Shear Strength Properties

Abstract

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Many factors can affect the shear strength of a soil. The best way to obtain the shear strength of a soil is to measure it directly by laboratory test or in situ test and by reproducing in the test the same stress conditions as those anticipated in the field. Any shear strength parameter should be quoted by explaining how it was measured and over what stress range the soil was tested. This chapter talks about effective stress, total stress, undrained strength, and drained strength. Each strength is associated with a type of analysis in design. Stress-strain curve, stress shear strength parameters, undrained shear strength values of saturated fine-grained soils, SHANSEP method for “healing” a sample from its disturbance, and undrained shear strength values of unsaturated soils are explained in the chapter. Pore-pressure parameters have been found convenient to quantify the variation of the water stress in response to undrained loading.