Geotechnical Engineering - Soil Mechanics

A fully saturated sandy soil deposit has water content 20 % and specific gravity 2.65. The critical hydraulic gradient for seepage through the soil to create the quicksand condition is ________ (rounded off to two decima...

For a partially saturated soil deposit at a construction site, water content (w) is 15%, degree of saturation (S) is 67%, void ratio (e) is 0.6 and specific gravity of solids in the soil (Gs) is 2.67. Consider unit weigh...

Which one of the following saturated fine-grained soils can attain a negative Skempton's pore pressure coefficient (A)?

An embankment is constructed with soil by maintaining the degree of saturation as 75% during compaction. The specific gravity of soil is 2.68 and the moisture content is 17% during compaction. Consider the unit weight of...

An unconfined compression strength test was conducted on a cohesive soil. The test specimen failed at an axial stress of 76 kPa. The undrained cohesion (in kPa, in integer) of the soil is ____________.

In the given figure, Point O indicates the stress point of a soil element at initial non-hydrostatic stress condition. For the stress path (OP), which of the following loading conditions is correct? [Diagram showing a st...

Match the following in Column X with Column Y: Column X (P) In a triaxial compression test, with increase of axial strain in loose sand under drained shear condition, the volumetric strain (Q) In a triaxial compression t...

The correct match between the physical states of the soils given in Group I and the governing conditions given in Group II is Group I 1. normally consolidated soil 2. quick clay 3. sand in critical state 4. clay of high...

In an Oedometer apparatus, a specimen of fully saturated clay has been consolidated under a vertical pressure of 50 kN/m² and is presently at equilibrium. The effective stress and pore water pressure immediately on incre...

A partially-saturated soil sample has natural moisture content of 25% and bulk unit weight of 18.5 kN/m³. The specific gravity of soil solids is 2.65 and unit weight of water is 9.81 kN/m³. The unit weight of the soil sa...

The most appropriate triaxial test to assess the long-term stability of an excavated clay slope is

The cohesion (c), angle of internal friction (φ) and unit weight (γ) of a soil are 15 kPa, 20° and 17.5 kN/m³, respectively. The maximum depth of unsupported excavation in the soil (in m, round off to two decimal places)...

In a drained triaxial compression test, a sample of sand fails at deviator stress of 150 kPa under confining pressure of 50 kPa. The angle of internal friction (in degree, round off to the nearest integer) of the sample,...

In a soil specimen, the total stress, effective stress, hydraulic gradient and critical hydraulic gradient are σ, σ', i and ic, respectively. For initiation of quicksand condition, which one of the following statements i...

Construction of a new building founded on a clayey soil was completed in January 2010. In January 2014, the average consolidation settlement of the foundation in clay was recorded as 10 mm. The ultimate consolidation set...

For the following statements: P – The lateral stress in the soil while being tested in an oedometer is always at-rest. Q – For a perfectly rigid strip footing at deeper depths in a sand deposit, the vertical normal conta...

The compression curve (void ratio, e vs. effective stress, σν') for a certain clayey soil is a straight line in a semi-logarithmic plot and it passes through the points (e = 1.2; σν′ = 50 kPa) and (e = 0.6; σν΄ = 800 kPa...

A conventional drained triaxial compression test was conducted on a normally consolidated clay sample under an effective confining pressure of 200 kPa. The deviator stress at failure was found to be 400 kPa. An identical...

The void ratio of a soil is 0.55 at an effective normal stress of 140 kPa. The compression index of the soil is 0.25. In order to reduce the void ratio to 0.4, an increase in the magnitude of effective normal stress (in...

A consolidated undrained (CU) triaxial compression test is conducted on a normally consolidated clay at a confining pressure of 100 kPa. The deviator stress at failure is 80 kPa, and the pore-water pressure measured at f...