Preliminary report on a new method for determining the shear strength of a soil surface - the resin plate method

Abstract

The proposed method consists of pouring a thin layer of resin onto the soil surface. This impregnates the soil to approx. 2 mm regardless of moisture content. The resultant rigid plate of resin and soil is detached from the soil beneath by applying a horizontal stress. Results for three sands and one soil are compared with those from the torsional shear box method. The method is quick, inexpensive and the results are highly reproducible. The implications of the method are discussed.