FAILURE OF UNDERWATER SLOPE IN SAN FRANSICO BAY

The failure of a 90-ft-high (27-m) underwater slope in San Francisco Bay is used to assess the accuracy of conventional laboratory and field vane shear tests for measuring the undrained strength of a normally consolidated clay. The net effect of systematic errors due to disturbance, anisotropy, cap and base restraint, and the use of triaxial rather than plane strain tests was apparently small in this case, but the reduction of undrained strength due to creep under continued loading was significant, and the effect of creep strength loss can explain the discrepancy between the strength measured in the laboratory and that modified at failure in the field. Empirical corrections for measured strengths are recommended.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  345 East 47th Street
  New York, NY  United States  10017-2398
• Authors:
  • Duncan, J M
  • Buchignani, A L
• Publication Date: 1973-9

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 687-703
• Serial:
  • Journal of Soil Mechanics & Foundations Div
  • Volume: 99
  • Issue Number: SM9

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Clay; Creep; Field tests; Laboratory tests; Loads; Measurement; Strength of materials; Vane shear tests
• Uncontrolled Terms: Loading
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00080633
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Proc. Paper 10019
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 11 1975 12:00AM