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Triaxial Testing

LaboratoryTeststoDetermineShear
StrengthofSoils
GeotechnicalEngineeringII
(ENGI6723)

PresentedbyRodneyP.McAee,Ph.D.,P.Eng.

LaboratoryTeststoDetermineShear
StrengthofSoils
LectureTopics
oBriefoverviewofdirectsheartest
oDeterminesoilshearstrengthparameters
fromtriaxialtesNng:
UnconsolidatedUndrained
ConsolidatedUndrained

oTriaxialtestsetupandbehaviour
oUseofresultsinengineeringpracNce
oExamplesoftriaxialtestresults

ShearStrength
Shearstrengthofsoilsisrequiredtosolveproblems
ofstability
oBearingcapacity,earthpressures,slopestability,etc.

ShearstrengthisafuncNonofeecNvenormalstress

LaboratoryTeststoDetermineShear
StrengthofSoils
DirectShearTest
TriaxialTests
oPorewaterpressuremeasurement
oTesNngunderbackpressure

TypesofTriaxialTests
oUnconsolidatedUndrained
oConsolidatedUndrained
oConsolidatedDrained

DirectShearTest

DirectShearTest
Disadvantages
oFailureplaneisforcedtobehorizontal
oCannotcontroldrainage
oStressconcentraNonsatthesampleboundaries
oUncontrolledrotaNonofprincipalplanesandstresses

Advantages
oTestininexpensive
oFastandsimple
oEasytoprepareforcohesionlesssamples

TriaxialTesNng
CasagrandedevelopedtriaxialtesNnginthe1930s
MorecomplicatedthandirectsheartesNng
oButmoreversaNle

Drainagecanbecontrolled
NorotaNonofprincipalstresses
oSomesmallshearstressesdoactontheboundaries

StressconcentraNonsarelimited
Failureplanecanoccuranywhere
Stresspathstofailurecanbecontrolled

TriaxialTestApparatusand
assumedStressCondiNons

Loadframewithsteppermotordrive
Triaxialcell
Dataacquisitonsystem
Electronicmeasurementtransducers
oLoad,displacement,pressure,and
volumechange
ComputerSoZwarefortriaxialtesNng
Controlpanelanddeairedwater
controlsystem

ControlPaneltoregulate
pressureandowsduring
tesNng

DrainagePathsinTriaxialTesNng
The3permissibledrainagepathsare:

Q-Test
(for quick test)

S-test
(for slow test)

ConsolidatedUndrained(CU)
TestBehaviour
Sampleisrstconsolidatedunderdesiredstresses
AZerconsolidaNoncomplete,drainagevalvesclosed
Typically,porewaterpressuresaremeasured
oCalculatetotalandeecNvestresses

Excessporewaterpressure(u)caneither:
oIncrease(+ive):specimencontractsorconsolidates
oDecrease(ive):specimenexpandsorswells

Axialstressincreasedincrementallyoratconstant
rateofstrain

BackPressureduringTesNng
Toensure100%saturaNon(necessarytogive
accurateporewaterpressures),abackpressureis
appliedtotheporewater
Cellpressurealsoincreasedbysameamountto
maintainthesameeecNveconsolidaNonstresses

Typical Stress-Strain
Curves for CU Tests

Principal (effective) stress


ratio is a simple way to
normalize the stress
behaviour with respect
to 3 during the test

Withporewaterpressuresmeasured,wecancalculateboth
totalandeecNvestressesatfailure
Typically,anumberoftestsoverarangeofstressesis
carriedout
NCclayspecimensdevelopposiNveporewaterpressures
(= u)

OCclaystendtoexpandduringshearcausingdecreasedpore
waterpressures
(= (-u))

TesNngonsaturated
sandwithmeasurement
ofporewaterpressure

MohrenvelopesintermsofbothtotalandeecNve
stressesforconsolidatedundrainedtestsonnormally
consolidatedclaysamples

Mohrenvelopesin
termsofbothtotal
andeecNve
stressesfor
consolidated
undrainedtestson
overconsolidated
claysamples

UseofCUStrengthinEngineeringPracNce
Soilsarefully
consolidatedand
atequilibriumwith
theexisNngstress
system
Then,addiNonal
stressesare
appliedquickly

ExampleTestforNCClay:
oConsolidatedunderastressof150kPa
oThenshearedundrainedinaxialcompression
oPrincipalstressdierenceatfailure=100kPa
oInducedporewaterpressureatfailure=88kPa

c and cT are assumed


to be zero

UnconsolidatedUndrained(UU)
TestBehaviour
Sampleisplacedinthetriaxialcellwiththedrainage
valvesclosed
NoconsolidaNonoccurswhenconningpressureis
applied
Usually,porewaterpressuresarenotmeasured
Sampleisloadedtofailurein10to20minutes
oCalledQtest(forquick)

Testisatotalstresstestandityieldsthestrengthin
termsoftotalstresses

Typical Stress-Strain
Curves for UU Tests

Note: max. occurs


at relatively low strains

a) Remolded and some compacted clays


b) Medium sensitive undisturbed clay
c) Highly sensitive undisturbed clay

Typical Mohr failure


envelopes for UU Tests

All samples have same


water content and void
ratio therefore the
same undrained shear
strength
100% saturated clay

Increased cell pressure


compresses any air voids

Partially saturated clay

Changeinboth
strengthand
deformaNon
aZerremolding
anundisturbed
sampleofNC
clay
u=0when
resultsare
plogedwith
respecttototal
stress

UseofUUStrengthinEngineeringPracNce
Engineering
loadingisassumed
totakeplaceso
rapidlythatu
cannotdissipateor
forconsolidaNon
tooccur
Changeintotal
stressdoesnot
aecttheinsitu
undrainedshear
strength

Scope
Terminology
Signicanceofuse
Apparatus

TestSpecimens
Procedure
CalculaNon
Report

ASTMD2850:UnconsolidatedUndrained
Terminology
oFailureisdenedasthemaximumprincipalstress
dierenceorthatmeasuredat15%axialstrain
TestSpecimens
oMinimumdiameterof3.3cm
oHeighttodiameterraNobetween2and2.5
oProcedurestoprepareundisturbedandcompacted
samples
Procedure
oAxialstrain:1%/minforplasNcand0.3%/minforbrigle
oTestshouldlastapproximately15to20minutes

ASTMD2850:UnconsolidatedUndrained
CalculaNons
oAxialstrain,=H/H0
oAveragecrosssecNonalarea,A=A0/(1)
oPrincipalstressdierence,13=P/A
oCorrecNonequaNonsfor:
Ifallaroundpressurechangesspecimenlength
CorrecNonforsNnessoftherubbermembrane
Report
oIndexproperNesofmaterialbeingtested
oIniNalH0,Diam.,d,voidraNo,w.c.,saturaNon,etc.
oRateofaxialstrain,strainandstressesatfailure
oStressstraincurveandfailuresketch

ASTMD4767:ConsolidatedUndrained
Terminology
oFailureisdenedasthemaximumprincipalstress
dierenceorthatmeasuredat15%axialstrain,or
oMaximumstressobliquity,1/3
TestSpecimens
oSameasforUUtest
Procedure
oSaturaNonproceduretoensure:
PorePressureParameter,B>0.95(B=u/3)
oConsolidaNonprocedurestoensurespecimenreaches
equilibriuminadrainedstateattheeecNveconsolidaNon
stressrequired

ASTMD4767:ConsolidatedUndrained
Procedure
oAxialloadingtoproduceequalizaNonofporewater
pressuresthroughoutthesampleatfailure
oAssumingfailurewilloccurat4%axialstrain
Rateofstrain=4%/(10xt50)
oDetailsformeasuringporewaterpressures
CalculaNons
oEquaNonsforheightandareaaZerconsolidaNon(Hc&Ac)
oAxialstrain,=H/Hc
oAveragecrosssecNonalarea,A=Ac/(1)
oPrincipalstressdierence,13=P/A

ASTMD4767:ConsolidatedUndrained
CalculaNons
oCalculateeecNvestressesbasedonumeasured
oCorrecNonequaNonsfor:
CorrecNonforlterpaperstrips
CorrecNonforsNnessoftherubbermembrane
Report
oIndexproperNesmeasuredformaterialbeingtested
oEecNveconsolidaNonstress,t50
oHc,Ac,Diam.,d,voidraNo,w.c.,saturaNonaZer
consolidaNon
oRateofaxialstrain,strainandstressesatfailure
oStressstraincurveandfailuresketch

Interpreting Scatter in Test Results

USArmyCorpsof
EngineersProcedure:
Drawstrengthenvelope
inaposiNonsuchthat
datafromtwothirdsof
thetestslieabovethe
failureenvelope

PrimaryReferences:
oA.W.BishopandD.J.Henkel,1962.TheTriaxialTest
oR.D.HoltzandW.D.Kovacs,1981.Introduc:onto
GeotechnicalEngineering
oUSArmyCorpsofEngineers:EngineeringandDesign
Manual:SlopeStability,AppendixDShearStrength
Characteris:cs(EM111021902,Oct31,2003)
oASTMD2850andD4767StandardTestMethods

Summary/QuesNons
LectureTopics
Briefoverviewofdirectsheartest
Determineshearstrength
parametersfromtriaxialtesNng:
UnconsolidatedUndrained
ConsolidatedUndrained

Triaxialtestsetupandbehaviour
UseofresultsinpracNce
Examplesoftriaxialtestresults

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