FCE - 15: Geotechnical Engineering 9. A soil sample with a grain specific gravity of 2.

67 was filled
Semi-Final/Final Examination in a 1000 ml container in the loosest possible state and the
dry weight of the sample was found to be 14.75 N. It was
1. A soil sample weighs 14.46 N and has a volume of then filled at the densest state obtainable and the weight
0.000991 m3. The specific gravity is 2.65. The volume of air is was found to be 17.70 N. The void ratio of the soil in the
0.000167 m3. Find the dry unit weight of the original soil natural state was 0.63. Determine the density index in the
sample (kN/m3). natural state.

2. Soil solids have a specific gravity of 2.71. Find the unit 10. In a specific gravity test with pycnometer, the following
weight of the solids in SI units. observed readings are available:
Weight of the empty pycnometer = 7.50 N
3. A mold having a volume of 0.10 ft 3 was filled with moist Weight of pycnometer + dry soil = 17.30 N
soil. The weight of the soil in the mold was found to be 12.00 Weight of pycnometer + dry soil + water filling the remaining
lb. The soil was oven-dried and the weight after drying was volume = 22.45 N
10.50 lb. The specific gravity if solids was known to be 2.70. Weight of pycnometer + water = 16.30 N
a. Determine the water content Determine the specific gravity of the soil solids, ignoring the
b. Find the void ratio effect of temperature.
c. Find the porosity
d. Find the degree of saturation 11. The Atterberg limits of clay soil are: Liquid limit = 75%;
e. Find the total weight (lb/ft3) Plastic limit = 45%; and Shrinkage limit = 25%. If a sample of
f. Find the dry unit weight (lb/ft3) this soil has a volume of 30 cm 3 at the liquid limit and a
volume 16.6 cm3 at the shrinkage limit:
4. One cubic meter of wet soil weighs 19.80 kN. If the specific a. Determine the specific gravity of solids
gravity of soil particles is 2.70 and water content is 11%: b. Determine the shrinkage ratio
a. Find the void ratio c. Determine the volumetric shrinkage
b. Find the dry unit weight (kN/m3)
c. Find the degree of saturation 12. A liquid limit test conducted on a soil sample in the cup
device gave the following result:
5. From the following data of a soil sample: # of
10 19 23 27 40
Sample size = 3.81 cm dia. x 7.62 cm ht. blows
Wet weight = 1.668 N Water
60 45.2 39.8 36.5 25.2
Oven-dry weight = 1.4 N content
Specific gravity = 2.70 Two determinations for the plastic limit gave water contents
a. Determine the water content % of 20.3% and 20.8%.
b. Determine the dry unit weight (kN/m3) a. Determine the liquid limit
c. Determine the bulk unit weight (kN/m3) b. Determine the plastic limit
d. Determine the void ratio c. If the natural water content is 27.4%, determine the
e. Determine the degree of saturation % liquidity index.

6. A soil has bulk density of 20.1 kN/m3 and water content of 13. The laboratory test results of a standard proctor test are
15%. Calculate the water content % if the soil partially dries given in the following table. The volume of the proctor mold
to a density of 19.4 kN/m3 and the void ratio remains is 943.3 cm3
unchanged. Weight of moist soil in mold,
Moisture content %
kg
7. The porosity of a soil sample is 35% and the specific gravity 1.68 9.9
of its particles is 2.70. 1.71 10.6
a. Calculate its void ratio 1.77 12.1
b. Calculate its dry unit weight 1.83 13.8
c. Calculate the saturated unit weight 1.86 15.1
d. Calculate the submerged unit weight 1.88 17.4
1.87 19.4
8. Given the phase diagram shown, what is the most nearly
1.85 21.2
value of the porosity?
a. Determine the maximum dry unit weight of
compaction(kN/m3)
b. Determine the optimum water content %

14. The backfill material for a vibroflotation project has the

following grain sizes: D10 = 0.11 mm, D20 = 0.19 mm, D50 = 1.3
mm. Determine the suitability number.
15. A glass container with pervious bottom containing fine
sand in loose state (void ratio = 0.8) is subjected to a. Determine the effective size (mm).
hydrostatic pressure from underneath until quick condition b. Determine the uniformity coefficient.
occurs in the sand. If the specific gravity of sand particles = c. Determine the coefficient of curvature.
2.65, area of cross-section of sand sample = 10 cm 2 and
height of sample = 10 cm:
a. Compute the head of water required to cause quicksand 21. For a given soil, the following are known:
condition (cm) Percentage passing No. 4 sieve = 70
b. Compute the seepage force acting from below Percentage passing No. 200 sieve = 30
Liquid limit = 33
16. A sand layer of the cross-sectional area shown in the Plastic limit = 12
figure has been determined to exist for a 800-m length of the Classify the soil using the Unified Soil
levee. The hydraulic conductivity of the sand layer is 2.8 Classification System. Give the group symbol
m/day. Determine the quantity of water which flows into the and the group name.
ditch in m3/min.
22. The grain-size analysis for a soil is given next:
Mass retained
Sieve No. Opening (mm)
(grams)
4 4.75 94
10 2.00 63
20 0.85 21
40 0.425 10
17. Determine the coefficient of permeability from the
60 0.25 7
following data (mm/s):
Length of sand sample = 25 cm 100 0.15 5
Area of cross section of the sample = 30 cm 2 200 0.075 3
Head of water = 40 cm Given the soil is non-plastic, classify the soil by
Discharge = 200 ml in 110 sec using the Unified Soil Classification System.

18. The discharge of water collected from a constant head 23. Classify the following soil using the U.S. Department
permeameter in a period of 15 minutes is 500 ml. The of Agriculture textural classification chart.
internal diameter of the permeameter is 5 cm and the
Particle-size Distribution (%)
measured difference in head between two gauging points 15
cm vertically apart is 40 cm. Soil Sand Silt Clay
a. Calculate the coefficient of permeability (mm/s) A 20 20 60
b. If the dry weight of the 15-cm long sample is 4.86 N and B 55 5 40
the specific gravity of the solids is 2.65, calculate the seepage C 45 35 20
velocity (mm/s).
a. Soil A
19. A glass cylinder 5 cm internal diameter and with a screen b. Soil B
at the bottom was used as a falling head permeameter. The
c. Soil C
thickness of the sample was 10 cm. With the water level in
the tube at the start of the test as 50 cm above the tail water,
it dropped by 10 cm in one minute, the tail water remaining 24. The following laboratory test results for Atterberg
unchanged. Calculate the value of k (cm/s) for the sample of limits and particle-size distribution (sieve analysis) were
the soil. obtained for the soil.
Sieve No. % passing
20. A sample of a dry coarse-grained material of 500 No. 4 (4.75 mm) 80
grams was shaken through a nest of sieves and the No. 10 (2.00 mm) 60
following results are obtained: No. 40 (0.425 mm) 30
No. 200 (0.075 mm) 10
Mass retained
Sieve No. Opening (mm)
(grams) Atterberg Limits
4 4.75 0.0 Liquid limit 31
10 2.00 14.8 Plastic limit 25
20 0.85 98.0
40 0.425 90.1 Classify the soil according to the AASHTO Classification
100 0.15 181.9 System.
200 0.075 108.8
Pan --- 6.4
25. The results of the particle-size analysis of a soil are a. Determine the soil water content
as follows: b. Determine the soil wet density for conditions at the
Percent passing the No. 10 sieve = 100 borrow pit
Percent passing the No. 40 sieve = 80 c. Determine the soil dry density for conditions at the
Percent passing the No. 200 sieve = 58 borrow pit

The liquid limit and plasticity index of the soil 32. A permeable soil layer is underlain by an impervious
are 30 and 10, respectively. Classify the soil by layer as shown. For permeable layer K = 4.8 x 10 -3
AASHTO Classification system. cm/sec. If H = 3 m and α = 5°.

26. In a falling head permeability test, head causing

flow was initially 50 cm and it drops 2 cm in 5 minutes.
How much time (minutes) required for the head to fall
to 25 cm?

27. A sample in a variable head permeameter is 8 cm in

diameter and 10 cm high. The permeability of the a. Determine the hydraulic gradient
sample is estimated to be 10 x 10-4 cm/s. If it is desired b. Determine the cross sectional area of the permeable layer
c. Determine the rate of seepage in cm3/hr/meter
that the head in the stand pipe should fall from 24 cm
to 12 cm in 3 min, determine the size (mm) of the 33. A confined aquifer has a source of recharge as shown in
standpipe which should be used. the figure. The hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer is 40
m/day and its porosity is 0.25. The peizometric head in the
28. An unconfined aquifer is known to be 32 m thick two wells 1324 m apart is 65 m and 60 m respectively from a
below the water table. A constant discharge of 2 cubic common data. The average thickness of the aquifer is 25 m
meters per minute is pumped out of the aquifer an the average width is 4 km.
through a tube well till the water level in the tube well
becomes steady. Two observation wells at distances of
15 m and 70 m from the tube well show falls of 3 m and
0.7 m respectively from their static water levels. Find
the permeability of the aquifer (mm/s).

29. The bottom of the lake consists of soft clay with a

thickness of more than 15 m. The average water
content of the clay is 40% and the specific gravity of a. Compute the rate of flow through the aquifer in m 3/day
soils may be assumed to be 2.65. The depth of the b. Compute the seepage velocity
water in the lake is 6 m. c. Compute the time of travel from the head of the aquifer to
a. Compute the total stress at a depth of 15 m below a point 4 km downstream in days
the bottom of the lake.
34. A channel runs almost parallel to a river as shown on the
b. Compute the pore water pressure at a depth if 15 m
figure. The water level in the river has an elevation of 36 m
below the bottom of the lake. and the elevation of the channel is 33 . The river and channel
are 600 m apart and a pervious formation of average
30. A layer of saturated clay 4 m thick is overlain by thickness of 9 m and hydraulic conductivity of 0.08 m/hr joins
sand 5 m deep, the water table being 3 m below the them together.
surface. The saturated unit weights of the clay and sand
ar 19 kN/m3 and 20 kN/m3 respectively. Above the
water table the dry unit weight of the sand is 17 kN/m 3.
a. Find the total stress at the bottom of the clay layer
b. Find the pore water pressure at the bottom of the
clay layer
c. Find the effective stress at the bottom of the clay
layer.
a. Compute the hydraulic gradient
31. A large soil sample obtained from a borrow pit has a b. Compute the rate of seepage flow from the river to the
channel per meter width in liters per day
wet mass of 26.50 kg. The in-place volume occupied by
c. If the seepage velocity is 0.048 m/day, compute the void
the sample is 0.013 m3. A small portion of the sample is ratio of the pervious medium.
used to determine the water content, the wet mass is
135 g and after drying int he oven, the mass is 117 g.
35. Given the stratified soil shown in the figure. The
properties of each soil are as follows
Coefficient of permeability, cm/hr
k1 = 6.25 k2 = 5.75 k3 = 4.5
K4 = 6.25 k5 = 8.15 k6 = 3.6
Thickness, m
H = 1.2 H3 = 0.30
H4 = 0.5 H5 = 0.40
Length, m
L1 = 0.8 m L2 = 0.7
L3 = 1.5 L4 = 0.9
Head, h = 1.8 m

a. Determine the total flow per meter

b. Determine the equivalent coefficient of permeability

36. A canal is cut into soil with a stratigraphy shown in the

figure. Assume flow takes place laterally and vertically
through the sides of the canal and vertically below the canal.
The values of k = kx = kz in each layer are given.

a. What is the equivalent permeability in the horizontal

direction through the sides of the canal, in cm/day
b. What is the equivalent permeability in the vertical
directions through the sides of the canal, in cm/day
c. Determine the equivalent permeability in the vertical
directions below the bottom of the canal, in cm/day