Pocket Shear Vane Tester

The H-4212MH Pocket Shear Vane Tester provides a quick and efficient method for determining shear strength values of cohesionless soils.

The Pocket Shear Vane is widely used for taking on-site measurements of excavations, including trenches and test pits. It is also used for taking readings from thin-wall or split core soil samples. It can also be used in the laboratory for evaluations. The device is widely used by Safety and OSHA Inspectors, Back Hoe Operators, Field Testing Technicians, Consulting Engineers, etc.

Typical applications for this test include:

• Determining wall integrity of test pits and trenches;
• Readings from Shelby tube and other thin-wall and split core sampling methods;
• Readings of chunk samples pits, trenches and excavations.

The Pocket Shear Vane can be used to gather a large number of readings including those from different failure planes without the need to prepare and trim samples. The device can be used on any reasonably flat surface that is slightly larger than the vane surface being used.

The Pocket Shear Vane can be used with fully-saturated, fine-grained soils with an undrained strength independent of normal pressure, including a wide range of clays from soft to stiff consistency.

Readings can be made from 0 to 1.0 TSF (1 Kg/cm2). The dial on the unit reads in 0.05 TSF (0.05 Kg/cm2) increments. While the Pocket Shear Vane does provide a good indication of shear values and has a very good correlation between its readings and those of an unconfined compression test, readings are dependent on many factors, including operator methods, rate of load, progressive failure, plane orientation, varying moisture levels, etc. Care and consistency of method should be considered when performing the test. And, where precise measurements are required additional lab tests should be conducted