FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

SHAH ALAM LABORATORY MANUAL

COURSE GEOTECHNICAL LABORATORY

COURSE CODE ECG428

LEVEL OF OPENNESS 2

CATEGORY PARTIALLY OPEN

DEGREE OF OPEN-ENDED (%) 66

PERIOD OF ACTIVITY 1 WEEK (WEEK 9)

ENGINEERING PROPERTIES
DETERMINATION OF THE DIRECT SHEAR STRENGTH BY USING SHEAR BOX TESTkm

Introduction

Level 2 laboratory activities refer to the condition where only the problem is
guided and given. Students are required to find the ways & means and provide
the answers to the given assignment using the group creativity and
innovativeness. The activity will enable the students to appreciate independent
learning and prepare them for a much harder task of open ended laboratory
activities.

The shear strength of a soil is its maximum resistance to shearing stresses. It is

usually considered to be equal to the shear stress at failure on the failure plane.
The shear strength of soil mainly consists of the resistance due to interlocking of
particle and friction between individual particles at their contact point i.e. internal
friction and the resistance due to inter particle forces which tend to hold the
particles together in a soil mass, what so called cohesion.

The shear strength τ of soil can be represented by Coulomb’s equation of :

PREAMBLE τf = c + σ tan 
where σ = total normal stress on the failure plane.
c = cohesion.
 = angle of internal friction.

Figure 1: Direct Shear Box Test apparatus

©FKA, UiTM, SHAH ALAM February 2013

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
SHAH ALAM LABORATORY MANUAL

Objectives
To determine the shear strength of soil using direct shear or shear box apparatus.
A direct shear test is a laboratory or field test used by geotechnical engineers to
measure the shear strength properties of soil or rock material, or of
discontinuities in soil or rock masses.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the laboratory activities, students would be able to:
1. acquire the understanding of engineering properties of soils in
determination of the shear strength
2. acquire the necessary skill in performing standard laboratory
3. interpret and analyze data to report and present result to determine the
value of internal friction angle,  and the intercept on shear stress axis gives
value of cohesion, c
4. Work in group to produce the relevant technical report

The advantages of the direct shear test over other shear tests are the simplicity of
setup and equipment used, and the ability to test under differing saturation,
drainage, and consolidation conditions. These advantages have to be weighed
PROBLEM STATEMENT against the difficulty of measuring pore-water pressure when testing in undrained
conditions, and possible spuriously high results from forcing the failure plane to
occur in a specific location.

Each group will be given representative samples of the soil to be used (sand,
residual soil and undisturbed clay from the site). The lload applied and the strain
induced is recorded at frequent intervals to determine a stress-strain curve for
WAYS & MEANS each confining stress. Several specimens are tested at varying confining stresses to
determine the shear strength parameters, the soil cohesion (c) and the angle of
internal friction (commonly friction angle) ( ).

The group will be required to plot the graph between shear stress and longitudinal
RESULTS displacement for each set of test. Note the maximum shear stress and
corresponding longitudinal displacement. Finally plot a graph between normal
stress and maximum shear stress.

©FKA, UiTM, SHAH ALAM February 2013