Shivaji University, Kolhapur

Question Bank for Mar 2022 (Summer) Examination

Subject Code : 81518 Subject Name : B.Tech.CBCS Part 3 Semester 6 - Geotechnical Engineering - II

Unit 1: Soil & Rock Exploration

1. What is soil exploration and explain its necessity/purposes?

2. Enumerate the various methods of soil exploration and mention the circumstances under
which each is best suited.
3. Explain about the planning and stages in soil exploration.
4. How would you decide the depth of exploration and lateral extent of the investigation?
5. Describe the advantages of open excavation.
6. Explain with neat sketch
i) Area ratio
ii) Outside clearance
iii) Inside clearance
7. Explain the Following
i) Rotary drilling
ii) RQD
iii) Core boxes, Core recovery
8. What are different methods of exploration? Explain any one of it in detail.
9. Discuss the importance of borings in soil exploration.
10. List the boring methods and explain any one.
11. What is disturbed and undisturbed sample?
12. Describe split spoon sampler and its use.
13. What do you mean by disturbance of soil samples? Explain the various properties of
cohesive soils which are affected by disturbance.
14. Describe the various mechanical properties of rocks .
15. What are the various types of rock failure?
Unit 2: Bearing Capacity Evaluation

1. Define the following terms

i) Ultimate bearing capacity ii) Net ultimate bearing capacity
iii) Net safe bearing capacity iv) Gross safe bearing capacity
v) Net safe settlement pressure vi) Net allowable bearing pressure
2. Explain different modes of bearing capacity failure
3. Discuss the factors influencing bearing capacity of soil.
4. Differentiate between general shear failure & local shear failure. How the ultimate bearing
capacity in local shear failure is determined?
5. Write the assumptions made in Terzaghi’s bearing capacity theory.
6. Discuss the effect of water table on bearing capacity of soil.
7. Write and explain equation of net ultimate bearing capacity of soil for general shear failure
by I S code method with shape, depth , inclination of load and water table factor.
8. Explain the plate load test with neat sketch and its applications.
9. Discuss the standard penetration test (SPT). What are different corrections?
10. Explain the pressure meter test with neat sketch and its applications.
11. A square footing of size 2.5 m × 2.5 m is built in a sandy soil of unit weight 17 kN/m 3 and
having angle of shearing resistance of 35o. The depth of base of footing is 1.2 m below the
ground surface. Calculate the safe load that can be carried by a footing with a factor of
safety of 3 against shear failure. Assume that the soil fails by general shear failure. Use
Terzaghi’s analysis. For φ = 35o, the values of bearing capacity factors are Nc = 57.8,
Nq = 41.4, Nr = 42.4
12. A 2.0 m square footing is located in dense sand at a depth of 1.2 m. The shear strength
parameters being c = 0 and φ = 40o. Determine the ultimate bearing capacity for the
following water table positions.
(a) at ground surface
(b) at 1 m below ground surface
The moist unit weight of sand above the water table is 19 kN/m3 and the saturated unit
weight of soil is 21 kN/m3. The values of bearing capacity parameters for φ = 40o are Nq =
81.3, Nr = 100.4.
13. A square footing has a size of 2.0 m × 2.0 m has to transmit the load of a column at a depth of
1.8 m. Calculate the safe load which the footing can carry at a factor of safety of 3 against shear
failure. The soil has following properties :
2 3 o
c = 10 kN/m , γ = 18 kN/m and φ = 30 .
o
For = 30 , Bearing capacity factors are Nc = 30.14, Nq = 18.40, Nr = 22.40. Use IS Code method.

14. A plate load test was carried out on a ground having uniform sand strata up to sufficient
depth. The size of the plate used was 30 cm x 30 cm. Determine the bearing capacity and
load that can be taken by a column foundation of size 1.2 m x 1.2 m in the above strata for
an allowable settlement of 2 cm.
Load ( kN) 4.5 9 18 27 36 45 54
Settlement (mm) 0.75 1.25 2.0 3.5 5.38 7.75 10.75
15. A 500 mm square bearing plate settles by 10 mm in the plate load test on cohessionless soil,
when the intensity of loading is 200 kN/m2. Estimate the settlement of a shallow foundation
of size 2.0 m × 2.0 m under the same intensity of loading.
Unit 3: Shallow Foundation & Foundation Settlement

1. What is shallow foundation? Write the difference between shallow foundation and deep
foundation.
2. What are different types of shallow foundations? Explain it with help of sketches.
3. Explain the circumstances under which a strap footing can be used.
4. Explain the circumstances under which a combined footing can be used.
5. What is meant by settlement of foundation? Explain cause of settlement of foundation.
6. Write the assumptions and limitations of rigid analysis of shallow foundation design.
7. Give stepwise procedure to design combined footing and also state when we design
trapezoidal combined footing.
8. Explain different types of settlements occurred in foundation soil.
9. Write the equations to calculate immediate settlement of foundation for cohesive and
cohesion less soil.
10. Write a note on floating foundation.
11. Design a rectangular combined foundation for following data:
Column Size Load Remark
A 0.30 X 0.30 m 1500 kN
C/c distance between columns is 5.0 m and
B 0.30 X 0.30 m 1200 KN safe bearing capacity of soil is 150 kN/m2

12. Design a trapezoidal combined foundation for following data:

Column Size Load Remark

A 0.50 X 0.50 m 2000 kN Column A is on boundary of plot.
C/c distance between columns is 5.0 m.
B 0.30 X 0.30 m 1500 KN Safe bearing capacity of soil is 200 kN/m2.

13. Estimate the immediate settlement of a concrete footing 1 m X 1.5 m in size, if it is founded
at a depth of 1 m in silty soil whose compression modulus is 9000 kPa. Footing is expected
to transmit unit pressure of 200 kPa. Assume Iρ = 1.06, μ = 0.3

14. A soft, normally consolidated clay layer is 18 m thick. The natural water content is 45%.
The saturated unit weight is 18 kN/m3 ; the grain specific gravity is 2.70 and the liquid limit
is 63%. The vertical stress increment at the centre of the layer due to the foundation load is
9 kN/m2. The ground water level is at the surface of the clay layer. Determine the settlement
of the foundation.

15. A layer of clay 8 m thick underlies a proposed new building. The existing overburden
pressure at the center of layer is 290 kPa and the load due to new building increases the
pressure by 100 kPa. Cc = 0.45, ω = 50 %, G = 2.71. Estimate the consolidation settlement.
Unit 4: Pile Foundation

1. What are the circumstances under which a pile foundation is more suitable than a shallow
foundation?
2. Explain the various classifications of piles.
3. Explain the methods to calculate load carrying capacity of a pile in:
i) Cohesive soil ii) Cohesion less soil
4. What is negative skin friction? What is its effect on pile?
5. What are different causes of negative skin friction? How it can be estimated?
6. Write the limitations of ‘Dynamic Formulae’
7. Explain with neat sketch under reamed pile & their uses.
8. Explain pile load test with neat sketch.
9. What is group efficiency of pile group? Explain feld’s rule.
10. A steel pile is being driven with a drop hammer weighing 25 kN and having a free fall of
1.20 m. The penetration in the last blow is 5 mm. Determine the allowable load carrying
capacity of the pile according to the Engineering News Formula.
11. A 200 mm diameter, 8 m long piles are used as foundation for a column in uniform deposit
of medium clay having unconfined compression strength = 100 kN/m2 and adhesion factor
= 0.9. There are nine piles arranged in a square pattern of 3 X 3. For a group efficiency = 1 ,
find the spacing between the piles (Neglect bearing )
12. A concrete pile weighing 35 kN is driven by a drop hammer weighing 50 kN and having an
effective fall of 1.0 m. The average set per blow is 15 mm. The total temporary elastic
compression is 20 mm. Assume the coefficient of restitution as 0.30 and a factor of safety of
2.0, determine the allowable load for pile using Hiley’s formula.
13. In a 25 pile group, the pile diameter is 500 mm and center to center spacing of the square
group is 1.6 m. All piles are 12 m long. Neglect bearing at the tip of the pile and shear
mobilization around each pile. Determine whether the failure would occur with the pile
acting individually or as a group. Assume c = 48 kN/m2.
14. A group of 16 piles of 50 cm diameter is arranged with a center to center spacing of 1.0 m.
The piles are 9 m long and are embedded in soft clay with cohesion 30 kN/m2. Bearing
resistance may be neglected for the piles—Adhesion factor is 0.6. Determine the ultimate
load capacity of the pile group.
15. A 16-pile group has to be arranged in the form of a square in soft clay with uniform spacing.
Neglecting end-bearing, determine the optimum value of the spacing of the piles in terms of
the pile diameter, assuming a shear mobilization factor of 0.6.
Unit 5: Well Foundations, Coffer Dam and Ground Improvement Techniques

1. Discuss the situation where the well foundation is more suitable than other types of
foundations.
2. What are different shapes of wells? Discuss the characteristics of each type.
3. Draw cross section of well foundation and discuss the components of well foundation.
4. Write short note on Sand island method
5. Write short note on remedial measures for Tilt and shift of well foundation.
6. Explain Pneumatic Caisson with neat fig.
7. Write short note on Caisson disease
8. Discuss the common types of coffer dams.
9. Write the different types of sheet piles and their suitability.
10. Write note on safety precautions pneumatic caissons.
11. Name the techniques used in ground improvement and explain any one with neat sketch.
12. Explain about geosynthetic materials and its applications in Civil engineering.
13. Write note on Stone columns
14. Write note on Preloading technique
15. Write note on Vibroflotation
Unit 6: Analysis of Slope Stability

1. What are different types of slope failure?

2. What are factors that cause slope instability?
3. What are different factors of safety used in stability of slope?
4. List out methods for stability analysis of finite slope. Explain any of one with neat sketch.
5. Derive the expression for factor of safety of slope in c-ɸ soil.
6. Derive the relation for factor of safety of an infinite slope made of cohesionless soil
subjected to seepage parallel to the slope.
7. Write the concept of friction circle method in stability of slope.
8. Explain Swedish slip circle method.
9. Explain the stability number and its applications in the stability analysis.
10. What are the various methods for improving slope stability?
11. Write a note on landslides.
12. An embankment 10 m high is inclined at an angle of 36° to the horizontal. A stability
analysis by the method of slices gives the following forces per running meter:
Σ Shearing forces = 450 kN
Σ Normal forces = 900 kN
Σ Neutral forces = 216 kN
The length of the failure arc is 27 m. Laboratory tests on the soil indicate the effective
values c′ and φ′ as 20 kN/m2 and 18° respectively.
Determine the factor of safety of the slope with respect to (a) shearing strength and (b)
cohesion.
13. An embankment is inclined at an angle of 35° and its height is 15 m. The angle of shearing
resistance is 15° and the cohesion intercept is 200 kN/m2. The unit weight of soil is
18.0 kN/m3. If Taylor’s stability number is 0.06, find the factor of safety with respect to
cohesion.
14. A cutting is to be made in clay for which the cohesion is 35 kN/m2 and φ = 0°. The
density of the soil is 20 kN/m3. Find the maximum depth for a cutting of side slope 1.5: 1 if
the factor of safety is to be 1.5. Take the stability number for a 1.5:1 slope and φ = 0° as
0.17.
15. A canal is to be excavated through a soil with c = 15 kN/m2, φ = 20°, e = 0.9 and G = 2.67.
The side slope is 1 in 1. The depth of the canal is 6 m. Determine the factor of safety with
respect to cohesion when the canal runs full. What will be the factor of safety if the canal is
rapidly emptied?