Unit 1 - Shear Strength - Principals

College of Engineering
Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
Foundation Engineering I (CVEN 330) – Fall 2023

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals
Dr. Hisham T. Eid
Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 1 Eid, H.T.
Shear Strength of Soil – Principals
Soils, like most solid materials, fail either in tension or in shear. In most engineering
problems, only the resistance to failure by shear requires consideration. Shear failure
starts along a surface in a mass of soil when a critical combination of shearing stress
(τ ) and effective normal stress ( n) is reached. The shearing stress of such combination
'
would be equal to, or greater than, the shearing resistance or shear strength of soil to
that surface ( s ). Shear stresses in soil masses are mainly developed due to having one
of the following loading conditions:
Direct shear mode Indirect shear mode
Loading conditions that generate shear stresses in soil masses (note:  1' and  3' are the effective major and minor principal stresses)

Soil masses in at-rest condition (i.e., case of no
external loading or excavation) experience indirect
shear because of having a difference in magnitude
between the major and minor principal stresses.
However, such difference is not high enough to cause
shear failure (i.e., τ < s ).
Principal stresses on
soil at rest
In at-rest condition:
 1' =  γ h
 3' = ko  1'
where: ko = Cofficient of earth pressure at rest
υ
(υ = Poisson's ratio)
1- υ
Siméon Denis Poisson
1781-1840

Failure occurs when the difference between  1' and  3' increases (e.g., by
increasing the major principal stress or decreasing the minor principal stress)
to an extent that allows for developing shear stress that is equal to or higher
than the shear strength of soil. The following demonstrates different patterns
of indirect shear failures in soil masses.
Failure in embankments or soil slopes (rotational failure)

Failure in retaining walls
Foundation bearing capacity failure

Direct Shear also causes failure when the imposed shear stress (τ ) is equal to,
or greater than, the soil shear strength ( s ) or the soil interface shear strength
(si , maximum shear strength that can be developed along the soil/other material
interface). The following demonstrates different conditions in which direct
shear stresses are developed.
Slope translational failure

Friction along pile shafts (soil/concrete interface)
Friction along reinforcement elements in reinforced earth walls (soil/galvanized steel interface)

Friction along the grouted part of wall tieback anchors (soil/grouted concrete interface)
Friction along components of landfill cover or liner systems (soil/geomembrane, soil geotextile or geomembrane/geotextile interfaces)

Friction along the onshore and offshore coated pipes (soil/coating material interface)
It should be noted that the soil interface shear strength ( si ) is usually determined
as a function of the soil shear strength (s ) as well as the type and roughness of the
interface material (concrete, steel, textile, membrane….etc.). Fundamentally,
failure of soil in shear can be studied using the principals of Engineering
Mechanics. For example, Mohr’s rupture diagram can be drawn for loaded soil
specimen as shown on the following diagram.

From the geometry of the diagram:
Normal stress on failure plane =  n' =

2
(
1 '
 1 +  3)
'
+
2
(
1 '
 1 −  3' ) cos 2
Shear stress on failure plane = shear strength of soil = s = ( 1' −  3' ) sin 2
1
2
 = angle of failure plane to the direction of the plane of the major principal stress
Note: the at-rest condition for soil can be represented on the diagram by a circle
(nonfailure circle) with a radius smaller than that of the failure circle.

A series of failure circles can be drawn for the same soil (say using several lab
tests). Radius of failure circles increases with increasing the magnitude of the
minor principal stresses ( 3 ) , i.e., larger difference between the principal
'
stresses ( 1' −  3' ) would be needed to cause shear failure. One point on the
perimeter of each of these failure circles represents the stress condition (pair
of  n and t ) on the failure plane (i.e., t = s). The curve (line) that passes
'
through these points (i.e., the tangent of all failure circles) is called the rupture
line or the shear strength envelope. By definition, any point located below
such envelope represents the stress condition on a nonfailure plane. The
envelope is unique for each soil as it is the locus of points that represent stress
conditions (pairs of  n' and s ) on failure planes developed in such soil when
failed under different principal stresses.
Shear Strength of Soil - Principals- 11 Eid, H.T.
In general, the rupture line or the shear strength envelope, for a soil, tested under a given set of
conditions, is curved. However, a segment of the curve may be approximated by a straight line
with the equation:
s = c +  n' tan 
Where: s = Shearing resistance or shearing strength
 n' = effective normal stress on the failure plane
c = apparent cohesion or cohesion intercept
 = friction angle or angle of internal friciton (note: tan  is called the friction coefficient)

c and  are called “the shear strength parameters” and the last expression is
known as Coulomb’s equation. The failure criterion followed to develop such
expression are in agreement with the findings presented by Mohr i.e., t = f ( n' )  and
Coulomb i.e., s −  n' relationship is approximately linear  for materials failing in shear.
As a result, It is generally known as Mohr- Coulomb failure criterion.
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb Christian Otto Mohr

1736-1806 1835-1918

Note that: - c is not a true cohesion and just used to have a simple equation.
Shear strength envelope should go to the origin of the t −  
plot unless we have cemented soil.

-  = 45 +
2
 The expression of  n' and s can be rewritten to be as:
1 1
 n' = ( 1' +  3' ) − ( 1' −  3' ) sin 
2 2
1
s = ( 1' −  3' ) cos 
2

Numerical Example:
Determine the value of the effective major principal stress ( 1' ) to be coupled with
a minor stress ( 3' ) of 25 kPa to cause shear failure in a specimen of soil the shear
strength of which can be expressed, in the applied stress range, by c = 7 kPa and
 = 18.
Solution
Given:  3' = 25 kPa Required:  1'

c = 7 kPa
 = 18
We have three equations: s = c +  n' tan 
1 1
 n' = ( 1' +  3' ) − ( 1' −  3' )sin 
2 2
1
s = ( 1' −  3' )cos 
2
and three unknowns:  1' ,  n' , s
Solution (Continued)
Solving for the three unknowns results in:
 1' = 66.6 kPa
 n' = 39.4 kPa
s = 19.8 kPa
Note: this problem can also be solved graphically as shown below

Unit 1 - Shear Strength - Principals

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College of Engineering

Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering

Foundation Engineering I (CVEN 330) – Fall 2023

Direct shear mode Indirect shear mode

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 2 Eid, H.T.

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 3 Eid, H.T.

Failure in embankments or soil slopes (rotational failure)

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 4 Eid, H.T.

Foundation bearing capacity failure

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 5 Eid, H.T.

Slope translational failure

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 6 Eid, H.T.

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 7 Eid, H.T.

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 8 Eid, H.T.

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 9 Eid, H.T.

Normal stress on failure plane =  n' =

Shear Strength of Soil – Principals - 10 Eid, H.T.

Shear Strength of Soil - Principals- 12 Eid, H.T.

Charles-Augustin de Coulomb Christian Otto Mohr

Shear Strength of Soil - Principals- 13 Eid, H.T.

Shear Strength of Soil - Principals- 14 Eid, H.T.

Given:  3' = 25 kPa Required:  1'

Note: this problem can also be solved graphically as shown below

Shear Strength of Soil - Principals- 16 Eid, H.T.

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