To determine the unconfined compression test of soil.
It is not always possible to conduct the bearing capacity test in the field. Sometimes it is cheaper to take the undisturbed soil sample and test its strength in the laboratory. Also to choose the best material for the embankment, one has to conduct strength tests on the samples selected. Under these conditions it is easy to perform the unconfined compression test on undisturbed and remoulded soil sample.
The test is conducted as per IS 2720-10 (1991): Methods of test for soils, Part 10: Determination of unconfined compressive strength [CED 43: Soil and Foundation Engineering]. The test is performed on a cylindrical sample with a height to diameter ratio of 2: 1. The sample is placed between the plates of a mechanical load frame without any covering or lateral support. Load and deformation readings are noted until the failure of the sample or a strain of 20%, whichever is smaller.
The unconfined compression test is by far the most popular method of soil shear testing because it is one of the fastest and cheapest methods of measuring shear strength. The method is used primarily for saturated, cohesive soils recovered from thin-walled sampling tubes. The unconfined compression test is in appropriate for dry sands or crumbly clays because the materials would fall apart without some land of lateral confinement.
The unconfined compression test is by far the most popular method of soil shear testing because it is one of the fastest and cheapest methods of measuring shear strength. The method is used primarily for saturated, cohesive soils recovered from thin-walled sampling tubes. The unconfined compression test is in appropriate for dry sands or crumbly clays because the materials would fall apart without some land of lateral confinement.