Shear test

[killswitchengage]

Hi
One friend of mine brought a question to me about the shear test apparatus . He asked why the load applied to the soil specimen via the load hanger system turn out to be 10 times greater then the actual force introduced using the plates ? in other words does the leaver arm multiply the load or is there a configuration in the apparatus that does ?
sorry for my English

 

[oldestguy]

One way to get a significant load on a test sample is with a lever system requiring less dead weights.

 

[killswitchengage]

that's obvious but from did the 10 times multiplication came from ?

 

[EireChch]

isnt it just that the leaver arm transfers it to a smaller area than the plates occupy hence you get increase force / confining pressure?

 

[morecoffeeplz]

Lever arm loading devices have a beam ratio. The one to which you refer must have a beam ratio of 10. Mass of load X beam ratio / area of specimen should equal the normal stress.