DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ROURKELA-769008

M.Tech 1st Semester Sub: Advanced Soil Mechanics
ASSIGNMENT NO. 4

1. Show that the critical condition for an embankment located on saturated normally
consolidated clay occurs at the end of the construction.
2. What do you mean by pseudo cohesion? Give practical example of this.

3. What is Critical voids ratio? How can you find out the critical void ratio of sand?
State the factors which influence the critical void ratio of sand.

4. State and discuss the factors which contribute to the shear strength of cohesive and
cohesionless soils.
5. A specimen of clean, dry sand is tested in a shear box and the sample failed at a shear
stress of 70 kN/m2 when the normal stress is 100 kN/m2. Determine

(i) The angle of shear resistance

(ii) Principal stresses during failure and
(iii) Directions of principal planes.

6. A vane 100mm long and 80mm in diameter was pressed into soft clay at the botto m
of the bore hole. The failure of the clay took place at a maximum torque of 45kN.mm
when the top of the vane is just touching the bottom of the bore hole. Subsequently,
the vane was rotated rapidly so as to completely remoulded the soil. The remoulded
soil sheared at a torque of 18kN.mm when the top of the vane is completely inside the
clay. Calculate the undrained cohesion of the clay in natural and remoulded state and
the sensitivity of clay.
7. A series of triaxial compression tests were conducted on three identical specimens of
saturated cohesivesoil. The test results are tabulated below:

Specimen σ3f kPa σ1f kPa Δuf kPa

1 100 170 40
2 200 260 95
3 300 360 135

Sketch the total and effective stress paths for each and determine the Mohr-Coloumb
strength parameters in terms of both total and effective stresses. State whether the soil is
normally consolidated or not.
 8. In order to estimate the greatest height to which a vertical cut can be made without
any support, a triaxial test was run on a clay soil. The following are the observation:

σ3f (kPa) 35 70 105 140 155

σ1f( kPa) 231 322 435 546 637
Calculate this height assuming the density of clay as 17.60 kN/m3.

9. An element of soil in a clay slope is under the stress condition σ x = 160 kPa, σz = 244
kPa and xz = 48 kPa, u = 42 kPa (the x-axis being horizontal). The effective strength
parameters of this clay is c’ = 10 kPa and Ø’ = 310. Under existing condition what are
the values of major principal stress σ, and maximum shear stress max? If a temporary
rise in the ground water level increases the pore water pressure from 42 kPa to 100
kPa, how will it affect the Mohr circle?

10. In a triaxial test, a soil specimen ws consolidated under an all-round pressure of 800
kN/m2 and a back pressure of 400 kN/m2. Thereafter, under undrained conditions, the
all-round pressure was raised to 900 kN/m2 resulting in a pore-water pressure of 490
kN/m2, then with all-round pressure kept at 900 kN/m2, the axial load is applied to
give a principal stress difference of 585 kN/m2 and a pore water pressure of 600
kN/m2. Calculate the pore water pressure coefficient ‘A’ and ‘B’.

11. What are the advantages of triaxial shear test over direct shear test?

12. What do you mean by Dilatancy? Give a comparison between Row’s and Bolton’s
dilatancy models.

13. Differentiate between peak strength and ultimate strength of granular materials. State
their significance.