Behavior of Shear Zone by Improved Direct Shear Test

개선된 직접전단시험을 이용한 전단영역의 거동

Shear behavior of granular soils largely affects the safety and stability of underground and earth structures. This study presents the characteristics of shear zone in a direct shear test using shear wave and electrical resistivity measurements. An innovative direct shear box made of transparent acrylic material has been developed to prevent direct electric current. Bender elements and electrical resistivity probe are embedded in the wall of direct shear box to estimate the shear wave velocities and the electrical resistivity at the shear and non-shear zones. Experimental results show that the void ratio and shear wave velocity at shear zone increase during shearing while the values remain constant at non-shear zone. The results demonstrate correlation among the contact force, small strain shear modulus, and void ratio at shear zone. This study suggests that the application of the modified direct shear box including shear wave and electrical resistivity measurements may become an effective tool for analyzing soil behavior at shear zone.