BOREHOLE SHEAR TEST IN UNSATURATED SOIL

by Charbel Khoury

ABSTRACT

Classical soil mechanics involves the study of fully saturated soils. However, many problems
encountered in geotechnical engineering practice involve unsaturated soil whose behavior is significantly
different than classical saturated soil. Extensive laboratory and field tests are currently being undertaken at
the University of Oklahoma to investigate the Iowa Borehole Shear Test (BST) in unsaturated soil. The
BST is a rapid and simple test similar to performing a direct shear test on the sidewalls of a borehole. A
new technique known as the “Flooded Borehole Shear Test” (FBST) is employed in this study and consists
of flooding the borehole with water prior to performing the BST. This method is used to evaluate the effect
of saturation on the shear strength parameters (φ and c) of soil above the water table. The BST, before and
after flooding the borehole, is conducted at the same depth for comparison of results. BSTs were first
conducted using the standard shear plates, which are recommended in soft to medium-stiff clay; the
modified shear plates were also used considering that the soil is unsaturated and therefore is stiffer than in a
saturated condition. Three sites in Norman, Oklahoma were selected to perform the BST and to collect
Shelby tube samples for laboratory testing. Laboratory tests included standard testing such as the Atterberg
limits, hydrometer, and specific gravity. Multistage triaxial tests (CIUC) and the filter paper technique were
also performed to determine the effective shear strength parameters (c’ and φ’) and the suction of the soil,
respectively, to compare to BST and FBST results.
Experimental observations indicate that the BST results and suction measurements in unsaturated
soil show that generally the BST friction angle and cohesion intercept increase with increasing suction.
However, the effect of suction on the cohesion intercept was much less pronounced. After flooding the
borehole with water, the friction angles dramatically decreased; they were much less than those obtained in
the unsaturated condition. As for FBST cohesion intercepts, they generally decreased slightly in
comparison to the BST results. Comparison with multistage triaxial tests (MTT) indicates that friction
angles from MTT were generally less than BST values but greater than FBST values. However, cohesion
intercepts were much greater than those obtained from both BSTs and FBSTs. Both standard and modified
BST shear plates were used for testing, and showed similar nonlinear behavior in the failure envelopes. The
modified shear plate results were in close agreement with φ and c from standard shear plates at low normal
stresses (less than 100 kPa) but slightly lower values were obtained for high normal stresses (above 100
kPa). In addition, for both BST and FBST the friction angles tended to decrease significantly above a
normal stress of 100 kPa. The results suggest that improper seating of the shear plates is not a problem and
the decrease in shear strength parameters at higher confining stresses may be due to decreases in suction
with increasing net normal stress.
Statistical analysis of data resulted in some correlations between friction angles obtained from the
various methods. Linear regression between φFBST and φBST for CL soil indicated a coefficient of
determination (r2) value of 0.84, which means that the model explains 84 % of the variability in φ obtained
from FBST. For CH soil the model explained 56 % of the variability in φ obtained from FBST. Data were
also checked for possible correlations between change in friction angle (∆φ) due to flooding and suction.
These correlations were strong when results from each site were considered separately. At the Airport Site,
the linear regression model indicates that almost 91 % of the variation in ∆φ is explained by the model. At
the I-35 Site the model explained 79 % of the ∆φ variation. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted
to test the utility of the models using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The F-
tests indicated that both models are significant and useful at 95 % confidence level. At Fears Site, ∆φ
doesn’t follow a clear trend with suction and is nearly constant. This inconsistent trend compared to other
sites may be explained by the variation of sand content from one depth to another. At low suction, higher
sand content is present in the corresponding soil.
This study has clearly showed that the suction has a significant influence on borehole shear test
results. Recommendations for conducting and interpreting BSTs in unsaturated soil are presented along
with recommendations for further research to improve these methods.