Cebu Technological University Foundation Engineering

Danao By: Engr. Frances Noel Carvajal

PROBLEM SET 3 – SHEAR STRENGTH OF SOIL 5. Soil samples were taken from the sites and tri-axial tests were conducted on soil samples for consolidated-drained
conditions.
1. Following are the results of four drained direct shear tests on a normally consolidated clay: Test No. Confining Pressure (kPa) Total axial stress at failure (kPa)
Specimen size: 1 40 200
Diameter of specimen = 50 mm
Height of specimen = 25 mm 2 80 320
3 120 440
Test No. Normal force (N) Shear force (N)
1 200 156 a. Compute the friction angle.
b. Compute the cohesion of soil.
2 350 275
3 420 330 6. The table shows the result of consolidated and drained tri-axial tests with pore water measurement for two
4 600 470 samples at failure.

Determine the angle of internal friction and cohesion of the clay. Confining Pressure Total Vertical Pore Pressure
Test No.
(kPa) Pressure (kPa) (kPa)
2. The results of four drained direct shear tests on an over-consolidated clay are as follows: 1 120 114
Specimen size: 2 220 179
Size of specimen = 40 mm × 40 mm 3 320 239
Height of specimen = 25 mm
4 420 286
Test No. Normal force (N) Shear force (N)
Compute the undrained angle of friction.
1 120 114 a. Compute the value of undrained cohesion.
2 220 179 b. Compute the drained angle of friction.
3 320 239 c. Compute the value of drained cohesion.
4 420 286
7. A sandy soil has a drained angle of friction of 38. In a drained triaxial test on the same soil the deviator stress
at failure is 258 kN/m2. What is the chamber confining pressure?
Determine the angle of internal friction and cohesion of the clay.
8. A consolidated-drained triaxial test was conducted on a normally consolidated clay. The results are as follows:
3. A direct shear test was conducted on a specimen of dry sand with a normal stress of 191.5 kN/m 2. Failure occurred
Chamber confining pressure = 140 kN/m2
at a shear stress of 119.7 kN/m2. The size of the specimen tested was 50 mm x 50 mm x 25 mm (height). Determine
Deviator stress at failure = 270 kN/m2
the angle of friction. For a normal stress of 144 kN/m2, what shear force would be required to cause failure of the
Determine the soil friction angle.
specimen?
9. In a triaxial test for a soil sample, when the principal stresses are 270 kPa and 40 kPa, the soil fails along a plane
4. A triaxial shear test is performed on a dry sand soil sample. Failure occurred when the normal stress is 6400 psi
making an angle of 62 with the horizontal. What is the cohesion of the soil in kPa?
and the shear stress is 4800 psi.
a. Compute the angle of internal friction.
10. A granular soil is subjected to a minor principal stress of 220 kPa. If the angle of internal friction is 32°, compute
b. Compute the angle of failure plane.
the following.
c. Compute the maximum principal stress.
a. The inclination of the plane of failure with respect to the direction of the major principal stress.
b. The shear stress on the plane of failure.
c. The normal stress on the plane of failure.
Cebu Technological University Foundation Engineering
Danao By: Engr. Frances Noel Carvajal

d. The maximum shear stress induced. ANSWER KEY

11. A consolidated-undrained test on a normally consolidated clay yielded the following results:
1. 38.66°, 0
σ3 = 84 kN/m2
Deviator stress = 64 kN/m2 2. 33.02°, 22.50 kPa
Pore pressure = 48 kN/m2
3. 225 N
Calculate the consolidated-undrained friction angle and the drained friction angle.
4. a) 36.87°, b) 63.43°, c) 16,000 psi
12. A consolidated-undrained (CU) compression test was conducted on a saturated clay soil isotropically
5. a) 30°, b) 23.09 kPa
consolidating the soil using a cell pressure of 150 kPa and then incrementally applying loads on the plunger while
keeping the cell pressure constant. Failure was observed when the stress exerted by the plunger (deviator stress) 6. a) 11.54°, b) 10.21 kPa, c) 16.60°, d) 6.71 kPa
was 140 kPa and the pore water pressure recorded was 44 kPa.
7. 80.53 kN/m2
a. Determine the undrained max. shear strength of the clay.
b. Determine the undrained friction angle. 8. 29.40°
c. Determine the drained friction angle.
9. 34.17 kPa
13. An unconsolidated-undrained test was conducted on a saturated clay. The cell pressure was 100 kPa and failure 10. a) 61°, b) 210.31 kPa, c) 336.58 kPa, d) 248 kPa
occurs under a deviator stress of 140 kPa.
11. 16.01°, 28.07°
a. Determine the angle of shearing resistance.
b. Determine the maximum principal stress at failure. 12. a) 70 kPa, b) 18.55°, c) 23.44°
c. Determine the undrained shear strength.
13. b) 240 kPa, c) 70 kPa
14. Soil samples were taken from different parts of the site. Three sets of tri-axial tests were conducted. Soil test on 14. b) 40 kPa, c) 80 kPa
sample A were performed unconsolidated undrained soil test.

Test No. Confining Pressure (kPa) Total axial stress at failure (kPa)
1 40 200
2 80 320
3 120 440

a. Compute the friction angle.