UAEU

CIVL 340: Soil Mechanics

ASSIGNMENT 2

1. A Proctor compaction test has been performed on a soil that has Gs=2.66. The test
results were as follows.

Point No. 1 2 3 4 5

Wet unit weight ( ) kN/m3 17.00 18.54 20.03 20.31 19.22
Moisture content ( w ) 2.6% 6.9% 10.7% 15.6% 21.6%

Plot the Proctor compaction curve and the 70 and 100% saturation curves.
Determine from curve, the maximum dry unit weight and the optimum moisture
content.
(Note your drawing has to be to scale and neat. Data point should be clear on the
plot. Connect between the point with a smooth curve. No marks will be given if the
drawing is not to scale)

2. The laboratory compaction test results for a clayey silt are as follows:

Point No. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Dry unit weight d (kN/m3)
15.55 18.28 19.38 19.77 19.36 17.71
Moisture content w (%) 6 8 9 11 12 14

The following are the results of a field unit weight determination test performed on the same
soil by means of the sand cone method:
• Wet unit weight = 20.03 kN/m3
• Moisture content of moist soil = 11.0%

Choose a reasonable scale, then Plot the compaction curve then determine from the
curve:
(a) The maximum dry unit weight and the optimum water content.
(b) The dry unit weight of compacted soil in the field.
(c) The relative compaction of the compacted soil in the field.
(Note your drawing has to be to scale and neat. Data point should be clear on the
plot. Connect between the point with a smooth curve. No marks will be given if the
drawing is not to scale)

3. Develop a plot of the total vertical stress, σz, pore water pressure, u, and effective
vertical stress, σz’, versus depth for the soil profile in Figure Q3. Consider depths
from 0 (ground surface) to 12 m (bottom of the clay layer), assume hydrostatic
conditions are present, and assume u = 0 above the ground water table. Plot depth,
z, on the vertical axis, with zero at the top and increasing downward.
  = 15.6 kN/m3
3.0 m

 = 16.9 kN/m3
2.5 m
4.0 m

 = 18.8 kN/m3

CL
5.0 m
Clay

Figure Q3

4. Compute the values of σx, σx’, σz, and σz’, τzx, and τ’zx at Point B in Figure Q3.
The coefficient of lateral earth pressure (ko) in the SM soil is 0.55.

5. A soil profile consists of 5 m of compacted sandy clay followed by 4 m of medium

dense sand. Below the sand is a layer of compressible silty clay 21 m thick. The
initial ground water table is located at the bottom of the first layer (at 5 m below
the ground surface). The densities are 2.01 Mg/m3 (ρ), 1.97 Mg/m3 (ρsat), and
1.92 Mg/m3 (ρsat) for the three layers, respectively.
(i) Compute the effective stress at a point at mid-depth in the compressible
silty clay layer.
(ii) Then, assuming that the medium dense sand remains saturated, compute
the effective stress in the clay layer at midpoint again, when the ground
water table drops 4 m to the top of the silty clay layer.
(iii) Comment on the difference in effective stress.

6. Using Ko = 0.50 and assuming the major principal stress acts vertically,
(a) compute the following at Point A in Figure Q6,

σx, σz, σx’, σz’, σ1, σ3, σ1’, σ3’, u

(b) Draw Mohr’s circle for total and effective stresses
 (c) From Mohr’s circle determine graphically σ, σ’ and  on the plane
shown in the figure.

El.
el.59.0
52.0mm Water Surface

elEl..47.0
56.0 m
m Ground Surface
18.5
El. 54.0 m  = 19 kN/m3

 = 21 kN/m3 El. 43.0 m

Figure Q6

7. A soil element is shown in Figure 3. Plot Mohr circle and determine from the plot
the following:

(i) Maximum and minimum principal stresses

(ii) Normal and shear stresses on the plane AB.

70 kPa

30 kPa

A
30 kPa

30 kPa
400
B

Figure 3

8. ABCD in Figure Q8 is the plan of a raft foundation (resting on the ground surface) for a
high-rise building. The uniformly distributed pressure q over the raft is 300 kPa.
Determine the increase in vertical stress at point E and point F at a depth of 3 m below
the ground surface due to the pressure q.
 E
1m A B

3m F
14 m
12 m

D C

24 m

Figure Q8

9. For a uniformly loaded circular area of radius R and pressure q, the increase in vertical
stress z at a depth zf directly below the centre of the circular area can be determined
using

 1 
 z = q 1 − 3/ 2 
 [( R / z f ) + 1] 
2

For q = 200 kPa and R = 6.0 m,

(i) determine z at the following depths: zf = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1, 1.5, 3, 5, 10, 15, and
20 m.
(ii) Plot the graph of z (horizontal axis) versus zf (vertical axis with zero zf value at
the foundation level and zf value increases downwards).
(iii) Below what depth is z approximately less than 20 kPa (i.e., less than 10% of
q)? Use the plotted curve to determine graphically this depth.