GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

SIT A: A retaining wall is 8 m high. The properties of the soil retained are shown on the diagram GE-1. Calculate the active earth pressure on
the wall. Calculate the resultant total force acting on the wall due to soil pressure and the height above the base of the wall at which it
acts.
1. Calculate the maximum lateral earth pressure acting on the wall.
a. 58.4 kPa b. 95.7 c. 84.2 kPa d. 63.2 kPa
2. Calculate the resultant total force acting on the wall due to soil pressure.
a. 276.1 kN b. 205.2 kN c. 336.8 kN d. 247.5 kN
3. Calculate the height above the base of the wall at which the resultant force acts.
a. 2.42 m b. 2.67 m c. 3.12 m d. 2.83 m
SIT B: A direct shear test, when conducted on a remolded sample of sand, gave the following observations at the time of failure: Normal load =
288 N shear load = 173 N. The cross sectional area of the sample = 36 cm.sq.
4. Determine the angle of internal friction.
a. 53o b. 37o c. 31o d. 59o
5. The magnitude of the major principal stress in the zone of failure.
a. 112.1 kPa b. 163.5 kPa c. 152.1 kPa d. 92.3 kPa
6. Determine the magnitude of the deviator stress if a sample of the same sand with the same void ratio as given above was tested in a tri-
axial apparatus with a confining pressure of 60 kPa.
a. 188 kPa b. 104 kPa c. 164 kPa d. 128 kPa

SIT C: A slope of infinite extent is made of clay with c’=30 kN/m^2, φ’=30o, e=0.65 and Gs = 2.7.
7. Calculate the critical height when the soil is dry.
a. 22.25 m b. 20.74 m c. 17.94 m d. 16.76 m
8. Calculate the critical height when water seeps parallel to the surface of the soil.
a. 8.07 m b. 6.51 m c. 11.35 m d. 13.60 m
9. Calculate the critical height when the slope is submerged.
a. 36.41 m b. 35.40 m c. 14.72 m d. 12.84 m
SIT D: A rigid retaining wall 19.69 ft high has a saturated backfill of soft clay soil. The properties of the clay soil are γsat = 111.76 lb/cu.ft, and
unit cohesion cu = 376 lb/sq.ft.
10. Determine the expected depth of the tensile crack in the soil.
a. 6.73 ft b. 2.97 ft c. 3.36 ft d. 5.94 ft
11. Determine the active earth force before the occurrence of the tensile crack.
a. 9387 lb/ft b. 5203 lb/ft c. 6857 lb/ft d. 9722 lb/ft
12. Determine the active earth force after the occurrence of the tensile crack.
a. 9387 lb/ft b. 5203 lb/ft c. 6857 lb/ft d. 9722 lb/ft
SIT E: A sand sample of 35 cm2 cross sectional area and 20 cm long was tested in a constant head permeameter. Under a head of 60 cm, the
discharge was 120 ml in 6 min. The dry weight of san used for the test was 1120 g, and Gs = 2.68.
13. Determine the hydraulic conductivity in cm/sec.
a. 1.904 x 10-3 b. 3.174 x 10-3 c. 9.722 x 10-3 d. 5.833 x 10-3
14. Determine the discharge velocity in cm/sec.
a. 5.712 x 10-3 b. 9.522 x 10-3 c. 2.917 x 10-4 d. 1.750 x 10-4
15. Determine the seepage velocity in cm/sec.
a. 2.36 x 10-2 b. 2.12 x 10-2 c. 1.41 x 10-2 d. 1.59 x 10-2
SIT F: Earth is required to be excavated from borrow pits for building an embankment. The wet unit weight of undisturbed soil is 18 kN/m3 and
its water content is 8%. The required is a 4 m high embankment with top width 2 m and side slopes 1:1. The dry unit weight required in
the embankment is 15 kN/m3 with a moisture content of 10%. Assume the specific gravity of solids as 2.67.
16. Estimate the quantity of earth required to be excavated per meter length of embankment.
a. 24.0 m3 b. 26.72 m3 c. 20.0 m3 d. 21.55 m3
17. Determine the void ratio of the soil in the undisturbed state.
a. 0.75 b. 0.64 c. 0.56 d. 0.43

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18. Determine the degree of saturation of the remolded state.
a. 36.9% b. 26.8% c. 35.6% d. 23.9%
SIT G: The surface of a saturated clay deposit is located permanently below a body of water. Laboratory tests have indicated that the average
natural water content of the clay is 41% and that the specific gravity of the solid matter is 2.74.
19. Find the submerged unit weight of soil in lb/ft3.
a. 47.41 b. 29.33 c. 35.15 d. 52.72
20. What is the vertical effective pressure at a depth of 37 ft below the top of the clay in lb/ft2.
a. 1,301 b. 1,754 c. 1,085 d. 1,951
21. If the water remains unchanged and an excavation is made by dredging, what depth of clay must be removed to reduce the effective
pressure at point A at a depth of 37 ft by 1000 lb/ft2?
a. 18.56 ft b. 21.11 ft c. 12.90 ft d. 15.90 ft
SIT H: Soil investigation at a site gave the following information. Fine sand exists to a depth of 10.6 m and below this lies a soft clay layer 7.60
m thick. The water table is at 4.60 m below the ground surface. The submerged unit weight of sand b is 10.4 kN/m3, and the wet unit
weight above the water table is 17.6 kN/m3. The water content of the normally consolidated clay wn = 40%, its liquid limit wt = 45%, and
the specific gravity of the solid particles is 2.78. The proposed construction will transmit a net stress of 120 kN/m2 at the center of the clay
layer.
22. The submerged unit weight of clay in kN/m3 is
a. 7.76 b. 7.54 c. 8.05 d. 8.28
23. The effective vertical stress in kPa at the mid height of the clay layer is
a. 172.85 b. 172.01 c. 173.95 d. 174.82
SIT I: A soil has an unconfined compressive strength of 120 kN/m2. In a triaxial compression test a specimen of the same soil when subjected
to a chamber pressure of 40 kN/m2 failed at an additional stress of 160 kN/m2. Determine:
24. The cohesion of the soil in kN/m2;
a. 42.42 b. 39.48 c. 35.50 d. 48.06
25. The angle of internal friction;
a. 19.47o b. 18.21o c. 16.48o d. 21.83o
26. The angle made by the failure plane with the axial stress in the tri-axial test.
a. 54.74o b. 73.52o c. 70.53o d. 53.24o
SIT J: A rigid retaining wall has a vertical back and is 7.32 m high. The horizontal backfill is cohesive sandy loam of unit weight 17.3 kN/m3. It
has a cohesion of 12 kN/m2 and 
27. Neglecting wall friction, determine the active thrust on the wall in kN/m.
a. 148.9 b. 120.8 c. 137.4 d. 104.2
28. Find the resultant thrust on the wall in kN/m if the drains are blocked and water builds up behind the wall until the water table reaches a
height of 2.75 m above the bottom of the wall.
a. 139.76 b. 137.02 c. 123.14 d. 125.88
29. Determine its point of application of the resultant thrust from the bottom of the wall.
a. 1.98 m b. 1.66 m c. 1.83 m d. 1.78 m

GE-
GE-1

q = 10 kN/m^2

o
C = 0, φ = 30
3 m
γd = 17 kN/m^3 W.T.

o
C = 10, φ = 25
γsat = 21 kN/m^3
5 m

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SIT K: A soil sample has a unit weight of 112.67 lb/ft3 when its degree of saturation is 75%. Its unit weight is 105.73 lb/ft3 when its degree of
saturation is 50%. Solve for the following:

30. Void ratio of the soil sample

a. 0.60 c. 0.80
b. 0.70 d. 0.90
31. Percentage of soil solids
a. 33.33% c. 66.67%
b. 55.51% d. 44.49%
32. Dry unit weight of the soil sample
a. 91.80 lb/ft3 c. 87.80 lb/ft3
b. 95.75 lb/ft3 d. 81.75 lb/ft3

SIT L: A soil sample has a natural water content of 27.50% and bulk unit weight of 19.20 kN/m3.
33. Which of the following most nearly gives the void ratio of the soil?
a. 0.85 c. 0.78
b. 0.76 d. 0.83
34. Which of the following most nearly gives the degree of saturation of the soil?
a. 92.87 kN/m3 c. 87.84 kN/m3
b. 82.87 kN/m3 d. 97.84 kN/m3
35. Which of the following most nearly gives the dry unit weight of the soil sample?
a. 15.06 pcf c. 113.93 pcf
b. 17.92 pcf d. 95.86 pcf

SIT M: A soil was determined in the laboratory to have a liquid limit of 52% and a plastic limit of 34%. The soil has a natural water content of
44%. Solve for the following:
36. Plasticity index of the soil
a. 21% c. 32%
b. 18% d. 27%
37. Liquidity index of the soil
a. 0.56 c. 1.21
b. -0.56 d. -1.21
38. Nature of the soil based on the liquidity index
a. Plastic c. Semi-solid
b. Liquid d. Cannot be identified

SIT N: A 5m-thick clay (Gs = 2.65, water content = 0.28) is overlain by a 4.50m-thick layer of sand (Gs = 2.60, e = 0.70, S = 0.85). The ground
water table is located 4.50 m from the ground surface. Compute for the following:

39. At what depth would the vertical stress be equal to 100 kPa?
a. 1.83 m c. 6.33 m
b. 3.83 m d. 5.33 m
40. Vertical stress at a depth 8 m below the ground surface?
a. 145.50 kPa c. 95.50 kPa
b. 115.50 kPa d. 125.50 kPa
41. The depth of excavation required to reduce the effective stress by 60 kPa
a. 3.68 m c. 2.34 m
b. 3.91 m d. 3.25 m

SIT O: The surface of a saturated sand layer (G = 2.68, e = 0.32) is located 6 m below the surface of water.
42. Which of the following most nearly gives the effective stress at a depth 5 m from the sand surface?
a. 62.45 kPa c. 71.45 kPa
b. 84.25 kPa d. 92.55 kPa
43. Which of the following most nearly gives the pore water pressure at a depth 5 m from the sand surface?
a. 102.51 kPa c. 96.75 kPa
b. 107.91 kPa d. 88.65 kPa
44. Which of the following most nearly gives the total stress at a depth 5 m from the sand surface?
a. 170.36 kPa c. 195.06 kPa
b. 160.10 kPa d. 172.90 kPa

SIT P: The following results were obtained from a liquid limit test on a clay using the Casagrande cup device. The natural water content of this
clay is 38% and the plastic limit is 21%. (This is a semi-logarithmic graph. The ‘Water Content’ should be plotted along the x-axis (logarithmic
scale) while the ‘Number of Blows’ should be plotted along the y-axis (linear scale).

Number of Blows 6 12 20 28 32

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 Water Content 52.5 47.1 42.3 38.6 37.5
(%)

45. What is the liquid limit of this clay?

a. 42.1 b. 40.3 c. 39.2 d. 38.9
46. What is the plasticity index of this clay?
a. 21.1 b. 19.3 c. 18.2 d. 17.9
47. What is the liquidity index of this clay?
a. 0.802 b. 0.881 c. 0.934 d. 0.950
48. What is the flow index of this clay? (Clue: The flow index is the slope of the best fit line)
a. -1.71 b. 1.71 c. -1.3 d. 1.3

SIT Q:. The results of the liquid limit and plastic limit tests are shown.

49. Determine the Liquid Limit

a. 51 b. 78 c. 62 d. 81
50. Determine the Plasticity Index
a. 30 b. 59 c. 41 d. 60

Liquid Limit Test

Plastic Limit Test

Weight Weight of
of Moist Oven-
Soil (g) Dried Soil
(g)
128.6 105.4
141.4 116.8
132.6 109.6
134.6 111.2
136.0 113.4