Laboratory Soil Testing

Ajanta Sachan
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering
IIT Gandhinagar

Hiding World of Geotechnical Engg!!

Shoring

Foundations

Tunneling Soil Exploration

Geotechnical Engg Structures

Buried right Under your Feet!!

1
You pay for soil
investigation whether you
carry out or not.
Infact you eventually pay
more without a soil
investigation.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Our Blunders become

Monuments !

2
 Terzaghi says:
(Father of Soil Mechanics)
Karl Terzaghi (1883-1963)

Unfortunately, soils are made by nature and not by

man, and the products of nature are always complex
As soon as we pass from
A f steell and
d concrete to earth,
h
the omnipotence of theory ceases to exist.
Natural soil is never uniform
Soil Investigation is unique for each soil site!

Typical Geotechnical Project

Geo-Laboratory Design Office
soil properties
~ for testing ~ for design & analysis

construction site

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 Purpose of Soil Testing?
Can the soils Support the structure?
Wh
What is the
h impact off Excavation
E or
Filling?
Are the earth and rock Slopes stable?
What type of Foundation is best suited
for the structure?
How will the site respond to
an Earthquake? ground
Is the site Contaminated?
Determine potential problems
and Avoid surprises!!

Three Phases in Soils

S : Solid Soil particle Vv
Void ratio,e
Vs
W: Liquid Water (electrolytes)
A: Air Air

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 Grain Size Distribution

In Coarse grained soils ... By Sieve analysis (Dry/Wet)

In Fine grained soils ... By Hydrometer analysis

hydrometer

stack of sieves

sieve shaker

soil/water suspension

Sieve Analysis Hydrometer Analysis

Grain Size Distribution Curve

100 Gravel = 2%
Sand = 74%
Gravel Sand Silt Clay Fines = 24%
Clay =4%
80
D(mm) %finer
4.75 98.41
2 89.35
60 1 84.86
0.425 80.04
%Finer

0.212 52.55
0.15 43.24
40 0.075 24.30
0.06267 17.09
0.04567 14.18
0.03277 12.73
20 0.02121 10.31
0.01513 9.34
0.01247 8.37
0.00889 7.40
0.00631 6.92
0 0.00450 5.95
0.00320 5.46
1 0.1 0.01 0.001 0.00228 4.49
ParticleSize(mm) 0.00133 3.52

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 Soil Groups

Cohesive
C h i Granular
G l soils
il or
soils Cohesion less soils

Clay Silt Sand Gravel Cobble Boulder

0.002 0.075 2.36 63 200

(4 75 IS code)
(4.75; d ) (80) (300)
Grain size (mm)

Fine grain Coarse grain

soils soils

Soil particle shapes & sizes

Silt particle size = 75-2 m

Sand and Gravel

particle size > 75 m

Clay particle size < 2 m

Rounded Subrounded

Subangular Angular

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 Plasticity Index (PI)

Range
g of water content over which the soil
remains plastic

Plasticity Index = Liquid Limit Plastic Limit

water content
0 Shrinkage Plastic Liquid
limit limit limit

plastic

Classifying Fines

Purely
y based on LL and PI
Intermediate plasticity

60 Low High
plasticity plasticity
Clays
40
uid
Limiit
Liqu

20 Silts

0
0 20 35 50 100

Liquid
Limit

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 GDS & Soil classification

Sieve analysis for coarse grain soils

Hydrometer analysis - for fine grain soils

Soil classification:
Coarse grained soil - GSD
Fine ggrained soil -Atterberg
g limits ((PI-LL chart))

Soil Sampling
Disturbed Samples: Natural soil structure is modified or
destroyed during sampling
Representative Samples:
Natural water content and mineral constituents of particular soil
layer are preserved
Good for soil identification and water content
Non-representative Samples:
Water content altered and soil layers mixed up
Of no use.
Undisturbed Samples: Soil structure and the other
mineral properties are preserved to an extent.
Some disturbance is always there, e.g. due to stress release.
However it should be minimized in order to have suitable
sample for our analysis.

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 Standard Split Spoon Samplers

Thick wall (0.25in) cylinder

Sampling tube (dia 51 mm) is split along the length
Representative Disturbed soil samples

Shelby Tube
(Thin-wall) Sampler

Thin wall ((1/16in

/ = 0.0625 in))
sampling tube
Sampler pushed into the ground
hydraulically
Sample extruded from tube and
Undisturbed soil sample is obtained

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 Sealing of
Sampling Tube

After removing the sampler

from ground,
ground it is sealed on
both sides using melted wax
to preserve moisture

Laboratory Test: Index Properties

Index Properties of soil:
Basic soil properties such as
(a) Specific gravity (Gs)
(b) Grain size distribution (dry/wet Sieve test, Hydrometer test),
(c) Liquid Limit (LL), Plastic limit (PL)
(d) OMC, Maximum Dry density(Compaction/Proctor test)
(e) Permeability (Constant head/Falling head)
(f) Relative Density (Minimum & Maximum density for cohesionless soils)

More tests for Problem soils:

(a) Shrinkage Limit, Free swell, Swell pressure for Expansive soils
(b) Pinhole test, Crumb test for Dispersive soils
(c) Chemical Test (PH, Sulphite, Chloride, Iron etc) for soils (may affected with
industrial waste or some other waste)
(d) Furnace test for Organic Soils (peats etc)
Representative Disturbed soil samples are used to perform these tests.

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 Compaction Test: Proctor Test
- to obtain the compaction curve and define the optimum water content
and maximum dry density for a specific compactive effort.

Standard Proctor: Modified Proctor:

hammer

3 layers 5 layers

25 blows per layer 25 blows per layer

2.7 kg hammer 4.9

4 9 kg
k hhammer

300 mm drop 450 mm drop

Representative
Disturbed soil
1000 ml compaction mould samples are used to
perform these tests.

Compaction Curve
y (d)
Dry density

Soil grains densely

densel packed

- good strength and stiffness

- low permeability
d, max

Representative
Representative
Disturbed soil
samples are used to
perform these tests.

optimum
water content Water content

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d Compaction
specifications
Compare!
d,field = ?
w
wfield = ?

compacted ground
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Laboratory Test: Engineering Properties

Engineering Properties of soil:
C
Consolidation
lid i Properties
P i (Oedometer setup)
(i) Must to perform for Clayey soils;
(ii) Soil parameters obtained: Cc,Cv,Cr, OCR, k

Shear Strength Properties

(i) Direct Shear test (for cohesionless soil)
(ii) Unconfined Compression test (for cohesive soil)
(iii) Triaxial test (for all soil types; cohesive, cohesionless)

Dynamic Properties
(i) Cyclic Triaxial test
(ii) Cyclic Simple Shear test
(iii) Resonant Column test
(iv) Bender Element test
Undisturbed soil samples are used to perform these tests.

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 Consolidation Test: Oedometer Test

Input: Vertical Load, Vertical

Di l
Displacement t

Output: Consolidation parameters

(Cv, Cc & Cs); void ratio Vs
overburden pressure curve

Settlement curve & e-logp curve

100kPaverticalstress
9.82 0.40
9.8
9.78
0.35
DialGaugeReading (mm)

9.76
VoidRatio,e

9.74
9.72 0.30
9.7
9.68
9.66
0.25
9.64
9.62
0.20
9.6
0.1 1 10
0 10 20 30 40
Square Root of Time LogEffectiveStressinkg/cm2

Parameters: Cv Parameters: Cc , Cr , pc

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 Shear failure

Soils g
generally
y fail in shear
embankment

At failure, shear stress along

the failure surface reaches the
shear strength.
mobilised shear
resistance
es sta ce

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Shear Strength Testing

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 Direct Shear Test
(Recommended for Cohesionless soils)

Input: Vertical Load, Vertical

Input:
Di l
Displacement, t Lateral
L t lL Loadd
Lateral Displacement

Output:: shear strength, friction angle ()

Output

Shear stress vs Normal stress curve

Test Normalstress Shearstressatfailure
(kg/cm2) (kg/cm2)
Directsheartest1 0.5 0.506
Directsheartest2 1 0.961
Directsheartest3 1.5 1.375

1.6
c= 0
Shearstre ss(kg/cm2 )

1.2 = 43deg

08
0.8

0.4

0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
Normalstress(kg/cm2 )

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 Unconfined Compression Test (UC test)
(Recommended for Cohesive soils)

Input: Vertical Load, Vertical

Input:
Displacement

Output: Shear Strength under

Output:
Undrained Conditions (Su)

Stress-Strain curve (UC test)

300

250

200 quc= 267 kPa

Axial Stress (kPa)

c= 133 kPa
150 Test1
Test2
Test3

100

50

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Axial Strain (%)

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 Triaxial Testing Setup

Input: Vertical Load, Vertical

Input:
Control
Control
Panel Displacement, Pore
pressure, Cell pressure

Soilspecimen
Triaxial test measures shear
strength parameters of soil
shear strength properties:
cohesion,
h i friction
f i ti anglel

Triaxialsetup

Output: Shear Strength properties of soil under

Output:
UU, CU, CD Conditions: friction angle (), cohesion (c)

Triaxial UU test
Triaxial 3 d q p
UUtest ( )
(kPa) ( )
(kPa) ( )
(kPa) ( )
(kPa)
Test1 100 390.9 195.45 295.45
c= 88kPa
Test2 200 488.6 244.3 444.3
= 22deg
Test3 300 631.6 315.8 615.8

400
sin()=tan()
300
c=a/cos()
q(kPa)

200 q=(13)/2
p=(1 +3 )/2
100

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
p(kPa)

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 Soil Properties

Monotonic Loading (Shear strength properties of soil)

Angle of Internal Friction ()

Cohesion (c)

Dynamic Loading (Dynamic properties of soil)

Shear Modulus (G)

Damping Ratio (D)

Dynamic properties of Soil

Modulus G = .V
Shear Modulus, VS2
Shear wave velocity = VS (m/sec)
Mass density = /g) (Kg/m3)
Unit weight of soil = (KN/m3)
Acceleration of gravity = g (m/sec2)

Damping, D = decay in energy

Shear Modulus (G) is measured in KN/m2 & Damping (D) in %

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 Dynamic properties of soil

Low Strain Amplitude test

For strains (10-6% to 10-4%)

Frequency range: 10 Hz to 200Hz

Vibratory loading (Rotating Machinery etc)

High Strain Amplitude test

For strains (10-4% to 10-2%)

Frequency range: 0.1 Hz to 2 Hz (in general)

Blast loading, Earthquake

Dynamic properties (Lab test)

High
g Strain Amplitude
p test
Cyclic Triaxial Test

Cyclic Direct Simple Shear Test

Low Strain Amplitude test

Resonant Column Test

Bender Element Test

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 Cyclic Triaxial Test (High strain amplitude test)

Dynamic
properties of
soil using Cyclic
Triaxial system:

1. Shear
Modulus (G)

2. Damping
p g
ratio (D)

Cyclic Triaxial Test

Dynamic Stress d Axial Strain a

Dynamic Young Modulus E Damping D

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 Cyclic Simple Shear Test (High strain amplitude test)
Digitally controlled Electro-
mechanical actuators are used
to apply the stress or strain
controlled loading

Output:: Shear modulus (G),

Output
Damping (D)

Cyclic Simple Shear Test

ShearStress ShearStrain

ShearModulus G Damping D

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 Resonant Column Test
(Low strain amplitude test)

The basic principle of the resonant column

device is to excite one end of a confined
cylindrical soil specimen in a fundamental
mode of vibration by means of torsional or
longitudinal excitation.

Once the fundamental mode of resonance

frequency is established, measurements
are made of the resonance frequency and
amplitude of vibration from which wave
propagation
ti velocities
l iti and d strain
t i
amplitudes are calculated using the theory
of elasticity.

The Resonant Column Test provides

laboratory values of Shear modulus (G)
and Damping ratio (D).

Resonant Column Test

(Low strain amplitude test)

With known value of the

resonant frequency it is
possible to back
back-calculate
calculate
the velocity (vs or vl) of the
wave propagation and
thereby G or E

After measuring the

resonant condition, the drive
system is cut of and the
specimen is brought to a
state of free vibration.
Damping is determined by
observing the decay pattern
(a) Specimen is excited at the bottom and the response is
picked up at the top (velocity or acceleration)
(b) Driving force is applied on the top. The response
pickup is also placed on the top

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 Resonant Column Test:
Determination of Shear Modulus of soil (G)

(t ) C eit

Resonant freq. f1
Acc.
+
Sample Geometry
+
f End restraint
f +
Wave equation (torsion)

2
2 f
G0 vs2 2H 1
FT

Resonant Column Test:

Damping properties of soil (D

D = 1/21

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 Bender Element Test (Low strain amplitude test)

Bender Elements
(made by Piezoelectric material)

Bender Element Test (Low strain amplitude test)

Piezo-ceramic elements distort or bend when subjected to a change in

voltage.
g

Two Piezoelectric bender elements are placed opposite one another and
inserted a small distance into a soil sample. One bender element work as
source and other as receiver.

The voltage in one element is varied creating shear waves through the
sample, which are received by the opposite element. The input voltage,
(created using a function generator) and the received signal are recorded
continuously
i l using
i an oscilloscope,
ill allowing
ll i the h travell time
i off the
h shear
h
waves to be measured from which the dynamic elastic shear modulus (G)
can be determined.

Bender elements provide a reliable, cost effective alternative to undertaking

locally instrumented stress path triaxial tests and can be readily performed
on unconfined samples in the laboratory.

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Thank You

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