ENV-2E1Y: Fluvial Geomorphology:

2004 - 5
Slope Stability and Geotechnics
Landslide Hazards
River Bank Stability
Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils
N.K. Tovey

.. .., -

Landslide on Main Highway at km 365 west of Sao Paulo: August 2002

ENV-2E1Y: Fluvial Geomorphology: 2004 - 5

Introduction
Seepage and Water Flow through Soils
Consolidation of Soils

Shear Strength ~ 1 lecture

Slope Stability ~ 4 lectures
River Bank Stability ~ 2 lectures
Special Topics

Decompaction of consolidated Quaternary deposits

Landslide Warning Systems
Slope Classification
Microfabric of Sediments

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Definitions:
a normal load or force is one which acts parallel to the
normal (i.e. at right angles) to the surface of an object
a shear load or force is one which acts along the plane of
the surface of an object
the stress acting on a body (either normal or shear) is the
appropriate load or force divided by the area over which it
acts.
Stress and Force must NOT be confused

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

EQUILIBRIUM
There are three conditions:
the net effect of all forces parallel to one direction must be
zero
the net effect of all forces orthogonal (at right angles) to the
above direction must be zero
the sum of the moments of the forces must be zero
the first two conditions can be checked by resolving forces (e.g. see
Fig. 4.1)

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Resolution of Forces
P1

At Equilibrium:
Resolve forces parallel to P1 :P1 = P2 cos 2 + P3 cos 3

3 2
P3

...........4.1
P2

Similarly at right angles to P1

P2 sin 2 = P3 sin 3
...........4.2

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Coulomb: a French Military Engineer
Problem: Why do Military Fortifications Fail?

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Coulomb: a French Military Engineer
Problem: Why do Military Fortifications Fail?
Is there a relationship between F and N?

F
F

F = N tan

......4.3

is the angle of internal friction

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Suppose there is some glue between block and surface
Initially - block will not fail until bond is broken
N
F

Block will
fail

F = C + N tan
C is the cohesion

......4.4

Block is
stable

C
N

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

F = C + N tan

......4.4

above equation is specified in forces

In terms of stress:
= c + tan

Three types of material

granular (frictional) materials - i.e. c = 0
= tan
cohesive materials - i.e. = 0

(wet clays)

= c
materials with both cohesion and friction
= c + tan

(sands)

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Stress Point at B
- stable

Stress Point at A

F
F
F

- stable only if
cohesion is present

G
G

if failure line
changes, then failure
may occur.

B
N

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
F
F
F

dense

loose
N

Displacement

Peak in dense test is reached at around 1 - 3% strain

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Increasing
normal stress
/

dense
loose

displacement

Displacement

Normalising curves to normal stress leads to a unique set of

curves for each soil.

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Types of Shear Test

Stress controlled test
Strain controlled test (as done in practical)

Failure in stress
controlled test
BANG!
Readings cannot
be taken after
peak in a stress
controlled test
Displacement

N
N
N
NN

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Dense Test

Loose Test

displacement

displacement
V

Medium Dense
displacement

displacement

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Plot volume changes as Void Ratio
loose
Void
Ratio

medium

Critical
void
ratio

dense
displacement

All tests eventually come to same Void Ratio

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Effects of Water Pressure
= c + tan
Does not allow for water pressure.
Principal of Effective Stress
From Consolidation
Total Stress = effective stress + pore water pressure

or = -

In terms of stresses involved water cannot take shear

so = c + ( - u ) tan
or = c + tan
Mohr - Coulomb failure criterion
if pore water pressure = 0 then original equation applies

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

r
oh

Distance stress
point is from
failure line is a
measure of
stability.

b
m
lo
u
Co

+ve pwp
Moves point closer
to failure line

less stability

-ve pwp moves

stress point to right

Moves point further

from failure line

Greater distance
> greater stability

Slopes near
Hadleigh Essex are
greater stability only stable because

of -ve pwp

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

The Triaxial Test
Problems with Standard Shear Box
Shear zone is complex
Difficult to get undisturbed samples which are
square
Difficult to do undrained or partially drained
tests
sands - always will be drained
clays - may be partially drained - depends of
strain rate.

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

The Triaxial Test
Load

Cell
Pressure
Sample in
rubber
membrane

Porous
stone

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

The Triaxial Test

Cell pressure can be varied to match that in

ground
cylindrical samples can be obtained
sample can be sealed to prevent drainage or
to allow partial drainage
can perform both undrained and drained
tests

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Drained Test
allow complete dissipation of the pore water pressure.
speed of the test must allow for the permeability of the
material.
for clays time is usually at least a week.
measure the volume of water extruded from or sucked into the
sample in such tests.

Undrained Test
no drainage is allowed.
measure the pore water pressures during the test.

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Drained Test
response to load and volume change is similar to standard
shear box.

Undrained Test
burette is replace by a pore water pressure measuring
device.
Since drainage is not required, test can be rapid.
Shear stress will be lower than in drained test if
positive pore water pressures develop

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

Dense

+ve
water pressure

water pressure

+ve

displacement

-ve

-ve

In undrained dense tests pwp goes negative

In drained dense tests volume increases

Loose

displacement

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

4.8 Failure modes in the Triaxial Test.
Loading

its length will shorten as the strain increases

some bulging towards the end.

Over consolidated samples (and dense sands),

usually a very definite failure plane as peak strength is reached.

Normally consolidated clays and loose sands,

failure zone is not visible
usually numerous micro failure zones criss-crossing the bulging region.

Undrained test
orientation of the failure zone is at 45 o to the horizontal,

Drained test
orientation will be at (45 + /2), - often not as well defined.

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

-ve pwp
+ve pwp
Water
squeezed out

Water sucked
in
Critical State
Line
log
Diagram gives an insight into why some slopes appear to
fail soon after they have formed, while in other cases they
are initially stable, but fail much later.

Section 4 - Shear Strength of Soils

4.9 Unifying remarks on the behaviour of soils under shear.
Drained
Some soils expand
Some soils contract
Depends on initial compaction.

Undrained
Some samples +ve pwp develop
Some samples -ve pwp develop

All samples move towards Critical State Line (CSL)

What happens if sample has OCR consistent with CSL?
sample shears with no volume change in dense test
or no pore water change in undrained test.