SEDL / STP / STP599-EB / STP39074S

Trimming Device for Obtaining Direct Shear Specimens from Samples of Stiff Fissured Clay Shale

Durham, GN
Research civil engineer, Mobility and Environmental Systems Laboratory, U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss.

Pages: 6    Published: Jan 1976

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Abstract

A device has been developed at the U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station for obtaining direct shear specimens of hard, brittle soils, the use of which has resulted in a reduction in man-hours for specimen preparation from 3 or 4 h to 50 or 60 min per specimen. This device, which has proved to be superior to any previous apparatus used for obtaining direct shear specimens of such soils, is fitted to the base of a commercially available unconfined compression apparatus of the hand-operated type. Samples found untrimmable heretofore can now be tested, because a sample is held rigidly during trimming operations, and the time of exposure to air drying (and subsequent deterioration) has been reduced substantially.