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Shear Strength Behavior of Different Soils

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 ISSN: 2394-1987
Journal of Volume 9, Issue 1, 2022

Geotechnical Engineering DOI (Journal): 10.37591/JoGE

STM JOURNALS
http://engineeringjournals.stmjournals.in/index.php/JoGE/index

Research JoGE

Shear Strength Behavior of Different Soils

Surendra Roy*

Abstract
The magnitude of shear strength of soils plays a major role in determining the bearing capacity of
shallow footings, frictional resistance for piles, stability of slopes, etc. for the safe and economic
design of civil engineering structures. Based on the ideas of different researchers, shear strength of
clay can be improved either by mixing sand or gravel, silty sand with gravel and sand either with silt
or gravel or granulated blast furnace slag in different proportions. Compaction water contents play a
significant role in the improvement of the shear strength of residual soil. Compaction characteristics,
normal stress, and relative density influence the shear strength parameters. In this paper, techniques
for the improvement of the shear strength of different soils such as clay, silty sand, sand, and residual
soil have been explained.

Keywords: Clay, residual soil, sand, silty sand, shear strength

INTRODUCTION
Shear strength is one of the key geotechnical properties of soil which is used in foundation’s
design, construction of different structures like pavements, backfill material, and embankments [1].
The stability of civil engineering structures depends on the shear resistance of the soil. Various factors
like soil textural properties, past history of soil, the initial state of soil, and permeability characteristics
of soil influence the shear strength parameters (cohesion and angle of shearing resistance) [2–4]. The
direct shear test has commonly been carried out to determine the shear strength parameters due to its
simplicity and less time consumption in testing process compared to triaxial compression test [5].
Also, construction of direct shear test apparatus is not complex, the test can be performed fast and the
output data can be relatively easily processed [6].

There are many parameters that affect the shear strength of mixtures containing oversize particles
like the gravel content, relative density, overburden pressure, and gravel size and gravel shape [7].
The silty sand has disadvantages of poor stability, low strength, easy deformation, and hard
compaction. Therefore, it is difficult to meet the requirements of highway and railway subgrade.
Improved coarse-grained soil is obtained by adding different proportions of gravel in silty sand.
Coarse-grained soil is widely used as filler for highways and railways because of its characteristics of
easy compaction, high permeability, high strength, high density, a small settlement, and strong
bearing capacity. The strength and deformation parameters of coarse-grained soil are the main
parameters to determine the bearing capacity of
*Author for Correspondence embankment and calculate the settlement of the
Surendra Roy
E-mail: [email protected]
embankment, and the particle distribution is the
main factor determining the shear strength
Professor and Head, Department of Civil Engineering, PSIT characteristics. The strength parameters of coarse
College of Engineering (affiliated to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
Technical University), Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India grained soil can be obtained using in situ or
laboratory testing devices [8].
Received Date: January 11, 2022
Accepted Date: February 22, 2022
Published Date: March 02, 2022 Physical disintegration and chemical
decomposition help in the formation of residual
Citation: Surendra Roy. Shear Strength Behavior of Different
Soils. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering. 2022; 9(1): 1–5p.
soil. Shear strength properties of the residual soil
depend on its composition and environmental

© STM Journals 2022. All Rights Reserved 1

Shear Strength Behavior of Different Soils Surendra Roy

conditions under which it is formed. Fine grains are found on upper layer and decrease with depth
indicates the age of soil deposit. These soils are used commonly in the construction of embankments,
pavements, and soil barriers [1]. In this paper, studies carried out by various researchers for the
improvement of shear strength for different type of soils have been discussed.

SHEAR STRENGTH BEHAVIOR AT DIFFERENT MIXED PROPORTIONS OF SOILS

Clay
According to Balaban [9], mechanical behavior of soil depends on its composition. In order to gain
better strength parameters, fine-grained soil was mixed with sand in proportion of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40,
50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100% and standard Proctor tests were conducted. At mix proportions of 70%
sand and 30% fine, the maximum dry density (MDD) was found to be high and optimum water
content (OMC) was low. After that decrease in MDD with an increase in OMC was observed. In
initial stages of sand fine mixtures, fine particles might fill the voids causing decrease in void ratio
and increase in MDD. Shear strength of each proportion was determined using direct shear test
apparatus. Various confining pressures like 9.81 kPa, 19.62 kPa, 40.81 kPa, and 58.86 kPa were
maintained. Shearing rate for sandy soils was chosen as 0.25 mm/min whereas for fine grained soils, it
was 0.065 mm/min. Shear strength increased as both fine content and normal stress increased.
Increase in shear strength was observed for the lower normal stress. Angle of shearing resistance
increased with the increase of sand whereas cohesion decreased.

Li et al. [10] studied the influence of the shape properties (symmetry and smoothness) of gravel
particles on shear behaviours of clay. They determined the shear strength using direct hear test
apparatus. The clay had a specific gravity of 2.68, liquid limit of 50%, and plasticity index of 28%. X-
ray diffraction analysis revealed that it was mainly composed of kaolinite with little illite,
montmorilonite and quartz. Sieve analysis was conducted for selection of gravel-sized fraction to
ensure them ranging from 2.0 to 15 mm. Glass beads, river cobbles, and crushed granite fragments
were used as gravel. For comparative study, all the samples were prepared at the same relative density
of 60% and then sheared at the rate of 0.006 mm/min using 150 kPa normal stress. The influence of
shape parameters (convexity and elongation) on friction angles were assessed. It was observed that as
the gravel content increases, peak and constant volume friction angle increases, which might be due to
particle symmetry (quantified by elongation) and surface smoothness (quantified by convexity).
Increase in convexity decreased the constant volume friction angle and increased the peak friction
angle. An increase in elongation increased the constant volume friction angle but decreased peak
friction angle.

Mollamahmutoglu and Yilmaz [11] investigated the undrained shear strength of highly plastic
clayey soil mixed with gravel in proportion of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%,
90%, and 100% on weight basis. The specific gravity of the clay was 2.77 and liquid and plastic limit
were 66% and 28% respectively. The gravel had a specific gravity of 2.56. The maximum dry density
(MDD) increased from 0 to 40% of the clay-gravel mixture. After that, there was no significant
decrease in MDD. As the amount of gravel increased, optimum water content decreased. The
compacted soils were subjected to unconsolidated undrained triaxial shear test at a loading rate 0.5
mm per minute at 50 kPa, 100 kPa, and 200 kPa confining pressures. Since it was not possible to
prepare the cylindrical samples at 90% and 100% gravel content, therefore, gravel percentage in the
mixture varied from 0 to 80%. It was observed that as the gravel content increased, angle of shearing
resistance increased and cohesion decreased.

Silty Sand
Chen and Zhang [8] studied the influence of particle distribution on strength and deformation
characteristics of coarse-grained soil using a large-sized triaxial apparatus. They conducted
consolidated drained test of plain soil and improved soil. The plain soil was a brown scattered silty
sand which was mixed with gravel to obtain improved soils. The particle size of gravel ranges from 5

© STM Journals 2022. All Rights Reserved 2

Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
Volume 9, Issue 1
ISSN: 2394-1987

to 40 mm. Improved soil 1, improved soil 2, improved soil 3, and improved soil 4 were obtained by
mixing 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of gravel with the silty sand. These mixture proportions were
applied to confining pressure of 100 kPa, 200 kPa, 300 kPa, and 400 kPa respectively. The angle of
shearing resistance increased linearly with the increase of gravel size larger than 5 mm. When P5
increased from 30 to 60%, cohesion increased significantly. The angle of internal friction decreased
linearly with the increase of fine particles, and cohesion decreased significantly when the content of
fine particles decreased from 17 to 13%. Under lower confining pressure, particle distribution is the
main factor affecting the volume deformation whereas in case of higher confining pressure, increase
in volumetric strain is due to increase in axial strain. Moreover, as gravel content increases,
volumetric strain increases. The strength and deformation properties can be improved by adding
proper amount of gravel into fine-grained soil. However, adding too much gravel may lead to
excessive deformation which is uneconomical for engineering.

Sand
The influence of sample size on shear strength for silty sand was studied by Moayed et al. [12]. The
sand was mixed with silt at 0, 10, 20, and 30%, and samples were prepared at maximum dry density
and optimum moisture content. Then the shear strength of the samples was determined using direct
shear test apparatus. The tests were performed in three different shear box sizes like 60 mm × 60 mm,
100 mm × 100 mm, and 300 mm × 300 mm. The normal stresses maintained during the test were 109,
163, 218, 327, and 436 kPa. Peak shear strength and peak friction angle decreased as the shear box
size increased whereas residual shear strength remained constant. Also increase in silt percentage
cause decrease in peak shear strength. Reduction rate in friction angle decreased as the box sizes and
silt content increased.

The influence of gravel content, overburden pressure, and relative density on shear strength of
sand-gravel mixture was studied by Hamidi et al. [7]. The sand-gravel mixtures were prepared using
uniform, clean, quartz beach sand with subrounded to subangular particles and rounded gravel with a
maximum size of 25 mm. The specific gravity of sand was 2.74 whereas it was 2.64 for gravel. The
size of the direct shear test apparatus was 300 mm × 300 mm × 170 mm. The samples were prepared
using 20, 40, and 60 percent gravel content. The direct shear tests conducted on dry samples were
consolidated drained tests. In order to consider the effect of relative density on the shear strength,
samples were prepared at loose (35%), medium (60%) and dense (85%) relative densities. Three
different surcharges of 150, 300, and 450 kN/m2 were used. It was observed that increase in gravel
content increases the dilation of the sand-gravel mixture. The increase in relative density increased the
shear strength of the mixture. But the gravel content has more effect on the shear strength than the
relative density. As the gravel content and relative density increased, angle of shearing resistance of
mixtures increased. The uniformity coefficient cannot be considered as a reliable parameter for
investigation of the effects of gradation on the shear strength parameters of sand-gravel mixture due to
the non-consistent changes with the maximum or minimum void ratio of the mixture. The minimum
void ratio seems to be an appropriate physical parameter for consideration of the effects of gravel
content on the shear strength.

Sabbar et al. [13] studied the effect of granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) on sand. The sand was
poorly graded. The relative density of GBFS varied from 2.85 to 2.95, bulk density from 1 to 1.1
ton/m3 and surface area from 400 to 600 m2/kg. The compaction test was carried out for clean sand,
sand mixed with 2% slag, 4% slag, and 6% slag. As the slag content increased, maximum dry density
increased but optimum moisture content decreased. To determine the shear strength of these four
samples, direct shear test apparatus of size 60 mm × 60 mm × 30 mm was used. To prepare the
samples at their maximum dry density and optimum moisture content, the samples were filled in shear
box in three layers and compacted by tamper till the maximum dry density was achieved. The normal
stresses maintained during the test were 100 kPa, 150 kPa, and 200 kPa. Shear strength was also
determined using triaxial shear test apparatus. For this, samples were prepared at a relative density of

© STM Journals 2022. All Rights Reserved 3

Shear Strength Behavior of Different Soils Surendra Roy

80%. Unconsolidated undrained test at 100 kPa confining pressure was used. Shear strength
parameters were the highest for sand mixed with 4% slag for both the test such as direct shear test and
unconsolidated undrained triaxial test.

Residual Soil
Marinho et al. [1] carried out a study on the residual soil. This soil has clay, silt, and sand-size
particles at 20%, 46%, and 34% respectively. The maximum dry density was 15.3 kN/m3 and
optimum moisture content was 24.5%. To determine the shear strength parameters, the samples were
prepared at different water content (dry of optimum, optimum, and wet of optimum). To achieve the
uniform water content in three samples, the samples mixed with water was sealed in plastic bags and
stored for 48 hours in a humid environment at a constant temperature. Then samples of size 38 mm in
diameter and 80 mm in height were prepared in mould by static compaction [1]. Unlike dynamic
compaction, static compaction was carried out to achieve the homogeneous samples at required
density throughout the volume of samples [14]. Then all three samples were used for unconfined
compression test. It was observed that the water content (dry of optimum, optimum, and wet of
optimum) influenced the shear strength parameters significantly [1].

CONCLUDING REMARKS
The researchers have found that shear strength parameters (angle of shearing resistance and
cohesion) of different soils can be improved by mixing other soils or materials in different
proportions. Clay mixed with sand or gravel at different proportions enhance the shear strength of
soils. Normal stress also influences the shear strength during direct shear test. Silty sand mixed with
gravel in different proportions influence the shear strength and deformation properties. Addition of
too much gravel can cause excessive deformation. Angle of shearing resistance of sand was improved
either by mixing different proportions of silt by weight or gravel or granulated blast furnace slag. The
relative density of mixture also influenced the shear strength. Behavior of shear strength of the
residual soil found to be influenced by different compaction water content.

REFERENCES
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 Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
Volume 9, Issue 1
ISSN: 2394-1987

11. Mollamahmutoglu M, Yilmaz Y. Fine gravel content effect on the undrained shear strength
characteristics of highly plastic clayey soil. 2nd International Conference on New Developments
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