Geotechnical Engineering Lab

Tennessee Tech
CEE 3040

Name _____________________________

Drained Direct Shear Test

The drained direct shear test measures the shear stress required to shear a soil sample along a
horizontal plane. A soil specimen is placed with a metal shear box or cylinder, which is split into
two halves horizontally. A vertical load is applied to the soil specimen, generating a known
normal stress. After the soil has consolidated under the applied vertical stress, one half of the
box is moved, measuring the force required to shear the specimen. The shear force will
typically increase as the specimen is displaced until a maximum force is reached, which can be
converted to a maximum measured shear stress. The test is performed following the method
provided in ASTM D3080 or AASHTO T236.

SHEARING
FORCE

Figure 1.

Schematic of direct shear apparatus (from ASTM D3080)

The direct shear test is drained, which means the shear rate must be slow enough not to
produce excess pore water pressures in the soil. Provided the pore pressures are negligible,
the applied/measured stresses are effective stresses and can be used to determine the
effective stress (drained) strength envelope. This is accomplished by performing the test on the
same type of soil specimen at different values of normal stress. The pairs of effective normal
stress and maximum shear stress are plotted on a shear vs. normal stress diagram. A strength
envelope is then fit to the data points.
The direct shear test can be performed on specimens that are trimmed from undisturbed
samples or those formed in the shear box. In this lab, we will test specimens of dry sand
because it consolidates quickly and does not produce pore water pressures during shear. It is
possible to test clays in this type of apparatus; however, the test duration is on the order of one
to two weeks per normal stress point.

Procedure
Equipment

Direct shear apparatus

Digital calipers
Small funnel
Spoon
1

Geotechnical Engineering Lab

CEE 3040

Tennessee Tech

Direct Shear Apparatus and Assembly

1. Confirm that the red hand screws are tightened. This holds the two halves of the shear
box together during the first part of the test.
2. Familiarize yourself with the purpose of each gauge.
Specimen Preparation
1. Measure and record the dimensions of the shear box.
2. Measure the thickness of the two porous stones used in the test. Place one of the
stones in the bottom of the shear box.
3. Obtain a beaker of dry sand from your instructor or TA. Measure the mass of the beaker
and sand.
4. Use the funnel and spoon to place the sand in the shear box in a very loose condition.
Dont attempt to consolidate the specimen. Stop when the soil is about 0.25 inch below
the top of the shear box.
5. Measure the mass of the beaker and sand after you have created the specimen. The
difference in the two masses is the dry mass of the specimen.
6. Carefully level off the sand and place the second porous stone on top of the soil
specimen.
7. Place a straightedge across the shear box, and measure the distance to the top of the
stone. This measurement along with the thickness of the stones and the total height of
the shear box can be used to determine the initial height of the specimen.
Specimen Consolidation
1. Select the appropriate amount of weight and the normal stress for your test from your
instructor or TA. The apparatus uses a large moment arm to multiply the force applied
by the weight to the specimen.
2. Place the top platen above the specimen and move the loading yoke in place.
3. Record the initial reading on the vertical dial gauge.
4. Consolidate the specimen to the desired normal stress
a. Place the weight on the hanger.
b. Watch the vertical dial gauge and wait for the vertical movement to cease. For
dry sand, this should happen quickly. (Note: for a clay specimen, this step might
take an entire day.)
c. Record the final vertical dial gauge reading for use in calculating the consolidated
height.

Direct Shear

Geotechnical Engineering Lab

CEE 3040

Tennessee Tech

Specimen Shear
1. Set the shear rate to 0.02 in/minute using the digital readout.
2. Record the initial values of the vertical and horizontal movement dial gauges, and the
initial reading of the proving ring dial gauge. The proving ring is a device with a precise
calibration between its deformation and the load applied to it.
3. Start the shear phase of the test by pushing the Forward button on the control panel.
4. Take readings on the three dial gauges every minute after the start of shearing. Record
the readings on the data sheet.
5. After shearing the specimen for 20 minutes, push the STOP button on the control panel.
Clean-Up
1. Remove the weights from the load hanger.
2. Remove the load collar and top platen from the specimen.
3. With your instructors help, carefully remove the shear box from the direct shear
apparatus. Place the used sand in the bowl provided by your instructor / TA.
4. Clean up any excess sand spilled from the experiment.
Calculations
1. Using the measurements of the shear box, calculate the cross-sectional area, A, and the
initial total volume, Vt,0, of the specimen.
2. From Vt,0 and the dry mass of the sand, calculate the initial void ratio of the specimen
(assume Gs = 2.65).
3. Use the change in height measured during consolidation to determine the consolidated
total specimen volume, Vt,c.
4. From Vt,c and the dry mass of the sand, calculate the consolidated void ratio of the
specimen.
For each set of readings during the test, determine the
5. Shear Force, T use the following equation to find the shear force from the deformation
of the proving ring, dPR

b b 2 4ac 10000d PR
2a

where a, b, and c are calibration factors found from the following table.
Proving Ring Number

3141

0.0000101

0.5270897

0.901

3142

0.0000065

0.5301712

-0.2965055

Direct Shear

Geotechnical Engineering Lab

CEE 3040

Tennessee Tech

6. Shear stress,

T
A

7. Shear displacement, x displacement of the top and bottom platen relative to each
other

x d x ,t d x , 0
where dx,0 = initial horizontal dial gauge reading, dx,t = horizontal dial gauge reading at
time t
8. Vertical displacement, y displacement of the top platen during shear (+ is an increase
in height, - is a decrease in height)

y d y ,t d y , 0
where dy,0 = initial vertical dial gauge reading, dy,t = vertical dial gauge reading at time t
Data Sharing
Within two days of performing the test, one member from each group must provide the
instructor with the following information for their test:

Normal stress,

Maximum shear stress, f

Initial and consolidated void ratios

Vertical displacement at failure (corresponding to the maximum shear stress)

Plots (clearly label the plot axes, including units)

1. Create a plot of shear stress vs. shear displacement for your test

Indicate the normal stress, , for your test

Indicate the maximum shear stress, f, sustained during the test.

2. Create a plot of the vertical displacement vs. shear displacement for your test.
3. Plot all of the pairs of normal and shear stress (, ) at failure for the six tests performed
by the class.

Fit a line to the data (exclude any points that appear incorrect), either by hand or
using linear regression. The line should likely pass through the origin.

Determine the effective stress friction angle, , from the line.

4. Plot the vertical displacement at failure vs. the consolidated void ratio.

Direct Shear

Geotechnical Engineering Lab

CEE 3040

Tennessee Tech

Results
Summarize the following in a table
Average initial void ratio of the six specimens tested (all groups)

Effective stress friction angle,

Discussion
Include discussion of the following in your laboratory report.

What happened to the consolidated void ratio of the sand as the normal stress
increased? How does that affect the measured shear strength?

How did the vertical displacement during shear change as the consolidated void ratio
changed?

References
ASTM D3080 (2011). Standard Test Method for Direct Shear Test of Soils Under Consolidated
Drained Conditions, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, West Conshohocken, PA.

Direct Shear

Geotechnical Engineering Lab

CEE 3040

Tennessee Tech

Direct Shear Test Data Sheet

Group:

Date:

Soil Description:

Proving Ring Number:

Specimen Dimensions and Mass

Shear Box Diameter:

Beaker + Sand (initial), g:

Shear Box Height:

Beaker + Sand (final), g:

Thickness of Two Stones:

Mass of specimen, g:

Top of Shear Box to Top Stone:

Initial Specimen Height:

Consolidation

Initial Vert. Dial Reading:

Final Vert. Dial Reading:

Consolidated Specimen Height:

Shear
Horizontal Dial Reading, dx

Direct Shear

Vertical Dial Reading, dy

Proving Ring Reading, dPR