Consolidated-Drained (CD)

Triaxial Test
Steps of a CD test:
1. Saturation (valve closed)  similar for CU tests
2. Consolidation (valve opened)
3. Shearing (valve opened)

Stresses on specimen during consolidation and shearing:

Confining stress:  3   3'

Deviatoric stress  d
Axial stress: 1  1'   3   d

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 Recall: Application of CD Tests
 Loading is applied slowly.

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 Typical results of a CD test
1.Consolidation 2. Drained shearing
NC clays / loose sands OC clays / dense sands

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 Failure Envelope

◦ Sands and NC clays OC clays

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 Principle Stresses at Failure
From the Mohr circle:
sin  '
1
2  1
'
  3' 
1
2  1
'
  3'   c ' cot  '

 1  sin  '  '  cos 

'

     2c 
' '
'  ' 
 1  sin    1  sin  
1 3
q

However,
2
 1  sin  '   cos  '  2 ' 
 ' 
  ' 
 tan  45    Kp
 1  sin    1  sin    2
It can be shown that: 2q  90   '

'
Inclination of failure plane: q  45   '   ' 
    tan  45    2c tan  45  
' ' ' 2
2 1 3
 2  2

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 Finding c,  using testing data:
1 & 3
◦ Failure Envelope
 '   ' 
 1'   3' tan 2  45    2 c '
tan  45  
 2  2

For 2 specimens, the stresses at failure are known:

 '   ' 
 11   31
' '
tan  45    2c tan  45  
2 '

 2  2
 '   ' 
1 2   3 2
' '
tan  45    2c tan  45  
2 '

 2  2

 0.5

 1   11   1 2  
' '

 '  2  tan    45 
  31   3 2  
' '
 

 
 11 '   31 ' tan 2  45 
' 

c'   2
 ' 
2 tan  45  
 2

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 Consolidated-Undrained (CU)
Triaxial Test
Steps of a CU test:
1. Saturation (valve closed)
2. Consolidation (valve opened)
3. Shearing (valve closed)

Stresses on specimen during consolidation and shearing:

Pore water pressure at failure:  ud  f
Deviatoric stress at failure:   d  f  1   3  1'   3'
Minor principal stress at failure (total): 3
Minor principal stress at failure (effective):  3'   3   ud  f
Major principal stress at failure (total): 1   3    d  f
Minor principal stress at failure (effective): 1'  1   ud  f
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 Recall: Application of CU Tests
 Loading is applied rapidly with
consolidation allowed.

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 Typical results of a CU test:
Typical results of a CU test:
1. Consolidation

2. Undrained shearing

NC clays / loose sands:

OC clays / dense sands:

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 Failure Envelope

◦ Sands and NC clays OC clays

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 Saturation of the specimen
Before the specimen is tested, full saturation should be achieved by:
◦ Circulation of CO2
◦ Flushing of de-aired water
◦ Applying back pressure

Degree of saturation can be checked by:

◦ closing the drainage valve and raising the cell pressure.
◦ measuring the increase in the pore pressure of the specimen.
◦ calculating the pore pressure parameter, B.

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 Skempton’s pore pressure
parameter (A & B)
3 13

3 uc 3 ud

undrained undrained

3 13

u   uc   ud
 B   3  A   1 -  3  
 B  3  A    1 -   3  A  AB
u  B  3  A d
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due to confinement 2 to shearing 19
 Skempton’s pore pressure
parameter (B)
3
uc
B
 3

3 uc 3

undrained

3

Note:
◦ B is close to 1 for saturated soils
◦ B also depends on the soil type.
◦ B is smaller for stiffer soils.
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 Skempton’s pore pressure
parameter (A)

A
 ud 
  d 

 ud  f
At failure, the parameter, A  Af  , depends on the soil type:
  d  f
 Af  0.5 ~ 1 for NC clays
 Af  0 ~ 0.5 for lightly OC clays
 Af  0.5 ~ 0 for heavily OC clays ( Af  0 @ OCR=3~4)
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 Prediction of CU test
◦ Given 3’=200kPa,
◦ Find (ud)f=? 1,f ’ =?

◦ Solve:
1  sin  1+sin14.5
1   3 =200   333.6kPa
1  sin  1  sin14.5

( 1'   3' ) f  ( 1   3 ) f  333.6  200  133.6kPa

 ud  f 50
◦ From previous test: Af    0.714
d, f 70

◦ Assume: Af  const.  ud  f  Af  d , f  0.714  133.6  95.4kPa

 1'   1   ud  f  333.6  95.4  238.2kPa

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 Stress Path – using p & q
Definition: locus of stress points for a soil element during a loading process

p 1
2  v   h 
q  12  v   h 
Stress point:
p'  p  u  1
2  v
'
  h' 
q'  q

 0 if  v   h
Note: q
 0 if  v   h


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 Stress path for a CD triaxial test
Evolution of stress states:
Process Point  v'  h' p' q
Consolidation I 3 3 3 0

Shearing D’  3   d 3  d  d
3 
2 2
Failure D 1 3 1 1
 1   3   1   3 
2 2

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 Stress path for a CU triaxial test
Evolution of stress states:
Process Poin  v'  h' p' q
t
Consolidatio I 3 3 3 0
n
Shearing U’  3   d  ud  3  ud  d  d
3    ud
2 2
Failure U   d  f   d  f
3    ud  f
2 2

◦ NC clay

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 Stress path for a CU triaxial test
◦ For OC clay under undrained loading, stress path is more
complicated.

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 Modified failure envelope: Kf line

q f  a  p f tan  ff  c   ff tan 

sin   tan
It can be proved: a
c
cos 
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 Failure Envelope - alternatives

◦ Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion in  and :

 ff  c   ff tan 
◦ Using 1 and 3
 '   ' 
   3 tan  45    2c tan  45  
1
' ' 2 '

 2  2

◦ Modified failure envelop Using p and q

q f  a  p f tan

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 Procedure to get the failure envelope
for more than 2 Mohr circles at failure?
1. Plot the stress points (p,q) of the Mohr circles.
2. Obtain the trend line (by linear regression) of the stress points.
3. Obtain the intercept (a) and slope () of the trend line.

4. Calculate the c,  as: sin   tan

a
c
cos 
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 Methods for determination of
shear strength
◦ Field methods:  in-situ shear strength
◦ Vane shear (VST)
◦ Standard penetration test (SPT)
◦ Cone penetration test (CPT)
◦ …

◦ Lab methods:
◦ Direct shear
◦ Triaxial shear
◦ UU
◦ CU
◦ CD
◦ …

◦ Empirical methods:
◦ Based on effective stress and OCR
◦ Based on water content and Atterberg limits

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