DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

3rd YEAR CE

SOIL MECHANICS I

ASSIGNMENT 2
Date due: 7/05/2009

1. The mass of an oven-dried sample of clay is 11.26 gm and its volume is 5.83 cm3. If the
specific gravity of the soil particles is 2.67 determine the shrinkage limit of the soil. The
shrinkage limit is the moisture content the soil would have had if fully saturated at its
minimum volume.

2. In a compaction test a bulk unit weight of 16 kN/m 3 was measured at a moisture content
of 8%. What would the moisture content have been if the soil had been fully saturated.
Assume Gs = 2.70.

3. In a deep deposit of clay the water table lies 3 m below the soil surface. Calculate the
total and effective stresses at depths of 1 m, 3 m and 5 m below the surface. Assume that
the soil remains fully saturated above the water table, and that sat = 16.5 kN/m3.

4. A clay has properties Cc = 0.4, Cr = 0.05. Determine the final void ratio for the following
situations:

a) Initially  = 50 kPa, e = 1.2, pc = 100 kPa, Finally  = 90 kPa

b) Initially  = 50 kPa, e = 1.2, pc = 100 kPa, Finally  = 190 kPa
c) Initially  = 50 kPa, e = 1.2, pc = 50 kPa, Finally  = 90 kPa
d) Initially  = 50 kPa, e = 1.2, pc = 100 kPa, Finally  = 30 kPa
e) Initially  = 50 kPa, e = 1.2, pc = 50 kPa, Finally = 30 kPa
5. A soil deposit consists of 2 m of gravel overlaying an 8 m thick deposit of an over-
consolidated clay overlaying rigid permeable sandstone. The gravel has a unit weight of 22
kN/m3 when saturated and a unit weight of 18 kN/m3 when dry. The properties of the clay
are uniform throughout the layer and indicated below:

Void Ratio e 1.2

Specific Gravity Gs 2.7
Pre-consolidation pressure pc 70 kPa
Compression Index Cc 0.1
Recompression Index Cr 0.02
Consolidation coefficient cv 0.5 m2/year

Calculate the settlement under the centre of a square tank of side 5 m exerting an average
pressure of 175 kPa constructed on the ground surface after a long period of time and
estimate the time for 75% of this settlement to occur. Assume that initially the water table is
at the surface of the gravel but that after construction it is lowered to the surface of the clay.
The clay should be divided into two equal sub-layers.

6. Calculate the vertical effective stress at the centre of a 5m thick clay layer, free to drain
from its upper and lower boundaries, 2 years after the application of a sudden uniform
increase in total stress of 100 kPa. At the centre of the layer the initial (total) vertical stress =
100 kPa, the initial pore pressure = 30 kPa, and cv = 1 m2/year.

7. A square rigid footing of side 3 m is to be used to support a column carrying a load of

1.5 MN. The ground conditions at the site comprise a 15 m deep firm clay layer,
overlying competent impermeable rock. The clay has properties E´ = 10 Mpa, ´ = 0.2,
and the rock may be assumed to be rigid. Calculate:

(i) the immediate settlement

(ii) the final, long term settlement
(iii) the settlement after 2 years if cv = 3 m2/yr