Abstract
The article considers a plane shear device for conducting studies of the strength properties of coarse-grained soil, provides a methodology for conducting experiments and processing experimental data. It was revealed that a decrease in the strength of coarse-grained soil occurs with an increase in its stress state. At the same time, in order to ensure uniformity of the strength properties of the structure, it is necessary to strive for uniform soil laying in different zones of the dam body. It has been established that a change in the strength properties of coarse-grained soil, depending on the fractional composition of the stone with the same degree of compaction, is possible only by increasing the gearing coefficient.