil shear strength parameters
obtained with SPF-2 under constant vertical load condition
and measuring vertical load at the bottom of the soil sample.
Fig. 10 – Stress paths for the tests with ADS 1/3 obtained
under constant soil volume condition and measuring Fig. 12 – Stress paths for the tests with ADS 1/3 obtained
vertical load at the top of the soil sample. under constant vertical load and measuring normal stress at
the top of the soil sample.
(see Fig. 10). Aiming to keep the constant sample volume at Fig. 13 – Peak values of soil shear strength parameters
the beginning of testing, the loading primarily has been obtained with ADS 1/3 under constant soil volume condition
reduced because the contraction of the soil started. When and measuring vertical load at the top of the soil sample.
the soil sample started to dilatate during shearing, the
normal stress was increased aiming to constrain the sample
dilatation in a vertical direction.
The amount of vertical load being transmitted to shear
plane is unknown as a support of upper ring is installed in the
shear apparatus ADS 1/3. This support keeps a clearance of
fixed magnitude between the upper and the lower rings. The
support of upper ring constrains the moving down of the
upper ring but allows its lifting. Thus, the part of vertical load
is distributed to the apparatus construction.
Several tests have been performed when the clearance
between upper and lower rings was not fixed. The clearance
varied during the test. Fig. 11 illustrates a variation of the
clearance during the test, when the sample was loaded by
50 kN vertical load magnitude. The clearance influences the
shear strength magnitude.
Fig. 14 – Residual values of soil shear strength parameters
When the upper ring moves down, it leans against the
obtained with ADS 1/3 under constant soil volume condition
lower ring. In this case not total magnitude of the vertical
and measuring vertical load at the top of the soil sample.
load is transmitted to the shear plane, in contrary as it is
assumed in soil shear strength calculations. The actual load
is reduced. The moving of upper and lower rings in respect of Fig. 12 illustrates that the set load is kept constant until the
each other is influenced by developed a friction force between moment soil starts to shear.
the rings, which magnitude is hardly determined. The scatter of individual shear strength is also small when
The next test series with ADS 1/3 apparatus were test series with ADS 1/3 apparatus were performed by main-
performed by maintaining the constant vertical load and taining the constant sample volume and measuring the
by measuring the normal stress on the top of the sample. normal stress on top of the sample (see Figs. 13 and 14).
332 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 14 (2014) 327–334
Table 1 – Results of calculation of the characteristics values of soil shear strength parameters according to EC 7.
SPF – 2 apparatus, constant vertical load measured at the bottom of soil sample φ0 k ¼ 34.6 (0.691)
c0 k ¼ 7.32
ADS 1/3 apparatus, constant soil volume, vertical load measured at the top of soil sample φ0 cvk ¼ 32.8 (0.644)
c0 cvk ¼ 14.3
SPF – 2 apparatus, constant vertical load measured at the top of soil sample φ0 k ¼ 24.0 (0.445)
c0 k ¼ 26.3
ADS 1/3 apparatus, constant vertical load measured at the top of soil sample φ0 k ¼ 31.9 (0.622)
c0 k ¼ 1.99
334 archives of civil and mechanical engineering 14 (2014) 327–334
Fig. 21 corresponds the case when φ0 k and c0 k are treated as testing by height versus diameter ratio of sample, The Baltic
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