Assignments and Tutorials - Soil Mechanics - Spring New

University of Technology, Sydney
Faculty of Engineering and IT
Soil Mechanics
Student Notes
Spring Semester
Contents
1. Assignments 1 to 4
2. Consolidation chart and table
3. e-log p charts
4. Tutorials 1 to 8
5. Laboratory sessions
University of Technology, Sydney 48330 Soil Behaviour
Faculty of Engineering and IT 1 Spring
ASSIGNMENT 1 - PHASE RELATIONSHIPS AND SOIL CLASSIFICATION
1- A saturated soil has a moisture content of 35.7% and a total unit weight of 18kN/m 3. Calculate
the specific gravity of the soil solids.
2- A dry soil has a density of 1.8t/m3. What is the shrinkage limit of this soil?
3- A cylindrical undisturbed sample of soil was taken from a borrow area and tested giving the
following results:
Dimensions of sample: Diameter = 50mm Length = 100mm
Initial mass of sample: 336.5g
Mass of sample after drying: 292.6g
The soil from the borrow pit is to be used as compacted backfill in a 100m long trench having a
width of 450mm and a depth of 1500mm. The soil is to be compacted into the trench at a total
unit weight of 21.4kN/m3 at a moisture content of 9%. What volume of soil will need to be
excavated from the borrow area in order to provide sufficient soil for the compacted fill.
4- A borrow pit contains large reserves of clay at a moisture content of 7% and a total unit
weight of 19.6kN/m3. The clay is to be used to construct the core of an earth dam. A large
quantity of dry silt is available and it is to be mixed with the clay in the proportion of 1 tonne of
dry silt to each 5 tonnes of clay excavated prior to placing it in the core. The resulting mixture is
to be compacted into the core at a moisture content of 17% and a total unit weight of 17.2kN/m 3.
What will be the degree of saturation of the mixture in the compacted core?
5- A dry sample of a highly plastic soil that can retain significant amount of water having a mass
of 300g is subject to wet sieving. The soil retained on the 75 micron sieve after washing is dried
and found to have a mass of 210g. This soil is then dry sieved through a 2.36mm sieve and the
mass of soil retained on this sieve is found to be 80g. What is the USCS classification of this
soil?
6- Classify soils A, B and C according to the USCS.
Soil A Soil B Soil C

% Finer than 2.36mm sieve 49 55 88
% Finer than 0.075mm sieve 3 8 56
Coefficient of uniformity 4.5 7.2 -
Coefficient of curvature 0.8 2.2 -
Liquid limit NP 60 25
Plastic limit NP 25 12
7- You are asked to check the field compaction of a soil layer. The laboratory compaction curve
for the soil is shown below. Specifications require that the soil should be compacted to at least
95% of the maximum dry density as established in the laboratory, with a water content 2% of
the optimum water content. Using the sand replacement technique the volume of the excavated
soil was found to be 1153 cm3. It weighed 2209 g wet and 1859g dry.
1.75
1.7
Dry density (Mg/m 3)
1.65
1.6
1.55
1.5
10 12 14 16 18 20 22
Water content (%)
a. What is the compacted dry density of the field sample?

b. What is the field water content?
c. Does the field test meet the specifications?
d. What is the degree of saturation of the field sample? (Assume Gs = 2.65)
Answers: Q1: 2.62, Q2: 17.8%, Q3: 90.7m3, Q4: 59%, Q5: SC, Q6: GP, SW-SC, CL
Q7: (a) 1.61 g/cm3, (b) 18.83%, (c) No, (d) 77.5%
ASSIGNMENT 2 - STRESSES IN SOIL

1- A level soil deposit has the following soil profile:
0 - 3m Sand t = l8kN/m3
3 – 8m Clay t = 20kN/m3
The water table is 1m below the surface and the Ko of the clay is 0.4. Find the value of the
horizontal total stress at a depth of 8m in this deposit.
2- A level site has the following soil profile:

0 - 3m Dry gravel d = 16kN/m3
3 - 5m Dry sand d = 14kN/m3
5 - 8m Dry clay d = 17kN/m3
8m + Rock
The following construction sequence is then carried out. The uppermost 2m of gravel is
excavated and a very large diameter oil storage tank is built at the new surface. The depth of oil
in the tank is 6m and the specific gravity of the oil is 0.8. The mass of steel in the tank is
negligible compared to the mass of oil in the tank. Determine the change in vertical stress caused
by construction at the bottom of the clay layer.
3- A level soil deposit has the following soil profile:

0 - 2m Dry gravel d = 15kN/m3 Ko = 0.3
2 - 6m Dry clay d = 18kN/m 3
Ko = 0.4
What normal stress would act on a plane making an angle of 30 o with the horizontal at a point
5m below the surface of this deposit?
4- A section through a long tunnel in soil is shown in the

figure opposite. At Point X, on the roof of the tunnel, the
stress acting in the vertical direction is equal to 450 kPa. The
Soil
normal and shear stresses acting on the plane of the tunnel at
Point X, as shown in the figure, are both zero. 0
0
a) Draw the Mohr circle for the state of stress at Point X.
b) What is the value of the major principal stress at Point X? X
c) What angle does the plane of major principal stress make
with the horizontal? Tunnel 60o
z
20
5- The stresses shown in the figure opposite are applied at a 30 
point in a soil mass. The normal stress on one of the planes,
, is variable. If a value of  is applied such that the minor
principal stress at the point is zero what angle will the plane
of major principal stress make with the x direction at the
point?
65o x
Answers: : Q1: 103kPa, Q2: 15kPa, Q3: 71.4kPa, Q4: (b) 1 = 600kPa, (c) 30o Q5: 121.3o or 58.7o
ASSIGNMENT 3 - SEEPAGE
1- Consider the situation shown in Figure 1. It depicts

water seeping upwards through a cylindrical container of
sand having t = 17kN/m3. Determine the distance D such
that the effective vertical stress at the point x (mid-way
through the sand) is zero.
2-At a level site a deep impermeable clay layer contains

an inclined seam of sand which is carrying groundwater
upwards to a spring at the surface as shown in Figure 2.
The sand layer is inclined at 60o to the horizontal. All
Figure 1
flow remains in the plane of the page, i,e,. there is no
component of flow into the page. A piezometer installed
in the middle of the sand layer at P1 reads a pore pressure
of 98kPa. The coefficient of permeability of the sand is
10-4 m/s. Determine:
a) The flow coming out at the surface of the spring in
m3/s per metre run (into the page)
Figure 2
b) The value of the pore pressure at P2.
3- Soil conditions at a site consist of a layer of clay 6m deep overlying gravel. The clay has a
t = 16kN/m3. Occasionally floods cover the site. Consider a flood which covers the site with 3m
of water. Under these conditions water seeps vertically downwards through the clay layer to the
gravel. Upon reaching the gravel it freely trickles downwards in unsaturated flow. Determine the
effective vertical stress at a point in the clay layer 2m above the gravel interface during this
flood.
4- A long coffer dam is to be constructed to hold water as shown in the figure. Draw the flow net
for the steady state seepage flow which occurs under this wall. From the flow net determine the
distribution of water pressure on the side AB of the wall and then find the resultant force (per
metre run into the page) exerted by water on the side AB.
Impervious wall
A
Water
4m 4m
2m
Soil
2m
B
2m
Impermeable rock
Answers: Q1: 2.94m, Q2: (a) 0.74×10-4m/s, (b) 25.25kPa Q3: 83.6kPa, Q4: Approx 275kN pmr
ASSIGNMENT 4 – SETTLEMENT & SHEAR STRENGTH
1- At a point in a saturated normally consolidated clay layer the soil is subject to an in-situ vertical
effective stress of 50kPa. The soil at the point has a moisture content of 44% and a compression
index of 0.45. The effective stress at the point is to be rapidly increased to 120kPa.
a) What would be the void ratio of the clay at the point immediately after increasing the stress?
b) What would be the void ratio at the point a long time after increasing the stress?
2-
A site consists of 2m of sand overlying 1m of clay over rock. The water table is at a depth of
0.5m. Determine the total final settlement of the clay layer when 2.5m of fill is added to the site.
The total unit weights of the fill, sand and clay are 20, 19 and 18.2kN/m 3, respectively. The
following properties of the clay are known:
m = 28% Cc = 0.6 Cr = 0.1 pc = 50kPa
3- A 3m deep layer of clay is underlain by impervious rock. An extensive area of fill is to be

placed over the site. How long would it take for the clay layer to achieve 90% of its total final
settlement. Note that a 20mm high sample of clay achieved 50% of its total final settlement in a
standard oedometer test in 4.2 min.
4- A sample of dry sand is subjected to the stresses shown in the figure below. The friction angle
of the sand is 30o. The value of 3 is kept constant at 80kPa and the value of 1 is slowly
increased until failure of the sand occurs. What angle will the failure plane in the sand make with
the horizontal?
Vertical
1
3=80kPa
20o Horizontal
5- An anchor supports a retaining wall. The backfill is

a silty clay with the following properties: 0.5m
c' = 10kPa ' = 20o
1.0m
t. = 18kN/m3 Ko = 0.4
The silty clay is well drained so no pore pressures
are expected. One mode of anchor failure is by very 4m
slowly pulling the square prism of soil indicated by
the dotted lines. What force would need to be
Area of anchor is 1m2
generated in the anchor to cause this failure?
Answers: Q1: (a) 1.166, (b) 0.9949, Q2: 80mm, Q3: 1082days Q4: 80o, Q5: 233kN
0.0
Tv=0
0.05
0.5 0.1
0.15 0.2
0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
0.7
z 0.8 0.9
1.0
DP
1.5
2.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Consolidation ratio, Uz
U (%) Tv Formula
10 0.0077
20 0.0314 2
  U% 
30 0.0707 Tv   
4  100 
40 0.126
50 0.196 if U%  60%
60 0.286
70 0.403
80 0.567
90 0.848
95 1.13 Tv  1.781  0.933 log (100  U%)
99 1.78
99.9 2.71 if U%  60%
100 infinity
Faculty of Engineering 8
1 10 100 1000
Pressure (log scale)
1 10 100 1000
Pressure (log scale)
Soil Mechanics
Tutorials 1 to 8
TUTORIAL 1 (a): PHASE RELATIONSHIPS

(Solve Question 1 before attending the tutorial class)
1. A stockpile of dry sand is to be used for a trench filling project. The dry density of the sand
in the stockpile is 1.6 t/m3. The dry sand is to be mixed with water and compacted into a
150 m long trench. The trench is 1 m deep and 0.5 m wide. The sand is to be compacted at a
moisture content of 12% to a density of 2.05 t/m3.
a) What is the degree of saturation of the compacted sand in the trench?
b) What volume of sand will need to be taken from the dry sand stockpile to backfill the
trench?
2. A large level site consists of a layer of sand of thickness 1000 mm overlying rock. Tests
indicate the sand has a unit weight of 16.8 kN/m3 and a moisture content of 5%.
a) A heavy vibratory roller is used on the site which reduces the thickness of the sand layer
to 930 mm. Assuming the roller causes uniform compaction throughout the sand layer what
would be the dry unit weight of the sand after compaction?
b) If the moisture content of the soil after compaction is w = 7%, what would be the degree
of saturation, Sr, of the compacted soil?
c) If a compaction specification for the site called for a dry unit weight of 19 kN/m3 after
compaction what would need to be the final thickness, in mm, of the sand layer?
3. Dry sand is to be delivered to a site in trucks each carrying 8 tonnes of dry sand. On site the
sand is to be mixed with water and used as tamped backfill in a trench. The trench is 150 m
long, 1 m deep and 0.5 m wide. The moist sand backfill in the trench is to have a degree of
saturation of 70% and a void ratio of 0.62. You may assume that G s is 2.65. How many
trucks should be ordered for the backfilling job?
4. A borrow area contains l0,000 m3 of dry sand. Several test pits dug in the borrow area
showed that, on average, 2.2 tonnes of sand came from a 1.3 m 3 pit. The dry sand is to be
excavated and mixed with water at the rate of 100 litres of water to each tonne of dry sand.
The resulting mixture is to be used as fill where it will be compacted into a volume of 9,000
m3. Assuming that Gs is 2.65, determine:
a) The void ratio of the sand in its original state in the borrow area.
b) The degree of saturation of the fill in place.
5. In a compaction test on a sandy clay soil the following results are obtained.
Wet density (t/m3) 1.960 2.040 2.115 2.120 2.105

Water content (%) 8.1 10.2 12.3 14.1 15.8
Determine the optimum water content and maximum dry density of the soil.
TUTORIAL 1 (b): SOIL CLASSIFICATION

1. A 500g soil sample was sieved through two sieves and the mass of soil retained on each of
the sieves was determined. The mass of soil which passed through the smaller sieve was not
determined.
Mass retained on the 2.36 mm sieve: 310g
Mass retained on the 75m sieve: 95g
Atterberg limit tests were carried out on the sample giving:
Liquid limit: 62%
Plastic limit: 21%
What would be the classification of this soil based on USCS?
2. A particle size analysis has been carried out on a sample of soil and the following results are
obtained.
Particle size (mm) % finer
2.0 88
0.8 60
0.4 30
0.12 10
0.075 4
The soil cannot be rolled to a thread when it is moist. What is the USCS symbol of this soil?
3. The particle size distribution for a soil is shown in the figure below. The soil has a Liquid
Limit of 40% and a Plastic Limit of 10%.
a) What is the USCS classification of the soil?

b) Is this soil suitable for compaction? Why?
c) Comparing this soil with another soil which is classified as GP, which one has a higher
coefficient of permeability? Why?
Clay Silt Sand Gravel

Fine Medium Coarse Fine Medium Coarse Fine Medium Coarse Fine Medium Coarse
100
90
80
70
% Finer
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Particle size (mm)
TUTORIAL 2: SOIL CLASSIFICATION AND STRESSES

1. The soil profile at a level site consists of:

0 – 3 m Coarse gravel
3 – 5 m Sand t = 22 kN/m3 and Ko = 0.4
The water table is at a depth of 3 m, that is at the gravel/sand interface and the gravel above
the water table is dry. During a flood, water covers the site such that there is a 1 m deep layer
of water over the site. During the flood the gravel becomes saturated. The void ratio of the
gravel is 0.5 in both the dry and saturated states. What change in the radius of the total stress
Mohr circle would occur at a point in the middle of the sand layer due to the flooding?
Vertical
2. An element of soil is subjected to the stresses as
shown. The value of the normal stress on one of the 
planes, , may be varied to any value. 20 kPa
a) What value of  must be applied if the major 30 kPa
principal stress in the element is to be 100 kPa?
b) What angle does the plane of major principal
stress make with the horizontal when its value is
100 kPa? 20o Horizontal
3. The stress components acting on a horizontal plane at a point in a soil mass are given by:
n = 120kPa,  = + 30 kPa
At the same point the minor principal stress is 100 kPa.
a) What is the value of the major principal stress at the point?
b) What is the angle between the line of action of the major principal stress and the
horizontal at the point?
4. The normal and shear stresses acting on 2 planes at a point in a soil mass are:
Normal stress (kPa) Shear stress (kPa)

Plane A 70 40
Plane B 140 30
Planes A and B are inclined at 75 and 30 degrees to the horizontal at the point. What is the
minor principal stress at the point and what angle does the plane of minor principal stress
make with the horizontal plane at the point?
TUTORIAL 3: ONE-DIMENSIONAL SEEPAGE

An aquifer intersects with the sloping boundary of a fine
Stand pipe
gravel with t=21 kN/m3 and k=10-3 m/s which is underlined RL 100
by a layer of sand with t=17 kN/m3 and k=10-4 m/s. Water
seeps vertically upwards to the surface through the soil Sand
layers. A piezometer is installed at a point on the aquifer RL 98
soil intersection at RL 90 and gives a reading of pore Fine gravel
pressure as 110 kPa. An open standpipe has been installed
with its base at the mid-depth of the sand layer (RL 99). Seepage
a) To what RL would water rise in the standpipe?
RL 90 Aquifer Flow
b) It is noted that at certain times the pressure reading
in the piezometer changes. What piezometer reading Piezometer
would be expected to result in a quick condition in the
sand?
2. The bed of a lake consists of a deposit of silty sand with a saturated unit weight of 18kN/m 3
and a coefficient of permeability 10-3 m/s. The depth of water in the lake is 6m. It is known
that water is seeping vertically upwards through the silty sand from an underlying aquifer.
a) At what rate, in m3/s per square metre of the lake bed, must water flow upwards to cause a
quick condition in the silty sand?
b) If it is known that water is seeping upward at the rate of 2.1×10 -4 m3/s per square metre,
what is the vertical effective stress at a point 2 m below the lake bed?
3. Subsurface conditions associated with a spring
are given in the section shown. A standpipe Spring
installed in the sand fills to the position shown. 2m
It may be assumed that 1D flow conditions
18m
exist within the sand seam, i.e., there is no Sand
component of flow in to the page. The sand 7m
has the following properties: 2m
Impervious clay
t = 16.2 kN/m3 k = 10-4 m/s 45o
Determine the flow through the sand seam per
metre run of the seam.
4. A subsurface section of an
area is shown in the figure
below. The soil beneath the
B Silty clay dyke, Thickness = 0.1m
area is impermeable except Sand
3m Thickness = 0.2m
for a horizontal layer of 0.2m Impermeable
D Impermeable
thick sand and a vertical dyke C
3m
E A
composed of silty clay 0.1m 10m 30m
wide. Groundwater is seeping
through these layers and exits
from the ground in two springs A and B. The coefficient of permeability of the sand is
1.2×10-4 m/s and the outflow from the spring at point A is 8×10-6 m3/s per metre run (into the
page). A piezometer is installed in the middle of the sand layer at point C and shows a pore
pressure reading of 147 kPa.
a) What would be the quantity of outflow from the spring at point B in m3/s per metre run?
b) Determine the coefficient of permeability of the silty clay in the dyke.
TUTORIAL 4: TWO-DIMENSIONAL SEEPAGE

Slot drain
1- An excavation is proposed on B
Unlined channel
a site which adjoins an Excavation
unlined canal. In order to 1.56m
keep the excavation dry a
X Y 4.5m
long slot drain is cut between
the channel and the C A
2m
excavation. The figure below 1m
shows a section through the D E
site with the flow net drawn to indicate the seepage pattern from the channel to the drain.
The soil in the area of flow is a silty clay having a coefficient of permeability of 10 -3 m/s.
Answer the following:
a) Various boundaries have been indicated by the letters A through to E. State what
boundary conditions are applicable to the following boundaries: AB, BC, CD, DE.
b) What flow would be occurring into the slot drain (per metre run of the drain).
c) What pore pressures exist at points X and Y.
2- In the initial stages of the analysis of two-

Dam Reservoir
dimensional seepage problems a rough flow
net should be sketched to indicate the
general form which the flow lines and Soil
equipotential lines should take. Consider the
following situation:
Two preliminary flow nets have been proposed as shown below. Which of the flow nets
show the correct general pattern of lines? Describe in some detail your reasons for the
choice.
Trial flow net 1 Trial flow net 2
3- A computer generated flow net is shown in the figure below for a concrete dam. The material
beneath the dam is a highly weathered rock having a coefficient of permeability of k=2×10 -5
m/s and a total unit weight of 19.6 kN/m 3. An impermeable grout curtain has been installed
at the base to reduce the uplift
pressure beneath the dam.
a) Determine the amount of 5.5m
water that flows beneath the
A
dam.
b) Calculate the uplift water
9m 8.5m
pressure at point A on the
base of the dam.
Impermeable Rock
TUTORIAL 5: SETTLEMENT AND CONSOLIDATION

1- A sample of clay is subjected to a seating pressure of 10 kPa in a consolidation test cell.

When all movement of the clay has stopped at this seating pressure the properties of the clay
are obtained as: e = 0.821, Cc = 0.3, Cr = 0.07, pc= 50 kPa.
The clay is then subjected to a two stage test, in the first stage the pressure is increased to
l00kPa until all movement of the clay stops and in the second the pressure is reduced to
50kPa until all movement stops. Determine the void ratio of the clay at the end of stages 1
and 2.
2- The soil profile at a site consists of a 6m layer of gravel WT

Dry gravel 1m
overlying a 2m layer of clay over rock. The water table
is at a depth of 1m. A sample taken from the mid-depth Saturated gravel 5m
of the clay layer was tested giving the following
values:
Clay
w = 23%, t = 18 kN/m3, 2m
Cc = 0.4, Cr = 0.1, pc = 100 kPa. Before construction
The following construction sequence is then to be
50kPa
rapidly carried out. The uppermost 0.5m of gravel is to
be excavated, the water table is to be permanently
lowered to the gravel/clay interface and a surcharge Dry gravel 5.5m
loading of 50 kPa is to be applied to the soil in the base
of the excavation. Determine the thickness of the clay WT
layer a long time after construction. Clay
You should assume that the gravel above the water After construction
table is dry with d=16 kN/m3 while that below is
saturated with t=19 kN/m3.
3- The soil profile at a level site consists of 1.7 m gravel overlying 1.5m clay overlying rock.
The water table is 0.5m below the surface of the gravel. Tests indicate that the gravel above
the water table is dry with d=15.8 kN/m3 while that below is saturated with t=20.9 kN/m3.
The clay has a total unit weight of 19.8 kN/m 3. A sample is taken from the mid-depth of the
clay layer and subjected to a consolidation test giving the following results:
Pressure (kPa) 20 40 100 200 400 20

Void ratio 1.1675 1.1456 1.0591 0.9556 0.8433 0.9474
It is proposed to construct a large
diameter steel water tank at the site. The
tank will hold a 12m depth of water. The
weight of steel in the tank is considered
negligible compared to the weight of
water. e
You are required to estimate the total
final settlement of the clay layer due to
the tank. Estimates are to be based on a
one-point settlement calculation using
conditions at the middle of the layer.
10 100 1000
Pressure
TUTORIAL 6: CONSOLIDATION
1- The soil conditions at a site consist of 5 m of clay over impermeable rock. The water table is
1 m below the surface. A sample of the clay is taken from a depth of 3 m. Testing of the
sample reveals the following properties:
t = 20 kN/m3 w = 38%
Cc = 0.5 Cr = 0.1 pc = 80 kPa cv = 2.38×10-7 m2/s
The following construction sequence is to be carried out at the site:
- A surcharge of 100 kPa is to be applied over the surface
- When all settlement due to the surcharge stops the surcharge is removed
Determine the following:
a) What would be the void ratio of the clay at the sampling point 2 years after applying the surcharge?
b) What would be the thickness of the clay layer when all settlement due to the surcharge has
occurred? Use a one-point settlement estimate based on conditions at the sampling point.
c) What would be the thickness of the clay layer a long time after removing the surcharge?
2- The soil profile at a level site consists of:

0 – 3 m Sandy silt t = 16 kN/m3
3 – 7 m Clay t = 19 kN/m3
>7 m Rock
The water table is 1 m below the surface. A sample of the clay is taken from a depth of 4 m
and subjected to consolidation testing giving the following results:
eo = 0.8130 Cc = 0.62 Cr = 0.15 pc = 80 kPa
a) Determine whether the clay is normally consolidated or over-consolidated.
b) Estimate the pre-consolidation pressure in the clay at a depth of 6m.
c) If the surface of the site is subjected to a surcharge of l00 kPa determine the total final
settlement of the clay layer due to surcharging. You should divide the clay into two 2 m
thick sub-layers and calculate the settlement of each of the sub-layers.
3- The soil conditions at a site consist of a 5 m deep layer of clay underlain by impermeable
rock. A piezometer is installed in the layer such that it reads the pore pressure at a depth of
2 m below the top surface of the clay. A 2 m deep layer of fill is then placed on top of the
clay layer. The following piezometer readings are noted:
-Initial reading- prior to fill being placed = 12 kPa.
-Reading immediately after fill is placed = 52 kPa.
-Reading 50 days after fill is placed = 30 kPa.
a) What is the total unit weight of the compacted fill?

b) What is the coefficient of consolidation of the clay in m2/s?
c) What would be the pore pressure in the clay at a depth of 4 m (below the top of the clay)
100 days after filling?
d) How long would it take for the pore pressure at the mid-depth of the clay layer to reach
25 kPa?
TUTORIAL 7: SHEAR STRENGTH OF COHESIONLESS SOILS

1- A level building site is shown before and after constructing a building in the figure below.
The soil is a sand having the following properties:
t = 18 kN/m3  = 30o Ko = 0.4.
a) At point x determine the total and effective vertical and horizontal stresses before
construction of the building.
Construction of the building subjects the surface of the site to a surcharge of q as shown. At
point x the stress increases due to a surcharge of q have been determined to be:
v = 0.7q, h = 0.2q, vh = 0.
b) What value of q would result in failure of the sand at point x?
c) At failure, what angle would the failure plane make with the horizontal at x?
WT 1m WT
2m
x x
Before construction After construction
Vertical
2- When the stresses shown in the figure opposite are 100 kPa
applied to an element of cohesionless soil it 70 kPa
undergoes shear failure on a vertical plane. There
50 kPa
is no pore pressure in the element of soil.
a) Find the friction angle of the soil. 50 kPa
b) What must be the value of the angle ?
 Horizontal
3- The stresses shown in the figure opposite are Vertical

150 kPa
applied to an element of cohesionless sand. The
60 kPa
pore pressure in the element is then raised and
25 kPa
failure is noted to occur when the pore pressure
reaches 20 kPa. The failure was a shear failure u=20kPa
25 kPa
and it occurred along the dotted failure plane
indicated on the figure below.
Determine:  75o
a) The friction angle of the sand. Horizontal
b) What must be the value of the angle  in the
figure below?
TUTORIAL 8: SHEAR STRENGTH OF COHESIVE SOILS

1- In the design of a bulldozer it is assumed Blade width=3m

that the blade is flat and that it pushes a
triangular pile of clay as shown. The width 1.5m
of the bulldozer blade is 3 m. X Y
The clay in the pile has a unit weight of 3m
18 kN/m3 and the undrained shear strength
parameters applicable to the clay sliding on clay a1ong XY are cu = 10 kPa and u = 8°.
Determine the total force that the dozer would need to apply to the blade to move the pile of
soil. You should assume that the pile of soil slides a1ong the plane XY.
2- A saturated clay sample has the following properties:

cu = l00 kPa, u = 0, c = 10 kPa,  = 20°
a) A sample of this clay is placed in a direct shear box and in quick succession a normal
stress of 400 kPa is applied to the sample and it is sheared to failure. What value of shear
stress would result in failure in the test?
b) What would be the pore pressure in the specimen at failure in part (a)?
c) If the test described in part (a) was repeated but a normal stress of 100 kPa had been used
would the shear stress at failure be different to that obtained in part (a)? Give an explanation
for your answer.
d) What shear stress would result in failure if a normal stress of 400 kPa had been used but
the sample was allowed to fully consolidate under this pressure before applying the shear
force very slowly?
e) A sample of the original clay was tested in a UU triaxial test using a cell pressure of 100
kPa. What would be the major principal total stress at failure in the specimen?
f) A sample of the original clay was subjected to the following total principal stresses
1 = 100 kPa, 3 = 50 kPa.
The pore pressure in the specimen is slowly raised. What value of pore pressure would result
in failure of the sample?
3- A long strip footing is constructed near the top of a

slope as shown. The footing carries a loading of P (kN Loading P
Per metre run Long footing
pmr of the footing). The soil in the slope is a clay having
the following properties:
t = 20 kN/m3 cu = 15 kPa u = 0° 2m 1m
A C
One possible mode of failure of the footing is sliding
H=2m
along the plane marked AB. The driving force behind Possible
this sliding would be the component of the forces acting failure plane
on the sliding mass ABC in the direction AB. B
o
a) What load P on the footing would cause this sliding 60
failure?
b) It is not known whether the plane AB is the most likely failure plane. Thus another plane is
selected using the depth, H = 3 m. For this plane it is found that the value for P is lower than that
obtained using H = 2 m. Which of the two planes (H = 2 or H = 3) would represent the more
likely failure plane? Give a brief explanation for you choice.
Laboratory Manual
NOTE:
Soil Mechanics Laboratory is in Room 211, level 2, Building 2.
SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY
 Please follow the instructions of laboratory staff and safety notices.

 If you are unsure about any task, please ask a demonstrator or other laboratory staff.
 Enclosed shoes are to be worn (no bare feet or thongs).
 Please do not disturb or get in touch with any equipment not associated with the
experiment you are performing.
 Some items in the laboratories may be dirty, dusty or greasy. It is suggested that students
wear clothing appropriate for such a location.
 If you find or consider something to be unsafe, please inform the lab supervisor
immediately.
Faculty of Engineering 20 Spring
LABORATORY SESSION 1: SOIL COMPACTION
1. Aim
Introduction to standard compaction for cohesion soils, based on AS 1289 Standard.
This laboratory test is performed to determine the relationship between the moisture content and
the dry density of a soil for a specified compactive effort.
2. Procedure- Standard Compaction

(a) Each group will be given about 3 kg of soil. The moisture content of the soil will be advised.
(b) Determine the mass of compaction mould plus base-plate to the nearest 5g. Determine the
volume of the mould by measurement to nearest 10 ml.
(c) Assemble the mould, collar and base-plate
(d) Take the soil as provided, mix it thoroughly and compact it into the mould in 3 layers not
varying in compacted thickness by more than 5 mm. Compact each layer by 25 uniformly
distributed blows of the compaction hammer falling freely from a height of 300 mm. The drops
should be applied at a uniform rate not exceeding around 1.5 seconds per drop. Use only
sufficient soil to slightly overfill the mould, leaving not more than 5 mm to be struck off after
removing the collar.
(e) Free the material from around the inside the collar and then carefully remove the collar.
(f) Trim and determine the mass of the mould, soil and base-plate to the nearest 5 g.
(g) Remove the soil specimen from the mould and obtain a representative sample from the full
height of the specimen for moisture content determination. For this purpose remove 10 to 30
grams of soil with a spatula. Use a moisture can and weigh the can as well as the can together
soil sample to the nearest 0.1 g.
(h) Return the remainder of the soil taken out from the compaction mould to the soil sample,
remix the soil and add sufficient water to increase the moisture content by 2% approximately.
(i) Mix thoroughly, and repeat steps (d) to (g) until a total of four different moisture contents
have been tested.
(j) Return the next day to weigh the moisture content sample.
NOTE: the soils laboratory officer may weigh all moisture content samples and provide the
results to you via emails.
3. Report
Plot the dry densities obtained for the compacted specimens against their corresponding moisture
contents. Draw a smooth curve through the resulting points and determine the position of the
maximum dry density and optimum moisture content on this curve. On the graph show the zero
air voids line and 90% saturation line.
NOTE: Assume, the specific gravity of soil solids, G s , is equal to 2.65 and use the following
formulae:
G w  G
e  s ,  d  w s , or
Sr e 1
 w Gs
 zav 
wG s  1
where  zav is the zero air void unit weight, S r is the degree of saturation, e is the void ratio
and  w is unit weight of water.
Photos are taken from: Engineering Properties of Soils Based on Laboratory Testing
Prepared by: Prof. Krishna Reddy, UIC
http://www.uic.edu/classes/cemm/cemmlab/Experiment%209-Compaction.pdf
LABORATORY SESSION 2: SOIL CLASSIFICATION
1. Aim
This session introduces students to aspects of soil behaviour, which govern the engineering
classification of soil. The main factors considered are plasticity and grading. Plasticity is
measured by the Liquid and Plastic limits (the Atterberg limits, LL and PL) and it is important
that students experience the feel and nature of a clay soil at these two limits. Grading is
determined using sieving or a hydrometer analysis and in particular students should be familiar
with the key size divisions between the main soil categories - clay, silt, sand and gravel. Finally
the session allows students to use field classification techniques to determine the USCS
classification of given soil samples.
2. What you will do in the session
The session will commence with a demonstration of the measurement of the LL and PL of a soil.
Visual classification and dry sieving techniques will also be explained. The class will then divide
into 2 roughly equal groups. One group will experiment with the PL and the LL of a sample of
clay. The other group will use visual classification techniques to determine the classification of 2
of the soils in the buckets marked A, B, C and D. After a time the groups will interchange.
3. Report
The report will have two components including:

a) The USCS classification of 2 soil samples out of four, labelled A, B, C and D, should be
found by visual means. The report should tabulate the observations made on each sample
during the classification process.
b) Reduce the results of the sieve analysis carried out on soil F and plot the grading curve on the
sheet provided. Determine the USCS classification of soil F.
The lab report should be submitted individually with your assignments for assessment based on
the dates given in the subject outline. This report should be very brief. Simply provide a table of
soil particle size distribution (PSD) and the PSD curve, as well as your observations associated
with two selected soil samples. Finally do not forget to provide the USCS symbols of the 3 soil
samples. These are: two selected soil samples from A, B, C or D related to visual classification
and Soil F used for the sieve analysis.
LABORATORY SESSION 2 (cont’d): NOTES ON VISUAL CLASSIFICATION
Accurate classification of a soil into the appropriate USCS category requires the results of
laboratory tests. However most engineers find with experience that a satisfactory estimate of
classification may be made in the field. This would generally involve a procedure such as the one
set out below:
1. Select a representative portion of soil and remove any boulders and cobbles from it. At the
same time estimate their percentage by weight.
2. Spread the soil on a flat surface and estimate the percentage of particles which are clearly
visible to the naked eye. The visible particles are either sand or gravel. If the percentage of
sand, gravel and cobbles (see 1 above) is greater than 50% the soil is coarse grained and
either S or G will constitute the first letter of its classification.
3. If the soil is coarse grained: classify as gravel if more than 50% of the coarse fraction is
larger than 25 mm. Otherwise classify as sand.
4. If the soil is gravel or sand: determine whether there is an appreciable amount of fines or
little to no fines in which case the soil is said to be clean. In the case of clean sand or gravel
classify as well or poorly graded. If there is appreciable fines classify according to the nature
of fines as in 5 below.
5. For a fine grained soil or the fine-grained fraction of a coarse grained soil the classification
depends on the results of tests listed below.
6. Organic soils are identified by their colour, odour (particularly noticeable when heating a wet
sample), spongy feel and fibrous texture.
7. Soils exhibiting the characteristics of two groups are given a boundary classification denoted
by dual symbols.
NOTES ON TESTS USED TO VISUALLY CLASSIFY FINE GRAINED SOILS
a) DILATANCY: A small wet pat of soil is shaken or squeezed in the palm of the hand.
Reaction to the test is gauged by the development of a wet film over the surface of the pat.
Rapid development of a wet surface indicates a lack of plasticity as in organic silts and fine
clean sands. A slow reaction indicates slight plasticity in silts and fine sands. No reaction
indicates marked plasticity i.e. clays or organic soils.
b) DRY STRENGTH: The resistance of a piece of dried soil to crushing between the fingers is
an indication of clay content and plasticity. Non-plastic soils exhibit no dry strength, silts of
low plasticity slight strength, silts of high plasticity and clays of low plasticity moderate
strength and clays of high plasticity high strength.
c) TOUGHNESS: A portion of the soil is worked until it is at its plastic limit. If the soil is
slightly wetter than the plastic limit and it can be rolled to a very fine thread or a lump of it
can be deformed at high pressure without crumbling the soil is said to be tough and of high
plasticity. If it can be readily rolled to a 3 mm thread but a lump of it crumbles it is of
medium toughness and plasticity. If the soil must be very carefully rolled even to form a 3
mm thread it is of slight toughness and low plasticity. If it can not be rolled into a 3 mm
thread it exhibits no toughness and is non-plastic.
Faculty of Engineering and IT 37
L1
Water
H1 Soil
H
H2
Drain 30mm
L2 L3
You need to:

- Measure the dimension of the model in the tank
- Measure the rate of water flowing through the model dam.
- Calculate the head loss, H.
- Observe the patterns of flow lines. Use the patterns and draw a flow net for the model dam.
- Calculate the average coefficient of permeability for the soil used in the model dam using the
flow net and the following relationship:
H
Qk. Nf  L1 L2
Nh
Q . Nh
k
H . N f
5. Model retaining wall

H
A model of a retaining wall is prepared in a
Perspex tank using clean sand. A section
through the model is shown opposite. The H1
thickness of the sand layer (into the page) is
140 mm. The model is used to demonstrate the
flow of water and the paths of flow lines, and
to indirectly calculate the coefficient of H3 H4
H2
permeability of the soil. You need to:
- Measure the rate of water flowing around the
sheet pile.
- Measure the head loss, H.
- Observe the patterns of flow lines. Use the patterns and draw a flow net for the model.
- Calculate the average coefficient of permeability for the sand used in the model using the flow
net and the relationship given in section 4.
6. Report
The lab report should be submitted individually with your assignments for
assessment based on the date given in the subject outline. Your report should H
contain flow nets for the two models and the method used to calculate the
coefficient of permeability of the three different soils.
Sand L
Filter
LABORATORY SESSION 4: SHEAR STRENGTH
1. Aim
This session introduces students to two methods of testing shearing strength of the soil in the lab,
Direct Shear Test and Unconfined Compressive Test. Students are expected to record required
data for calculation of the friction angle and cohesion of the soil.
2. Direct Shear Test

Direct shear test is a quick and inexpensive method used to estimate the shearing strength of
soils. The test is used to determine the shear strength of both cohesive and non-cohesive soils,
but it normally gives better results for non-cohesive materials. The shortcoming of this method is
that it fails the soil on a designated plane which may not be the weakest one.
Figure opposite shows a direct shear test
apparatus. The test equipment consists of
a metal split box in which the soil
specimen is placed. The two halves of
the box can be moved relative to each
other, thereby creating a failure plane.
The normal vertical force is applied to
the failure plane by a hanger. The shear
force is applied by moving one half of
the box relative to the other half, causing
failure in the soil specimen. The shear
force transmitted by the soil to the upper
half of the box can be measured at different stages of loading.
Testing Procedure
1. Measure inner side of shear box (60mm×60mm).
2. Calculate area of inside of box (A=3600 mm2)
3. Make sure top and bottom halves of shear box are in contact and fixed together.
4. Weigh out about 150 g of sand.
5. Place the soil in the box.

6. Place porous plate and the loading platen on top of the sand.
7. Apply normal force, V. The weights to use for the three runs are: 20, 40 and 60 lbs. The
weight of the hanger is 15 lbs. Therefore, the three normal forces will be 156 N, 245 N, and
334 N. (Note 1 lb= 1 pound = 0.4536 kg)
8. Position reaction rod and loading apparatus against the two halves of the shear box.
9. Remove connectors between the upper and lower halves of the shear box. Raise the upper
half of the shear box by 0.6 mm (0.025 in.) by using the screws provided for this purpose.
Position vertical and horizontal displacement gauges.
10. Start the test. Record shear force (or proving ring reading), H, shear displacement, and
vertical displacement every 15 seconds. Note that the proving ring coefficient is 500N/mm.
Peak Stress
11. Run test for 4 minutes. Test may be stopped early if 
shear load reading drops significantly.
12. Reverse machine to release load. Residual Stress
13. Take the normal load off.
14. Carefully bring the upper portion of the shear box to
its original position, remove the sand and repeat the
test with the second and third loads as specified
before. h
Calculations:
Plot the stress – strain curves for each normal load as 
shown opposite. peack
Calculate the peak normal and shear stresses from the
following relationships: cv
N V
 ; 
A A
Plot the Mohr – Coulomb failure line for the peak shear 
and normal stresses as shown below, and determine the
internal friction angle of the soil.
3. Unconfined Compression Test

This test provides a simple and rapid means of assessing undrained 1
shear strength of soils. In the test a cylindrical soil sample is placed
between two loading plates and quickly compressed to failure by
applying axial stress only. Figure opposite shows s the loading pattern
in an unconfined compression test. In this test, the lateral radial stress
3 = 0
is zero (s3 = 0), and therefore, the axial stress, v = s1.
The sample will fail along an inclined plane as shown in the figure
opposite. Since there is no control on changes of moisture content, the
test is most suitable for determination of shear strength of clays under
undrained conditions.
The unconfined compressive strength of the soil, q u, is simply defined
as the failure load divided by the area. The value of q u relates to the
undrained shear strength parameters as the unconfined test is carried out rapidly so that the soil
will be in an undrained state throughout.
Calculations
You are required to take the following steps:
1. Measure the length and diameter of the sample provided in mm.
2. Place the sample between the two loading plates of the compression
machine, in such away that the top surface of the sample barely
touches the top loading plate.
3. Set the axial stress and deformation dial gauges to zero or take the
initial readings.
4. Apply the axial stress by the compression machine and start recording the dial gauges every
15 seconds until the sample fails or axial deformation is beyond 30%.
5. Calculate axial strain and normal stresses from the following relationships:
h 1 P
 , Ac  Ao , 
ho 1  Ac
Where ε is axial strain, Δh is the vertical deformation of the sample, h o is the initial length of
the sample, Ao is the initial cross section area, Ac is the corrected area of the sample and P is
the applied axial load at different stages of loading.
6. Plot the stress-strain curve using the recorded data.
7. Determine the maximum load to cause failure in kN and call it qu
8. Draw the Mohr-circle of stresses and conclude that:
c u = qu / 2
Report
The lab report should be submitted individually with your assignments for assessment based on
the date given in the subject outline. Your report should be brief and contain a general
description on consolidation test and triaxial apparatus as well as the main results of the shear
box and the unconfined compression tests.

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University of Technology, Sydney

Faculty of Engineering and IT

ASSIGNMENT 1 - PHASE RELATIONSHIPS AND SOIL CLASSIFICATION

6- Classify soils A, B and C according to the USCS.

Soil A Soil B Soil C

a. What is the compacted dry density of the field sample?

ASSIGNMENT 2 - STRESSES IN SOIL

2- A level site has the following soil profile:

3- A level soil deposit has the following soil profile:

4- A section through a long tunnel in soil is shown in the

1- Consider the situation shown in Figure 1. It depicts

2-At a level site a deep impermeable clay layer contains

ASSIGNMENT 4 – SETTLEMENT & SHEAR STRENGTH

3- A 3m deep layer of clay is underlain by impervious rock. An extensive area of fill is to be

5- An anchor supports a retaining wall. The backfill is

TUTORIAL 1 (a): PHASE RELATIONSHIPS

Wet density (t/m3) 1.960 2.040 2.115 2.120 2.105

TUTORIAL 1 (b): SOIL CLASSIFICATION

a) What is the USCS classification of the soil?

Clay Silt Sand Gravel

TUTORIAL 2: SOIL CLASSIFICATION AND STRESSES

1. The soil profile at a level site consists of:

Normal stress (kPa) Shear stress (kPa)

TUTORIAL 3: ONE-DIMENSIONAL SEEPAGE

TUTORIAL 4: TWO-DIMENSIONAL SEEPAGE

2- In the initial stages of the analysis of two-

Trial flow net 1 Trial flow net 2

TUTORIAL 5: SETTLEMENT AND CONSOLIDATION

1- A sample of clay is subjected to a seating pressure of 10 kPa in a consolidation test cell.

2- The soil profile at a site consists of a 6m layer of gravel WT

Pressure (kPa) 20 40 100 200 400 20

2- The soil profile at a level site consists of:

a) What is the total unit weight of the compacted fill?

TUTORIAL 7: SHEAR STRENGTH OF COHESIONLESS SOILS

3- The stresses shown in the figure opposite are Vertical

TUTORIAL 8: SHEAR STRENGTH OF COHESIVE SOILS

1- In the design of a bulldozer it is assumed Blade width=3m

2- A saturated clay sample has the following properties:

3- A long strip footing is constructed near the top of a

SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY

 Please follow the instructions of laboratory staff and safety notices.

LABORATORY SESSION 1: SOIL COMPACTION

2. Procedure- Standard Compaction

LABORATORY SESSION 2: SOIL CLASSIFICATION

2. What you will do in the session

The report will have two components including:

LABORATORY SESSION 2 (cont’d): NOTES ON VISUAL CLASSIFICATION

NOTES ON TESTS USED TO VISUALLY CLASSIFY FINE GRAINED SOILS

You need to:

5. Model retaining wall

LABORATORY SESSION 4: SHEAR STRENGTH

2. Direct Shear Test

5. Place the soil in the box.

3. Unconfined Compression Test

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