SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1988
STP29103S

Effects of Sampling Disturbance on Shear Strength of Glacial Till and Compacted Fill

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Shear strength tests employing back pressure saturation, isotropic consolidation, and pore pressure measurements in the triaxial chamber are routinely used in the evaluation of landfill sites, deep excavations, earth dams, and highway embankments. Continuous soil sampling using a 1.5-m (5-ft) long split-barrel sampler and hollow-stem augers has proved to be highly efficient in sampling predominantly cohesive soils and cohesive fills. Whereas sampling with thin-walled tubes, ASTM D 1587, has been recognized as providing essentially undisturbed samples, experience with the split-barrel continuous sampler system indicates that visually it will yield equally undisturbed samples and provide better recovery in cohesive fills and extremely hard soils.

A comparative laboratory testing program was undertaken to investigate the differences in shear strength between samples of a glacial till obtained in accordance with the ASTM Method for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of Soils (D 1587), samples carved from blocks, and samples obtained with the continuous split-barrel sampler. These three sampling systems were used to obtain samples from the same strata of saturated glacial till. Zones of carefully monitored compacted clay fill were also sampled using the thin-walled tube sampler and the continuous split-barrel sampler. The factors affecting sample disturbance and the results of a limited testing program are discussed.

Author Information

Dietzler, DP
Patrick Engineering Inc., Glen Ellyn, IL
Moose, DA
Patrick Engineering Inc., Glen Ellyn, IL
Schuh, JC
Patrick Engineering Inc., Glen Ellyn, IL
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Details
Developed by Committee: D18
Pages: 628–641
DOI: 10.1520/STP29103S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5048-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0983-4