Direct shear testing of interfaces in unsaturated soil

摘要

A commercially available direct shear device was modified to test unsaturated soil and interfaces under controlled suction and net normal stress. Modifications included adding equipment for control of pore air and pore water pressure as well as constructing new shear boxes to accommodate soil and interface testing. The design and construction of the device are presented along with results of performance tests and typical interface test results. The results demonstrate the successful implementation of the device.