Abstract
In researches of surface failures sliding at about one meter depth, it is necessary to take the variation of shear strength factors with depth into consideration and analyse the slope stability by measuring shear strength at each depth under the confining pressure corresponding to the depth.
We designed a new handy direct shear apparatus suitable for low normal stresses as that of about one meter depth, and applied it to some actual surface failures on the basis of the mentioned-above idea.
This apparatus is very compact and light in weight, therefore, we can take it in field and test soils observing the situations of soil layers, sampling and samples, which are very important for researches of unhomogeneous natural slopes.
The analyses of slope stability in use of this apparatus gave appropriate results to both of a surface failure in the Iwakura district of Kyoto (Chichibu paleozoic groups) and surface failures in Mt. Hiei (weathered granite).
