Sub: Geotechnical Engineering

Topic : Shear strength

MODULE- 48A Shear Strength

(c) 600 kPa 1. In a drained triaxial compression test, a saturated specimen of a cohesionless sand fails under a deviatoric stress of 3 kgf/ when the cell pressure is 1 kgf/ . The effective angle of shearing resistance of sand is about (A) 37 (B) 45 (C) 53 (D) 20 2. In a triaxial test carried out on a cohesionless soil sample with a cell pressure of 20 kPa, the observed value of applied stress at the point of failure was 40 kPa. The angle of internal friction of the soil is (A) 10 (B) 15 (C) 25 (D) 30 3. In an undrained triaxial test on a saturated clay, the Poisson's ratio is (a) ( ) (b)
( )

(d)

800 kPa

6.

A clay soil sample is tested in a triaxial apparatus in consolidated-drained conditions at a cell pressure of 100 kN/m2. What will be the pore water pressure at a deviator stress of 40 kN/m2 ? (a) 0 kN/m2 (b) 20 kN/m2 (c) 40 kN/m2 (d) 60 kN/m2 A direct shear test was conducted on a cohesion-less soil (c=0) specimen under a normal stress of 200kN/m2. The specimen failed at a shear stress of 100kN/m2. The angle of internal friction of the soil (degrees) is (A) 26.6 (B) 29.5 (C) 30.0 (D) 32.6 For a sample of dry, cohesionless soil with friction angle, , the failure plane will be inclined to the major principal plane by an angle equal to (A) (B) 45 (C)45 (D) 45 A field vane shear testing instrument as shown was inserted completely into a deposit of soft, saturated silty clay with the vane rod vertical such that the top of the blades were 500 mm below the ground surface. Upon application of a rapidly increasing torque about the vane rod, the soil was found to fail when the torque reached 4.6 Nm. Assuming mobilization of undrained shear strength on all failure surfaces to be uniform and the resistance mobilized on the surface of the vane rod to be negligible, what would be the peak undrained shear strength (rounded off to the nearest integer value of kPa) of the soil?

7.

8.

9.

(c) 4.

(d)

For a triaxial shear test conducted on a sand specimen at a confining pressure of 100 kN/m2 under drained conditions, resulted in a deviator 2 stress (s1-s3) at failure of 100 kN/m . The angle of shearing resistance of the soil would be (a) 18.43 (b) 19.47 (c) 26.56 (d) 30 A sample of saturated cohesionless soil tested in a drained triaxial compression test showed an angle of internal friction of 30 . The deviatoric stress at failure for the sample at a confining pressure of 200 kPa is equal to (a) 2000 kPa (b) 400 kPa

5.

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Sub: Geotechnical Engineering

2. 3.

Topic : Shear strength

Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a)1 alone (c)1 and 3 (b)2 alone (d)1, 2 and 3

14. In an unconfined compression test on stiff clay, if the failure plane made an angle of 520 to the horizontal, what would be the angle of shearing resistance? (a)160 (b)140 (c)120 (d)130 15. Which one of the following conditions is valid in case of unconfined compression test in comparison to tri axial test? (a) Minor principal stress = 0 (b) Minor principal stress = 0.5 X major principal stress (A) 5kPa (B)10 kPa (C) 15 kPa D) 20 kPa 10. The effective stress friction angle of a saturated, cohesionless soil is 38 . The ratio of shear stress tonormal effective stress on the failure plane is (A) 0.781 (B) 0.616 (C) 0.488 (D) 0.438 11. In an unconfined compression test on a saturated clay, the undrained shear strength was found to be 6 t/m2. If a sample of the same soil is tested in and un drained condition in tri axial compression at a cell pressure of 20 t/m2, then the major principal stress at failure will be (a) 48 t/m2 (b) 32 t/m2 (c) 24 t/m2 (d) 12 t/m2 (c) Minor principal stress = major principal stress (d) Major principal stress = 3 X minor principal stress 16. Unconfined compression test is most suitable for determining the 1. Sensitivity of clays 2. Settlement of embankments 3. Strength of partially saturated clay sample 4. Strength of fully saturated clay sample (a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 (c) 3 and 4 only (b) 2 and 3 only (d)1 and 4 only

12. A laboratory vane shear test apparatus is used to determine the shear strength of a clay sample and only one end of the vane takes part in shearing the soil. If T = applied torque, H = height of vane and D = diameter of the vane, then shear strength of the clay is given by (a)
[ ]

17. A shear test was conducted on a soil sample. At failure the ratio of to is equal to unity. Which one of the following shear tests represents this condition? (a) Drained triaxial compression test

(b)
[ ]

(c)

(d)

(b) Undrained triaxial compression

[ ]

test

(c) Undrained triaxial compression test (d) Unconfined compression test 18. In a tri axial test at failure, major principal stress was 180 kPa, minor principal stress was 100 kPa, and pore pressure was 20 kPa. The tangent of the angle of shearing resistance of

13. Which of the following laboratory tri axial test parameters should one specify to be carried out in connection with the initial stability of footing on saturated clay? 1.

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Sub: Geotechnical Engineering

the (a)1/3 (c)1/2 sandy soil (b)2/7 (d)1/6 tested is

Topic : Shear strength

compressive strength of 100 KN/m2.A specimen of the same clay with the same initial condition is subjected to a UU tri axial test under a cell pressure of 100 KN/m2. Axial stress (in KN/m2) at failure would be (a)150 (b)200 (c)250 (d)300

19. A soil sample tested in a tri axial compression apparatus failed when the total maximum and minimum principal stresses were 100 kPa and 40 kPa, respectively. The pore pressure measured at failure was 10 kPa. The effective principal stress ratio at failure is (a)2.5 (b)3.0 (c)2.75 (d)2.0

25. If S is the shear strength, C and are shear strength parameters, and is the normal stress at failure, then Coulombs equation for shear strength of the soil can be represented by (a) C = S + (b) C = S (c) S = (d) S =

20. Assertion (A) Shear parameters C and vary with drainage conditions of shear test. Reason (R): Shear parameter C and are dependent on water content of soil. Codes: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A (b) Both A and R are true but R in not a correct explanation of A (c) A is true nut r is false (d) A is false but R is true 21. A tri axial test was conducted on a granular soil. At failure = 4. The effective minor principal stress at failure was 100 kPa. The values of approximate and the principal stress difference at failure are, respectively (a)450 and 570 kPa (b)400 and 400 kPa (c)370 and 300 kPa (d)300 and 200 kPa 22. A dry sand specimen is put through a tri axial test. The cell pressure is 50 kPa and the deviator stress at failure is 100 kPa, the angle of internal friction for the sand specimen is (a)150 (b)300 (c)370 (d)450 23. A soil fails under an axial vertical stress of 100 KN/m2 in unconfined compression test. The failure plane makes an angle of 500 with the horizontal. The shear parameters c and respectively will be 2 0 2 0 a) 41. 9 KN/m , 0 b) 50.0 KN/m ,0 c) 41.9 KN/m2,100 d)41. 9 KN/m2,100

26. Assertion (A): Stress paths can be plotted for stress conditions during tri axial test. Reason (R): It is not possible to control drainage in a tri axial test. Codes: (a)Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A (b) Both A and R are true but R in not a correct explanation of A (c) A is true nut r is false (d)A is false but R is true 27. What does the confining pressure used in tri axial compression tests on an undisturbed soil sample represent? a) The in-situ total normal stress b) The in-situ lateral stress c) The in-situ effective principal stress d) The in-situ shear stress 28. In the consolidated drained test on a saturated soil sample, pore water pressure is zero during (a) consolidation stage only (b) shearing stage only (c) both consolidation and shearing stages (d) loading stage 29. In Mohrs diagram, a point above Mohrs envelope indicates (a)imaginary condition (b) Safe condition (c) Imminent failure condition (d) Condition of maximum obliquity 30. Assertion (A): In the case; of unconfined compression test, Mohrs circle passes through the origin. Reason (R): The major principal stress is zero.

24. A clay soil specimen when tested in unconfined condition gave an unconfined

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Sub: Geotechnical Engineering

Codes: a). Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A b). Both A and R are true but R in not a correct explanation of A c). A is true nut r is false d). A is false but R is true

Topic : Shear strength

36. Which one of the following is the appropriate tri axial test to assess the immediate stability of an unloading problem, such as an excavation of a clay slope? (a)UU test (b)CU test (c) CD test (d)Unconsolidated drained tests 37. Consider the following features of direct shear test: in in is a 1. Failure takes predetermined plane. 2. It is a quick test. 3. Drainage conditions cannot be changed. 4. Failure of the sample is progressive. Which of these are the disadvantages of direct shear test? (a)1, 2 and 3 (c)1, 2 and 4 (b)1, 3 and 4 (d)3 and 4 place on the

31. Shear failure of soils takes place when a). The angle of obliquity is maximum b). Maximum cohesion is reached cohesive soils c). reaches its maximum value cohesion less soils d). residual strength of the soil exhausted 32. A CD tri axial test was conducted on granular soil. At failure

was 3.0. The

effective minor principal stress of failure was 75 kPa. The principal stress difference at failure will be (a) 75 kPa (b) 150 kPa (c) 225 kPa (d) 300 kPa shear stress and sample at failure respectively. The the sand will be

33. In a direct shear test, the normal stress on a dry sand are 0.6 kg/cm2 and 1 kg/cm2 angle of internal friction of nearly (a)250 (b)310 (c)370 (d)430

34. Laboratory vane shear test can also be used to determine (a)shear parameters of silty sand (b)shear parameters of sandy clay (c)liquid limit of silty clay (d)plastic limit of clayey silt 35. Which one of the following expressions represents the shear strength of soil at point X? Angle of shear resistance of soil is and symbols stand for unit weight of water, saturated soil, submerged soil and dry soil respectively. (a) (b)[ (c) (d)(

38. A footing is resting on a fully saturated clayey strata. For checking the initial stability, shear parameters are used from which one of the following? (a) Consolidation non-drained test (b) Unconsolidated drained test (c) Unconsolidated non-drained test (d) Unconsolidated non-drained test with pore pressure measurement 39. For the determination of shear strength parameters, c and , of soil in the laboratory, the test to be conducted will be (a) Tri axial compression test (b) Sieve analysis (c) Compaction test (d) Relative density test 40. In a consolidated drained tri axial test, a specimen of clay fails at a cell pressure of 60 KN/ . The effective shear strength parameters are KN/ and determine the compressive strength. 41. A direct shear test was conducted on a cohesion less soil (c=0). Specimen under a normal stress of 200KN/ . The specimen failed at a shear stress of 100KN/ . The angle of internal friction of soil is a) 26.6 b) 29.5 c) 30.0 d) 32.6

( )

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Sub: Geotechnical Engineering

42. If the principal stresses in a two dimensional case are -10 MPa and 20 MPa respectively, then maximum shear stress at the point is a) 10 MPa b) 15 MPa c) 20 MPa d) 30 MPa 43. If the effective stress parameters of a soil are =10 KPa and = , the shear strength on a plane within the saturated soil mass at a point where the total normal stress is 300 KPa and pore water pressure is 150 KPa will be a) 90.5 KPa b) 96.6KPa c) 101.5KPa d) 105.5KPa 44. In a drained tri axial compression test conducted on dry sand, failure occurred when deviator stress was 218 KN at a confining pressure of 61 KN . What is the effective angle of shearing resistance and inclination of failure plane to major principle plane? a) b) c) d) 45. If an element of a stressed body is in a state of pure shear with a magnitude of 80N/ , the magnitude of maximum principal stress at that location is a) 80 N/ b) 113.14 N/ c) 120 N/ d) 56.57N/ 46. What is the shear strength in terms of effective stress on a plane within a saturated soil mass at a point where the total normal stress is 295 KPa and the pore water pressure 120KPa? The effective shear strength parameters are 12 KPa and = . 47. Vane test is normally used for determining in situ shear strength of a) Soft clays b) Sand c) Stiff clays d) Gravel a) b) c) d)

Topic : Shear strength

Plate load test Static cone penetration test Standard penetration test Vane shear test

49. In a drained tri axial compression test conducted on dry sand, failure occurred when deviator stress was 218 KN at a confining pressure of 61 KN . What is the effective angle of shearing resistance and inclination of failure plane to major principle plane? a) b) c) d) 50. = KN/ and determine the compressive strength

48. The appropriate field test to determine the undrained shear strength of soft clay is

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