Department of Civil Engineering

CIVE 381
SOIL MECHANICS
Mid Term Examination

STUDENT NAME:

ID#:

Time: 2 hours 5:00 pm 7:00 pm

Question Mark

1 /10

2 /15

3 /15

4 /15

5 /5

TOTA L /60

No notes or texts permitted

All answers must be contained on the examination sheets. Use the back of the page if
necessary.

All questions must be answered and note that all questions are not of equal value.

When answering all the questions, it is very important to provide all the steps leading to
the answer. Correct answers without showing calculations will not be given full marks.
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ID #:

QUESTION 1

Define clearly and unambiguously (using EQUATIONS OR DIAGRAMS), the following

terms:

(1) Zero Air Voids Line

(1) Void Ratio, e

(1) Degree of Saturation, Sr

(1) Dry unit weight, d

(1) Effective stress,

(1) Relative Density

(1) Equipotential Lines

(1) Critical Hydraulic Gradient, icr

(1) Liquidity Index, IL

(1) Plastic Limit, wp

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QUESTION 2

Standard compaction tests were performed on a brown-grey clayey-silt (24% sand, 29% clay, and
47% silt) for which: wP=14%, wL=23%, and Gs=2.70. Details and results for the tests are recorded
in Table Q2. You are required to:

4 a) Fill in the blanks of Table Q2 for Test #1.

b) Plot dry density d against moisture content w on Figure Q2. Clearly label (with numeric
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values) the location of the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content.

2 c) Estimate the void ratio and degree of saturation for this soil at the moisture content for Test #2.

1 d) Plot the zero air voids curve (line) on Figure Q2.

3 e) Briefly explain the variation in the stress strain curves of soil compacted dry of, at, and wet
of the optimum moisture content.

Volume of Mold: 62.37 cm3

TEST 1 TEST 2 TEST 3 TEST 4 TEST 5

DENSITY
Mass Sample + Mold (g) 271.9 280.5 280.3 276.7 275.7
Mass Mold (g) 140.9 140.9 140.9 140.9 140.9
Mass Sample (g) 131.0 139.6 139.4 135.8 134.8
3 2.100 2.238 2.235 2.177 2.161
Wet Density (g/cm )
Dry Density d (g/cm3) 1.909 1.998 1.987 1.909 1.887
MOISTURE CONTENT
Mass Container + Wet Soil (g) 163.5 172.5 172.4 167.3 166.7
Mass Container + Dry Soil (g) 151.6 157.6 157 150.7 149.8
Mass Water (g) 11.9 14.9 15.4 16.6 16.9
Mass Container (g) 33.1 33.9 33.6 32.4 33.3
Mass Dry Soil (g) 118.5 123.7 123.4 118.3 116.5
Moisture Content w (%) 10.0% 12.0% 12.5% 14.0% 14.5%

Table Q2 Data Sheet for Compaction Test in Question 2

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QUESTION 2 : Continued

2.00
1.99
1.98
1.97
1.96
Dry Density, g/cm3

1.95
1.94
1.93
1.92
1.91
1.90
1.89
1.88
1.87
10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 15.0
Moisture Content, %

Figure Q2 Density-Moisture Content Curve for Question 2

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QUESTION 2 : Continued

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QUESTION 3

(15) A circular grain silo is to be constructed with an outside diameter of 10 metres. A site
investigation beneath the proposed silo revealed 20 metres of soft to firm grey silty-clay
(wp = 20%, wL = 42%, GS = 2.76) with occasional silt seams, overlying fractured shaley bedrock
(see Figure 3-1a). The water table is 0.5 metres below the ground surface. The silty-clay has
an average unit weight of 18.3 kN/m3 and an average moisture content of 38%. You may
assume the soil above the water table is saturated.

The applied load acting on the ground surface from the weight of the silo and silage is shown in
Figure 3-1b, where:
q1 = 95 kPa (internal loading from grain) for 0 < r < 4 m
q2 = 155 kPa (grain plus structural loading on ring footing) for 4 < r < 5 m.

COMPUTE and PLOT THE CHANGE IN VERTICAL STRESS ( z) DUE TO SILO LOADING
BENEATH THE CENTRE OF THE SILO. CALCULATIONS ARE REQUIRED AT DEPTHS OF
0m (ground surface), 2m, 4m, 6m, 8m, 10m, 15m and 20 m.

a)

q2
q1

b)

Figure 3-1 a) Soil stratigraphy from site investigation program and

b) applied load acting on ground surface from the silo.

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QUESTION 3 (Continued)

cL of tank z (kPa)
0 100 200
0
2
4
6
Depth (m), z

8
10

15

20

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QUESTION 3 (Continued)

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QUESTION 4

For the flow net shown below, the sand is isotropic having a permeability of 1x10-3 cm/sec, an
average void ratio of 0.6 and Gs = 2.65. Determine the following:

(5) a) The seepage loss in cubic meters per day per meter width of the dam perpendicular to the
section shown.
(5) b) The exit hydraulic gradient, the critical hydraulic gradient and the factor of safety against
piping at the downstream toe of the dam.
(2) c) How high would water rise in a standpipe situated at Point C?
(3) d) What is the effective stress at Point C if sat=20 kN/m3.?

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QUESTION 4 (Continued)

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QUESTION 5

For the soil profile shown below:

a) Plot the total vertical stress ( v), pore pressure (u) and the effective vertical stress ( v)
(5)
profiles with depth from the ground surface to a depth of 10 m. Neglect any capillary rise
in the soil above the water table.

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