MSc TUTORIAL ON EFFECTIVE STRESS

The srata in the bottom of a flat valley consist of 3m of coarse gravel overlying 12m of clay.
Beneath the clay is fissured sandstone of relatively high permeability.

The water table in the gravel is 0.6m below ground level. The water in the sandstone is under
artesian pressure corresponding to a standpipe level of 6m above ground level.

The unit weights of the soil are:

Gravel (above the water table) 16.8kN/m3

Gravel (below the water table saturated) 20.8kN/m3
Clay (saturated) 21.6kN/m3
Water 9.8kN/m3

Plot total and effective vertical stresses against depth for the following cases.
_,W-' The initial ground water levels.
� Starting at case (a), the water level in the gravel is rapidly lowered 1.8fu by
pumping - consider both the short-term and the long-term conditions.
f;() Starting at case (a), the water level in the gravel is unchanged, but installation
of relief wells rapidly lower the water pressure in the sandstone by 5.5m -
consider both the short-term and the long-term conditions.
Starting at case (a) the relief wells mentioned in case ( c) instead are pumped to
�
reduce the water level in the sandstone to 15m below ground level - consider
both short-term and long-term conditions.

2. Assuming sheet piles are used through the gravel to cut-off water and pumping is used
to keep conditions dry, to what depth can a wide excavation be made into the clay
before the bottom blows up (neglecting side shear):
1a) With the initial artesian pressure in the sandstone.
M With relief wells rapidly reducing the pressure in the sandstone to 0.6m above
ground level.
� With relief wells rapidly reducing the pressure in the sandstone to 15.0m
below ground level.

3 A dry excavation 9m in depth (below GL) is required. If a ratio of total

vertical stress to uplift pressure of 1.3 is required for safety, to what depth
must the water level in the sandstone be lowered?
(b) If the coefficient of volume compressibility mv is 1.87xI0·4m2/kN, to what
extent would the clay layer outside of the excavation eventually decrease in
thickness if the artesian pressure were permanently lowered by the amount
calculated in 3(a)?

X If, instead of the excavation works described in (2) and (3), the water level in the
sandstone was raised to 15.2m above ground level due tu,rpp9..-1t.,n<:l:ing behind a dam
upstream of the site, at what depth in the undisturbed clay would the vertical effective
s:tress be least and what would this value be?
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 TIJTORIAL ON VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL EFFECTIVE STRESSES
� AND�-
f .
\./O"R K '5HOP ON �·

•A ground profile consists of Jm of coarse gravel overlying Sm of a low

permeability boulder clay. Beneath the clay is a stratum of jointed sandstone 0
of relatively high mass permeability. 0
"
eThe bulk unit weights of the soils are:
Gravel above water table: 16.8 kN/m3
-I _y_ �o
"o" . Coo...rse., 9;r-o..ve..t
Gravel below water table: 20.8 kN/m3 o"o
" 0 "
Clay - saturated: 2l.6 kN/m3 � o

Water: 9.8 kN/m3 -'3

0 0

eThe ratio of oh'/av' (• K) for the gravel is 0.3 and for the clay is 0.7. �
eThe clay may be assumed to have a constant permeability with depth.

Low pttM�ll.b�l� t ':i dll..�

Q.l The water table in the gravel is lm below ground level.
Assuming hydrostatic conditions calculate the values of av, �
u, av ', oh ' and oh at the following depths : lm, Jm (in the
gravel), 3m (in the clay) and llm (in the clay). Hence plot
the distributions of oy , u, ov '• ah' and oh with depth.
---
Q.2 The water table remains at lm below ground level in the
gravel but the piezometric head in the sandstone drops to 6m
b�low ground level and remains there. Calculate the
corresponding long-term values of av, u, av ', ah' and ah at
the depths given in Q.l and plot their distribution& with
depth.
-11
Q.3 The water table remains at lm below ground level in the
gravel but the piezometric head in the sandstone rises to Sm
above ground level and remains there. Calculate the
corresponding long-term value& of cv, u, oy ', ah' and ab at
:ro �V'ltcl $c..nd. s toV'le..
the depths given in Q.l and plot their distributione with
depth.

I I I
<D K =- O'H O'v
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o H�clrosh.lic.

o D0w0V1i..,0..td. t lo1u
o Llpwo.rd.. flow

"
 SOIL MECHANICS POST-GRADUATE TUTORIAL SHEET

K0 Conditions

The soil profile of an area of reclaimed land consists of 4.6m of pumped sand overlying
6.lm of normally consolidated silty clay, beneath which is a pervious stratum. The
piezometric level in both the sand fill and in the underlying pervious stratum is 1.Sm
below the surface of the sand fill.

The site is preloaded over a wide area with a further 6.lm of sand, which is removed
when consolidation is complete. Calculate the vertical and horizontal total and effective
stresses at the top and bottom of the silty clay layer:

( a) before the preload is applied, assuming full consolidation under the

initial sand fill,

(b) after the preload is applied, before consolidation has occurred,

(c) after full consolidation under the preload,

(d) after the preload is removed, before swelling has occurred.

(e) after swelling is completed.

The bulk unit weight of the sand above the water table is 15.7kN/m 3• The bulk unit
weight of the sand below the water table is 17 .3kN/m 3• The bulk unit weight of the silty
clay below the water table is 16.5kN/m 3•

The coefficient of earth pressure at rest with respect to effective stress, K0 , of the silty
clay is 0.59 on first loading, and on unloading lies on a curve with values of 0.70, 0.77
and 0.89 at overconsolidation ratios of 1.5, 2 and 3 respectively .