Geotechnical Engineering – Lesson 2
Shear Strength of Soils
📘 Lesson Overview
This lesson covers:
✅ Shear strength concept in soils
✅ Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion
✅ Laboratory tests for determining shear strength
✅ Stress analysis in soils (drained & undrained)
✅ Applications in slope stability and foundations
1️⃣ What is Shear Strength?
Shear strength is the resistance of soil to shearing stresses.
It is the maximum shear stress soil can sustain before failure.
Important for slope stability, bearing capacity, and earth retaining structures.
Shear strength depends on:
✔ Cohesion (c)
✔ Internal friction angle (ϕ)
✔ Pore water pressure (u)
2️⃣ Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion
This is the most widely used model:
τ=c+σtanϕ
Where:
τ = shear stress at failure
c = cohesion (kPa)
σ= normal stress (kPa)
ϕ = angle of internal friction (degrees)
📌 Graphical Representation:
Plotting τ vs σ gives a straight line:
o Slope = tanϕ
o Intercept = c
3️⃣ Shear Strength Parameters
Parameter Cohesive Soils (clays) Cohesionless Soils (sands)
Cohesion (c) Significant Negligible (~0)
Friction angle (ϕ) Small (5°–15°) Large (30°–40°)
Behavior Undrained strength Drained strength
4️⃣ Laboratory Tests for Shear Strength
Three common tests:
✅ Direct Shear Test
Simple & quick
Measures τ at failure
Limitation: stress distribution is not uniform
✅ Triaxial Shear Test
More accurate
Can model drained & undrained conditions
Three stages:
1. Saturation
2. Consolidation
3. Shearing
Three test types:
UU (Unconsolidated Undrained)
CU (Consolidated Undrained)
CD (Consolidated Drained)
Unconfined Compression Test
For saturated clays only
No lateral pressure
Quick estimate of undrained shear strength:
cu=qu/2
where qu = unconfined compressive strength
5️⃣ Pore Water Pressure & Effective Stress
Terzaghi’s Effective Stress Principle:
σ′=σ−u
Where:
σ′ = effective stress
σ = total stress
u = pore water pressure
Effective stress controls shear strength:
τ=c′+σ′ tanϕ′
6️⃣ Example Problem
Given: A soil has c = 20 kPa, ϕ=30°. Find the shear strength under a normal stress of 100 kPa.
τ=c+σtanϕ
τ=20+(100)tan30°
τ=20+57.7=77.7 kPa
✅ Shear strength = 77.7 kPa
7️⃣ Applications
✔ Slope stability analysis
✔ Bearing capacity of foundations
✔ Earth retaining structures (e.g., retaining walls)
✔ Earthquake response of soils
Summary Table: Shear Strength Testing
Test Type Soil Type Drainage Condition
Direct Shear Sands, Clays Drained
Triaxial (UU) Saturated Clays Undrained
Triaxial (CU/CD) All soils Drained or Undrained
Unconfined Compression Saturated Clays Undrained
Earth Pressure and Retaining Structures
1️⃣ What is Earth Pressure?
Earth pressure is the lateral pressure exerted by soil on retaining structures (e.g.,
walls, sheet piles).
Important for designing retaining walls, basement walls, and cofferdams.
2️⃣ Types of Earth Pressures
Type Condition
At-Rest (K0) No wall movement (rigid wall)
Active (Ka) Wall moves away from soil until failure
Passive (Kp) Wall moves toward soil until failure
Coefficient of Earth Pressure
At-rest:
K0=1−sinϕ
Active (Rankine):
Ka=tan^2(45−ϕ/2)
Passive (Rankine):
Kp=tan^2(45+ϕ/2)
Where:
K0,Ka,Kp = earth pressure coefficients
ϕ= angle of internal friction
3️⃣ Rankine’s Earth Pressure Theory
Assumptions:
✅ Soil is homogeneous, isotropic, and dry
✅ Wall is smooth and vertical
✅ No wall friction
Active Earth Pressure:
Pa=(1/2) KaγH^2
Passive Earth Pressure:
Pp=(1/2)KpγH^2
Where:
γ = unit weight of soil (kN/m³)
H = height of wall (m)
4️⃣ Coulomb’s Earth Pressure Theory
Accounts for wall friction (δ\delta) and wall inclination (β\beta)
More general than Rankine
Useful for non-vertical walls
Active Earth Pressure:
Pa=12γH2Ka′
where Ka′ is calculated using Coulomb’s complex formula (depends on ϕ,δ,β)
5️⃣ Types of Retaining Structures
Type Description
Gravity wall Resists earth pressure by weight alone
Cantilever wall Uses stem and base slab as cantilever beams
Counterfort wall Cantilever wall with counterforts (triangular buttresses)
Sheet pile wall Thin walls driven into ground (flexible)
6️⃣ Example Problem
📝 Given: A 6 m high retaining wall retains dry sand with γ=18 kN/m^3, ϕ=30°. Find the active
earth pressure using Rankine’s theory.
Ka=tan^2(45°−15°)=tan^2(30°)=0.333
Pa=1/2KaγH^2
Pa=1/2(0.333)(18)(6^2)
Pa=108 kN/m
✅ Active earth pressure = 108 kN/m acting at H/3 from base
7️⃣ Stability of Retaining Walls
Key checks:
✔ Overturning: Resisting moment > Overturning moment
✔ Sliding: Frictional resistance > Horizontal thrust
✔ Bearing capacity: Base pressure < Soil bearing capacity
Factors of safety:
Overturning = 1.5–2.0
Sliding = 1.5–2.0
Bearing = 3.0
Stability of Slopes
1️⃣ What is Slope Stability?
Slope stability is the soil’s ability to resist sliding or collapsing along a failure surface.
Used in:
✔ Natural slopes (hills, embankments)
✔ Man-made slopes (cuttings, fills, earth dams)
Failure occurs when driving forces (shear stress) exceed resisting forces (shear strength).
2️⃣ Types of Slopes
Type Description
Infinite Extends infinitely (idealized)
Finite Limited height and length
3️⃣ Types of Slope Failures
Failure Type Features
Rotational Slip Circular failure surface (common in clays)
Translational Slip Planar surface failure (common in sands)
Toe Failure Circle passes below toe of slope
Base Failure Circle passes below slope base
Slope Failure Circle passes within slope
4️⃣ Factor of Safety (FOS)
Defined as:
FOS=(Resisting Forces)/ (Driving Forces)
For slope stability:
FOS=[c+(σ−u)tanϕ](τ)
Where:
c = cohesion (kPa)
ϕ = friction angle (°)
σ = normal stress
u= pore water pressure
τ= shear stress
✅ Stable if FOS>1.5
Dry Slope (no seepage)
FOS=(c+γzcos^2βtanϕ)/(γzsinβcosβ)
Where:
z = depth of slip surface
β = slope angle
γ = unit weight of soil
🌟 Slope with Seepage
Add pore water pressure:
u=γwzcosβ
Update FOS accordingly.
6️⃣ Finite Slope Analysis
📌 Swedish Circle Method (Method of Slices)
Divide failure mass into vertical slices
For each slice:
o Calculate weight W
o Find shear and normal forces
Total resisting & driving forces:
FOS=[∑cΔL+∑(Wcosα−uΔL)tanϕ]/(∑Wsinα)
Where ΔL= length of slice base
📌 Bishop’s Simplified Method
Improves Swedish Circle by considering inter-slice forces:
FOS={∑[c′ΔL+(W−uΔL)tanϕ′]}/(∑Wsinα)
7️⃣ Taylor’s Stability Number
For homogeneous slopes:
Ns=c/(γHN)
8️⃣ Example Problem
A slope of height H=8 m, angle β=30°, soil parameters c=20 kPa , ϕ=25°, γ=18 kN/m^3. Find
FOS using infinite slope (dry).
FOS=(c+γHcos^2βtanϕ)/(γHsinβcosβ)
FOS={20+(18)(8)cos^2(30°)tan(25°)}/{(18)(8)sin(30°)cos(30°)}
✅ FOS = 1.48 (borderline stable)
