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H23GGE-E1

The University of Nottingham


DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING A LEVEL 4 MODULE, AUTUMN SEMESTER 2008/09 GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING Time allowed TWO hours

Candidates may complete the front cover of their answer book and sign their desk card but must NOT write anything else until the start of the examination period is announced Answer THREE questions, one of which must be from Section B This module has 19% coursework assessment All questions and parts of questions carry remaining marks as indicated in brackets Only silent, self-contained calculators with a Single-Line Display or Dual-Line Display are permitted in this examination. Dictionaries are not allowed with one exception. Those whose first language is not English may use a standard translation dictionary to translate between that language and English provided that neither language is the subject of this examination. Subject specific translation dictionaries are not permitted. No electronic devices capable of storing and retrieving text, including electronic dictionaries, may be used. DO NOT turn examination paper over until instructed to do so

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL:

3 Data Booklets

INFORMATION FOR INVIGILATORS: None

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SECTION A
1 a) (i) A uniform surcharge pressure q is applied to the surface of a flexible circular foundation of radius a at the surface of a semi-infinite, homogeneous, isotropic, linear-elastic bed. Show that the resulting increase in vertical stress under the centre of the footing decreases to 0.2q at a "depth of influence" of 2.5a. (ii) A large cylindrical storage tank of radius 6m with a flexible base rests on the surface of a deep layer of stiff clay, of shear modulus G = 3.5+3.5z MPa, where z is the depth in metres below the clay surface. The effective Poisson ratio of the clay is 0.15. The tank contains water to a depth of 6m. By splitting the clay into three equal layers as far as the depth of influence, estimate the total settlement of the centre of the footing using the onedimensional method. (iii) Treating the soil as having a constant shear modulus equal to the value at the bottom of the top layer, use the exact solution for central settlement of a flexible circular footing on an isotropic homogeneous linear-elastic half-space to estimate the total central settlement. b) Figure Q.1 shows the foundation for a warehouse which is to be built on the surface of a stiff clay, for which the shear modulus may be assumed to be constant with depth and equal to 8 MPa, and the effective Poisson ratio is 0.2. The foundation is to carry a uniformly distributed load of 50kPa. Point X on Figure Q1 is at the clay surface. (i) Calculate the increase in vertical stress due to this load at 5m below point X. (ii) Calculate the total surface settlement at point X. (9) (6)

(2)

(8)

(2)

10m 10m 10m 5m

10m

X 10m Figure Q.1

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3 2 a)

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A 0.5m diameter pile is to be installed in firm clay of undrained strength 80kPa. The pile is to be installed to a depth of 8m, and a horizontal load is to be applied at the top of the pile, which is 0.5m above ground level. The pile has a fully plastic moment Mp = 1200kNm. Using the design charts in the Data Sheets, show that the pile fails by forming one hinge, and calculate the lateral capacity of the pile. By considering equilibrium of the pile above the plastic hinge at failure, calculate exactly the lateral capacity of the pile, and hence verify the prediction made by the design charts.

(7)

b)

(10) c) d) Calculate the axial capacity of the pile if the shaft adhesion factor is 0.65, and hence calculate the total maximum load capacity of the pile. If the pile is to be installed at a rake instead of vertically, what is the required angle of installation if the pile is to carry its maximum possible load applied at an angle of 35o to the vertical (assume that the pile is driven 8m into the clay with the load applied at the top of the pile)? A strip footing of width 2m is to be founded at 2m depth in an overconsolidated dry sand layer of considerable thickness. The sand has a dry unit weight of 17kN/m3. The footing is to carry a pressure of 150kPa. CPT results for the sand, as a function of depth below the ground surface were as follows: Depth/m Mean cone resistance qc/MPa (i) b) 0-2 3.1 2-4 5.2 4-6 6-8 8-10 8.3 10.2 13.5 (13) (5)

(5)

a)

Estimate the settlement of the foundation (ignore creep effects).

A pile group is to carry a working load of 5000kN in firm clay of undrained strength 90kPa. A 2x3 group of bored piles is to be used to carry the load. Each pile has a diameter of 0.6m and the spacing between the pile centres is 1.7m. The shaft adhesion factor for the individual piles is 0.6. (i) (ii) (iii) Assuming an efficiency of 0.8, calculate the required length of the piles, for a factor of safety against failure of 2.5. (4) For this length of pile, what is the overall capacity of the block? (5) Calculate the true efficiency of this pile group and comment on the assumed efficiency of 0.8. (4)

Turn over

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SECTION B
4 A reinforced soil wall with a vertical face is to be constructed at the edge of an embankment which is 8.0 m high. The fill used throughout the embankment and wall is (and will remain) dry and has unit weight () 17 kN/m3. Its internal friction angle to be used in design is 32o. You may assume that horizontal stress in the soil is the minor principal stress. You are required to consider a 5 kN/m2 surcharge (q) acting on the embankment and reinforced soil wall. The reinforced soil block forming the wall has uniform width 5.0 m. At 5.2 m depth in the wall it is proposed to use steel reinforcement elements which are 100 mm wide and 3 mm thick, with material tensile strength 250 N/mm2. At their interface with the soil the steel elements are known to mobilise 70 % of the internal friction angle of the soil. Each reinforcing element supports an area of the face which is 0.8 m wide and 0.8 m high. a) For a strip of geogrid at 5.2 m depth, calculate the Factor of safety (FoS) compared to the tensile strength, and compared to the available pull-out resistance. Assume that the active zone behind the wall is an unmodified active wedge, that any changes in stress due to compaction can be ignored, and neglect the effect of rotational equilibrium on vertical stress in the reinforced soil block. Accounting for the effects of rotational equilibrium on the reinforced soil block show that the eccentricity of the vertical reaction in the soil (e) relative to the width of the reinforced block (lr) at depth z in the soil is given by

(9)

b)

e lr

K a (z + 3q ) z 6 (z + q ) lr

Assume that this eccentricity is represented by a rectangular distribution of vertical stress in the reinforced fill. Also use the figures in the data sheet to represent the locus of maximum tension in the geogrid, and to account for the effects of compaction for K on the face of the wall. Hence revise the estimates of FoS for tensile and pull-out failure for the grid at 5.2 m depth. c) Provide brief answers to the following points: i) Name two other considerations of equilibrium which may affect the length of the reinforcement which is required. ii) What advantages and disadvantages would there be using geogrid reinforcement rather than steel? iii) In practice what factors would influence the effect that compaction has on the earth pressure acting on the face of the wall? (9)

(9)

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A deposit of clay presently at the ground surface is 9.0 m thick, and lies on top of a dense gravel which can be considered to be incompressible. It has previously been loaded by an overburden stress of 100 kN/m2 at its surface during geological history. The water table (here defined as the level of zero pore water pressure) is and has historically always been at the level of the top of the clay layer. It is now proposed to build an 8.0 m high embankment on the clay layer using dry fill with unit weight 17 kN/m3. You may assume that the clay saturated unit weight is 18 kN/m3 (presently and at other times which will be considered), and that its void ratio is now 1.0. Oedometer tests on undisturbed samples of the clay indicate the following data from the standard plot of log(v) vs void ratio (e): Recompression index, Cr = 0.06 Compression index, Cc = 0.30 [As loading of a sample proceeds these values represent the gradient (e/logv) on the plots before and after the preconsolidation stress is reached respectively.] You may assume that the unit weight of water is 10 kN/m3. a) Derive formulae for variation of v with depth (z) in the clay layer at the following points in time: i) When the overburden stress was present ii) At the present time iii) After the embankment has been constructed and excess pore pressures have dissipated (assuming that the water table remains at the surface of the clay layer) From these formulae derive a formula for the present overconsolidation ratio in terms of z and sketch the variation for z = 0 to 9 m. Briefly explain the trend that is observed. When the embankment has been constructed, calculate the long-term settlement that will occur at a point remote from the edges of the embankment (where onedimensional settlement can be assumed). You should consider the clay stratum split into 3 layers of equal thickness which can be represented by behaviour at their mid-depth (1.5, 4.5 m and 7.5 m). Briefly describe: i) why this settlement will take a significant time to occur ii) what further settlement may occur after this iii) what would happen if the water table dropped relative to the surface of the clay in the future iv) measures which could be undertaken to accelerate or reduce this onedimensional settlement. At the edges the embankment will have sloped sides. Briefly describe: i) the additional factor(s) (apart from one-dimensional settlement) that will need to be considered here as part of the design ii) two measures which could be used to combat such potential problems, and why they would work

(6)

b)

(4)

c)

(7)

d)

(5)

e)

(5)

End

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