Faculty of Engineering

ONLINE TEST 1

Student ID (in Figures) :

Name :

Course Code & Name : EV313 Geotechnical Design

Semester : May – Aug 2020
Duration : 1.5 hours

CLO1 CLO2 CLO3 CLO4 CLO5

Assessment
PLO1 PLO2 PLO2 PLO1 PLO2
Test 1 √ √
Course Learning Outcome (CLO) *Domain / PLO WK WP EA
**BT Level
Explain about foundation
CLO1 WK1,
engineering and its function in Civil C2 PLO1 - -
WK3
Engineering.
Analyse the shallow and deep C4 WK1,
CLO2 PLO2 WP1 -
foundation. WK2
ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE - Apply knowledge of mathematics, natural
PLO 1 science, engineering fundamentals and an engineering specialisation as specified in
WK1 to WK4 respectively to the solution of complex engineering problems;
PROBLEM ANALYSIS - identify, formulate, research literature and analyse complex
PLO 2 engineering problems reaching substantiated conclusions using first principles of
mathematics, natural sciences and engineering sciences

CLO Marks
Test 1 Marks
CLO 1 CLO2 CLO2 obtained
Question 1 2 3 /45 /20%
Total
(45%)
May – Aug 2020 Test 1 EV313Geotechnical Design

Q1 Using your own word, discuss briefly the importance of strong foundation for a building
with a good reference. The answer is limited to one page only and must be handwritten.

(5 marks)

Q2 A pad footing is constructed with the size of 2m x 3m as shown in Figure Q1. The
cohesion of the soil is 0 and the friction angle of 34°. The density above the base of
foundation is 1834.863kg/m3 and the saturated unit weight is 20kN/m3. The shear
strength of soil above the footing is low compared with the soil below the footing. Given
factor of safety is 2.5.

(a) Determine the suitable depth of foundation (Df) in order to carry a centric loading of
3500kN.
(15 marks)

(b) Determine the net allowable bearing capacity of soil by using the Df that you answered in
Q1(a) if the water table is relocated at ¾ of Df from the ground surface.
(5 marks)
Depth of foundation, Df

γ= Ir=
18KN/m3
220
Ir= 220

2m

Figure Q2

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May – Aug 2020 Test 1 EV313Geotechnical Design

Q3 A pile group consisting of 10 driven square piles with the width of 0.7m, is arranged in a
2 x 5 matrix at a spacing of 1.5m. The piles penetrate a soft clay soil (Cu= 40kPa, ϕ’=41°,
γ=18kN/m3, γsat=20kN/m3, OCR= 2.15) and are embedded 4m in a stiff clay (Cu=
80kPa, ϕ’=32°, γsat=22kN/m3, OCR=5.31) shown in Figure Q3. Consider the factor of
safety as 2.5.

(a) Determine the allowable load capacity for single failure mode by using Effective Stress
Analysis (ESA).
(10 marks)

(b) Determine the allowable load capacity for group block failure mode by using Effective
Stress Analysis (ESA). Groundwater level is located at 2m below the ground surface but
can rise to the surface due to seasonal changes.
(10 marks)

2m Soft Clay

9m Soft Clay

4m Stiff Clay

Figure Q3

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