CE 342

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING SESSIONAL

EXPERIMENT NO- 10
DIRECT SHEAR TEST ON COHESIONLESS SOIL

MD. AZIJUL ISLAM

LECTURER
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING,
BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, DHAKA, BANGLADESH.

AUGUST, 2016
 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PURPOSE

 THIS TEST IS PERFORMED TO DETERMINE THE SHEAR STRENGTH OF

SOIL.
 THE SHEAR STRENGTH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF A SOIL, BECAUSE IT IS REQUIRED
WHENEVER A STRUCTURE IS DEPENDENT ON THE SOIL’S SHEARING
RESISTANCE.
 THE SHEAR STRENGTH IS NEEDED FOR ENGINEERING SITUATIONS
SUCH AS DETERMINING THE STABILITY OF SLOPES OR CUTS, FINDING
THE BEARING CAPACITY FOR FOUNDATIONS, AND CALCULATING THE
PRESSURE EXERTED BY A SOIL ON A RETAINING WALL ETC.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

SIGNIFICANCE

 THE DIRECT SHEAR TEST IS ONE OF THE OLDEST STRENGTH TESTS FOR SOILS.
IN THIS LABORATORY, A DIRECT SHEAR DEVICE WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE THE
SHEAR STRENGTH OF A COHESIONLESS SOIL (I.E. ANGLE OF INTERNAL FRICTION
(φ)). FROM THE PLOT OF THE SHEAR STRESS VERSUS THE HORIZONTAL
DISPLACEMENT, THE MAXIMUM SHEAR STRESS IS OBTAINED FOR A SPECIFIC
VERTICAL CONFINING STRESS. AFTER THE EXPERIMENT IS RUN SEVERAL TIMES
FOR VARIOUS VERTICAL-CONFINING STRESSES, A PLOT OF THE MAXI MUM SHEAR
STRESSES VERSUS THE VERTICAL (NORMAL) CONFINING STRESSES FOR EACH OF
THE TESTS IS PRODUCED. FROM THE PLOT, A STRAIGHT-LINE APPROXIMATION OF
THE MOHR-COULOMB FAILURE ENVELOPE CURVE CAN BE DRAWN, φ MAY BE
DETERMINED AND FOR COHESIONLESS SOILS (c = 0), THE SHEAR STRENGTH CAN
BE COMPUTED FROM THE FOLLOWING EQUATION:
S = σ tan φ

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

REFERENCE

 ASTM D 3080-03 : Standard Test Method for Direct Shear

Test of Soils Under Consolidated Drained Conditions.

 Engineering Properties of Soils Based on Laboratory

Testing, Prof. Krishna Reddy, UIC.

CE 342 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING SESSIONAL 4

 Strength of different
materials

Steel Concrete Soil

Tensile Compressive Shear

strength strength strength

Presence of pore water

Complex
behavior
 Shear Strength of Soil
τf = c + σ’ tan φ
τf = shear strength
c = cohesion
φ = angle of internal friction

σ1 major principle stress

σ3 σ3
Minor principle stress
Confining stress

σ1

6
 Shear Strength of Soil
Consider the following situation:
A normal stress is applied vertically and held constant
A shear stress is then applied until failure
• For any given normal stress, there will be one value of shear
stress
• If the normal stress is increased, the shear stress will typically
increase in sands and stay the same in clays
 Shear Strength of Soils
Is there a relationship between F and N?

N
F

F = N tan 
 is the angle of internal friction

N
4/14/2017 8
 Shear Strength of Soils
Suppose there is some “glue” between block and surface
Initially - block will not fail until bond is broken

N
F Block will
fail
F

 Block is
F = C + N tan  stable
C is the cohesion
C
N
4/14/2017 9
 Shear Strength of Soils
F = C + N tan 
above equation is specified in forces
In terms of stress:
 = c +  tan 

• Three types of material

– granular (frictional) materials - i.e. c = 0 (sands)
•  =  tan 
– cohesive materials - i.e.  = 0 (wet clays)
• = c
– materials with both cohesion and friction
•  = c +  tan 

4/14/2017 10
 Direct Shear Test
• Common lab test in practice
• Sample placed in the direct shear device
• The base is locked down
• Constant normal stress applied
• Shear stress increased until failure
Normal stress σn

Shear stress σ3

Soil
 Direct shear test
Schematic diagram of the direct shear apparatus
 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT
DIRECT SHEAR DEVICE

NORMAL DISPLACEMENT DIAL GAUGE

SHEAR LOAD DIAL GAUGE

SHEAR DISPLACEMENT DIAL GAUGE

SHEAR BOX BOWL

PROVING RING

LEVER LOADING YOKE

MOTOR TO CONTROL SHEAR

DISPLACEMENT RATE

VERTICAL LOAD

CALIBRATION CHART FOR

SHEAR LOAD DIAL GAGE

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT

RAM SUPPORT RAM SHEAR DISPLACEMENT DIAL GAUGE

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT

VERTICAL DEFORMATION DIAL GAUGE SHEAR LOAD DIAL GAUGE WITH PROVING RING

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT

MOTOR TO CONTROL SHEAR DISPLACEMENT RATE

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT
SWAN NECK

BOTTOM PLATE OF SHEAR BOX UPPER FRAME OF SHEAR BOX

LOWER PORTION
OF SHEAR BOX

SHEAR BOX BOWL

PRESSURE PLATE

POROUS PLATE

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT SHEAR LOAD DIAL GAGE WITH PROVING RING

STEEL BALL

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT

BALANCE SCALE STOP WATCH

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

EQUIPMENT

DISH SPOON FILTER PAPER

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE
 TAKE THE WEIGHT OF SOIL AND DISH AND RECORD.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE
 INSERT THE BOTTOM PLATE AND PLACE ONE OF THE POROUS PLATES
INTO THE SHEAR BOX.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 PLACE THE UPPER FRAME AND INSERT THE ALIGNMENT PINS.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 PLACE ONE OF THE FILTER PAPERS AND TAKE THE INSIDE HEIGHT OF
THE BOX 2 TIMES. RECORD THE AVERAGE OF THE HEIGHTS.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 POUR THE SOIL INTO THE BOX IN SUCH AN AMOUNT THAT THE FILLED
HEIGHT IS NEARLY 1 INCH. LEVEL THE SOIL SURFACE BY THE SCALE.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 PLACE ANOTHER FILTER PAPER AND THE REMAINING POROUS PLATE.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 PLACE THE PRESSURE PLATE AND TAKE THE HEIGHT OF THE

EXTRUDED PORTION OF THE PRESSURE PLATE 2 TIMES. RECORD THE
AVERAGE OF THE MEASUREMENTS.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE
 TAKE THE WEIGHT OF THE REMAINING SOIL AND DISH AND RECORD.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 PLACE THE SHEAR BOX IN THE SHEAR DEVICE AND ADJUST ALL
GAGES. ALL GAGES ARE SET TO ZERO EXCEPT THE NORMAL
DISPLACEMENT DIAL GAGE. RECORD THE INITIAL DIAL READING OF
NORMAL DISPLACEMENT DIAL GAGE.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 APPLY THE PREDETERMINED NORMAL LOAD AND REMOVE THE

ALIGNMENT PINS.

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 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

PROCEDURE

 SET THE MOTOR SPEED FOR REQUIRED STRAIN RATE AND START IT. INSTANTLY START THE
STOP WATCH. RECORD THE SHEAR LOAD DIAL READING, NORMAL DISPLACEMENT DIAL
READING AND HORIZONTAL DISPLACEMENT DIAL READING AT 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2
ETC. MINUTES.

CE 342 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING SESSIONAL 23

 Direct shear test
P Steel ball
Test procedure
Pressure plate

Porous
plates

Proving ring to
measure shear
force

Step 1: Apply a vertical load to the specimen and wait for consolidation
 Direct shear test
P Steel ball
Test procedure
Pressure plate

Porous
plates

Proving ring to
measure shear
force

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

 Direct Shear Test
Plotting 2 or more points provides the following

Shear
stress

normal stress
34
 Direct Shear Test
Typical plot for sands - Drained Condition

Shear
stress

c=0
normal stress

35
 Direct Shear Test
Typical plot for clays - drained condition

Shear
stress Overconsolidated
OCR >1

normallyconsolidated
c OCR=1
φ

normal stress
36
 Residual Shear Strength
• The discussion thus far have referenced failure of the soil.
• Failure is indicated by excessive strain with little to no
increase (even decrease) in stress.
• After failure, the soil strength does not go to 0
• The soil retains residual strength
Peak Strength
Shear
stress
Residual Strength

Shear displacement 37
 Shear Strength of Soils

 Increasing
normal stress
/ dense

loose

displacement Displacement

Normalising curves to normal stress leads to a unique set of

curves for each soil.
4/14/2017 38
 Shear Strength of Soils
Overconsolidated clay Normally
consolidated clay
 

displacement displacement

OC Clay

NC Clay

4/14/2017 39
Drained Direct Shear Test on Clay
 Shear Strength of Soils
Plot volume changes as Void Ratio

loose
Critical
void
Void medium ratio
Ratio

dense

displacement
• All tests eventually come to same Void Ratio
4/14/2017 40
 Shear Strength of Soils

Dense Sand
V

Medium Dense

displacement

Loose Sand

41
4/14/2017
 Direct Shear Test

• Direct shear test is Quick and Inexpensive

• Shortcoming is that it fails the soil on a designated
plane which may not be the weakest one
• Shear stresses and displacements are nonuniformly
distributed within the specimen. An appropriate
height cannot be defined for calculation of shear
strains. Therefore, stress-strain relationships or any
associated quantity such as modulus, cannot be
determined from this test.

42
 Summary of Test Method

This test method consists of placing the test specimen in

the direct shear device, applying a predetermined normal
stress, providing for wetting or draining of the test
specimen, or both, consolidating the specimen under the
normal stress, unlocking the frames that hold the test
specimen, and displacing one frame horizontally with
respect to the other at a constant rate of shearing
deformation and measuring the shearing force and
horizontal displacements as the specimen is
sheared

43
 Specimen Size
1. The minimum specimen diameter for circular
specimens, or width for square specimens, shall be
2.0 in. (50 mm), or not less than 10 times the
maximum particle size diameter, whichever is larger
2. The minimum initial specimen thickness shall be 0.5
in. (12 mm), but not less than six times the
maximum particle diameter.
3. The minimum specimen diameter to thickness or
width to thickness ratio shall be 2:1

44
 Test Plan
• Depth of sample = 10 m
• Water table at ground surface
• Effective vertical stress at 10 m =
10*(18-9.8) = 82 kPa
• Normal stress = 40, 80 & 120 kPa will be applied
• Diameter of sample = 2.5”, Area = 3167 mm2 = 3.167x10-3 m2
• Group 1 & 4 => 40 kPa  40*Area = 0.1267 kN = 12.9 kg
• Group 2 & 5 => 80 kPa  80*Area = 0.1267 kN = 25.8 kg
• Group 3 & 6 => 120 kPa  120*Area = 0.1267 kN = 38.8 kg

45
 Normal displacement dial

Normal load = 40 kg

Shear load dial

Soil
Proving ring Lateral displacement dial

Failure is often taken to correspond to the maximum shear

stress attained, or the shear stress at 15 to 20 percent
relative lateral displacement. 46
 Height of sample (H0), in. 1
Diameter of sample (d0), in. 2.5
Area of sample (A0), in2 4.9087
Volume, (V0), cm3 80.4398
Sp. Gravity (assumed) 2.68

Weight dry soil used = 146.5 gm

Initial soil thickness = 1 in.
Initial Dial gage reading = 514
Final Dial gage reading = 500
Soil thickness before shear = 0.986 in.
Volume of soil before shear = 79.3137 cm3
Void ratio before shear = 0.43
Dry density before shear = 18.1 kN/m3

47
 Specimen No. 1, Normal load = 25 kg
Lateral Normal Normal
displace- Lateral displace- displace- Shear Shear
Elapsed ment dial, displace- ment dial, ment, load dial, Shear Stress,
time, min 0.01 mm ment, % 0.001" mm 0.0001 in Force, lbs kPa /
0.00 0 0.0 500.0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0
0.25 10 0.2 493.0 -0.18 72 22.73 31.93 0.412
0.50 25 0.4 491.0 -0.23 94 29.68 41.68 0.538
0.75 43 0.7 490.0 -0.25 116 36.62 51.44 0.664
1.00 62 1.0 489.0 -0.28 134 42.30 59.42 0.768
1.25 78 1.2 488.5 -0.29 151 47.67 66.96 0.865
1.50 98 1.5 489.0 -0.28 165 52.09 73.17 0.945
1.75 112 1.8 490.0 -0.25 180 56.83 79.82 1.031
2.00 128 2.0 491.0 -0.23 187 59.04 82.92 1.071
148 2.3 494.5 -0.14 194 61.25 86.03 1.111
168 2.6 497.5 -0.06 195 61.56 86.47 1.117
188 3.0 499.5 -0.01 193.5 61.09 85.80 1.108
2.75 208 3.3 501.5 0.04 186 58.72 82.48 1.065
228 3.6 502.0 0.05 174 54.93 77.16 0.997
Calibration factor of proving ring
0.3157 lb/div upto 350 and 0.7160lb/div above 350
48
 1.20

1.00

0.80

0.60 Specimen 1
/

Specimen 2
0.40 Specimen 3

0.20

0.00
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Relative Lateral Displacement (%)

49
 Failure Envelope
400.00
y = 0.7971x + 20.902

Shear stress, kPa

R² = 0.9978
300.00

200.00 = tan-1(0.797)
= 38.6o
100.00
c = 20.9 kPa
0.00
0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00
Normal stress, kPa

Stress
Water Dry unit Void ratio Normal ratio at
Specimen Content wt. Initial befor Stress failure =tan-1 Displace-
no. (%) (kN/m3) void shear (kPa), n ( /)f (/) ment (%)
1 16.0 18.10 0.45 0.43 77.41 1.11 47.98 2.65
2 15.3 18.19 0.44 0.37 154.83 0.90 41.99 1.76
3 15.9 17.90 0.47 0.32 309.66 0.87 41.02 2.13
50
 0.40
Normal displacement (mm)

0.20 Expansion

0.00

-0.20
Compression

-0.40
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Relative Lateral Displacement (%)

51
 DIRECT SHEAR TEST

THANK YOU

QUESTIONS

CE 342 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING SESSIONAL 24