Abstract
For coarse material fill standardized laboratory shear tests are unsuitable for the determination of shear strength due to the particle size problem. This paper presents an extrapolation method for shear strength of a coarse material fill from laboratory shear tests performed on smaller grain samples. Experimental work consisted of three series of box shear tests, and triaxial compression tests on samples of various grain sizes with the same degree of density (Dc) at the site. Shear strength at the site was evaluated by applying the “extrapolation method”, and compared with data obtained from field direct shear tests. It shows that strength evaluated based on the laboratory tests show almost equivalent strength, or a little less strength than observed field strength. The result from this study proved that shear strength of a coarse material fill could be estimated from a series of standardized laboratory shear tests.
