Effect of Sample Size on Shear Strength Parameters of a Residual Soil

this paper describes an experimental investigation on the effect of sample size on shear strength parameters of a malaysia residual soil. The true strains developed in the conventional triaxial loading system may be masked by deflections, which originate in the compliance of the loading system and loading measuring system. Such equipment compliancd errors add to a variety of samples bedding effects to give a poor definition of the stress-strain behaviour of the material stiffness far lower than those inferred from field behaviour. triaxial tests on 38mm. 50mm,100mm and 150mm diameter soil samples were carried out in a computer-controlled virtual infinite stiffness (VIS) axial loading equipment. VIS is a unique axial loading system whereby to the observer the axial loading system appears to have infinite stiffness to minimize the compliance errors occur in the conventional triaxial testing system. the effect of sample size using the VIS traxial system on the shear strength parameters of a reconstituted residual soil is presented and discussed.