Direct Shear Test

1
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• The friction between the earth and the reinforcement
is the essential phenomena in the earth reinforcement.
• The traction forces developed within the soil are
being transmitted to the reinforcement by means of
soil-reinforcement interface friction.
• Due to this soil-reinforcement interaction, the
composite mass behaves as if it possessed in the
direction of reinforcement, a cohesion proportional to
the resistance of reinforcement to tension.

2
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• In order to determine the coefficient of soil-
reinforcement interface friction, normally two types
test are performed
– Direct shear box using soil and reinforcing
material also known as sliding shear test
– Pull-out tests on reinforcement buried either within
the embankment of soil or within a reinforced soil
wall.
• In sliding shear test, sliding of soil mass over
stationary reinforcement takes place and in pull-out
test the reinforcement is pulled out of stationary soil
mass. 3
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• In sliding shear test, the soil movement is
minimum at the interface, since movement of
soil is restrained by reinforcement and
increases with the distance away from it.

4
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• In case of pull-out test, the soil movement at
the interface will be maximum, since soil resist
the movement of reinforcement and reduces
away from it.
Reinforcement

5
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• In case of pull-out test, the soil movement at
the interface will be maximum, since soil resist
the movement of reinforcement and reduces
away from it.
Reinforcement

6
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• Keeping in view relative movement of soil and
reinforcement, it can be suggested that apparent
coefficient of friction obtained from pull out test
should be used in case of reinforced earth retaining
wall, since at the time of friction failure, the
reinforcement is pulled out of stationary soil mass.

7
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• Similar in the case of footing placed on loose
to medium sand reinforced with flexible
reinforcement where punching shear will occur
causing reinforcement pull out.

8
 Soil-Reinforcement Interface Friction
• Values of coefficient of friction, obtained from
sliding shear test can be used for designing of
footing rest on dense sand reinforced with stiff
reinforcement where soil slides past the
reinforcement.

9
 Sliding Shear Test
• Sliding shear test was used to determine the
coefficient of sliding friction   tan  , being the
angle of internal friction between soil and
reinforcing material.
• Test may be carried out in the direct shear box 6
cm x 6 cm or in a box of larger size.
• The reinforcing material is pasted on the wooden
block of the size of the box and is fixed in the
lower half of the shear box such that the
reinforcing material lies along the failure plane.
10
 Sliding Shear Test
• The upper half of the box is filled in with soil
at desired density. A typical set up is shown in
the figure.

11
 Sliding Shear Test
• A normal load (N) is applied to the sample and
is held constant during the test.
• A gradually increasing horizontal load (F) at
constant rate of strain is then applied to the
upper part of the box.
• The horizontal displacement (HD) of the
sample is noted at regular interval of the
application of horizontal shear load.

12
 Sliding Shear Test
• A plot is made between shear stress (F/A) and
shear strain (HD/B), A and B are respectively
the area of cross section and width of the
sample.
• From the plot shear stress at failure is
obtained. The test is repeated for varying
levels of normal stress (σn=N/A) and in each
case corresponding shear stress at failure (τf) is
obtained.
13
14
 Pull-Out Test
• Pull out test are performed to obtain the value
of coefficient of apparent friction, f*.
• These tests may be performed in a model,
prototype or full scale reinforced soil walls.
• In these test, reinforcing strips are pulled out
from the wall, and for each strip a plot is made
between pull-out load and corresponding
displacement.
• From this plot, maximum pull-out load is
obtained 15
 Pull-Out Test
• The coefficient of apparent friction, f*

16
 Pull-Out Test
• The coefficient of apparent friction, f* given
by equation does not take into account actual
distribution of normal stress exerted on the
reinforcement but the mean value of
overburden stress i.e (gZ+q)
• The coefficient, f* is complex function of
number of parameters e.g height of soil above
reinforcement, length and width of reinforcing
element, the surface condition of the
reinforcement and density of the soil
17
18