Department of Civil Engineering

Mirpur University of science and technology.

Geo Technical
Engineering-2

Lab Manual

Prepared by: Checked by:

Engr. Bilal Nasar Khan Engr. Zeeshan Ashiq

Approved by:
Lab Director

1
Table of Contents:

PageNo.
Sr. No. Description
1 Objectives of Laboratory 3

2 List of experiments 4

3 List of Equipments 5

4 Layout of Laboratory 6
Classification of Soil according to AASHTO Soil
5 7
Classification System
Classification of Soil according to Unified Soil Classification
6 8
System
Determination of Shear Strength Parameters (C and ɸ) by
7 10
Direct Shear Test
Determination of Unconfined Compressive Strength of
8 12
Cohesive Soil
Determining Bearing Capacity of Soil using Standard
9 14
Penetration Test
10 Determining Bearing Capacity of Soil using Plate Load Test 18

Determination of Soil Shear Strength using

11 23
Unconsolidated Undrained (UU) Triaxial Test
Determination of Soil Shear Strength using Consolidated
12 27
Undrained (CU) Triaxial Test
Visualization of Flow Lines using Drainage and Seepage Tank
13 29

2
Objectives:

 The basic objective of laboratory testing of soils to determine their physical properties is an
integral part in the design and construction of structural foundations, the placement and
improvement of soil properties, and the specification and quality control of soil compaction
works.
 It needs to be kept in mind that natural soil deposits often exhibit a high degree of non-
homogeneity. The physical properties of a soil deposit can change to a great extent even
within a few hundred feet.
 The fundamental theoretical and empirical equations that are developed in soil mechanics
can be properly used in practice if, and only if, the physical parameters used in those
equations are properly evaluated in the laboratory. So, learning to perform laboratory tests of
soils plays an important role in the geotechnical engineering profession.
 Engineering properties of soil are measured in Soil Lab by following the standards of tests
prescribed by ASTM and AASHTO
 The test methods, which are used to assess the properties of soil, cover particle size
analysis, Atter-berg limits, determination of the specific gravity of soil solids, laboratory
compaction methods used to determine the relationship between water content and dry unit
weight of soils.

3
 LIST OF PRACTICALS

1. Classification of Soil according to AASHTO Soil Classification System

(ASTM D3283/AASHTO M145)
2. Classification of Soil according to Unified Soil Classification System (ASTM
D2487)
3. Determination of Shear Strength Parameters (C and ɸ) by Direct Shear Test
(ASTM D3080)
4. Determination of Unconfined Compressive Strength of Cohesive Soil (ASTM
D2166)
5. Determining Bearing Capacity of Soil using Standard Penetration Test (ASTM
D 1586)
6. Determining Bearing Capacity of Soil using Plate Load Test (ASTM 1196).

7. Determination of Soil Shear Strength by Unconsolidated Undrained (UU)

Triaxial Test (ASTM D2850)
8. Determination of Soil Shear Strength by Consolidated Undrained (CU) Triaxial
Test (ASTM D4767)
9. Visualization of Flow Lines using Drainage and Seepage Tank

4
List of Equipments:

Sr. No Equipment

1 Casagrande Apparatus

2 Core Cutter Mold

3 Direct Shear Machine

4 Dynamic Cone Penetrometer

5 Electric Oven

6 Grooving Tools

7 Hydaulic Jack

8 Plastic Limit Set

9 Proctor Penetrometer

10 Proctor Test Apparatus

11 Sand Cone Apparatus

12 Sieve sets

13 Shear Strength Machine

14 Speedy Moisture Tester

15 Tripple Beam Balance

16 Unconfined Compression Apparatus

5
 LAB LAYOUT

The list of the apparatus and sequence of arrangement is given below:

1. WEIGHNG BALANCE
2. AUTOMATIC COMPACTOR
3. CONSOLIDOMETER
4. SHEAR MACHINE
5. UNCONFINED COMPRESSION TESTING APPRATUS
6. DIRECT SHEAR TEST APPARATUS
7. HYDRAULIC MACHINE
8. COMPUTER
9. PRESSURE PUMP
10. OVEN
11. SPEADOMETER
12. SIEVE SHAKKER
13. MEASURING FLASKS
14. HYDROMETRE ANALYSIS APPARATUS
15. RESONANT COMPACTOR
16. TRIAXIAL TESTING MACHINE
17. EJECTOR
18. SINK
19. CONSTANT AND VARIABLE HEAD MEASURING APPARATUS
20. STANDERED PROCTOR APPARATUS
21. BUKESTS AND SET OF SIEVES AND VARIOS TOOLS
6
Practical 1

Classification of Soil according to AASHTO Classification

System.

Designation:
 AASHTO M 145-91(2000)

Tests Required for the Classification:

1. Sieve Analysis
2. Atterberg Limit test
I. Liquid Limit Test
II. Plastic Limit Test

AASHTO CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM

7
Practical 2
Classification of Soil according to Unified Soil Classification System
(USCS).

Designation:
 ASTM D 2487-00

Tests Required for the Classification:

1. Sieve Analysis
2. Atterberg Limit test
I. Liquid Limit Test
II. Plastic Limit Test

Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)

Group symbols for soil classification

8
 Casagrande’s Plasticity Chart

120.00%

100.00%

80.00%
%passing

60.00%

40.00%

20.00%

0.00%
10.00 1.00 0.10 0.01
Sieve Size (mm)

9
Cc= 1.001
Cu=3.84

Cummulative
Sieve Weight % Weight
Sieve No % Weight % Passing
Size(mm) Retained (g) Retained
Retained
4.00 4.75 0.00 0.00% 0.00% 100.00%
10.00 2.00 353.00 50.07% 50.07% 49.93%
40.00 0.42 203.00 28.79% 78.87% 21.13%
80.00 0.18 77.00 10.92% 89.79% 10.21%
100.00 0.15 17.00 2.41% 92.20% 7.80%
200.00 0.07 20.00 2.84% 95.04% 4.96%
pan 0.00 35.00 4.96% 100.00% 0.00%
705.00

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Practical 3
Determination of Shear Strength Parameters (Cohesion and Angle of
Internal Friction) by Shear Box Test.
Designation:
 ASTM D 3080-03

Scope:
 This test method covers the determination of shear strength of a soil sample under direct
shear.
 Test conditions including normal stress and moisture environment are selected which
 Represent the field conditions being investigated.
 This test method provides data useful in determining strength and deformation properties of
cohesive soils.
 The results of the test may be affected by the presence of soil or rock particles.

Apparatus
Shear Device, Shear Box, Tri-axial Compression Chamber, Porous Inserts, Loading
Devices, Deformation Indicator, Shear force measurement device, Sample Extruder,
Specimen Size Devices, Timer, Balances

Schematic Diagram of Tri-axial Chamber:

11
Procedure:
1. Place a soil specimen in a relatively flat box, which may be round or square (Fig.)
2. A normal load of specific (and constant) magnitude is applied
3. The box is "split" into two parts horizon- tally (see Fig.), and if half the box is held while the
other half is pushed with sufficient force, the soil specimen will experience shear failure
along horizontal surface A.
4. This procedure is carried out in a direct shear apparatus (Fig.), and the particular normal load
and shear stress that produced shear failure are recorded.
5. The soil specimen is then removed from the shear box and discarded, and another specimen
of the same soil sample is placed in the shear box.
6. A normal load differing from (either higher or lower than) the one used in the first test is
applied to the second specimen, and a shearing force is again applied with sufficient
magnitude to cause shear failure.
7. The normal load and shear stress that produced shear failure are recorded for the second test.
8. After failure remove the sample from the triaxial chamber and find out its moisture content
for further calculations.
9. The procedure is repeated for the new specimen for a different (either higher or lower) lateral
pressure. The axial load at failure and the lateral pressure are recorded for the second test.

Graph Preparation:
1. The results of these two tests are plotted on a graph, with normal stress (which is the total
normal load divided by the specimen’s cross-sectional area) along the abscissa and the shear
stress that produced failure of the specimen along the ordinate (see Fig.).
2. The same scale must be used along both the abscissa and the ordinate.
3. A straight line drawn connecting these two plotted points, is extended to intersect the
ordinate.
4. The angle between this straight line and a horizontal line (f in Fig.) is the angle of internal
Friction (f in Eq.), and the shear stress where the straight line inter- sects the ordinate (c in
Fig.) is the cohesion [c in Eq.].
5. These values of f and c can be used in Eq. to determine the given soil’s shear strength for
any load (i.e., for any effective inter granular normal pressure,).
6. In theory, it is adequate to have only two points to define the straight- line relationship of
Fig. In practice, however, it is better to have three (or more) such points through which the
best-fitting straight line can be drawn.

11

Mohr-Columb Failure Envelop

 1800

1600

1400
2 BAR
1200
Shear Stess (kPa)

1000

800
1 BAR
600

400

200

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Horizontal Deformation (mm)

DIRECT SHEAR TEST

1800
1600
1400
Shear Stress (kPa)

1200
1000
800
600 τ = 1.141σn + 39.67
400
200
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Normal Stress (kPa

12
 Sr. Shear
Normal Stress
Stress
(kPa)
No. (kPa)

1 823.13 946.5
2 1207.27 1549.5
3 1385.33 1550.5

C= 39.69 kPa
ɸ= 48.48 Degrees

Results:

The value of c and Փ are :

c = 39.69 kPa
Փ = 48.48 °
The given specimen of the soil is cohesive and frictional too also called as (c, Փ) soil.
Comments:
 In the shear box test, the specimen is not failing along its weakest plane but along a predetermined or
induced failure plane i.e. horizontal plane separating the two halves of the shear box. This is the main
drawback of this test. Moreover, during loading, the state of stress cannot be evaluated. It can be
evaluated only at failure condition.
 Direct shear test is simple and faster to operate. As thinner specimens are used in shear box, they
facilitate drainage of pore water from a saturated sample in less time.
 The angle of shearing resistance of sands depends on state of compaction, coarseness of grains,
particle shape and roughness of grain surface and grading. It varies between 28 o(uniformly graded
sands with round grains in very loose state) to 46 o(well graded sand with angular grains in dense state).
 The volume change in sandy soil is a complex phenomenon depending on gradation, particle shape,
state and type of packing, orientation of principal planes, principal stress ratio, stress history,

13
 magnitude of minor principal stress, type of apparatus, test procedure, method of preparing specimen
etc.
 The friction between sand particle is due to sliding and rolling friction and interlocking action.

14
Practical 4

Unconfined Compressive Strength of Soil.

Designation:
 ASTM: D 2166-00

Apparatus:
Unconfined Compression Test
Apparatus, Sample Trimming equipment,
Weighing balance, Springs of different spring
rates, Containers for moisture content
determination, Timer, Oven
Procedure:
1. Extrude the soil sample from Shelby Tube
Sampler.
2. Cut a soil sample such that the ratio “L/D” lies in
between 2 and 2.5.
3. Measure the exact diameter of top of the
specimen at three different locations (120o apart),
both at top and bottom of the sample and take the
average diameter from the above measurements.
4. Measure the exact length of the specimen at
three different locations and take its average
value.
5. Weigh the sample on a weighing balance.
6. Carefully place the specimen in the compression
testing device and centre it on the bottom plate.
7. Adjust the apparatus such that the upper plate just makes contact with the specimen and set
the spring in the apparatus.
8. Adjust graph on front of the apparatus and apply loading by rotating the liver at a
constant rate (strain is applied at a rate of 0.5 to 2.0% per minute).
9. After failure remove the sample from the compression testing machine and find out its
moisture content for further calculations. The largest value of load per unit area or load per
unit area at 15% strain, whichever occurs first, is known as Unconfined Compression
Strength, qu. Cohesion “C” is taken as one half of the Unconfined Compression Strength,
qu.i.e.;

C = qu / 2

15
Limitation: In an unconfined compression test, since there is no lateral support, the soil sample
must be able to stand alone in the shape of a cylinder. A cohesion less soil (such as sand) cannot
generally stand alone in this manner; hence this test procedure is usually limited to cohesive soils.

Observations:
Initial diameter of sample, do =0.05m

Initial height of sample, ho = 0.102m

Weight of sample, W = 394.36 g

Moisture content =23.34%

16
 UCS
0.7

0.6

0.5
Compressive

0.4
Strength

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
Strain

qu= 0.641541587 kPa

C=0.3208 kPa

Results
Cohesion value in the given specimen
C = 0.3208 kPa
There is no angle of the internal friction the soil is clay.
By the graph it is clearly seen that the soil is highly plastic nature and it resist the maximum compression load.

17
Comments:
 The specimen must not certain any fissures, silt seams, or other defects, this mean that the specimen must be
intact, homogenous clay. Rarely are over-consolidated clays intact, and often even normally consolidated
clays have some fissures.

 In the unconfined test, no radial stress is applied to the sample (σ 3 = 0).

 The plunger load, P is increased rapidly until the soil sample fail, that is cannot support any additional load.
The loading is applied quickly so that the pore water cannot drain from the soil.
 The effect stress path is unknown since pore water pressure changes are not normally measured.
 This test is considered as undrained shear test assuming that there is no moisture loss from the specimen
during the test.

18