Influence of silt content on shear strength of sandy soil

Abstract

Direct shear tests were carried out on silt standard sand specimens with four silt contents of 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% under three conditions of average maximum dry density, optimal moisture content and saturation, respectively. The effects of different contents and different states on internal friction angle and cohesion of sand specimens were studied. It is found that the internal friction angle and cohesion increase with the increase of silt content under the condition of average maximum dry density and optimal water content, and with the increase of silt content, the internal friction angle decreases and the cohesion increases in saturated state.