Abstract
Normalized undrained shear strengths from direct simple shear (DSS) tests conducted on 50 different clays are compared with strengths determined from triaxial shear tests. The DSS strength is typically observed to be an intermediate strength between triaxial compression and extension. Normally consolidated and overconsolidated data are included in the study. Numerous important factors were not considered including : strain rate, sensitivity, different laboratories, sampling disturbance, and others. Nevertheless, approximate trends are observed between DSS strengths and data from companion triaxial compression and triaxial extension tests.
