NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CE2112 TUTORIAL PROBLEM SHEET - CONSOLIDATION II

Oil tank

1m
Permeable Gravel

Cv = 52m2/yr

4m
Soft Clay

Permeable dense sand

1. An oil tank, 10 m high and 50 m diameter, is to be constructed on a site where 1 m of gravel
overlies 4 m of soft clay. Below the clay is dense sand. In the initial filling and proof-loading of
the tank, water is to be used. Filling will progress in weekly increments, and the increments must
be of such a magnitude to ensure that the mean excess pore water pressures in the soft clay does
not exceed 60 kPa. Superposition may be assumed valid. Given that cv = 52 m2/year, calculate the
sequence of weekly water levels for the test loading. What factors could limit the validity of the
analysis?

2. The diagram below shows a 6 m deep excavation which is to be made in a 20 m thick layer of
residual soil overlying sand which in turn overlies bedrock. The permeabilities are (i) residual
soil: 10-8 m/s and (ii) sand: 10-4 m/s. The compression index Cc for the residual soil is 0.05 and
its unit weight is 19 kN/m3. The excavation is to be made over a relatively short duration of about
20 days but it is to be left open for another 120 days. The excavation was effectively dewatered.
 Taking the elevation datum to be at the bottom of the excavation, the hydraulic head at the base
of the excavation is 0m. During the excavation, groundwater recharge was undertaken via
shallow sub-soil drains near the ground surface which has the effect of maintaining the phreatic
surface virtually at the ground surface, thus maintaining a hydraulic head of 6m at the retained
soil surface. Seepage analysis shows that, in the long-term, after steady-state seepage has
established itself, the streamlines in the vicinity of the retaining wall (both in the retained soil and
in the excavation) are approximately vertical straight lines (i.e. one-dimensional seepage flow)
and that the hydraulic head within the sand layer is 2.5m.
6m Hydraulic head h = 6m

Hydraulic head h = 0m

Residual soil:
γ = 19kN/m3

20m
Residual
k = 10-8m/s
soil

Sand Layer (highly permeable)

6m

Hydraulic head h = 2.5m

(a) Discuss qualitatively the transient ground response arising from the construction work, with
appropriate sketches of the initial, short-term, long-term and transient (i.e. interim) profiles of
total and effective vertical stresses as well as pore pressures.
(b) By making appropriate simplifying assumptions, estimate
(i) the final settlement at the ground surface if the excavation is left open for a long time,
(ii) the ground settlement after 120 days.
3. A seabed soil profile consists 5 m of soft, normally consolidated marine clay underlain by dense
sand. The seabed is at a depth of 4 m below mean sea level (msl). It is required to reclaim this site
 to a height of 2m above msl with sand (also known as hydraulic fill). The properties of the soil
are as follows:
Marine clay: compression index = 0.7
swelling index = 0.2
coefficient of consolidation = 2 m2/year
in-situ water content at 4 m below seabed level = 90%
bulk unit weight = 16 kN/m3
Gs = 2.68
Hydraulic fill: bulk unit weight = 18 kN/m3 (below waterline)
15 kN/m3 (above waterline)
(a) Estimate the final settlement of the reclaimed land arising from consolidation of the soft clay.
(b) How long will it take for 90% of this settlement to occur?
(c) It is desired to enforce this 90% settlement within a period of 2 years by placing an additional
surcharge consisting of hydraulic fill on top of the final reclamation level. Estimate what
height of surcharge will be required to achieve this?

4. The figure below shows a site underlain by two layers of soft clay. In order to enforce early
settlement of the ground, a 5 m thick layer of loose sand (unit weight = 14 kN/m3 ) is placed on
top of the ground. Estimate how long it will take for the ground surface to settle 50 mm. The
groundwater table is at the ground surface.
Properties:
upper soft soil layer: cv = 0.5 m2/year
k = 10-9 m/s
 = 15 kN/m3
sand seam: k = 10-3 m/s
 = 17 kN/m3
lower soft soil layer: cv = 1.5 m2/year
k = 10-9 m/s
  = 17 kN/m3

ground surface

Upper soft soil layer 8m

sand seam 1m

Lower soft soil layer 8m

Bedrock (impermeable)