Geotechnical Engineering-II LAB
Lab Manual
Prepared by: Engr. Ifrah Akhlaq
Unified Rubrics for all the Experiments
Experiment Title:
Student Name:
Registration No.: Sec: Date:
(a) COGNITIVE DOMAIN (C5) (CLO-1)
Calculation & Methodology Calculations are not correct Calculations &
Sr. Criteria Allocated Marks
for plotting graph is not but Methodology is correct for Methodology both are
No. Marks Obtained
correct plotting graph correct
1 Calculations 25 0-5 6 – 15 16 – 25
1 Plotting of graph 25 0-5 6 – 15 16 – 25
Max Mark 50 Sub-Total Marks Obtained:
(b) PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN (P2) (CLO-6)
Only sample prepare but Well sample prepared with
Sr. Criteria Allocated Roughly sample prepare and Marks
handling of instrument is not good handling of
No. Marks handling of instrument is fine Obtained
fine instrument
Perform experiments using different 16 – 25
2 25 0-5 6 – 15
instruments in lab
Max Mark 25 Sub-Total Marks Obtained:
Total Marks: ____________ Obtained Marks: ____________
Instructor's Signature:
JOB # 5
To Determine the Shear Strength of a Cohesive Soil with the Help
of Unconfined Compression Test
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this laboratory test is to determine the unconfined compressive strength of a
cohesive soil.
NEED AND SCOPE:
This test method covers the determination of the unconfined compressive strength of cohesive
soil in the intact, remolded, or reconstituted condition, using strain-controlled application of
the axial load. This test method also provides an approximate value of the strength of cohesive
soils in terms of total stresses.
RELATED THEORY:
Unconfined compressive strength of cohesive soil, qu, is defined as the load per unit area at
which an unconfined prismatic or cylindrical specimen will fail in a simple compressive test.
It is taken as the maximum load attained per unit area or the load per unit area at 20% axial
strain, whichever is secured first during the performance of test.
The unconfined compression test is perhaps the simplest, easiest, and least expensive test for
investigation the shear strength of a cohesive soil. This test procedure is usually limited to the
cohesive soil. Non-cohesive soil (such a s sand) cannot generally stand alone in this manner
without lateral support. The cohesion ‘c’ is taken to be one half the unconfined compressive
strength (i.e c=qu/2)
A cohesive soil gets most of its shear strength from its cohesion. Hence, for most cohesive
soils, the cohesion (and therefore the shear strength) may be estimated from the result of
unconfined compression test. However, for soft and/or sensitive clay, the cohesion is
commonly obtained instead by the result of field or laboratory.
This computation is based on the fact that the minor principal stress ∂3 is zero (atmospheric),
and the angle of internal friction of the soil is assumed zero. To give the unconfined
compression test more dignity, it is often called an “untrained” or U test. With more knowledge
concerning soil behavior available, it became evident that the unconfined compression test does
not generally provide a very reliable value of soil shear strength for at least three reasons:
1. The effect of lateral restraint provided by the surrounding soil mass on the sample is
lost when the sample is removed from the ground. There is however some opinions that
the soil moisture provides a surface tension (or confining) effect so that the sample is
somewhat confined .This effect should be more pronounced if the sample is saturated
or nearly so. This effect will depend also on the relative humidity of the testing area
making a quantitative evaluation of it rather different.
2. The internal soil condition (the degree of saturation, the pore water pressure under stress
deformation and the effect of altering the degree of saturation) cannot be controlled.
3. The friction on the ends of the sample from the loading plates provides a lateral restraint
on the ends which alters the internal stresses by an unknown amount.
Errors from the first two factors cited above can be eliminated or at least reduced by using the
confined (or triaxial) compression tests. The 3rd Item has undergone considerable research and
the indication is that this factor is not as important as one might at first suppose.
Special end plates or platens can fabricate to reduce the friction effects if more refined test
results are desired.
The test has found to be somewhat sensitive to the rate of strain, but a strain rate between ½
and 2 percent/min appears to yield satisfactory results. Since the unconfined compression test
specimen are exposed to the usually dry laboratory air (low humidity), they should reach failure
within about 10 mins; otherwise, the change in water content may affect the unconfined
compressive strength.
The length to diameter ratio of the test specimen should be large enough to avoid interference
of potential 45 failure planes and short enough that we do not obtain a column failure. The
length /diameter ratio to satisfy this criterion is
2 < L /d < 3
CORRECTED AREA:
It is conventional practice in soil mechanics to correct the area on which load ‘p’ is acting. The
original area Ao is corrected by considering that the total volume of the soil is unchanged. The
initial total soil sample volume is
Vt = AoLo …………………………….. (5.1)
But after some changes in specimen length of AL
Vt= A(Lo-∆L) …………………………..…(5.2)
Equating equation 5.1 and 5.2, cancelling terms and solving for the corrected area we obtain,
A=Ao/1-€……………………………..(5.3)
APPARATUS:
• Unconfined Compression device
(electrically driven strain-controlled device).
• Remolding device.
• Deformation dial gage
• Load dial gauge.
• Balance capable of weighing to the nearest
0.01 gm
• Miscellaneous tools and equipment’s:
spatula moisture tins etc
REQUIRED MEASUREMENTS:
• Diameter of the specimen
• Length of specimen
• Initial moisture content
• Final moisture Content
• Proving ring constant
• Deformation dial gage constant
PROCEDURE:
• If density and moisture content of the soil is known, calculate the weight of the dry soil
needed for the preparation of three soil samples of 1.5-inch diameter and 3 inch height.
• Add specified moisture to the dry soil and mix thoroughly. Put some of the soil for
moisture content determination.
• Prepare three soil samples of required density by packing the soil in the specimen
mould.
• If the sample specimen crumbles easily or a good bearing surface for the platen cannot
be obtained, it is permissible to cap the end using plaster of Paris.
• If evaporation from the soil is expected, the sample should be sealed by encapsulating
the specimens in a thin latex membrane or sprayed on plastic immediately following
specimens’ preparation.
• Carefully align the specimen in the compression machine.
• Set the load dial gage to zero load and set the deformation dial to zero. At this time a
very small load should be on the sample (order of ideal 1 unit of a load gage).
• Turn on machine and take load and deformation dial readings, until of the following
conditions occurs:
1. Load decreases on sample significantly.
2. Load holds constant.
3. Deformation is significantly past 20 percent strain.
• Remove the specimen from compression machine and sketch the failed specimen. If an
obvious failure plane is observed, measure the angle of the failure plane with respect to
the horizontal and record this angle as Ø.
• Determine the water content of the sample.
• Test at least two more samples by repeating steps.
• Compute the unit strain, the correct area, and the unit stress, for enough of the readings
to define the stress strain curve adequately. Plot the result on the graph paper from the
test results, show qu as the peak stress of each test and show the average value of qu
for three tests . Be sure to plot strain as abscissa.
• Draw a Mohr’s circle using average qu and show the soil cohesion.
OBSERVATIONS & CALCULATIONS
Name ______________________________________
Regd. No ______________________________________
Date ______________________________________
Sample Date ______________________________________
Diameter ______________________________________
Area-Ao ______________________________________
Height-Lo ______________________________________
Volume ______________________________________
Bulk Density ______________________________________
Moisture Content ______________________________________
Weight of Soil for one Sample ______________________________________
Change Unit Corrected
Sample Area C.F Stress
DDG/R in Length LDG/R Load Strain Area
No. 1-€ Remarks
∆L ∆L/Lo=€ A= Ao/1-€
# Div Div KN m2 kpa
GRAPHS:
COMMENTS: