GTE2601/101/0/2016

Tutorial letter 101/0/2016

Geotechnical Engineering II (theory)

GTE2601
Year Module
Department of Civil and Chemical Engineering
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your module.

Open Rubric

CONTENTS
Page
1

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3

PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE............................................................... 3

2.1

Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 3

2.2

Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 3

LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 4

3.1

Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 4

3.2

Department ................................................................................................................................... 4

3.3

University ...................................................................................................................................... 4

MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 4

4.1

Prescribed books .......................................................................................................................... 4

4.2

Recommended books ................................................................................................................... 5

4.3

Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)................................................................................................. 5

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ............................................................... 5

MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................. 5

MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING .................................... 5

ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 5

8.1

Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 5

8.2

General assignment numbers ....................................................................................................... 6

8.2.1

Unique assignment numbers ........................................................................................................ 6

8.2.2

Due dates for assignments ........................................................................................................... 6

8.3

Submission of assignments .......................................................................................................... 6

8.4

Assignments ................................................................................................................................. 8

OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................................... 11

10

EXAMINATION ........................................................................................................................... 11

11

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 11

12

SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 11

13

CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 11

14

ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 11

GTE2601/101/0/2016

INTRODUCTION

Dear Student
Some of this tutorial matter may not be available when you register. Tutorial matter that is not
available when you register will be posted to you as soon as possible, but is also available on
myUnisa.

PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

2.1

Purpose

The aim is to introduce students to a global view of the earth, its position in space relative to the
other planets in the solar system, its internal structure and crustal formation.
A knowledge of the more common and abundant minerals that make up the majority of rocks
forming the crust of the earth is fundamental the identification of rock types and understanding
of how these weather to form soils on which structures are founded.

2.2

Outcomes

The outcomes for this module are:

To direct the attention to, and appraise the learner of the basic origin, composition and
identification of igneous rocks.

To provide an understanding of how igneous rocks are formed their composition,

properties and characteristics.

To provide an understanding of structures that have resulted is important as they have a

significant influence on the design of structures on which they are situated.

To familiarise students with the third major group of rocks i.e. metamorphic rocks.

To have an understanding of how strata can be dated and the timescale of occurrence of
the various era, series, and systems in the South African Stratigraphic column.

To instruct students in the occurrence and location of the groups, formations and the
rocks types that occurs within the various errata in South Africa.

To enlighten students of the processes involved in the weathering of rocks to soils.

To instruct students in the methods employed in field investigations, the profiling of the
various soil horizons and the taking of samples for submission to a laboratory for testing.

To demonstrate some of the more commonly used soil classification systems.

3

LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

3.1

Lecturer(s)

Your Lecturer is: Mr. BA Manthoadi

Mobile no.:

082 415 0602

E-mail: bethuel@absamail.co.za
Contact Times:
Monday to Friday (8:00 to 16:00)
3.2

Department

Department of Civil and Chemical Engineering

Unisa (Florida Campus)
Private Bag x6
Florida
1710
Phone: 011 471 2048/3132
Use the general E-mail address: civil&chemical@unisa.ac.za

3.3

University

www.http://unisa.ac.za

MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES

4.1

Prescribed books
South African Geology for Mining, Metallurgical and Civil Engineering.
By: Lurir, J
Lupin Publishing
ISBN: 0620277971

Standard Methods of Testing Road Construction Materials: TMH1

By: Comm State Road Authorities
Dept of Transport
ISBN: 0798836539

GTE2601/101/0/2016
Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering
Braja M Das (3rd to 5th Edition)
ISBN-10: 0-495-29572-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-495-29572-3
4.2

Recommended books

There are no recommended books for this module

4.3

Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

All course materials are available on myUnisa https://my.unisa.ac.za under the module course
code under Materials. Discussion forums are set up by your lecturer and available for
discussions with your peers https://my.unisa.ac.za some additional electronic resources are
available from the Library site (via www.unisa.ac.za).You may electronically post or upload your
assignments in line with the guidelines explained in the booklet:

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE

Important information appears in your my Studies @ Unisa brochure.

MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN

Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.

MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

GTE2601 is the theory aspect of this module, the practical aspect is GTE2PRA.

ASSESSMENT

8.1

Assessment plan

The assessment of this course is based on both formative and summative assessment. The
final mark for this module is calculated as follows:
The examination mark contributes 80% towards the final mark
The year mark contributes 20 % towards the final mark

 The year mark is calculated based on the two assignments:

o Assignment 1 is compulsory. By submitting assignment 1, you will automatically
be granted examination admission.

8.2

Assignment 1 will contribute 50% to your year mark.

Assignment 2 contributes 50% to your year mark.

General assignment numbers

Assignments are numbered consecutively per module, starting from 01

8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers

Assignment 1

823585

Assignment 2

745366

8.2.2 Due dates for assignments

Assignment 1

27 May 2016

Assignment 2

01 July 2016

8.3

Submission of assignments

Note: The cut off dates given here are the official, last dates on which a given assignment may
be submitted. Students must adhere to these dates only. All other dates referring to cut-off
submission dates for assignments, as may be posted on myUnisa or elsewhere, refers to
administrative dates as managed by the Assignments Department and does NOT influence or
change the above dates.

Website
Please note that the department has a web site where additional information on the department
and the modules are available.
The address is: http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=19740
Tutorial Letters are available from the myUnisa website. (See my Studies @ Unisa)
Should you encounter any problems in submitting an assignment on myUnisa, you may contact
the help line at myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za

GTE2601/101/0/2016
Plagiarism
An assignment is designed to be a product of your own study and your own thought. It is not
intended to be a piece of work which merely reproduces details, information or ideas from a
study guide, from books or articles, or from the Internet.
If you do this, you commit plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of copying word for word with or
without acknowledgment from study sources (e.g. books, articles, the Internet). In other words,
you must submit your own ideas in your own words, sometimes interspersing relevant short
quotations that are properly referenced.
Yes, simply copying a few pages from the prescribed book is plagiarism. Pasting paragraphs
from Wikipedia into your assignment is plagiarism. And it does not stop being plagiarism if you
mention the source. Skilled scientific writers can use direct block quotations to make a specific
point. They know what they are doing. You still need to develop your own voice, your own style
of arguing the point. Do not plagiarise.

Note that you also commit plagiarism if you copy the assignment of another student. We do
encourage you to work together and form study groups, but you are expected to prepare and
submit your own assignments. When we receive two or more identical assignments, we are not
able to work out who copied from whom. We will therefore penalize both students.
If you commit plagiarism you will be penalized and given no marks for your assignment.
This will have a serious effect on your chances to succeed in your studies because you
will have no semester mark. Furthermore, you may be penalised or subjected to disciplinary
proceedings by the University. Plagiarism is also an offence in terms of the law.
A Signed Declaration
Every essay-type assignment we receive must include the following declaration along with your
name and the date:
I declare that this assignment is my own work and that all sources quoted have been
acknowledged by appropriate references.

We will subtract marks if this declaration is absent from your assignment, just as we will
subtract marks if your assignment does not have a Table of contents, List of references cited,
and so on.

8.4

Assignments

Please submit all two assignments, duly completed, to UNISA before the closing dates stated in
this section.
ASSIGNMENT 1
QUESTION 1

(50)

GRADING ANALYSIS
Given:
ORIGINAL MASS= 1900g

Sieve
size
(mm)

Mass
Retained
(g)

13.2

337

4.75

165

2.0

221

0.425

332

%
Ret

-0.424

HYDROMETER ANALYSIS

Time

Hydrometer
reading
(g/ml)

Height
(mm)

40s

35

110

1hr

30

114

2hrs

28

119

7hrs

26

120

24hrs

20

121

%
Pass

GTE2601/101/0/2016

ATTERBERG LIMITS

Liquid limit

= 38

Plastic limit

= 20

PI

= ??

1.1 Design a spreadsheet programme to calculate grading analysis and atterberg limits in
full.(show all necessary graphs)
(30)
1.2 Classify the material according to AASHTO classification system

(6)

1.3 All necessary annexures are to form part of the report

(4)

1.4 Comment on the results of the tests

(6)

1.5 Lists all references used.

(4)
[50 marks]

Question 2

(20)

1. Define the following terms

a. Porosity

(1)

b. Void ratIo

(1)

c. Degree of saturation

(1)

d. Maximum dry density

(1)

e. Optimum moisture content

(1)

A sand sample taken with a Shelby tube has a length of 125 mm and a diameter of 100 mm.
The mass of a Shelby tube is 1 525 g and with the sand sample the mass is 3 508 g. After 24
hours in an oven, the mass of sand alone is 1633g and GS = 2.71. Calculate the natural and dry
densities, moisture content, void ratio, and saturated density of the sand

(15)

TOTAL = 70

ASSIGNMENT 2
QUESTION 1
(10)
The concept Earth includes five different components. Write brief explanatory notes in this
respect.

QUESTION 2

(10)

Explain the essential physical processes that are essential for the forming of magma in the crust
of the earth. Then proceed to describe four different models that can be considered for the
forming of magma.
QUESTION 3

(15)

Describe the essential chemical composition of the six most important rock forming mineral
groups

QUESTION 4

(10)

The continental crust of the earth is in isostatic balance with the underlying mantle. Explain the
principles on which isostasy is based as well as the effect of this on the depth distribution of the
continental crust.

QUESTION 5

(10)

Explain the essential conditions that are necessary for the forming of sink holes and illustrate
the stages of development of a sinkhole

QUESTION 6

(15)

Illustrate and name the components of the soil profile. Give a brief description of the formative
processes and the composition of each of the components. Where in the soil profile would you
find the pebble marker?

QUESTION 7

(10)

Sedimentary basins play an important role in the forming of sedimentary rocks. Explain the
origin and nature of sedimentary basins with reference to examples in South Africa.

QUESTION 8

(10)

Discuss five soil types that commonly occur in South Africa in terms of their appearance, origin
and distribution.

TOTAL = 90 Marks
10

GTE2601/101/0/2016

OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS

N/A

10

EXAMINATION
EXAMINATION INFORMATION FOR GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING II
(THEORY) (GTE2601)

Type of examination

Closed book

Examination Language

English

Calculators allowed - Memories of programmable

calculators must be cleared in the presence in invigilator
prior to start of the examination

Yes

11

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Studies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study information.

12

SOURCES CONSULTED

N/A

13

CONCLUSION

N/A

14

ADDENDUM

N/A

11