Q1 The soil fill for a road embankment is to be compacted in place to a void ratio of 0.7.
If the void
ratio of the borrow pit soil is 1.2, how many cubic metres of compacted fill can be placed in the
embankment per 1000 cubic metres of borrow materials? If no water is either added or lost during
the placement of the fill, what would be the percentage change in the degree of saturation of the
soil? The compacted fill is not fully saturated.
Q2 The values of liquid limit, plastic limit and shrinkage limit of a soil were reported as: wL = 60%, wP
= 30%, wS = 20% If a sample of this soil at liquid limit has a volume of 40 cc and its volume measured
at shrinkage limit was 23.5 cc, determine the specific gravity of the solids. What is the shrinkage ratio
and volumetric shrinkage?
Q3 . Calculate the coefficient of permeability of a soil sample 6 cm is height and 50 cm2 in cross
sectional area, if a quantity of water equal to 450 mL passed down in 10 minutes under an effective
constant head of 40 cm. On oven drying, the test specimen weighs 495 g. Taking the specific gravity
of soil solids as 2.65, calculate the seepage velocity of water during the test
Q4 A cohesive soil yields a maximum dry density of 1.8 g/cc at an OMC of 16% during a standard
proctor test. If the values of G is 2.65, what is the degree of saturation? What is the maximum dry
density it can further compacted to?
Q5 Derive the equation for terzaghi’s theory of one dimensional consolidation.
Q6 A water tank is supported by a ring foundation having outer diameter of 10 m and inner diameter
of 7.5 m. The ring foundation transmits uniform load intensity of 160 kN/m2 . Compute the vertical
stress induced at a depth of 4 m, below the centre of ring foundation, using (i) Boussinesq analysis,
and (ii) Westergaard’s analysis, taking m = 0.
Q7 Define consolidation. What is primary & secondary consolidation . Briefly discuss the test for
consolidation.
