NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING: CIVIL ENGINEERING
COURSE: GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

CODE: GET710S

LAB REPORT: SHEAR BOX EXPERIMENT

SUBMISSION DATE: 27/04/2016

STUDENT NAME: NATANGWE HITIWA

212018280

LECTURER: MR. DAVID P. KATALE

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 1
1

OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................ 1
EQUIPMENT................................................................................................................. 1
PROCEDURES............................................................................................................. 1
RESULTS..................................................................................................................... 2
Specimen data........................................................................................................ 2
Shearing Data......................................................................................................... 3
DISCUSSION................................................................................................................ 8
Shear Stress versus Shear Displacement graphs....................................................8
Vertical Displacement versus Horizontal Displacement...........................................9
Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 9

INTRODUCTION
Most of the civil works take require soil or ground as a supporting structure to the
structure being constructed. This support originates from the friction between the
soil particles on the soil. Inadequate friction or shear of the soil grains will result in
the failure of the soil therefore failing the structure itself. Shear failure is therefore a
major problem in the whole spectrum of civil engineering thus for it to be alleviated
or avoided at all a thorough study on the type of shear that could affect the
structure has to be done prior to the construction commences. This is usually done
by contacting an investigation of the material at the site to be constructed or those
to be used in the construction process. A good quality material to better support a
building has to have a good cohesion among its particles therefore having a higher
tolerance to shearing. Laboratory test for shear on the soil is done using the shear
box apparatus that gives data that would be analyzed to give the cohesion of the
soil and the failure stress.

OBJECTIVES
Determining the shear strength properties of a drained soil sample.

EQUIPMENT

Shearing box machine

Loads of 2kg, 4kg and 8kg
Balance scale
Soil sample
Vernier Calipers

PROCEDURES
The mass of the soil sample was obtained by weighing and recording the mass of an
empty container and then adding in the soil.
2

 The dimension of the shear box, shear and porous plates were measured using the
Vernier calipers and recorded.
After the base plate was placed in the box, the porous plate, then the shear base
plates were placed into the shear box and the measured soil sample poured in until
above the base of the top of the shearing section of the shear box while the box was
held in place by screws.
The top of the soil was levelled and the shearing plate and the porous plate were
added at the top of the soil.
The cover was added and the complete setup of the shear box was placed in the
shearing machine.
The remaining soil in the pan was measured and recorded.
The shear box was positioned and fastened on to the machine and the pulley
system straightened and aligned.
The horizontal and the shear displacement gauges were put to zero while the
vertical displacement gauge set to 5.2
The alignment screws on the shear box were removed before the load was released
and the vertical displacement / consolidation started.
The mass of 2 kg was gently released on the hanger of the pulley system and a
stopwatch started simultaneously.
Vertical displacements were recorded at different time intervals during the process.
After the vertical displacement ceased to change, the machine was then started up
to shear the soil after the initial consolidation.
The vertical, horizontal and shear force readings were recorded at different time
intervals during the test.
When there was no more change in the horizontal displacement, the machine was
reversed and the process repeated for the 4 and 8 kg masses.

RESULTS
Specimen data
Mass of soil
Specimen Number
Initial mass disturbed
soil g
Mass of soil remaining
g
Mass of specimen
g

1
717.5

2
780.0

3
757.0

497.5

453.5

490.5

220.0

326.5

266.5

Measured dimensions of the shear box

Specimen
Number
1

Length1
(mm)
100

Length2
(mm)
100

Depth of specimen
(mm)
16
2

Area
(mm2)
10 000

Specimen Number
Top of box to top of baseplate (h1)
mm
Top of box to top of porous plate
(h2) mm
Combined thickness of plates (tp)
mm
Specimen thickness H0 = h1 (h2 +
tp) mm

1
45

2
45

3
45

11

10

18

18

18

16

17

20

Volume of the soilthe=l x b x w

16 x 100 x 100

160 000 mm3

Therefore

Density=

mass
volume

220 g
160 000 mm3

1.375 x 103 g /m m3

Shearing Data
2 kg
Time
(min)

Elaps
ed
Time
(min)

0
0.5

0
15

16

1.5

21

Force
Readi
ng

0
0.059
5
0.063
5
0.083
3

Shear
Stres
s kPa

Horizontal
Displacement

Vertical Displacement

0
5.95

Measured
mm
0
0.15

Cumulati
ve mm
0
0.15

Reading
mm
9.322
9.322

Cumulati
ve mm
0
0

6.35

0.5

0.65

9.3

0.022

8.33

0.74

1.39

9.276

0.046

23

39.55

42.06

43.5

10

46

11

46.2

12

45.8

15

45

20

44.9

0.091
2
0.156
7
0.166
6
0.172
6
0.182
5
0.183
3
0.181
7
0.178
5
0.178
1

9.12

2.39

9.228

0.094

15.67

2.8

5.19

8.814

0.508

16.66

3.4

8.59

8.81

0.512

17.26

12.59

8.808

0.514

18.25

5.8

18.39

8.816

0.506

18.33

6.4

24.79

8.816

0.506

18.17

6.95

31.74

8.816

0.506

17.85

8.78

40.52

8.79

0.532

17.81

11.7

52.22

8.738

0.584

Stress VS Horizontal Displacement

20
18
16
14
12

Stress (kPa)

10
8
6
4
2
0

10

Horizontal Displacement (mm)

12

14

Verstical Displacement VS Horizontal Displacement

0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4

Vertical Dispalcement (mm)

0.3
0.2
0.1
0

10

12

14

Horizontal Displacement (mm)

Shearing results for the 4kg weight

Time
(min)

Elapse
d
Time
(min)

Force
Readin
g

Shear
Stress
kPa

Horizontal
Displacement
Measured Cumulati
mm
ve mm

Vertical
Displacement
Reading
Cumulati
ve mm

0
0.5
1
1.5
2
5
6
7
10
11
12
15
20

0
12
26
34
40
65
68.5
77
77
78
78.5
78
74

0
0.0476
0.1031
0.1349
0.1587
0.2579
0.2717
0.3055
0.3055
0.3094
0.3114
0.3094
0.2936

0
4.76
10.31
13.49
15.87
25.79
27.17
30.55
30.55
30.94
31.14
30.94
29.36

0
0.2
0.5
0.85
1.1
2.9
3.48
4.1
5.9
6.45
7.1
8.9
11.9

6.712
6.718
6.65
6.59
6.336
5.996
5.984
5.962
5.948
5.936
5.93
5.9
5.842

0
0.2
0.7
1.55
2.65
5.55
9.03
13.13
19.03
25.48
32.58
41.48
53.38

0.000
-0.006
0.062
0.122
0.376
0.716
0.728
0.75
0.764
0.776
0.782
0.812
0.870

Shear Stress vs Horizontal Displacement for 4 kg

35
30
25
20

Shear Stress kPa

15
10
5
0

10

12

14

Horizontal displacement mm

Vertical Displacement VS Horizontal Displacement

1
0.8
0.6

Vertical Displacement (mm)

0.4
0.2
0

10

-0.2

Horizontal Displacement (mm)

12

14

For the 8 kg mass

Time
(min)

0
0.5
1
1.5
2
5
6
7
10
11
12
15
20
25

Elapsed
Time
(min)

Force
Reading

0
35
53
67
79
120
130
134
139.5
140
141
149
154
149

0
0.1388
0.2103
0.2658
0.3134
0.4760
0.5157
0.5316
0.5534
0.5554
0.5593
0.5911
0.6109
0.5911

Shear
Stress
kPa
0.00
13.88
21.03
26.58
31.34
47.60
51.57
53.16
55.34
55.54
55.93
59.11
61.09
59.11

Horizontal Displacement
Measured
mm
0
0.25
0.3
0.85
1.15
2.95
3.5
4.1
5.9
6.52
7.15
8.9
11.9
13.6

Cumulative
mm
0
0.2
0.5
1.35
2.5
5.45
8.95
13.05
18.95
25.47
32.62
41.52
53.42
67.02

Vertical
Displacement
Readin
Cumulativ
g mm
e mm
8.660
0
8.640
0.02
8.570
0.09
8.330
0.33
8.300
0.36
8.020
0.64
8.020
0.64
8.028
0.632
8.022
0.638
8.010
0.65
7.996
0.664
7.950
0.71
7.666
0.994
7.610
1.05

Shear stress kPa vs Horizontal displacement mm for the 8 kg mass

70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00

Shear Stress kPa

30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00

10

Horizontal Displacement mm

12

14

16

Vertical Displacement VS Horizontal Displacement

1.2
1
0.8

Vertical Displacement (mm)

0.6
0.4
0.2
0

10

12

14

16

Horizontal Displacement (mm)

The normal stress exerted on a sample can be calculated using the Coulomb
Envelope equation:

Normal stress=

Normal force
Lever factor
Cross sectional area of the specimen

Using a lever factor of 10, the normal stress from the 2 kg mass:
2 X 9.81
X 10=19.67 kN /m2
0.01

For the 4Kg mass:

For the 8Kg mass:

Mass (kg)
2
4

4 X 9.81
X 10=39.24 kN /m2
0.01

8 X 9.81
X 10=78.48 kN /m2
0.01
Maximum Shear Stress
(kPa)
18.33
31.14
8

Normal Stress (kPa)

19.67
39.24

61.09

78.48

Shear Stress at failure VS Normal stress

70
60

f(x) = 0.77x + 1.33

50
40

Shear Stress at failure (kPa)

30
20
10
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Normal Stress (kPa)

Therefore, from the graph, friction angle for the failure envelope:

=tan1 (0.7661)
=37.5

DISCUSSION
Shear Stress versus Shear Displacement graphs
From the shear (horizontal) displacement versus shear stress graphs, it is evident
that the soil sample is of the dense sand type. This can be seen from the pattern of
the graphs were by the shear stress increases to a maximum value and then falls
again as the shear displacement increases. This condition will be expected in dense
sandy soils as the sand grains would slide over each other therefore resulting in the
type of graph.

Vertical Displacement versus Horizontal Displacement

The change in the height of the sample to the change in the horizontal
displacement implies a soil sample of a dense sandy type too. This can be seen
from the initial dip in the graphs at the beginning of the graph and the later
increase in the graph. This implies that there was an initial compression during the
experiment by which the soil grains fell in the spacing in-between the grains
therefore decreasing the volume.

The internal friction angle of 37.5

soils of 35

also falls within the range for dense sandy

38 .

Conclusion
Although the direct shear test is a simple test to perform, one of its short comings is
that the soil sample is sheared along a predetermined surface and not in the natural
weakest surface the soil would have failed normally. This distorts the results of the
experiment into presumed results. Results could also have been affected by the fact
that the shear force distribution has not been uniformly distributed all over the soil
sample as the soil is being sheared.

10