Slope stability analyses in stiff fissured clays

Results of torsional ring shear, direct shear, and triaxial compression tests on cohesive soils reveal that the fully softened shear strength is stress-dependent and related to the type of clay mineral and quantity of clay-size particles. An empirical relationship for the fully softened friction angle is presented that is a function of liquid limit, clay-size fraction, and effective normal stress. Studies of first-time slides, i.e., slopes that have not undergone previous sliding, in stiff fissured clay with a liquid limit between 41 and 130% suggest that the mobilized shear strength along the failure surface can be lower than the fully softened shear strength. Recommendations are presented for estimating the mobilized shear strength in first-time slides based on soil plasticity. Soils with a liquid limit greater than 30% exhibit a large difference between the fully softened and residual friction angles. In these soils, the presence or absence of a pre-existing shear surface should be clarified.