DIRECT SHEAR TEST OF COARSE GRAINED SOIL (ASTM D 3080)
Purpose:
This test is performed to determine the consolidated-drained shear strength (i.e., friction
angle, cohesion) of a course grained (e.g., sandy) soil on predetermined failure surfaces.
Need for Direct Shear Test:
In many engineering problems such as
Design of foundation
Design of retaining walls
Stability of Slopes
Stability cuts
Design of sheet piles
the value of angle of internal friction and cohesion of soil involved are required for the
design. Direct shear test is used to predict these parameters quickly.
Principles of Direct Shear Test:
The principal of direct shear test is illustrated in Figure below. The soil sample, confined
inside the upper and lower rigid boxes, is subjected to the normal load N and is sheared by
the shear force T The soil shear strength is the shear stress that causes the soil to slip on
surfaces. It is determined by Mohr-Coulomb theory: c v tan
N
N
Apparatus/Equipment:
Direct shear box apparatus
Loading frame
Dial gauge
Proving ring
Tamper
Straight edge
Balance to weight upto 200 mg
1
Test Procedure:
Weigh the initial mass of soil in the pan.
Measure the internal side length and height of the shear box.
Weight the cap and ball bearing and add to the weight on the weight hanger.
Carefully assemble the shear box and mount it in the direct shear device.
Insert the mounting pins to align the upper and lower parts of the direct shear box.
Then place a porous stone and a filter paper in the shear box (for moist sand).
Place the sand into the shear box and level off the top. Place a filter paper (for moist
sand), a porous stone (for moist sand), and a top plate (with ball) on top of the sand.
Remove the large alignment screws from the shear box. Adjust the gap between the
two parts of the shear box. In practice, a spacing of approximately 0.5 mm is
satisfactory.
Weigh the pan of soil again and compute the mass of soil used (W).
Complete the assembly of the direct shear device and initialize the three gauges
(Horizontal displacement gage, vertical displacement gage and shear load gage) to
zero.
Set the vertical load (or pressure) to a predetermined value, and then close bleeder
valve and apply the load to the soil specimen by raising the toggle switch.
Start the motor with selected speed so that the rate of shearing (1 mm/min) is at a
selected constant rate, and take the horizontal displacement gauge, vertical
displacement gage and shear load gage readings. Record the readings on the data
sheet (Note: Record the vertical displacement gage readings, if needed).
Continue taking readings until the horizontal displacement reaches 1 cm or until the
shear force becomes constant, whichever comes first.
Calculation:
Calculate the density of the soil sample from the mass of soil and volume of the
shear box as W V .
Convert the dial readings to the appropriate length and load units
Compute the vertical (Normal) stress as follows:
2
N
v , where N v normal vertical force and Ac Corrected area of the sheared
Ac
specimen and Ac a(a ) , a length of shear box parallel to T (in case of square
box).
Calculate the shear stress as follows:
T
, where T shear stress (measured with shear load gage)
Ac
Plot the horizontal shear stress ( ) versus horizontal (lateral) displacement
Calculate the maximum shear stress ( f ) for each test
Plot the value of the maximum shear stress versus the corresponding vertical stress
for each test, and determine the angle of internal friction from the slope of the
approximated Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope.
f c' ' f tan '
3
Direct Shear Test Data Sheet
Date Tested: ______________________
Sample umber/Group No.: _________________________
Visual Classification of Soil: ________________________
Diameter of Sample/Mould: ______________________
Height of Shear Sample/Mould: _________________________
Area (A): ____________________
Volume (V): ______________________
Initial Mass of Soil and Pan: __________________
Final Mass of Soil and Pan: ___________________
Mass of Soil (M): ________________________
Density of Soil (): ________________________
Table-01: Determination of horizontal displacement and shear stress
Horizontal Shear Force, F Shear
Corrected
Vertical Dial Displacement Load (Dial Reading x
Area, Ac Stress
Stress Reading (Dial Reading Dial Factor)
(cm2) F / Ac
(Kg/cm2) x Factor) Reading (kg)
(kg/cm2)
(cm)
4
Table-02: Determination of friction angle
Friction Angle Average Friction
Max. Shear Corresponding
Angle,
Stress, Vertical Stress tan 1 ( f v)
Sl No ave
max v (degree) (degree)
(kg/cm2) (kg/cm2)
01
02
03
Conclusions:
The screw in the shear box must be release before starting the test.
The cell should be filled with enough soil so that the top cap is quite above the shear
plane.
For sand the effect of displacement rate on the friction angle is generally negligible
within the range of 3-0.1 mm/min. Any rate out of the range is not desirable.
