CEGB 333

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
CHAPTER 1: CRITICAL STATE SOIL MECHANICS
MISS INTAN NOR ZULIANA BINTI BAHARUDDIN

BN-3-009
EXT:2215
INTAN@UNITEN.EDU.MY

CONTENTS OF MODULE 2

Critical State Concept.

State Boundary Surface.
Critical State Line and Stress Paths.
Soil Yielding.

 Is used to interpret soil behaviour

The concept is that soil and other granular materials, if continuously
distorted and sheared until they flow as a frictional fluid, will come into a
well-defined critical state.

CRITICAL STATE THEORY

The particulate nature and porosity of soil leads to volume changes of
significant magnitude under compressive and shearing loading. In addition,
because of the wide range of permeabilities, the rate of volume change in
some sands is so fast as to be almost instantaneous, whereas in a clay I
could be 10 million times slower. It is therefore necessary to relate any
changes in stress state to the consequent short-term and long-term
changes in volume.

The parameter phi and c, evaluated from a stress-state analysis using the
Mohr-Coulomb criterion, are valid for a given soil only at a particular volume
and may vary considerably at different volumes. The undrained shear
strength, su is directly related to the water content of the soil.

 The critical state theory provides a unified model of soil behaviour in which
the stress state and volume states are interrelated. The concept was first
proposed in 1958 by Roscoe, Scholfield and Worth in a paper on the yielding
of soils and further work followed mainly in the University of Cambridge.

A model is proposed in which the soil will yield i.e. pass from purely elastic
to elasto-plastic behaviour, at a critical specific volume (vc = 1+ec).

Yielding or shear slipping is then considered to be occurring as the

combination of effective stress (1,2 ,3) and the specific volume (v)
coincides with a state boundary surface. This state boundary surface may be
seen as a three-dimensional analogue of a failure envelope such as the Mohr
Coulomb criterion.

Consider a series of a six triaxial compression tests on specimens of the same

normally consolidated clay in which pairs of specimens are consolidated to the
same value of isotropic stress (po) before the major principal stress is increased up
to the yield point. Figure 1 shows the stress paths for the six test in q/p space.

Consolidation stages: O>C1, O>C2, O>C3

Undrained specimens : O>U1, O>U2, O>U3
Drained specimens : O>D1, O>D2, O>D3

At respective yield points the stress paths each terminate on the same failure
envelope (qf = Mpf). However, during uniaxial stages of the drained tests a change
in volume takes place, whereas in the undrained tests the volume remains
constant.
For example a complete model of the stress-strain behaviour, therefore, changes in
volume associated with changes in stress must be incorporated.

 During consolidation under isotropic stress (po) the volume change path will
move along the normal consolidation line (NCL), as shown in Figure 1b. The
volume/stress paths are drawn in v/p space, where v= specific volume
(=1+e). The drained paths CD indicate a decrease in volume and the
undrained paths C indicate constant volume. The curve passing through
points U1, D1, U2, D2, U3 and D3 represents the failure criterion in v/p space
which is projection of the failure criterion in q/p space.

Figure 1: q/v/p plots of triaxial test results

 Thus Figure 1(a) and 1(b) are respectively an elevation and a plan of a threedimensional failure criterion line in q/v/p space: this is called the critical
state line (CSL).

The critical state line (CSL) is a curve drawn on a three dimensional state
boundary surface which represents the yielding of soil, i.e. it is the boundary
between elastic and plastic behaviour.

For convenience in mathematical interpretations the plan view of the CSL is

often shown as v/ln p (Fig 1 (c))

 The critical state model was developed using remoulded saturated clays, but
it may be assumed sufficiently representative of naturally occurring clays to
provide a generalised model of behaviour.

The defining equations and other relevant relationships must now be

established.

The CSL line is shown in a three-dimensional projection in Figure 2.

For analytical purposes it is convenient to use the q/p elevation and the v/ln
p plan.

Figure 2 : A three-dimensional projection of the critical state line

 The normal consolidation and swelling lines

for isotropic and one-dimensional
consolidation may be assumed parallel and
to have same slopes ( and ).

However, the intercepts of the specific

volume axis for one-dimensional
consolidation are lower (Fig 3) and are
parallel to compression curve drawn in e/log
p space.

Figure 3 : Consolidation and

swelling lines in v/ln p space

Figure 4: critical state line and stress paths for undrained loading on a
normally consolidated clay

 Referring to Fig 1, the families of CU and CD stress paths are seen to

have similar shapes.

These paths in fact traverse a three-dimensional surface whose boundaries

are the CSL and the NCL.

This is clearly part of the state boundary surface and is called Roscoe
surface. The position of the stress path on the Roscoe surface is determined
by the consolidation pressure (p0).

 In the case of lightly overconsolidated soil, the stress path will commence
on the swelling line at point (L) between the NCL and the CSL (figure 5), i.e.
at a volume greater than critical and at a moisture content wetter than
critical.

Under undrained loading, the path will be LD.

Figure 5: critical state plot for lightly overconsolidated soil

 A heavily overconsolidated soil will have been consolidated to a v/p point

on the swelling line below the CSL (point H in Figure 6). Under undrained
loading, with the volume remaining constant, the stress path will be HUH,
where UH is a point above the projection of the CSL passing through the
q/p origin.

After yielding, the stress path will continue with further straining along a
straight line (TS) to meet the CSL in S.

The critical state is only likely to be reached in part of the soil adjacent to
slip surfaces that may develop.

The greater the degree of overconsolidation, the greater is the strain

required to bring the soil to its critical state.

Figure 6: critical state plot for heavily overconsolidated soil

 Under undrained loading conditions heavily overconsolidated soil will

expand and the volume will continue to increase after yielding. The stress
path will be HDH, where DH is a failure point also on the TS line.

After yielding, the increase in volume causes the stresses to fall back to
residual value (RH) which may be on or below the projected CSL line. The
soil adjacent to slip planes will be affected to a much greater degree and will
thus become weaker.

The line TS therefore represents that part of the state boundary surface
which governs the yielding of heavily overconsolidated soils and is called the
Hvorslev surface.

The third part of the state boundary surface lies between O and T in the q/p
space. This represents the condition of zero tensile stress which is an
assumed limit for soils and is called the no tension cut-off. Fig 7 shows a q/p
constant volume section of the complete state boundary surface.

Figure 7: critical state boundary surface

Figure 8: three- dimensional critical state boundary surface

It is important to distinguish between the behaviour of normally consolidated and

overconsolidated soils. The stress paths for a normally consolidated soil will lie on
the Roscoe surface, whereas stress paths for overconsolidated soil lie below it and
progressively further way as the degree of consolidation increases.
In the case of overconsolidated soils, critical states are preceded by peak (and
other) states; the overconsolidation ratio has a significant effect on stress paths.
Normally consolidated soil the stress paths traverse the Roscoe surface to reach
the CSL at S.
With overconsolidation and so the stress paths start between E and C.
Lightly overconsolidated soils are less dense and wetter than critical and their
stress path (LS) reach the CSL from below.
Heavily overconsolidated soils are more dense and drier than critical and their
stress paths commence between O and E before curving slightly in the opposite
direction as they rise toward Hvorslev surface. They then follow the Hvorslev
surface if straining continues undrained or fall back slightly when drained.

It is important to recognise the three significant stress states in the case of

heavily overconsolidated soils. The peak stress shear is reached when the
stress path reaches the Hvorslev surface, whereas the critical stress occurs
at the CSL.

After large strains, especially along slip surfaces, the ield stress state will fall
back to a lower residual value.