PPT: Shear Strength of Soils | Soil Mechanics - Civil Engineering (CE) PDF Download

 Page 1


Shear Strength of Soil 
Page 2


Shear Strength of Soil 
• Shear strength in soils
– Introduction
– Definitions
• Mohr-Coulomb criterion
– Introduction
– Lab tests for getting the shear strength
• Direct shear test
– Introduction
– Procedure & calculation
– Critical void ratio
Class Outlines
Page 3


Shear Strength of Soil 
• Shear strength in soils
– Introduction
– Definitions
• Mohr-Coulomb criterion
– Introduction
– Lab tests for getting the shear strength
• Direct shear test
– Introduction
– Procedure & calculation
– Critical void ratio
Class Outlines
Shear Strength
• The strength of a material is the 
greatest stress it can sustain;
• So that the unit of strength is the same 
as stress (Pa in SI unit system); 
Page 4


Shear Strength of Soil 
• Shear strength in soils
– Introduction
– Definitions
• Mohr-Coulomb criterion
– Introduction
– Lab tests for getting the shear strength
• Direct shear test
– Introduction
– Procedure & calculation
– Critical void ratio
Class Outlines
Shear Strength
• The strength of a material is the 
greatest stress it can sustain;
• So that the unit of strength is the same 
as stress (Pa in SI unit system); 
Significance of Shear Strength
• The safety of any geotechnical structure 
is dependent on the strength of the soil;
• If the soil fails, the structure founded on 
it can collapse.
• Understanding shear strength is the 
basis to analyze soil stability problems 
like:
– lateral pressure on earth retaining 
structures (Chs. 12, 13), 
– slope stability (Ch. 14), and  
– bearing capacity (Ch. 15). 
Page 5


Shear Strength of Soil 
• Shear strength in soils
– Introduction
– Definitions
• Mohr-Coulomb criterion
– Introduction
– Lab tests for getting the shear strength
• Direct shear test
– Introduction
– Procedure & calculation
– Critical void ratio
Class Outlines
Shear Strength
• The strength of a material is the 
greatest stress it can sustain;
• So that the unit of strength is the same 
as stress (Pa in SI unit system); 
Significance of Shear Strength
• The safety of any geotechnical structure 
is dependent on the strength of the soil;
• If the soil fails, the structure founded on 
it can collapse.
• Understanding shear strength is the 
basis to analyze soil stability problems 
like:
– lateral pressure on earth retaining 
structures (Chs. 12, 13), 
– slope stability (Ch. 14), and  
– bearing capacity (Ch. 15). 
Shear Failure in Soils