UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
M.Sc in Geotechnical Engineering
Final Examination

CE 5401 ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF SOIL

Time allowed: 3 hours + 15 minutes August 2022

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR CANDIDATES:
This examination is conducted in the on-line mode.

This paper contains 5 questions on 13 pages (including this page).

This examination accounts for 70% of the module assessment.

This is an open book examination

The maximum marks attainable are indicated in square brackets.

Symbols have their usual meanings.

Answer all Five Questions.

Questions carry equal marks.

Page 1 of 13
Question 1

A road embankment in an ongoing project in the Southern Province had been constructed with a
suitable soil. However, during a discussion on the release of finances, it was noted that the
mentioned number of truckloads of soil had not been used in the road work. As the geotechnical
engineer of the project, you are requested to verify the number of truckloads needed to complete a
compacted volume of 1000 m3.

Following data were collected from the existing records for verification purpose.

• Soil had been hauled from the same source with similar engineering properties.

• Laboratory tests conducted on a soil before the excavation from the borrow area revealed that,
the water content (w) was 10%, the bulk density was 1845 kg/m3. After excavation soil had
been loosened and the void ratio had increased by 30%. The specific gravity of the soil solid
had been 2.65.

• It had been decided to compact the road section at the maximum dry density with its optimum
moisture content. Following information were collected from a Proctor compaction test
conducted on the fill material.
Table Q-1

Moisture content 6 8 9 11 12 14

Dry unit weight (kN/m3) 12.8 15.45 16.2 16.9 16.7 15.6

• Following data were collected as representing information to be used to verify the in-situ
density of the compacted road embankment.
o Calibrated dry density of Ottawa sand – 1667 kg/m3
o Calibrated mass of Ottawa sand to fill the cone – 0.117 kg
o Mass of jar + cone + sand (before use) – 5.99 kg
o Mass of jar + cone + sand (after use) – 2.81 kg
o Mass of moist soil from hole – 3.331 kg
o Moisture content of moist soil – 11.6%
• Number of truck loads with a capacity of each truck of 8m3 used for claiming purposes was
150.
Page 2 of 13
With the data collected above, you are required to prepare a report with the following information.

i. The maximum dry density, its optimum moisture content, and void ratio corresponding
to the maximum dry density of the fill material.
[4 marks]

ii. Comment on the in-situ density of the compacted embankment and the project
requirement (with reference to the density achieved and the moisture content used).
[6 marks]

iii. Verification of the total number of trucks (or truck loads) hauled.
[10 marks]

Page 3 of 13
Question 2

The clay layer shown in Figure Q-2 is sandwiched between two sand layers. The coefficient of
consolidation cv is 0.5 m2/year. A wide area surface loading of 50 kN/m2 is instantaneously added
to the site by placing a fill.

bulk = 16 kN/m3

sat = 18 kN/m3

sat = 17 kN/m3

sat= 18 kN/m3

Figure Q-2

(a) Make a neat drawing showing (down to the bottom level of the clay layer),
i. The distribution of pore water pressure before the fill is placed.
ii. The distribution of pore water pressure soon after the fill is placed.
iii. The distribution of pore water pressure 6 years after the fill is placed.
[4 marks]

(b) Six years later, the fill is removed instantaneously. Assuming cv is the same for both loading
and unloading, construct plots of the following.
i. Total vertical stress at the mid depth of the clay.
ii. Pore pressure at the mid depth of the clay.
iii. Effective vertical stress at the mid depth of the clay.
iv. Pore water pressure at mid depth of the clay after another 6 years
[8 marks]

Page 4 of 13
(c) Considering the behaviour of soil during loading and unloading, answer the following
questions.
i. Will the excess pore water pressure after unloading dissipate more or less quickly than
dissipation after the initial loading?
ii. Comment on the final thickness of the clay layer compared to the initial thickness.
[4 marks]

(d) If the site is subjected to the proposed 50 kN/m2 load, which increases linearly with time for
one year until the load reaches 50 kN/m2, comment on the behaviour of excess pore water
pressure change with time using suitable sketches.

[4 marks]

Page 5 of 13
Question 3

Following data were collected from the Expressway site connecting Hambanatota Harbour and the
Mattala Airport.
Table Q-3-(a) –Atterberg Test
Liquid limit test Moisture data

Number of Weight of Weight of Weight of

Blows wet soil + can (g) dry soil + can (g) can (g)

49 24.28 20.92 8.95

39 22.52 18.75 6.97
26 26.45 21.39 6.93
17 27.3 21.59 6.98
10 22.8 17.57 5.12

Plastic limit test

Trial 1 11.83 10.81 5.76

Trial 2 14.72 13.25 6.24

Table Q-3-(b) – Sieve Analysis

Sieve Size (mm) Percentage Passing (%)

10 100.0

5 100.0

3.35 100.0

2.360 99.5

1.180 96.4

0.600 92.4

0.300 75.7

0.150 47.4

0.075 34.7

Page 6 of 13
 i. Determine the Atterberg limits and calculate the plasticity index of the given soil.
[5 marks]

ii. Classify the soil according to the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS).
[5 marks]

iii. Describe the soil according to AASHTO classification.

[5 marks]

iv. Comment on the suitability of this soil to be used as a subgrade material in the
expressway project.
[5 marks]

Page 7 of 13
Question 4

(a) Figure Q-4-(a) shows a setup developed to study the variations of head along the axis of a
layered soil medium, through which seepage is occurring. Three different soil layers, each
having a length of 250 mm are placed inside a cylindrical tube with a 150 mm diameter. A
constant head difference of 500 mm is maintained across the setup, by continuously supplying
water to upstream reservoir. The relevant properties of each soil layer are given in Table Q-4.

Table Q-4

Permeability (k) (cm/s)

Soil Porosity (n) (In the direction of the
flow)
1 0.45 5.5×10-3
2 0.55 4.5×10-2
3 0.35 4.0×10-4

i. Estimate the quantity of water flowing through the sample per hour.
[2 marks]
ii. Assuming the downstream water level (Y-Y) as the datum, determine the elevation head,
pressure head, and the total head at the entrance and exit of each soil layer.
[2 marks]
iii. Plot the variation of the elevation head, pressure head and the total head with the
horizontal distance along the sample axis (X-X).
[1 mark]
iv. Plot the variations of discharge velocity and the seepage velocity along the sample axis
(X-X).
[2 marks]
v. What will be the height of the vertical columns of water inside piezometers A and B
installed on the sample axis (X-X)?
[1 mark]

Page 8 of 13
(b) A concrete dam cross-section constructed on an anisotropic permeable layer is shown in Figure
Q-4-(b)-a. The coefficients of permeabilities of the permeable layer in the vertical and
horizontal directions are 2×10−2 mm/s and 4×10−2 mm/s, respectively. On the basis of the
anisotropy, the distorted dam cross-section is re-plotted, and a flow net has been drawn in
Figure Q-4-(b)-b. Based on the given data, calculate the seepage loss of the dam in m3/(day·m).

[2 marks]

(c) Figure Q-4-(c) shows a cross section of a concrete gravity dam with a cut-off wall, constructed
on top of a medium permeability clay layer, followed by an impermeable soil layer. Necessary
elevations (EL), dimensions and the material properties are shown in Figure Q-4-(c).

i. Briefly explain the reason for providing a cut-off wall in the gravity dam.
[1 mark]

ii. Using the method of fragment, estimate the rate of flow of water per 1 m length below
the dam.
[3 marks]

iii. Using the method of fragment, determine the pore water pressures of points A to G, which
are at equal spacing along the bottom of the dam and calculate the total uplift force acting
on the dam.
[3 marks]

iv. Estimate the factor of safety against the uplift failure of the gravity dam and comment on
the stability.
[2 marks]

v. Provide two recommendations to enhance the stability of the dam against the uplifting
failure.
[1 mark]

Page 9 of 13
 Figure Q-4-(a)

Figure Q-4-(b)

Page 10 of 13
Figure Q-4-(c)

Page 11 of 13
Question 5

(a) An over consolidated clay has 𝑐 ′ = 20 𝑘𝑃𝑎 and 𝜑 ′ = 20°. Two specimens are equilibrated
and allowed to consolidate under a 𝜎3 of 280 kPa.
The first specimen is then sheared undrained and has a deviator stress at failure [( 𝜎1 − 𝜎3 )𝑓 ]
of 480 kPa. The second specimen is to be sheared with porewater pressure measurements.
However, by considering in-situ conditions, these porewater pressures must be kept above 70
kPa at all times during testings.

i. To what value the cell pressure must be increased to maintain the porewater pressure
above 70 kPa?
[3 marks]
ii. Draw the total stress Mohr’s circle and effective stress Mohr’s circle, and superimpose
the Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope in the same graph.
[2 marks]

iii. What is the porewater pressure parameter A at failure (𝐴𝑓 ), if the additional cell pressure
is not applied? You may assume that the sample is fully saturated.
[3 marks]

(b) During the construction of a highway project, an earth embankment has to be constructed
compacting a burrowed soil material, which has the following soil characteristics:

• 𝑐 ′ = 40 𝑘𝑃𝑎 • 𝐴 = 0.55
• ′
𝜑 = 25° • 𝐵 = 0.95
• 𝛾 = 19.5 𝑘𝑁/𝑚 3

where 𝛾 is the unit weight of the compacted soil, and 𝐴 and 𝐵 are the Skempton’s porewater
pressure parameters.

Estimate the shear strength of the soil on a horizontal plane at the base of the embankment,
just after the fill height has been raised from 3.5 m to 7 m. Assume that the permeability of soil
is very low, so that the porewater pressure is very slow to dissipate.

1
It can also be assumed that 𝜎ℎ = 2 𝜎𝑣 ,

Page 12 of 13
 where 𝜎ℎ and 𝜎𝑣 are the total horizontal stress and total vertical stress at any given point in the
embankment, respectively.
[4 marks]

(c) In the analysis of critical state theory, a normally consolidated soil sample was tested in the
laboratory and following parameters have been determined.

𝑁 = 2.32, 𝜆 = 0.13, Γ = 2.15 and 𝜑 ′ = 26°. Also, for normally consolidated soil, 𝑀 =
6 sin 𝜑′
.
3−sin 𝜑′

*All the parameters have their usual meanings.

An identical sample was subjected to isotropic consolidation under 200 kPa, and then sheared
under undrained condition.

i. Estimate the void ratio of the sample at failure.

[2 marks]

ii. What is the effective mean stress (𝑝′) and the deviator stress (𝑞) of the sample at failure?
[2 marks]

iii. An identical sample of same soil was subjected to isotropic consolidation at 300 kPa and
sheared under drained condition. Determine the void ratio and the value of the effective
mean stress (𝑝′) of the sample at failure.
[4 marks]

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