RESPOSNES TO 2018 /2019 PAST TEST

QUESTIONS
QUESTION [25 MARKS]-(Soil problems and soil types)
It is a known fact that soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and
countless organisms which together support life on earth. Furthermore, there are no
arguments that the use of soil extends into prehistoric times, and in fact, humans have
historically utilized soil as a material for various reasons. However, due to the
challenges
soil presented as material over the years, attracted much attention. This led the father
of
soil mechanics- Karl Terzaghi in the 18th Century to go into the application of laws of
mechanics and hydraulics to engineering problems dealing with sediments and other
unconsolidated accumulations of solid particles produced by the weathering of rocks.
Considering that you occupy a position of soil engineering specialist for the City of
Johannesburg and you are the leader of a joint task team of environmentalists, builders,
engineers and other scientists; there is bound to always be intensive arguments on
diverse issues with respect to soil and its associated problems as a construction
material.
As a leading specialist with scientific and technical knowledge on the behaviors of soil,
assist your team of experts in addressing or unraveling the following questions:
Soil engineering, soil mechanics or geotechniques is one of the youngest disciplines
of
civil engineering involving the study of soil, its behaviour and applications amongst
other
things.
(i) With a simple and practical example elaborate on the last paragraph within the
context of soil as an engineering material. [5]
Soil is used as an engineering material for example in the construction of buildings. In the
construction of buildings, foundations are laid on soil and they need to be able to support the
weight of the building by transferring the load to the soil. The soil needs to withstand the weight
of the building successfully without collapsing or any excessive deformation during the
building’s useful lifetime.

(ii) Display simple understanding on any two (2) soil types, bearing in mind their
formation, transportation and deposition processes. [5]
Alluvial soils- These are fine sediments that have been eroded from rock and transported by
water and they have settled on river and streambeds. These types of soils generally have
different characteristics to that of the parent rock because of the varying conditions in which
they are transported
Colluvial Soils- These soils are found at the base of mountains that have been eroded by the
combination of water and gravity. These soils consist of very sharp, angular rock fragments
accumulated at the base of steep slopes

(iii) With your knowledge of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and applying your
understanding of soil in relation to geology, briefly explain the failure or the
tilting of the Tower. [5]
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was constructed on a problem soil; a weak clay soil which is very
expansive. This means that the soil experiences high levels of seasonal expansion and
collapse/contraction. In Winter the soil expands while in Summer it contracts/collapses due to
the reduction in moisture content . This engineering problem caused excessive movements
within the foundation of the Tower of Pisa and hence why the structure is titled. In addition,
the fact that the foundation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was also not erected deep enough
to ensure that the expansive nature of the soil does not affect the building plays a major role
in the failure of the building.

(iv) It is generally known that almost all structures are either constructed of soil,
supported/constructed on soil, or a combination of both. As such employ your
knowledge of soil mechanics in briefly explaining any two (2) reasons why soils
should be tested or investigated to make estimates on their behaviours as a
construction material. [5]
Two reasons why we test/investigate soil:
• Bearing Capacity- we need to know how the soil will behave under loading, whether it
will withstand the load or collapse on loading. This enables us to decide on suitable
engineering technologies can be applied to strengthen the soil or to modify structures
to be built on the soil.
• Drainage- We need to know how permeable the soil is so that we can decide on how
best to engineer construction methods so that the building materials are not affected
by the up take of water through capillary action/the erosion of the soil around the
foundation or the ground-heave that occurs in the presence of moisture.
(v) Still applying your awareness or understanding of soil problems in soil
mechanics, briefly explain: (a) soil heaving, (b) giving one (1) cause of ground
heave, (c) highlighting one (1) sign of ground heave, and (d) provide a remedial
or preventive action on ground heave.
(a)Soil Heaving- The upward movement of the soil due to swelling in the presence of moisture.
(b)Cause- Broken drains or nearby building works that interfere with existing groundwater
drainage
(c)Sign- Lifting of paths or patios
(d)Remedial action- Excavating the problem soil and replacing it with coarse-grained soils like
gravels which are less likely to heave and more permeable

QUESTION [25 MARKS]- (Dolomitic Soils)

Many soils can prove problematic in geotechnical engineering since they can expand,
collapse, undergo excessive settlement, have a distinct lack of strength or be corrosive.
As such, during the viability analysis and planning stages of projects that involves
infrastructure, it is important to identify problematic soils since this could save costs
and/or redesign of the project later on. If it is noted before the project is started the
project
can be relocated or the soil adjusted to meet the projects demands. One of such
problem
soils is dolomitic soils which is best described based on its geology. In light of this
understanding, provide answers to the following questions:
(i) Why is dolomitic soil generally considered to be a problematic soil? [3]
Dolomitic soil is generally considered to be a problematic soil because of the
subsidence that occurs on it during development or dewatering. In addition, in the
presence of slightly acidic water it is chemically eroded hence causing sinkholes
and dolines.

(ii) The formation of sinkholes can be directly linked to the changes in the water table.
This fact is also based on the realization that almost all sinkhole formations are
due to human activities or anthropogenic causes. Simply justify what kind of
human activities may trigger the formation of sinkholes. [3]
Human activities like:
Abstraction of water- this is the dewatering process in soils which can cause subsidence of
soils that were submerged in water and held firmly by water pore pressure.
Leaking utility services- these cause an increase in the water table and lead to the erosion of
the soil which leaves voids within the soil profile/layers.

(iii) It is true that two (2) of the major problems associated with dolomite are the
formation of sinkholes and dolines. In knowledge of this, segregate between
sinkholes and dolines. [4]
Sinkholes- They are mainly caused by geological conditions that allow groundwater to dissolve
subterranean limestone, underground voids and caverns that occasionally cause cave-ins and
collapses.
Dolines- are caused by the excessive compression of the weathered dolomite rock residuum
“wad” when the water table is lowered. This is because of the absence of the pore water
pressure that would have been holding the residuum firmly.

(iv)You have also come to the understanding that there are two (2) main types of
doline. Name them and briefly differentiate between the two. [12]
Dewatering type doline- these occur when groundwater level falls rapidly and previously
submerged and unconsolidated soil is exposed which results in a decrease of the pore water
pressure. This may cause excessive compression and rapid differential surface
settlement(collapse) which results in a depression of the surface and surface tension cracks
in the surrounding areas.
Surface saturation doline- These are relatively small. They occur in situations where
compressible dolomitic material underlies an area at relatively shallow depths with the
groundwater table either within or below the compressible material. The surface water from
leaking drains and pipes penetrates the surface and continues down till it reaches the low-
density material. The deeper materials settle into a denser state since they are saturated. This
causes a surface depression due to the increasing load on the near surface materials.

Hence the major difference between the two types of dolines is the presence or absence of
water in the dolomitic soil.

(v) Nevertheless, the Council for Geoscience in 2008 attested to the fact that there is
another type of doline called partially developed sinkhole. Simply indicate how this
type of doline is formed. [3]
A partly developed sinkhole is formed when the erosion of soil due to the ingress water(i.e
leakages of pipes or drainage systems) is terminated.

2018 / 2019 PAST TEST QUESTIONS

QUESTION [25 Marks]-(Dolomite and Gautrain Problem)
Damage to structures and loss of life have been more severe on dolomite than on any
other geological formation in Southern Africa. The subsidence that occurs on dolomitic
terrain following development or during dewatering has given dolomite a notorious
reputation and engineers and geologists have become reluctant to recommend
development on the material. Dolomite which is a rock containing calcium-magnesium
carbonates have a distinctive elephant skin texture when weathered by even slightly
acidic water. In light of this knowledge, the Mayor Cllr. Mashaba has requested your
expertise in clarifying the following concerns:
(i) The mayor has asked for a simply understanding of the meaning of “elephant skin
weathering of dolomite”. What will you tell him? [5]
Elephant skin weathering simply refers to the rough texture of the dolomite after it has endured
weathering by acidic water. The elephant skin texture is one that is full of cracks and creases
of the dolomite rock.

(ii) The mayor has also asked for the stoichiometry/equation/chemical representation
of this dissolution process involving dolomite. [5]
CaMg(CO3) + 2H2C03 âť Ca(HCO3)2 + Mg(HCO3)2

(iii) The mayor now understands that the dissolution process of dolomite
leads to the formation of underground caves and or cavities. He also
knows that after the weathering process has taken place the
formation of ‘Wad’, a complex residual soil mantle occurs which then
overlays the dolomite bedrock. However, the mayor wants to know
any two (2) characteristics of this weak ‘Wad’ material. What will you
mention to him? [5]
The characteristics of the weak ‘Wad’:
It is highly compressible- this makes it prone to failure/collapse on loading.
It is highly erodible- this makes it a poor construction material because if there is a high-water
table or leakages of drainages the wad will be washed away.

(iv) In the construction of the Gautrain, several geotechnical engineering

issues/challenges were encountered with one of the major issue
involving dolomite. However, since the traffic could not be interrupted
during the construction over the 14/Jean Avenue and N1/John
Vorster Drive interchanges in Centurion, innovative methods were
applied/used. Give a sufficient account of what solution was used and
what interesting facts were determined. [10]

Firstly, geotechnical engineers discovered that the Gautrain railway line was set on a path of
dolomitic terrain which was prone to sinkholes. However, they devised a solution to this
problem by using innovative foundation engineering techniques which involved the use of a
piled raft foundations(i.e. a combination of a pile and a raft foundation). Piles were drilled deep
into the soil until they reached a solid bedrock at about 30m deep and then a raft foundation
was constructed at the surface.
Since traffic could not be stopped engineers decided to construct large viaducts using the cast
in place method from both directions of the railway. The sections were constructed so that the
span of the viaducts would be post tensioned. To conduct this method a sophisticated
hydraulically controlled concrete shutter was used. The viaducts were placed at an angle so
that the rail segment crosses the intersection diagonally. This meant the piers had to be
shaped elliptically to be slender enough to fit the confined space available but strong enough
to support the superstructure of the viaducts. Since the design is that of an arc, the mid-spans
are shallower than the segments that rest on the piers and this gives the viaducts a graceful
curve.