Shear strength is one of the most important factors that affect the factor of safety.

A subsurface investigation is needed to determine the nature and extent of materials

underground, the location of the sites for fi eld tests, and the collection of
representative samples for laboratory tests. The use of fi eld tests, such as standard
penetration, Dutch cone, piezocone penetration, and vane shear—together
with laboratory direct shear and triaxial compression tests to determine the shear
strength of soils—is described. Also presented are the ranges of shear strength
for various materials, including municipal wastes, and correlations of effective
friction angle or undrained shear strength with other index properties, such as
plasticity index, liquid limit, and percent of clay. Other subjects include the shear
strength of granular soils with a curved strength envelope, and the backcalculation
of shear strength from failed slopes.