FAILURE STATE OF A SAND IN SIMPLE SHEAR

The stress state in many practical geotechnical problems is analogous to simple shear strain. However, the devices available to test soil samples in shear strain impose nonniform stress and strain fields. Consequently, the interpretation of results from simple shear tests is often questioned. In this article, results of tests on loose and dense Leighton Buzzard sand from two specially instrumented simple shear devices--Cambridge University's device and a Norwegian Geotechnical Institute type--are used to interpret the failure mode and the failure stress state. The data were obtained from the center of the samples, a region removed from stress concentrations. Failure was observed to be initiated on vertical planes and occurred very soon after shear displacement was applied. However, neither these vertical planes nor the horizontal planes were the planes of maximum stress obliquity mobilized during the tests.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Research Council of Canada

  1200 Montreal Road
  Ottawa, Ontario  Canada  K1A 0R6
• Authors:
  • Budhu, M
• Publication Date: 1988-5

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 395-400
• Serial:
  • CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL JOURNAL
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: National Research Council of Canada

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Failure; Sand; Shear strain; Shear tests; Strain (Mechanics)
• Old TRIS Terms: Strains
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00470868
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 31 1988 12:00AM