The Angle of Dilation

The angle of dilation is

the measure of the
change in volumetric
strain with respect to the
Soil Shear Strength Mohr-
Mohr-Coulomb change in shear strain.
Model Soils that have positive
value of dilate during
shearing and those that
Lecture No. 10 have negative value of
contract during shearing.
October 17, 2002 The value of at critical state is zero.
In Mohrs circle of strain shown above, is given by:
+ 3 + 3
= sin 1 1 = sin 1 1
( zx )max

1 3

Peak and Critical Shear Strengths Residual Shear Strength

For certain soils, if the
The peak shear shearing is continued to p
strength, p, is the p very large shear strains
peak shear stress Residual
(>50%), the shear cs State
attained by a dilating strength drops below the
soil as shown in figure cs
critical state shear strength r
on the left. as shown in the figure. zx
The angle of dilation at
This strength is called the residual shear
peak shear stress is zx strength and is denoted by r.
denoted by p.
For certain fissured soils, for example the stiff clays
The shear stress attained by all soils at large shear
of the Prairies, the residual shear strength is only
strains (>10%), when = 0, is the critical state
a fraction of the critical state shear strength.
shear strength denoted by cs.
For such soils, stability calculations must be
based on the residual shear strength values.
 Shear Strength of Soils Key Points The Mohr-
Mohr-Coulomb Model
The friction angle at critical state, cs, is a When conducting a shear strength test on a soil
fundamental soil parameter and therefore, it is sample, we apply normal total stresses at the
not influenced by external factors such as level of boundaries of the sample and measure the
normal effective stress or drainage conditions. generated pore water pressures to infer the normal
The friction angle at peak stress for dilating soils, effective stresses on the boundary.
p, is not a fundamental soil parameter but The Friction Model is unable to give us the effect
depends on the capacity of the soil to dilate. of distribution of stresses within the soil sample on
At low normal effective stresses, p has very high the soil strength.
values whereas at high normal effective stresses, As we have seen before, such distribution can be
p is almost equal to cs. readily obtained using a Mohrs Circle of Stress.
The Friction Model only gives information of the Therefore, the Mohrs Circle of Stress can be
soil shear strength when slip is initiated. It does combined with Coulombs Friction law to obtain
not give any information on the strains in the soil the Mohr-Coulomb Model.
at failure.

The Mohr-
Mohr-Coulomb Model (Continued..) The Mohr-
Mohr-Coulomb Model (Continued..)
Mohr-Coulomb Model allows us to define shear failure of a soil The critical state angle of friction (cs) represents
mass based on its state of stress. Referring to the the slope of the Coulomb failure line and is given
figure on the left,
lets draw a by:
Coulomb failure ( ) ( 3 )f
= sin 1 1 f
cs
( 1 )f + ( 3 )f
line AB and
subject a
cylindrical soil
specimen to The failure plane or the slip plane is inclined at
principal stresses an angle to the plane on which the major
so that the Mohrs principal effective stress acts:
circle of stress
touches the
cs
Coulomb failure = 45o +
line. 2
We are now able to define the
critical state angle of friction
(cs) in terms of the principal
stresses at failure.
 The Mohr-
Mohr-Coulomb Model (Continued..) The Mohr-
Mohr-Coulomb Model (Continued..)
The maximum shear The state of the
stress, max, defined soil is elastic
below is not the within the conical
failure shear stress: area enclosed by
max = [( 1 3 )f 2] the Coulombs
failure line and
Failure occurs when the curve AEF
the soil reaches the representing the
maximum effective peak stresses.
stress obliquity: On the Coulomb
failure line, the
( 1 )f In simple terms, the shear stress at soil is at failure.
( 3 )f the point where the Coulomb line
A soil cannot have a stress state that plots in the
touches the Mohrs Circle of Stress is
shaded area outside the Coulombs failure line and
the failure shear stress, f.
the curve AEF of peak stresses.

Cohesion Fact or Fiction? Cohesion (Continued..)

Figure on the top right shows Such an approach of
that the strength envelope using a best-fit
formed by peak strength data straight line is
is curved and therefore, it
cannot be described by a
conceptually
simple linear equation. flawed. For at least
However, in some textbooks three reasons, it is
(including Craig!!), youll find also potentially
peak strength data described dangerous.
by means of a best-fit
straight line as shown in It can lead to the overestimation of the actual
figure on bottom right, peak strength at either low or high effective
having an equation of the stresses, depending on where the best-fit line is
form:
p = c + tan drawn. For the figure above, the peak strength at
low and high effective stresses will be
[c is the intercept on axis overestimated, leading to unsafe design of slopes
and is termed as cohesion.]
cohesion.] and deep foundations.
 Cohesion (Continued..) Cohesion (Continued..)
It is not advisable to use peak strength in c often referred to
design. Peak strength can only be sustained as as true cohesion in
long as the soil is dilating. A soil cannot dilate many books is
forever and eventually its strength must fall to nothing but a purely
critical state value defined by cs (Coulomb mathematical effect
failure line). caused by the fitting
The use of c can mislead a designer into of a tangent to a
thinking that the soil essentially an curve as shown in
uncemented material will have some figure on the right.
strength in addition to its frictional strength True cohesion is only present for cemented soils
that can still be developed when normal for which there is a better word rock. You must
effective stress is zero. remember that anyone referring to the presence of
a great deal of true cohesion is probably talking
about rock rather than soil.