Department of Civil Engineering

National Institute of Technology, Raipur

Name of Course: Geotechnical Engineering I Code: CE - 513
Solution Assignment: 3 Due date:
Name of Instructor: Dr. S.K. Chouksey
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Q1.Data from grain size analysis for three soils A,B and C is as tabulated below: i) Plot the grain size distribution
curve for each soil; (ii) Classify each soil; (iii) Calculate Cc and Cu for each soil; (iv) Comment on the validity of Cc
and Cu as parameters that describe the shape of the grain size distribution curve.

Q2. Classify soils A to E as completely as possible on the basis of information given below.

Q3. A liquid limit test, conducted on a soil sample in the cup device, gave the following results:

Two determinations for the plastic limit gave water contents of 20.3% and 20.8%. Determine (a) the liquid limit
and plastic limit, (b) the plasticity index, (c) the liquidity index if the natural water content is 27.4%, and (d) the
void ratio at the liquid limit if Gs = 2.7. If the soil were to be loaded to failure, would you expect a brittle failure?

Q4. A sample of soil weight 1.5 N. Its clay fraction is 0.34N. If it’s liquid limit is 60% and plastic limit is 26%.
Classify the clay

Q5. Prove that shrinkage ratio (SR) = /

 Department of Civil Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Raipur
Name of Course: Geotechnical Engineering I Code: CE - 513
Solution Assignment: 3 Due date:
Name of Instructor: Dr. S.K. Chouksey
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q6. The mass and volume of a saturated clay specimen were 29.8 g and 17.7 cm3 respectively. On oven drying
the mass got reduced to 19 g and the volume to 8.9 cm3. Calculate shrinkage limit, shrinkage ratio and volumetric
shrinkage. Also compute G of soil.
Q7. The liquid limit and plastic limit of a soil are 34% and 26% respectively. When the soil is dried from its state
at liquid limit to dry state the reduction in volume was found to be 35% of its volume at liquid limit. The
corresponding volume reduction from the state of plastic limit to dry state was 25% of its volume at plastic limit.
Calculate (i) shrinkage limit and (ii) shrinkage ratio.
Q8. An embankment for a highway 30 m wide and 1.5 m in compacted thickness is to be constructed from a
sandy soil trucked from a borrow pit. The water content of the sandy soil in the borrow pit is 15% and its void
ratio is 0.69. The swell index is 1.2. The specification requires the embankment to be compacted to a dry unit
weight of 18 kN/m3. Determine, for a 1-km length of embankment, the following:
(a) The weight of sandy soil from the borrow pit required to construct the embankment.
(b) The number of truckloads of sandy soil required for the construction. The full capacity of each truck is 22.2
m3, and local government regulations require a maximum loaded capacity of 90%.
(c) The weight of water per truckload of sandy soil.
(d) The degree of saturation of the sandy soil in situ.