THE RESIDUA L SHEA R STRENGTH OF FIL L ED J OINTS IN ROCK

L a resi st ance reslduelle au ci sai l l ement des f i ssures de roche rempl i es

Der Rest scherwi derst and von gef Ol l t en Gest ei nst rennf l achen
Pr of essor
H. K. KUTTER
A. RAUTENBERG
Di pl . Geol .
Ar bei t sgr uppe Fel smechani k
Ruhr - Uni ver si t ~t Bochum, W. - Ger many
SUMMARY:
Thi s paper pr esent s a st udy of t he i nf l uence of f i l l er t hi ckness, j oi nt r oughness, and t ype of
f i l l i ng mat er i al on t he r esi dual shear st r engt h of i nf i l l ed j oi nt s. Di r ect shear t est s wer e
per f or med on sandst one j oi nt s of di f f er ent r oughnesses and di f f er ent t hi ck f i l l er s of sand, cl ay,
or a mi xt ur e of bot h. A pr el i mi nar y eval uat i on of t he t est r esul t s shows an i ncr ease i n st r engt h
wi t h f i l l er t hi ckness and a dr op i n shear st r engt h wi t h decr easi ng r oughness; f or a smoot h sur -
f ace i t l i es even bel ow t he st r engt h of t he soi l . Af t er appl yi ng a cor r ect i on f or t he compact i on
caused by soi l bei ng sqeezed out , t he shear r esul t s cl ear l y show t hat t he mi ni mum st r engt h ob-
t ai nabl e i s t hat of soi l and t hat t he st r engt h act ual l y decr eases wi t h i ncr easi ng f i l l er t hi ck-
ness.
RESUME:
Le but de ce t r avai l pr esent e et ai t d' anal yser l ' i nf l uence des r ugosi t es, de l ' epai sseur et de
l ' espce du r empl i ssage sur l a r esi st ance r esi duel l e d' une f i ssur e r empl i e. Pour cel a on a f ai t
des essai s de ci sai l l ement avec des f i ssur es en gr es des degr es var i abl es de r ugosi t e et de
r empl i ssages d' ar gi l e, de sabl e ou d' une mel ange. Un pr emi er examen des r esul t at s a i ndi que une
augment at i on de l a r esi st ance avec l asepar at i on de l a f i ssur e y une di mi nut i on avec l a r ugosi t e
di mi nuant e; pour une sur f ace l i sse I e r esul t at et ai t m~me moi ns que l a r esi st ance du r empl i ssage.
L' i nf l uence du t assement el i mi nee pr odui t e par I e mat er i au pr essur e l es essai s avai ent demont r es
sans dout e que l a pl us pet i t e r esi st ance au ci sai l l ement possi bl e c' est cet t e du r empl i ssage et
que' l a r esi st ance di mi nue avec l a separ at i on des f i ssur es augment ant e.
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG:
Es war das Zi el di eser Ar bei t , den Ei nf l uB von Kl uf t r auhi gkei t , St ~r ke und Ar t des Zwi schenmi t -
t el s auf di e Rest scher f est i gkei t ei ner gef Ul l t en Kl uf t zu unt er suchen. Es wur den dazu di r ekt e
Scher ver suche an Sandst ei nkl Uf t en mi t ver schi edenen Rauhi gkei t en und mi t ver schi eden st ar ken
Zwi schenschi cht en aus Ton, Sand oder ei nem Gemi sch dur chgef Uhr t . Ei ne er st e Auswer t ung der Ver -
suchser gebni sse zei gt e ei ne Zunahme der Scher f est i gkei t mi t der Kl uf t wei t e und ei ne Abnahme mi t
abnehmender Rauhi gkei t , f Ur ei ne gl at t e Ober f l ~che sogar bi s unt er hal b der Fest i gkei t des Zwi -
schenmi t t el s. NachDur chf Uhr ung ei ner Kor r ekt ur f Ur di e dur ch das Auspr essen des wei chen Bodens
er zeugt e Kompakt i on zei gt e si ch bei den Ver suchsdat en ei ndeut i g, daB di e ni edr i gst e m5gl i che
Scher f est i gkei t di e des FUl l mi t t el s i st und daB di e Scher f est i gkei t mi t wachsender Kl uf t 5f f nung
abni mmt .
I NTRODUCTI ON
The usual ' pr ocedur e of desi gni ng r ock
st r uct ur es and anal yzi ng t he st abi l i t y of a
r ock mass st ar t s wi t h l ocat i ng and mappi ng t he
most pr eval ent di scont i nui t i es and assessi ng
t hei r st r engt h and def or mat i onal behavi our .
They r epr esent t he weakest el ement s of t he
r ock mass and consequent l y st r ongl y cont r ol
i t s st abi l i t y and mechani cal behavi our and
f r equent l y f or m t he l ocat i on of i ni t i al and/ or
pr ogr essi ve f ai l ur e. I t i s not a pr obl em of
anal ysi s but a mat t er of exper i ence, of geo-
t echni cal t est i ng and of engi neer i ng deci si on
t o assi gn r epr esent at i ve mechani cal par amet er s
t o r ock j oi nt s. Thei r st r engt h may var y be-
t ween t hat of t he r ock subst ance and t hat of
t he l oose or cohesi ve soi l f i l l er .
Dependi ng on t he ext ent of shear di s-
pl acement t hat has al r eady t aken pl ace al ong
t he j oi nt , t he st r engt h may change f r om i t s
peak val ue at no pr evi ous shear di spl acement t o
i t s r esi dual val ue af t er l ar ger shear movement &
Moder n comput er anal yses per mi t t he eval uat i on
of such a br oad r ange of st r engt h par amet er s,
wher eby t he r esi dual st r engt h par amet er s l ead
t owar ds a r at her conser vat i ve desi gn. But even
when i t has been deci ded t o st ay on t he saf e
si de and use t he r esi dual st r engt h par amet er s,
one i s st i l l conf r ont ed wi t h t he pr obl em of
choosi ng t he cor r ect shear par amet er s. For i t
has been f ound t hat even t he r esi dual st r engt h
par amet er s of a r ock j oi nt ar e not necessar i l y
const ant s whi ch onl y depend on t he r ock mat er i al
but al so on t he degr ee of i ni t i al r oughness of
t he j oi nt sur f ace ( KUTTER, 1974) , as wel l as on
t he st r ess and st r ai n hi st or y of t he j oi nt .
( WEI SSBACH and KUTTER, 1978) . Var i at i ons i n t he
ef f ect i ve angl e of f r i ct i on of up t o 40 % and
mor e wer e obser ved exper i ment al l y. The choi ce of
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t he cor r ect shear par amet er s i s par t i cul ar l y
pr obl e~t i c i n t he case of j oi nt s i n r el at i vel y
har d r ock f i l l ed wi t h weak and l oose mat er i al ,
var yi ng f r om coar se gouge t o sand t o cl ay and
const i t ut i ng ei t her shear debr i s, decomposi t i on
and weat her i ng pr oduct s of t he r ock mat er i al ,
or deposi t ed er osi on pr oduct s. Dependi ng on t he
char act er i st i cs of such a f i l l ed j oi nt , i t s
st r engt h par amet er s may l i e anywher e bet ween
t hose of t he unf i l l ed j oi nt and t hose of t he
f i l l i ng mat er i al , or - as f r equent l y suggest ed-
even bel ow t hose. The ai m of t he st udy r epor t ed
her e has been t o i nvest i gat e exper i ment al l y t he
r esi dual shear st r engt h of f i l l ed j oi nt s and t o
pr ovi de cr i t er i a f or est i mat i ng wher e bet ween
t he l i mi t s of f i l l and r ock mat er i al t he act ual
r esi dual st r engt h i s.
A r at her compl et e and ext ensi ve r evi ew of
t he shear st r engt h of f i l l ed di scont i nui t i es i n
r ock has been pr epar ed by BARTON ( 1974) . The
mai n at t ent i on t her e i s pai d t o t he pr i nci pl es
concer ni ng t he peak shear st r engt h and t o r el e-
vant t est met hods. I t i s pr oposed t hat t he shear
st r engt h of j oi nt s f i l l ed wi t h a t hi ck l ayer i s
basi cal l y t hat of t he soi l , wher eas est i mat i ng
t he st r engt h of f i l l i ngs wi t h a t hi ckness l ess
t han t he r oughness ampl i t ude of t he wal l r ock
may be pr obl emat i c si nce t her e a l i mi t ed shear
di spl acement wi l l r esul t i n a mar ked st i f f eni ng
due t o i ncr easi ng r ock t o r ock cont act . I ni t i al -
l y t hi s may appear r easonabl e but t he act ual
si t uat i on seems t o be mor e compl i cat ed. LAMA
( 197~) , f or i nst ance, has f ound t hat a kaol i n
l ayer i n a j oi nt decr eases t he peak shear
st r engt h even when t he f i l l er t hi ckness i s a
smal l f r act i on of t he asper i t y hei ght . Ot her
aut hor s ( COULSON, 1970; GOODMAN, 1970; J AEGER,
1959; ROMERO, 1968; TULI NOV and MOLOKOV, 1971)
demonst r at ed i n l abor at or y and f i el d t est s t hat
t he st r engt h and st i f f ness of i nf i l l ed j oi nt s
change gr adual l y and not abr upt l y wi t h t he r e-
l at i ve f i l l er t hi ckness. An i nf l uence of t he
sur f ace r oughness must exi st even f or t hi cker
f i l l s as l ong as an appr eci abl e par t of t he
shear movement t akes pl ace al ong t he soi l - r ock
cont act .
Est i mat i ng wi t h suf f i ci ent accur acy t he
r esi dual st r engt h of a f i l l ed j oi nt becomes
even mor e compl i cat ed, si nce her e pur el y geo-
met r i cal consi der at i ons based on t he r el at i on
bet ween t hi ckness of f i l l er and hei ght of aspe-
r i t y cannot al one pr ovi de t he answer . The mul t i -
t ude of i nf l uenci ng f act or s and i nt er act i ons can
best be det er mi ned and possi bl y wei ght ed i n
si mpl e di r ect shear t est s on si mpl i f i ed, par t l y
ar t i f i ci al l y pr oduced f i l l ed j oi nt s. I n a de-
t ai l ed st udy by KANJ I ( 1974) soi l - r ock cont act s
and sandwi ch- l i ke conf i gur at i ons - wi t h a soi l
l ayer bet ween r ock pl at ens of di f f er ent degr ees
of r oughness - wer e exposed t o r el at i vel y l ar ge
shear di spl acement s. The most st r i ki ng r esul t
of t hi s t est ser i es was t hat t he r esi dual shear
st r engt h of smoot h r ock- soi l cont act s may be
l ower t han t hat of t he soi l al one. Si nce t hi s
st r engt h r educt i on i s mor e pr onounced t he
smoot her t he r ock sur f ace and t he smal l er t he
t hi ckness of t he f i l l er ar e, i t s cause i s sought
i n t he f or ced al i gnment of t he cl ay par t i cl es
al ong t he nar r ow f ai l ur e zone. Si mi l ar r esul t
wer e obt ai ned by EURENI US and FAGERSTR~M ( 1969)
i n f i el d t est s wher e t he cont act zone bet ween a
bent oni t i c cl ay seam and chal k mar l was f ound t o
be weaker t han t he i nt er nal par t s of t he cl ay
seam.
I t i s evi dent f r om t hese and ot her i nvest i -
gat i ons t hat shear ed zones and f i l l ed j oi nt s may
have st r engt h and def or mabi l i t y pr oper t i es whi ch
di f f er appr eci abl y f r om t hose of t he f i l l i ng
mat er i al i t sel f . The pr esent i nf or mat i on, however ,
i s not yet suf f i ci ent t o enabl e t he pr act i t i oner
t o est i mat e r el i abl y t he shear st r engt h of
f i l l ed . j oi nt s si mpl y f r om t hei r geomet r y and
f r om t he basi c mat er i al pr oper t i es. No cl ear
di f f er ent i at i on exi st s bet ween t he f act or s whi ch
-222-
i nf l uence t he peak and t he r esi dual shear
st r engt h r espect i vel y and t hei r quant i t at i ve
wei ght i s har dl y known. A l abor at or y t est i ng
pr ogr am has t her ef or e been i ni t i at ed t o i nvest i -
gat e t he i nf l uence of t he f undament al var i abl es
of i nf i l l ed j oi nt s, i . e. j oi nt openi ng, j oi nt
r oughness and t he pr oper t i es of t he f i l l i ng
mat er i al , on t he r esi dual shear st r engt h, and t o
br i ng i nt o r el at i on t he shear pr oper t i es of t he
unf i l l ed j oi nt , of t he f i l l i ng mat er i al al one
and of a cont act sur f ace bet ween r ock and soi l .
TEST PROGRAH, MATERI ALS AND EQUI PMENT
The t est ser i es consi st ed i n pr i nci pl e of
di r ect shear t est s on ar t i f i ci al l y pr oduced r ock
j oi nt s of sever al degr ees of r oughness, wi t h
var i ous f i l l er mat er i al s and f i l l er t hi ckness
( RAUTENBERG, 1977) . Wi t h t he mai n emphasi s on
r esi dual st r engt h par t i cul ar at t ent i on was pai d
t o t he l ocat i on of t he act ual f ai l ur e pl ane and
t o t he shear di spl acement r equi r ed f or and t he
nor mal di spl acement associ at ed wi t h r eachi ng t he
r esi dual st r engt h val ue. I n or der t o keep t he number
of t est s wi t hi n r easonabl e l i mi t s and yet t o
al l ow a f ul l i nvest i gat i on of t he pr obl em onl y
one r ock t ype, i . e. Ruhr sandst one ( hi ghl y i nt er -
l ocked quar t z sandst one of r el at i vel y l ow por o-
si t y and wi t h an aver age gr ai n si ze of 0. 5 r om) ,
was used. But t hr ee ot her most f undament al par a-
met er s wer e var i ed:
- j oi nt r oughness
- f i l l er mat er i al
- f i l l er t hi ckness.
Thr ee t ypes of sur f ace r oughness wer e i n-
vest i gat ed: a smoot h and pl ane sur f ace pr oduced
by a di amond saw cut ; a pl anar but r ough sur f ace
~r epar ed by sandbl ast i ng a saw cut ; and a wavy
and r ough sur f ace gener at ed by t ensi l e f r act ur e
i n a Br aZi l i an- t ype t est . The aver age ampl i t ude
of t he asper i t i es was f or t he saw cut <0. 1 r om,
f or t he sandbl ast ed sur f ace about 0. 5 r omand
f or t he t ensi l e f r act ur e about 2 r om.
Thr ee t ypes of f i l l er ~at er i al s wer e used:
f i ne quar t z sand wi t h medi um gr ai n si ze of
0. 25 r omand 99 % of t he gr ai ns bet ween 0. 1 and
0. 4 r om; a si l t y cl ay wi t h 24 % Kaol i ni t e, 46 %
I l l i t e and 30 % quar t z, wi t h a gr ai n si ze di st r i -
but i on of 25 % >20~, 39 % 2 - 20~ and ~5 % <
2~ , and wi t h t he f ol l owi ng i ndex pr oper t i es of
WI = 32 %, wp = 21 %; a sand- cl ay mi xt ur e wi t h
60 % of t he si l t y cl ay and 40 %of t he f i ne
quar t z sand t hor oughl y mi xed, br i ngi ng t he i ndex
pr oper t i es t o wl ' = 28 % and wp = 19 %.
The t hi ckness of t he soi l l ayer i n t he
f i l l ed j oi nt was ei t her 2 +0. 2 r omor 4 +0. 4 r om,
wher eby t he t hi ckness was measur ed bef or e and
af t er consol i dat i on and dur i ng t he shear t est .
The r ange of t hi cknesS t est ed was gr eat l y l i mi t ed
by t he si ze of t he sampl e and t he t est i ng pr oce-
dur e used, si nce t hi cker f i l l er s t ended t o be
squeezed out dur i ng t he t est .
I n addi t i on t o t hese t hr ee mai n par amet er s
at t ent i on was al so pai d t o t he i nf l uences of t he
wat er cont ent i n t he cohesi ve soi l s, of t he r at e
of shear di spl acement . and of t he ef f ect of pr e-
consol i dat i on t i me on t he shear r esul t s. The
wat er cont ent of t he cl ay was var i ed bet ween 20
and 26 % and so st ayed consi der abl y bel ow t he
l i qui d l i mi t , gi vi ng a l i qui di t y i ndex, I e'
bet ween 0. 5 and 1. 1.
The r ange of nor mal st r esses appl i ed i n t he
shear t est s was up t o 0. 22 MN/ m
2
f or t he cl ay and
sand- cl ay mi xt ur e f i l l er s and up t o 1. 5 MN/ m
2
f or
t he sand f i l l er s, t he upper l i mi t agai n bei ng set
by t he t endency of t he sof t f i l l i ngs t o be
squeezed out of t he j oi nt . For r easons of compa-
r i son and t o f aci l i t at e t he i nt er pr et at i on of t he
t est r esul t s on f i l l ed j oi nt s, i . e. t he sandwi ch-
l i ke conf i gur at i on of a sof t l ayer bet ween t wo
r ock pl at ens, addi t i onal shear t est s wer e per -
f or med on:
- unf i l l ed r ock j oi nt s wi t h t he t hr ee sel ect ed
degr ees of r oughness,
- t he t hr ee f i l l er mat er i al s al one,
- si ngl e f i l l er - r ock cont act s.
These t est s wer e set up t o det er mi ne t he
r el at i ve posi t i on of t he shear st r engt h of
f i l l ed j oi nt s bet ween t he expect ed ext r emes of
shear st r engt h namel y t hat of a r ock- r ock i nt er -
f ace and t hat of t he f i l l i ng mat er i al al one.
A st andar d soi l mechani cs shear box ( make:
Wykeham Far ance) wi t h a sampl e si ze of 60 x 60 mm
was used as t est equi pment . The r at e of shear
di spl acement appl i ed f or most shear t est s was
0. 18 mm/ mi n, but i n t est s wi t h cl ay t he f ul l
r ange of 0. 009 t o 0. 9 mm/ mi n was expl or ed. Al l
speci mens wer e shear ed t o a maxi mum di spl ace-
ment of 10 mm. Shear f or ce and di l at i on, r e-
spect i vel y compact i on, wer e cont i nuousl y r ecor -
ded over t he ent i r e shear di spl acement by
appr opr i at e measur i ng devi ces.
The r egul ar t est ar r angement had t o be
sl i ght l y modi f i ed f or t he t est s on f i l l ed and
unf i l l ed r ock j oi nt s. Tef l on- coat ed al umi ni um
spacer s wi t h a t hi ckness equal t o t hat of t he
f i l l er and l ar ger t han t he ampl i t ude of t he
r ock asper i t i es wer e pl aced bet ween upper and
l ower shear f r ame ( see Fi g. 1) . Thi s al l owed
t he f r ee f or mat i on of t he act ual shear pl ane or
zone over t he f ul l t hi ckness of t he f i l l er and
pr ohi bi t ed cont act of t he met al f r ame wi t h t he
r ough r ock sur f ace. Speci al car e was t aken t hat
t he r ock sur f aces pr ot r uded over t hei r f r ame at
t he f i l l i ng gap.
0) b)
Fig. 1 Schemat i c of t est ar r angement ( cr oss
sect i on nor mal t o shear di r ect i on)
( a) f or sof t f i l l er i n r ock j oi nt ,
( b) f or si ngl e cont act bet ween r ock
and soi l .
The assembl y of a sandwi ch- l i ke t est pr obe
i n t he shear machi ne was done i n t he f ol l owi ng
st eps: The r emol ded soi l wi t h a wat er cont ent
bel ow t he l i qui d l i mi t was spr ead on a gl ass
pl at e wi t h a spat ul a. A second gl ass pl at e was
t hen pr essed ont o t he soi l unt i l t he r equi r ed
soi l t hi ckness was obt ai ned. Af t er r emovi ng t he
upper gl ass pl at e a t r i mmi ng f r ame of 60 x 60 mm
si ze was t hen pr essed i nt o t he soi l l ayer and
addi t i onal l y f i l l ed by a r ock pl at en wi t h i t s
t est sur f ace i n cont act wi t h t he soi l . The
l ower gl ass pl at e was t hen sl i d of f wi t h bot h
t he t r i mmed soi l and t he r ock speci men st i l l i n
t he t hi n f r ame. Af t er r emoval of t he t r i mmi ng
f r ame t he second hal f of t he r ock speci men was
pl aced on t he f r ee si de of t he soi l l ayer and
a paper st r i p was wr apped ar ound t he open gap
t o cont ai n t he soi l dur i ng most of t he t est .
Event ual l y t he whol e package was i nser t ed i nt o
t he shear f r ame and pr econsol i dat ed f or 1 1/ 2
hour s. The r ock speci mens wer e bui l t i n i n an
al most f ul l y sat ur at ed st at e and t he f i l l er was
kept under wat er dur i ng t he ent i r e shear t est
t o avoi d dr yi ng out of t he soi l . The f i l l er
t hi ckness and t he wat er cont ent of t he f i l l er
mat er i al wer e measur ed at t he begi nni ng and at
t he end of each t est , but f or t he eval uat i on of
t he r esul t s onl y t he f i nal val ues wer e used.
The shear t est s wi t h cohesi ve f i l l er s be-
t ween t he sandst one speci mens can be consi der ed
as dr ai ned t est s, because t he sandst one i s
suf f i ci ent l y por ous t o act as a f i l t er on each
si de of t he cl ay f i l l er . The f act t hat t est s
wi t h an ext r a l ong pr econsol i dat i on t i me of 13
t o 20 hour s and at an ext r a sl ow shear ' r at e of
0. 009 mm/ mi n gave t he same r esul t s as t he r egu-
l ar and f ast er t est s i s t aken as suf f i ci ent
pr oof t hat pr act i cal l y no por e wat er pr essur es
wer e bui l t up i n t he t hi n soi l l ayer .
TEST RESULTS
The eval uat i on of t he compl et e t est ser i es
was per f or med wi t h mai n emphasi s on t he r edi dual
st r engt h of f i l l ed j oi nt s. Si nce t her ef or e
l ar ger shear di spl acement s had t o be consi der ed,
t he ef f ect i ve shear st r ess was der i ved by di vi -
di ng t he r ecor ded shear f or ce by t he r emai ni ng,
r educed cont act ar ea, wher eas t he nor mal st r ess
was cal cul at ed f r om t he nor mal f or ce di vi ded by
t he f ul l , or i gi nal shear sur f ace. The r eason f or
t hi s i s t hat t he gr owi ng cont act ar ea bet ween
soi l and met al f r ame f ul l y t r ansmi t s t he nor mal
st r ess, but i t exer t s onl y a negl i bl e shear r e-
si st ance. I n t ot al about 2 t o 4 t est s wer e r un
f or each combi nat i on of r oughness, f i l l er mat e-
r i al and t hi ckness at each Of t he 4 t o 6 di f f e-
r ent nor mal l oads.
D.J FILLING: 2mm CLAY
lEST 234: TENstLE FRACT
TES T 20S: SAN08LAS T SA OJ T
TEST 200;SA,W CUT
0)
2 4 6 ,
SHEAR DlSPtACEIr4ENT. d
H
[rflfftJ
to
FI LLI NG: 2 mm SAND
TEST 262 : SAW CuT
b)
DO , , 10
SHEAR DISPlACEMENT. d
N
[mm]
0.3 SINGLE .CONTACT: ROCK - CLAY
TEST U6:TENSILE FRACTURE
NORMAl LOAD. H 0.' kN
c)
DO
4 6 a
SHEAR DISPlACEMENT. dN[mmJ
to
Fig. 2 Typi cal shear f or ce - di spl acement gr aphs
f or f i l l ed j oi nt s, ( a) cl ay f i l l er ,
( b) sand f i l l er , ( c) si ngl e cont act :
r ock- cl ay.
- 223-
Typi cal shear t est cur ves f or f i l l ed j oi nt s
ar e gi ven i n Fi gur e 2. Cl ear t r ends can be ob-
ser ved i n t hese cur ves: Fi l l ed j oi nt s wi t h a
r ough r ock sur f ace exper i ence a sl i ght i ncr ease
i n shear r esi st ance wi t h i ncr easi ng shear di s-
pl acement , pr obabl y due t o i ncr easi ng r ock- t o-
r ock cont act s~ f i l l ed j oi nt s wi t h a smoot h saw
cut sur f ace show, however , a decr ease i n shear
r esi st ance, pr obabl y due t o al i gnment of t he
cl ay pl at el et s i n an or i ent ed f ace- t o- f ace con-
f i gur at i on. For sandbl ast ed r ock sur f aces t he
shear r esi st ance r emai ned const ant dur i ng t he
f ul l di spl acement . Si mi l ar l y, t he r esul t s f r om
shear t est s of si ngl e soi l - r ock cont act s ( t he
l ower hal f of t he shear box i s f i l l ed wi t h a
r ock speci men, t he upper one wi t h soi l ( Fi g. 1b
show a f ai r l y const ant , di spl acement - i ndepen-
dent shear st r engt h. Thi s shoul d be expect ed
si nce her e nei t her st r engt h- i ncr easi ng r ock- t o-
r ock cont act s ar e possi bl e nor i s t her e t he
same st r engt h- r educi ng, enf or ced par t i cl e
al i gnment as i n t hi n l ayer s.
Pl ot t i ng t he t est dat a f or t he. r esi dual
st r engt h of f i l l ed j oi nt s i n a shear st r engt h
agai nst nor mal st r ess di agr am, wi t hout t aki ng
t he r espect i ve di l at i onal or cont r act i ve be-
havi our i nt o consi der at i on, yi el ded r esul t s
( RAUTENBERG, 1977) whi ch wer e i n good agr eement
wi t h t he concl usi ons ar r i ved at by KANJ I ( 1974)
and whi ch can be summar i zed f or t he t hr ee f i l l er
mat er i al s as f ol l ows:
Cl ay f i l l er :
_ The shear r esi st ance i ncr eases wi t h t he sur -
f ace r oughness. For smoot h sur f aces i t i s
bel ow t hat f or t he si ngl e cont act , f or r ough
ones above t hat .
_ The shear r esi st ance of a f i l l ed, smoot h-
wal l ed j oi nt i s bel ow t hat of t he f i l l i ng
mat er i al , t hat of a f i l l ed, r ough- wal l ed
j oi nt consi der abl y above. The l at t er was al so
f ound t r ue f or t hi ck f i l l er s and t her ef or e
put s i nt o quest i on BARTON' s ( 1974) assumpt i on
t hat t he i nf l uence of t he r ock wal l wi l l di s-
appear when t he f i l l i ng has a t hi ckness seve-
r al t i mes t hat of t he asper i t y ampl i t ude. The
pr e~er r ed l ocat i on of t he shear pl ane al ong
t he r ock- soi l i nt er f ace par t i cul ar l y f or
smoot h sur f aces expl ai ns t hi s unexpect ed i n-
f l uence.
_ The shear r esi st ance of a 4 r omt hi ck f i l l i ng
i s smal l er t han t hat of a 2 r omt hi ck f i l l i ng
f or bot h smoot h and r ough r ock sur f aces.
_ The r esi dual shear st r engt h of f i l l ed j oi nt s
decr eases wi t h t he wat er cont ent i n t he soi l .

Fi g. 3 Thi n cl ay f i l l er af t er shear t est wi t h
sur f ace st r i at i on and Ri edel shear
f r act ur e.
- 224-
_ The shear r esi st ance of a si ngl e r ock- soi l
cont act i s hi gher t han t hat of t he soi l .
_ The l ocat i on of t he shear movement i s par t l y
at t he soi l - r ock cont act and par t l y' wi t hi n
t he cl ay l ayer i n t he f or m of gent l y i ncl i ned
Ri edel shear s( dr oppi ng wi t h about 30
0
i n t he
shear di r ect i on) . Fi gur e 3 shows t he st r i at i on
on t he sur f ace of t he cl ay l ayer and one of t he
st r ongl y ' sl i ckensi ded Ri edel shear s.
Sand f i l l er :
- The shear r esi st ance i ncr eases onl y sl i ght l y
wi t h t he sur f ace r oughness.
_ The shear r esi st ance of a 2 r omt hi ck f i l l i ng
i n a saw cut j oi nt i s about equal t o t hat of
t he sand al one; i n a r ough, t ensi l e f r act ur e
i t has a sl i ght l y hi gher shear st r engt h .
_ The shear r esi st ance of a 4 r omt hi ck f i l l i ng
i s consi der abl y bel ow ( A ar ound 6
0
) t hat of
sand al one.
_ The shear r esi st ance of a si ngl e sand- r ock
cont act ( saw cut or t ensi l e f r act ur e) i s
appr oxi mat el y equal t o t hat of t he sand al one.
Cl ay and sand f i l l er :
_ The shear r esi st ance i ncr eases wi t h t he sur -
f ace r oughness and i t s val ue f or smoot h sur -
f aces l i es consi der abl y bel ow t hat of t he
f i l l i ng mat er i al s (A ~. - 6
0
), f or r ough sur -
f aces consi der abl y above ( A ~+10
0
) t hat of
t he f i l l i ng mat er i al .
The shear r esi st ance of a 4 r omt hi ck f i l l i ng
i s smal l er t han t hat of a 2 r omt hi ck f i l l i ng,
f or bot h smoot h and r ough sur f ace.
The shear r esi st ance of a si ngl e soi l - r ock
cont act wi t h a smoot h sur f ace l i es bel ow t hat
of t he f i l l i ng mat er i al , wi t h a r ough sur f ace
above t hat . .
The st r engt h behavi our of t he mi xed f i l l er i s
cl oser t o t hat of t he cl ay t han t hat of t he
sand. The cl ay, t her ef or e, appear s t o pl ay t he
domi ~at i ng r ol e.
I n addi t i on t o t he di scussed shear f or ce
measur ement t he ver t i cal di spl acement , i . e. com-
pact i on or di l at i on, of t he upper speci men hal f
was cont i nuousl y r ecor ded agai nst t he hor i zont al
shear di spl acement . Typi cal exampl es of t he
di l at i onal behavi our ar e gi ven i n Fi gur e 4. Fr om
~ t he r ecor ded cur ves i t f ol l ows cl ear l y t hat
_ dur i ng shear i ng al l speci mens wi t h f i l l ed
j oi nt s exper i ence consi der abl e compact i on,
l ast i ng up t o r el at i vel y l ar ge shear di spl ace-
ment s.
_ t he r at e of compact i on wi t h shear di spl acement
i ncr eases wi t h decr easi ng sur f ace r oughness.
CLAY AlOfrE
2""" ClAY-SAHO FILLER
IN TENSILE FRACTURE:
10
E
!0,5
>
...
~1.0
;:
.
..
is 1.5
Fi g. 4 Typi cal di l at i on/ compact i on vs di spl ace-
ment gr aphs f or di r ect shear t est s on
f i l l ed j oi nt s, si ngl e soi l - r ock cont act s
and unf i l l ed j oi nt s.
- t he r at e of compact i on wi t h shear di spl ace-
ment i s l ar ger f or t he 4 r omf i l l er s t han f or
t he 2 r omf i l l er s.
- i n shear t est s on si ngl e soi l - r ock cont act s
and on soi l al one t he compact i on comes t o a
st op af t er r el at i vel y smal l shear di spl ace-
ment s.
I NTERPRETATI ON OF THE TEST RESULTS
These and pr evi ous di r ect shear t est s have
shown t hat t he measur ed shear r esi st ance of
cont act s bet ween soi l and r ock and of j oi nt s
f i l l ed wi t h sof t mat er i al s can be bel ow t hat
of t he soi l al one. Thi s has been pr evi ousl y
( KANJ I , 1974) i nt er pr et ed by t he f or ced al i gn-
ment of t he soi l par t i cl es al ong t he cont act
pl ane or wi t hi n t he t hi n soi l seam. The shear
st r engt h i s r easoned t o decr ease wi t h t he de-
gr ee of par t i cl e al i gnment .
Yet anot her expl anat i on f or t he l ow shear
st r engt h can be sought i n t he pr ef er r ed bui l d-
up of por e wat er pr essur e i n t he f i l l er and
al ong t he soi l - r ock i nt er f ace. The obser ved
decr ease of t he shear st r engt h wi t h i ncr easi ng
t hi ckness of t he cl ay f i l l er suppor t s t he
supposi t i on t hat hi gh por e pr essur es ar e r espon-
si bl e f or t he st r engt h r educt i on. The t hi cker
t he cl ay l ayer t he l ess ef f ect i ve wi l l be t he
dr ai nage i nt o t he adj oi ni ng r ock speci mens. But
an even l ess ef f ect i ve dr ai nage and consequent -
l y an even hi gher r educt i on i n shear st r engt h
shoul d t hen be obser ved i n t he pr obe wi t h cl ay
al one, shear ed at t he same r at e as t he f i l l ed
j oi nt s. Thi s, however , i s not t he case. Fur t her -
mor e, t he r at her por ous nat ur e of t he sandst one
used i n t hi s t est ser i es wi l l har dl y al l ow t he
.buLLdup of hi gh por e wat er pr essur es at t he so11-
r ock cont act .
However , bot h hypot heses, t he par t i cl e
al i gnment and t he bui l dup of por e wat er pr essur e,
can har dl y expl ai n t he equal l y obser ved shear
st r engt h r educt i on i n t he t est s wi t h sand
f i l l er s. The sand f i l l er was al ways dr y and t he
shape of t he sand par t i cl es i s cl oser t o spher i -
cal t han pl at el i ke. Consequent l y, nei t her por e
wat er pr essur e nor par t i cl e al i gnment can be t he
cause t her e.
A mor e sat i sf act or y sol ut i on t o t hi s pr o-
bl em can be f ound by car ef ul l y st udyi ng t he
di l at i on/ compact i on vs shear di spl acement
cur ves. The f act t hat compact i on of t he soi l
f i l l er cont i nues dur i ng t he ent i r e t est and
does not come t o a st op when t he r esi dual
st r engt h i s r eached, i ndi cat es t he possi bi l i t y
of t he f i l l er mat er i al bei ng gr adual l y squeezed
out dur i ng t he cour se of t he t est . The t r ue
compact i on shoul d end much ear l i er . The
squeezi ng out of t he soi l can al so expl ai n t he
obser vat i on t hat cl ay seams wi t h a hi gher wat er
cont ent and t her ef or e a smal l er l i qui di t y i ndex
compact ed at a hi gher r at e and consequent l y
exper i enced a l a~ger st r engt h r educt i on. I t i s
t o be expect ed t hat cl ay f i l l er s wi t h a wat er
cont ent at t he l i qui d l i mi t wi l l st r ongl y t end
t o be pr essed out of t he j oi nt when nor mal and
shear l oad ar e appl i ed. Rough r ock sur f aces
pr ovi de a bet t er cont ai nment f or t he f i l l er
mat er i al t han smoot h sur f aces, consequent l y
l ess soi l can be squeezed out and t he compact i on
i s l ess pr onounced. Anot her i ndi cat i on t hat t he
sof t mat er i al t ends t o be squeezed out i s t he
i ncr easi ng r at e of compact i on wi t h i ncr easi ng
nor mal l oad. Si nce t he squeezi ng out of t he sof t
l ayer i s a phenomenon t ypi cal onl y f or l abor a-
t or y or f i el d t est s but har dl y exi st s i n
pr act i cal si t uat i ons, t he r esul t i ng st r engt h
r educt i on i s mai nl y an exper i ment al er r or and
not a t ypi cal pr oper t y of f i l l ed r ock j oi nt s.
The ef f ect of a const ant r at e of r educt i on
of t he ' f i l l er t hi ckness dur i ng t he shear i ng
pr ocess i s equi val ent t o t hat of sl i di ng down-
- 225-
hi l l an i ncl i ned pl ane. The sl ope of t hi s pl ane
i s gi ven by t he angl e of di l at i on, i , whose
t angent i s equal t o t he r at e of compact i on ( see
Fi g. 4) . Fol l owi ng t he concept of PATTON ( 1966)
who st udi ed t he ef f ect of sawt oot h shaped aspe-
r i t i es on t he shear st r engt h, t he ef f ect i ve
angl e of f r i ct i on i s t hen ( - i ) , i . e. t he t r ue
angl e of f r i ct i on r educed by t he angl e of compac-
t i on. A r educt i on of t he shear st r engt h must
t her ef or e occur .
To el i mi nat e t hi s syst emat i c exper i ment al
er r or and t o obt ai n t he t r ue shear st r engt h of
f i l l ed j oi nt s al l t est dat a wer e t her ef or e
cor r ect ed i n t he f ol l owi ng f or m:
~ measur ed = e; . t an ( - i )
and consequent l y
t:cor r ect ed = 6'.t an = 6.t an [ ar c t i m 't:'m~as. +i ]
FI LLI NG: CJ .8Y
0.15
!0,10
~
!1i 0,05
~
0)
0,10 0,15
NO RMAl STRESS, 0 [i<N/m' 1
0,20
1,5
1
1.-
..
1,0
X
~
~
'"
a: D,S
- c
"'
ili
b)
D,S '.0 ',5 2.0
' NORMA L STRESS. 0 [MN/mZJ
0.15
lAY AlONE
c)
om ~S 020
NO RMAl STRESS, 0 [MN/m'l
Fi g. 5 Shear st r engt h dat a f or f i l l ed j oi nt s
and si ngl e soi l - r ock cont act s - af t er
cor r ect i on f or compact i on caused by soi l
bei ng squeezed out . ( a) cl ay f i l l er ,
( b) sand f i l l er , ( c) cl ay and sand f i l l er
The cor r ect ed dat a ar e pl ot t ed i n t he di a-
gr ams of Fi gur e 5. No cor r ect i on had t o be
appl i ed t o t he st r engt h dat a of t he t est s on
si ngl e soi l - r ock cont act s and on t he f i l l i ng
mat er i al al one. Ther e t he compact i on or di l a-
t i on t er mi nat ed when t he r esi dual st r engt h was
r eached, i . e. t he i - angl e appr oached zer o be-
f or e t he end of t he t est . Al l st r engt h val ues
i n ' Fi gur e 5 wer e measur ed af t er a shear di s-
pl acement of 10 r om. The mai n consequences of
t he cor r ect i on ar e t hat no f i l l ed j oi nt has a
shear st r engt h bel ow t hat of t he f i l l i ng mat e-
r i al , t hat t he anomal i es of t hi cker seams
havi ng hi gher shear r esi st ances t han t hi n ones
do not exi st anymor e, and t hat no si ngl e soi l -
r ock cont act s have a shear st r engt h bel ow t hat
of t he soi l .
The cor r ect ed t est r esul t s f or t he r esi -
dual st r engt h can be summar i zed as f ol l ows:
1. The shear st r engt h of a sof t - f i l l ed j oi nt
- pr OVi ded t he sof t l ayer cannot be squeezed
out - i s equal or hi gher , but never l ower
t han t hat of t he f i l l er .
2. The shear r esi st ance of a f i l l ed j oi nt t ends
t o be cl oser t o t hat of t he f i l l er , t he
smoot her t he r ock sur f ace i s' -
3. The t hi cker t he soi l seam i s, t he cl oser
wi l l be t he shear st r engt h t o t hat of t he
soi l . The i nf l uence of t he seam t hi ckness
i s par t i cul ar l y mar ked f or r ough r ock sur -
f aces; al l f i l l ed r ough j oi nt s have a r esi -
dual st r engt h hi gher t han t hat of t he soi l .
4. The shear r esi st ance of si ngl e cl ay- r ock
cont act s i s appr oxi mat el y t he same as t he
one of cl ay- f i l l ed j oi nt s. I s t he soi l a
mi xt ur e of cl ay and sand t hen t he shear
r esi st ance of a r ough f i l l ed j oi nt i s hi gher
t han t hat of t he si ngl e soi l - r ock cont act .
The di l at i on angl e cor r ect i on was al so
appl i ed t o t he r esul t s of t he t est ser i es i n
whi ch t he i nf l uence of t he wat er cont ent , w,
of t he cl ay f i l l er i n a smoot h r ock j oi nt was
i nvest i gat ed. Wher eas a t endency of decr easi ng
st r e~gt h wi t h i ncr easi ng w exi st ed bef or e t he
cor r ect i on, t he dependence now compl et el y di s-
appear s. Wi t hi n t he expl or ed r ange of 20 t o
27 %wat er cont ent t he shear st r engt h r emai ns
pr act i cal l y const ant . Fur t her mor e, t her e was
no change i n shear st r engt h wi t hi n t he r ange
of shear r at es t est ed.
CONCLUSI ONS
The r esi dual shear st r engt h of r ock j oi nt s
wi t h a sof t f i l l i ng i s st r ongl y i nf l uenced by
t hei r sur f ace r oughness and by t he t hi ckness of
t he f i l l er . As l ong as t he f i l l er i s f ul l y con-
t ai ned and cannot be squeezed out , t he r esi dual
st r engt h of t he f i l l ed j oi nt does not f al l be-
l ow t he mi ni mum st r engt h val ue of t he soi l
t est ed al one. The smoot her t he r ock sur f ace t he
cl oser i s t he ef f ect i ve st r engt h t o t hi s mi ni -
mum.
The maxi mum possi bl e val ue t o be obt ai ned
i s t hat of t he unf i l l ed j oi nt , whi ch i n f act
i s al most r eached by r ough, t ensi l e f r act ur es
wi t h a f i l l er t hi ckness smal l er t han t he ave-
r age asper i t y. Rough j oi nt s wi t h a f i l l er
t hi ckness equal or sl i ght l y l ar ger t han t he
ampl i t ude of t he asper i t i es have an ef f ect i ve
shear st r engt h whose val ue l i es appr oxi mat el y
hal f way bet ween t hose of t he unf i l l ed j oi nt
and t he f i l l i ng mat er i al al one. Rough j oi nt s
wi t h a ver y t hi ck f i l l er appr oach t he shear
st r engt h of smoot h f i l l ed j oi nt s whi ch i s equal
t o or onl y sl i ght l y above t hat of t he soi l
f i l l er al one.
Si nce bot h, sur f ace r oughness and l ayer
t hi ckness i nf l uence t he ef f ect i ve shear r e-
si st ance and det er mi ne t he r el at i ve l ocat i on
of i t s val ue bet ween t he r ock- onl y and soi l -
onl y ext r emes, t he act ual shear movement cannot
be l i mi t ed t o t he soi l - r ock i nt er f ace - t her e
t he f i l l er t hi ckness woul d be of no ef f ect -
nor can i t t ake pl ace ent i r el y wi t hi n t he soi l
- t her e t he sur f ace r oughness woul d be' i r r el e-
vant . The act ual shear i ng pr ocess i s t her ef or e
a combi nat i on of shear movement s al ong and wi t h-
i n t he f i l l er .
The decr ease i n shear st r engt h wi t h decr ea-
si ng cl ay f i l l er t hi ckness i s undoubt edl y t he
r esul t of st r onger par t i cl e al i gnment i n t he
heavi er di st or t ed t hi n l ayer : At t he same t ot al
shear di spl acement t he par t i cl es i n t he t hi n
l ayer exper i ence about t wi ce t he shear di st or -
t i on of t hose i n a l ayer of doubl e t he t hi ck-
ness. On t he ot her hand, di f f er ent i al movement s
bet ween soi l and r ock al ong a r ough sur f ace wi l l
di st ur b t he par t i cl e al i gnment and l ead t o a
mi xi ng act i on i n t he boundar y r egi on whi ch i n
t ur n r esul t s i n a hi gher shear r esi st ance.
The consequence f or pr act i cal desi gn i s t hat
one st ays on t he saf e si de i f one assumes t he
shear st r engt h of f i l l ed j oi nt s t o be as l ow as
t he one of t he f i l l i ng soi l . However , f or r el a-
t i vel y r ough j oi nt s t hi s woul d l ead t o t oo con-
ser vat i ve a desi gn.
REFERENCES
BARTON, N. , 1974, A r evi ew of t he shear . st r engt h
of f i l l ed di scont i nui t i es i n r ock.
Nor wegi an Geot echni cal I nst i t ut e, Osl o,
publ i cat i on Nr . 105.
COULSON, J . H. , 1970, The ef f ect s of sur f ace
r oughness on t he shear st r engt h of j oi nt s
i n r ock. Ph. D. Thesi s, Uni ver si t y of
I l l i noi s, Ur bana, 283 pp.
EURENI US, J . and H. FAGERSTR~M, 1969, Sampl i ng
and t est i ng of sof t r ock wi t h weak l ayer s.
Geot echni que, Vol . 19, No. 1, p, 133 - 139.
GOODMAN, R. E. , . 1970, The def or mabl 1i t y of j oi nt s.
Det er mi nat i on of t he i n si t u modul us of
def or mat i on of r ock. Amer i can Soci et y f or
Test i ng and Mat er i al s, Speci al Techni cal
Publ i cat i on 477, p. 174 - 196.
J AEGER, J . C. , 1959, The f r i ct i onal pr oper t i es of
j oi nt s i n r ock. Geof i s. pur a appl . , Vol . 43,
p, 148 - 158.
KANJ I , M. A. , 1974, Unconvent i onal l abOr at or y
t est s f or t he det er mi nat i on of t he shear
st r engt h of soi l - r ock cont act s. Pr oceedi ngs
of t he 3r d Congr ess of I nt . Soc. Rock Mech. ,
Denver , Vol . I I , Par t A, p. 241 - 247.
KUTTER, H. K. , 1974, Zusammenhang zwi schen An-
f angsr auhi gkei t und Rest scher f est i gkei t
ei ner Kl uf t . Fest schr i f t Leopol d MUl l er -
Sal zbur g zum 65. Gebur t st ag, Kar l sr uhe,
p. 45 - 55.
LAMA, R. D. , 1978, I nf l uence of cl ay f i l l i ngs on
shear behavi our of j oi nt s. Pr oceedi ngs
3r d Congr ess of I nt . Assoc. Eng. Geol . ,
Madr i d, Vol . I I , 2, p. 27 - 34.
PATTON, F. D. , 1966, - Mul t i pl e modes of shear
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