1.4 - Shear Failure under Foundation Load
Enroll to start learning
You’ve not yet enrolled in this course. Please enroll for free to listen to audio lessons, classroom podcasts and take practice test.
Practice Questions
Test your understanding with targeted questions
What is shear strength in soils?
💡 Hint: Think about how soil behaves when pressure is applied.
What is cohesion?
💡 Hint: Consider how glue works to hold papers together.
4 more questions available
Interactive Quizzes
Quick quizzes to reinforce your learning
What is the main purpose of shear strength in soils?
💡 Hint: Think about how soil holds up under heavy structures.
True or False: Shear failure occurs only in saturated soil.
💡 Hint: Consider different soil types and water interactions.
Get performance evaluation
Challenge Problems
Push your limits with advanced challenges
A civil engineer needs to build a wall on sandy soil with a cohesion of 4 kPa and an internal friction angle of 25 degrees. What precautions should be considered regarding shear strength?
💡 Hint: Consider how the soil might shift under pressure.
Design a foundation for a structure weighing 200 kN on clay that has a cohesion of 10 kPa. Assuming an angle of internal friction of 20 degrees, calculate the required area of the foundation base to prevent shear failure.
💡 Hint: Think about how applied load translates to stress over an area.
Get performance evaluation
Reference links
Supplementary resources to enhance your learning experience.