TITLE:

DIRECT SHEAR TEST

OBJECTIVES
To determine the angle of internal friction () for a given cohesionless soil (sand) sample.
INTRODUCTION:
This test is performed to determine the consolidated-drained shear strength of a sandy to silty soil. The
shear strength is one of the most important engineering properties of a soil, because it is required
whenever a structure is dependent on the soils shearing resistance. The shear strength is needed
for engineering situations such as determining the stability of slopes or cuts, finding the bearing
capacity for foundations, and calculating the pressure exerted by a soil on a retaining wall. The test is
carried out on either undisturbed samples or remoulded samples. To facilitate the
remoulding purpose, a soil sample may be compacted at optimum
moisture content in a compaction mould. Then specimen for the direct shear test could be obtained
using the correct cutter provided. Alternatively, sand sample can be placed in a dry state at a required
density, in the assembled shear box. A normal load is applied to the specimen and the specimen is
sheared across the pre-determined horizontal plane between the two halves of the shear box.
Measurements of shear load, shear displacement and normal displacement are recorded. The test is
repeated foe two or more identical specimens under different normal loads. From the results, the shear
strength parameters can be determined.
THEORY
The strength of a soil depends of its resistance to shearing stresses. It is made up of basically the
components;
1. Frictional due to friction between individual particles.
2. Cohesive - due to adhesion between the soil particles
The general relationship between maximum shearing resistance, f and normal stress, n for
soils can be represented by the equation and known as Coulombs Law:

f c tan
Where:
c

= cohesion, which is due to internal forces holding soil particles together in a solid mass
= friction, which is due to the interlocking of the particles and the friction between them
when subjected to normal stress

= shearing resistance of soil at failure

= total normal stress on failure plane

The friction components increase with increasing normal stress but the cohesion components
remains constant. If there is no normal stress the friction disappears. This relationship shown in the
graph below. This graph generally approximates to a straight line, its inclination to the horizontal axis
being equal to the angle of shearing resistance of the soil, and its intercept on the vertical (shear
stress) axis being the apparent cohesion, denoted by c.

Graph of Shear Stress vs Normal Stress

APPARATUS

Direct shear machine

Perforated plate.

Loading pad.

Porous plate.

Retaining plate.

Figure 1

Direct shear machine

Figure 2

Loading pad.

Figure 3 Perforated plate, Porous

plate,
Retaining plate

Conclusion
As the conclusion, the objective of this experiment is to determine the parameters that involved such
as shear strength of soils, cohesion and angle of friction is achieved. Four graph has been plotted and
the value of cohesion and angle of friction had been obtained. From this experiment, the value of
cohesion, c is 0 KNm-2 and the value of angle of friction is 55

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_shear_test

Bardet, J.-P. (1997). Experimental Soil Mechanics. Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-374935-9.
ISRM (2007). Ulusay, R.; Hudson, J.A., eds. The Blue Book - The Complete ISRM Suggested Methods for
Rock Characterization, Testing and Monitoring: 1974-2006. Ankara: ISRM & ISRM Turkish National Group.

p. 628. ISBN 978-975-93675-4-1.

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