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Soil Shear Strength Analysis Techniques

1. The document provides information on two failure criteria used to characterize the shear strength of soils - the Mohr-Coulomb and extended von Mises criteria. It asks the reader to: a) derive an expression for the parameter h in the von Mises criterion in terms of the friction angle φTC measured in triaxial compression tests, b) determine the friction angle φTE mobilized in a triaxial extension test based on the von Mises criterion, and c) plot φTE as a function of φTC. 2. It asks the reader to calculate the ultimate surcharge load qult that can be applied to the top of a dry slope using a graphical construction method, given the slope inclination, soil unit

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26 views3 pages

Soil Shear Strength Analysis Techniques

1. The document provides information on two failure criteria used to characterize the shear strength of soils - the Mohr-Coulomb and extended von Mises criteria. It asks the reader to: a) derive an expression for the parameter h in the von Mises criterion in terms of the friction angle φTC measured in triaxial compression tests, b) determine the friction angle φTE mobilized in a triaxial extension test based on the von Mises criterion, and c) plot φTE as a function of φTC. 2. It asks the reader to calculate the ultimate surcharge load qult that can be applied to the top of a dry slope using a graphical construction method, given the slope inclination, soil unit

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Amina
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
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1

1.351 HOMEWORK SET 6


Due: Friday April 3
1. The shear strength of a soil is most frequently characterized by a frictional failure criterion.
Two commonly used failure criteria are:
Mohr-Coulomb:
f = 1 - 3 - 1 + 3 sin = 0
(1a)
2
2
Extended von Mises:
f = J2 - h2 2 = 0
(1b)
1
where: 1, 3 are the major and minor principal stresses, is the friction angle. J2 = si jsi j is the
2
second invariant of deviatoric stresses, = 1 k k is the mean (octahedral) stress and h is a
3
constant.
In conventional practice, the friction angle ( = TC) is reported from measurements of the shear
strength in triaxial compression type tests (in which xx=zz < yy; Fig. 1):
a) Derive an expression for the frictional parameter, h (eqn. 1b) in terms of this friction angle.
b) Assuming that failure of the soil is best described by the extended von Mises criterion, what is
the frictional angle mobilized in a triaxial extension test (i.e., TE for the case when xx=zz
> yy).
c) Plot values of TE as a function of the measured friction angle, TC for the extended von Mises
failure criterion.

x
z

Figure 1.

2
2. Figure 2 shows a slope with inclination, i, in a dry soil with c = 0 kPa, and ' = 30o, calculate
the ultimate surcharge load, qult, which can be applied vertically to the top of the slope. Do
not consider the self weight of the soil, and assume a normal resisting load, p, to act normal
to the slope (Fig. 2). There are closed-form solutions for this problem. However, I would
like you to solve this problem using the graphical construction method proposed by Scott
(1963) - and presented in Appendix C available on stelllar web site.
Report your results in the form of a dimensionless plot of qult/p versus slope inclination
angle, i. State clearly any additional assumptions you make.

surcharge, qult (force/unit area)

re

g
tin
s
i
s

d
loa

,p

Dry soil
' = 300, c = 0
i
Figure 2

3
3. A bulldozer blade of height, H=5m, applies a horizontal (H) and vertical (shear) force (V) as it
pushes vertically against a layer of clay with unit weight, =20kN/m3 and (undrained) shear
strength, c=20kPa, as shown in Figure 3. Assuming that the bulldozer blade remains vertical
and that the maximum shear resistance at the blade-soil interface is given by ci=0.7c:
a) Using the mechanism in figure 3a, compute an upper bound estimate of the forces acting on
the bulldozer blade.
b) By considering the stress states at elements A and B located at a depth z in figure 3b, find a
lower bound solution for the same problem.
Bulldozer blade

Hu
z

Clay:
= 20 KN/m3
c = 20 KN/m3

V
Rock

Figure 3a: Upper Bound Mechanism

HL

II
V
Rock

Figure 3b: Lower Bound Calculation

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