REVIEW MODULE – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

SOIL PARTICLE SIZE CLASSIFICATIONS

SITUATION:
SOIL SAMPLE
SIEVE
DIAMETER A B C
NO.
PERCENT PASSING
4 4.760 90 100 100
6 2.380 64 90 100
10 2.000 54 77 98
20 0.840 34 59 92
40 0.420 22 51 84
60 0.250 17 42 79
100 0.149 9 35 70
200 0.074 5 33 63
PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION CURVE (SIEVE ANALYSIS) can be used to 10. Determine 𝐶𝐶 for soil A.
determine the following four parameters: a. 1.30 c. 1.22
A. EFFECTIVE SIZE (𝑫𝟏𝟎 ) – is the diameter in the particle size distribution b. 1.26 d. 1.42
11. Determine 𝐶𝑈 for soil A.
curve corresponding to 10% finer.
a. 14.22 c. 10.31
B. UNIFORMITY COEFFICIENT (𝑪𝑼 )
b. 13.97 d. 15.94
𝐷60
𝐶𝑈 =
𝐷10
SITUATION: The particle size characteristics of soil are given in the table
C. COEFFICIENT OF GRADATION or COEFFICIENT OF CURVATURE (𝑪𝑪 )
SIZE (mm) PERCENT FINER
𝐷30 2
𝐶𝐶 = 0.425 100
𝐷60 ∙ 𝐷10 0.0330 90
D. SORTING COEFFICIENT (𝑺𝑶 ) 0.0180 80
𝐷75 0.0100 70
𝑆𝑂 = √ 0.0062 60
𝐷25
0.0035 50
0.0018 40
SITUATION: Following are the results of sieve analysis.
0.0010 35
Mass
SIEVE Opening 12. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using USDA.
Retained, CMR CMP % FINER
no. (mm) 13. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using AASHTO.
g
14. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using USCS.
4 4.75 _
15. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using MIT
10 2.00 95
SITUATION: The particle size characteristics of soils are given in the table
20 0.850 160
SOIL PARTICLE PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION
40 0.425 91 SOIL A SOIL B SOIL C SOIL D
60 0.250 155 Gravel 0 28 14 12
Sand 32 12 16 21
80 0.180 124 Silt 41 34 22 40
100 0.150 143 CLay 27 26 48 27
Using the USDA method
200 0.075 150
16. Compute the modified percentages of sand, silt and clay for each soil type.
Pan 42 17. Classify each soil using USDA Textural Classification Chart
CMR- Cumulative Mass Retained
CMP – Cumulative Mass Passing
TM – Total Mass
𝐶𝑀𝑃
%𝐹𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑅 = × 100%
𝑇𝑀
1. Determine 𝐷10
a. 0.1025 c. 0.1135
b. 0.09626 d. 0.08360
2. Which of the following gives 𝐷30 ?
a. 0.1695 c. 0.1526
b. 0.1733 d. 0.1603
3. Determine the coefficient of uniformity.
a. 4.32 c. 3.88
b. 3.94 d. 4.15
4. Calculate the coefficient of gradation.
a. 0.771 c. 0.80
b. 0.832 d. 0.75
5. Determine the sorting coefficient.
a. 2.33 c. 2.44
b. 2.40 d. 2.38
6. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using USDA
7. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using AASHTO
8. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using USCS
9. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand, silt and clay using MIT
 REVIEW MODULE – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

WEIGHT-VOLUME RELATIONSHIPS

SITUATION: Given the following properties:

Specific Gravity, 𝐺𝑆 = 2.67; void ratio, 𝑒 = 0.45; degree of saturation, 𝑆 =
40%
18. Determine the unit weight of soil, kN/m3
a. 20.12 c. 19.78
b. 19.28 d. 21.32
19. Determine the dry unit weight of soil, kN/m3
a. 18.06 c. 19.72
b. 16.32 d. 18.93
20. Determine the unit weight of the soil when fully saturated, kN/m3.
a. 20.63 c. 21.11
b. 22.20 d. 20.99
𝑉 = 𝑉𝑆 + 𝑉𝑉 = 𝑉𝑆 + 𝑉𝑊 + 𝑉𝐴
𝑉 = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 21. If the dry unit weight of soil is 12kN/m3, what is the unit weight of soil if
𝑉𝑆 = 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑 water is added causing a water content of 15%.
𝑉𝑉 = 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑠 a. 14.50 c. 16.32
𝑉𝑊 = 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 b. 13.80 d. 19.42
𝑉𝐴 = 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑖𝑟
22. A soil sample has a void ratio of 0.40. Evaluate the porosity of the soil.
𝑊 = 𝑊𝑆 + 𝑊𝑊 a. 0.286 c. 0.311
𝑊 = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 b. 0.385 d. 0.294
𝑊𝑆 = 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙
𝑊𝑊 = 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 SITUATION: The wet unit weight of soil sample before drying is 200g and its
oven dried weight is 145g. The volume of the soil before drying is 120cm3.
VOLUME RELATIONSHIPS Specific Gravity of soil is 2.69.
A. Void Ratio, 𝑒 23. Compute the moisture content of the soil.
𝑉𝑉
𝑒= a. 34.25% c. 37.93%
𝑉𝑆 b. 32.14% d. 35.41%
B. Porosity, 𝑛 24. Compute the void ratio of the soil.
𝑉𝑉 𝑒 a. 0.23 c. 2.23
𝑛= =
𝑉 1+𝑒 b. 1.23 d. 1.75
C. Degree of Saturation, 𝑆 25. Determine the degree of saturation.
𝑉𝑊
𝑆= a. 80.25% c. 83.21%
𝑉𝑉 b. 79.33% d. 84.92%
D. Air Content, 𝑎𝑐
𝑉𝐴𝑖𝑟 26. A soil sample has a water content of 20% and moist unit weight of
𝑎𝑐 =
𝑉𝑉 18kN/m3. The specific gravity of soil solids is 2.65. Obtain the void ratio of
E. Percentage Air Voids, 𝑛𝑎 the soil.
𝑉𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑉𝑎𝑖𝑟
𝑛𝑎 = = a. 0.73 c. 0.64
𝑉 1+𝑒 b. 0.44 d. 0.52

WEIGHT RELATIONSHIPS SITUATION: A soil sample has a dry unit weight of 17 kN/m3 and a void ratio of
A. Moisture or water content, 𝜔 0.60.
𝑊𝑊
𝜔= 27. Evaluate the specific gravity of the soil solids.
𝑊𝑆 a. 2.77 c. 2.70
B. Unit Weight or Moist Unit Weight, 𝛾 b. 2.75 d. 2.65
𝑊
𝛾= 28. Obtain the unit weight of the sample in kN/m3 when fully saturated.
𝑉 a. 19.93 c. 20.23
C. Dry Unit Weight, 𝛾𝑑
b. 20.54 d. 20.68
𝑊𝑆
𝛾𝑑 = 29. What is the critical hydraulic gradient at hydraulic condition?
𝑉 a. 1.03 c. 1.06
b. 1.09 d. 1.11
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG UNIT WEIGHT, VOID RATIO, MOISTURE CONTENT,
AND SPECIFIC GRAVITY
SITUATION: Soil has compacted in an embankment at a bulk unit weight of
𝑆𝑒 = 𝜔𝐺𝑠
21.0915kN/m3, water content of 12%, the solid particles of soil having specific
gravity of 2.65.
(𝐺𝑆 + 𝑆𝑒)𝛾𝑤
𝛾= 30. Determine the dry unit weight in kN/m3.
1+𝑒
a. 17.33 c. 16.00
(1 + 𝜔)𝐺𝑆 𝛾𝑤 b. 18.83 d. 15.25
𝛾= 31. Determine the degree of saturation.
1+𝑒
a. 50.92% c. 47.33%
(𝐺𝑆 + 𝑒)𝛾𝑤 b. 51.34% d. 83.58%
𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 = 32. Determine the air content and percentage air voids.
1+𝑒
a. 16.42%; 0.0452 c. 49.08%; 0.0821
𝐺𝑆 𝛾𝑤 b. 49.08%; 0.189 d. 16.42%; 0.132
𝛾𝑑 =
1+𝑒

𝐺𝑆 𝛾𝑤
𝛾𝑧𝑎𝑣 =
1 + 𝜔𝐺𝑆

𝐺𝑠 − 1
𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐻𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 =
1+𝑒
 REVIEW MODULE – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

CONSISTENCY LIMITS (Atterberg’s Limits)

SOIL INDICES
INDEX DEFINITION

Plasticity 𝑃𝐼 = 𝐿𝐿 − 𝑃𝐿

𝜔 − 𝑃𝐿
Liquidity 𝐿𝐼 =
𝐿𝐿 − 𝑃𝐿
𝐿𝐿 − 𝜔
Consistency 𝐶𝐼 =
𝐿𝐿 − 𝑃𝐼

Shrinkage 𝑆𝐼 = 𝑃𝐿 − 𝑆𝐿

Flow 𝐹𝐼 = 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒

𝑃𝐼
Toughness 𝑇𝐼 =
𝐹𝐼

DESCRIPTION OF SOIL BASED ON PLASTICITY INDEX

Plasticity Index Description
0 Non-Plastic
1-5 Slightly Plastic
5-10 Low Plasticity
10-20 Medium Plasticity
20-40 High Plasticity
>40 Very High Plasticity

SITUATION: Given the laboratory results of the Atterberg’s limit test. Plot the
water content versus the number of blows.
A. LIQUID LIMIT
Test Number 1 2 3 4
Number of blows 38 29 20 14
Wt. Of wet
22.47 21.29 21.27 26.12
soil+container, g
Wt. of dry soil +
19.44 18.78 18.75 22.10
container, g
Wt. of container,
12.74 13.24 13.2 13.27
g
Wt. of water, g
LIQUID LIMIT Wt. of dry soil, g
- The moisture content at which a standard cone of apex of 30° and Water content, %
weight of 0.78N will penetrate a distance of d=20mm in 5 seconds,
when allowed to drop from a position of point of contact with the B. PLASTIC LIMIT AND NATURAL WATER CONTENT
soil surface. PLASTIC LIMIT NATURAL WATER CONTENT
TEST NUMBER 1 2 3 4
Wt. of wet
23.20 22.80 17.53 16.97
soil+container
Wt. of dry soil +
20.42 20.19 14.84 14.36
container
Wt. of
12.90 12.95 9.50 9.55
container
Wt. of water
Wt. of dry soil
Water content
PLASTIC LIMIT Average
- The moisture content wherein a soil starts to crumble when rolled
into 1/8 in. diameter thread. 33. Determine the nearest value of the Liquid Limit of the soil.
SHRINKAGE LIMIT a. 45.35% c. 44.52%
b. 46.36% d. 47.19%
- Soil shrinks as moisture is gradually lost from it. With continuing
34. Determine the nearest value of the Plastic Limit of the soil.
loss of moisture, a stage of equilibrium is reached at which more
a. 38.34% c. 42.25%
loss of moisture will result in no further volume change. The
b. 32.71% d. 36.51%
moisture content, in percent, at which the volume of the soil mass
35. Determine the nearest value of the Liquidity Index of the soil.
ceases to change is defined as the shrinkage limit.
a. 1.63 c. 1.73
𝑚1 − 𝑚2 𝑉1 − 𝑉2
𝑆𝐿 = − 𝜌𝑤 b. 1.84 d. 1.79
𝑚2 𝑚2
SITUATION 9: The result of and Plastic Limit tests are shown.
𝑚2
𝑆ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜, 𝑆𝑅 = Plastic Limit Test:
𝑉2 𝜌𝑤
1 Weight of Moist Soil (g) Weight of Oven Dried Soil (g)
𝐺𝑠 = 128.6 105.4
1 𝑆
− 𝐿 141.4 116.8
𝑆𝑅 100
132.6 109.6
𝑚1 = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙 134.6 111.2
𝑚2 = 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙 136.0 113.4
𝑉1 = 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙
𝑉2 = 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 − 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙 36. Determine the Plastic Limit of the soil.
𝜌𝑤 = 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 a. 19.33 c. 21.35
𝑆𝐿 = 𝑆ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡 b. 21.09 d. 21.42
37. Determine the plasticity index of the soil if LL=52%.
a. 30.65 c. 30.99
 REVIEW MODULE – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

b. 30.58 d. 32.67
𝑅𝑜 𝛾𝑑(𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑) 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑖𝑛)
𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑅 = = ; 𝑅𝑜 =
SITUATION 10: A shrinkage test on a clay soil gave the following data: 1 − 𝐷𝑟 (1 − 𝑅𝑜 ) 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑎𝑥) 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑎𝑥)
Weight of shrinkage dish and saturated soil cake = 38.78g RELATIVE DENSITY – is used to indicate the in-situ denseness or looseness of
Weight of shrinkage dish and oven dry soil cake=30.46g granular soil.
Weight of shrinkage dish=10.65g 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑒 𝛾𝑑 − 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑖𝑛) 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑎𝑥)
𝐷𝑟 = = ( )
Volume of saturated soil cake =16.29cc 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑥 − 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑎𝑥) − 𝛾𝑑(𝑚𝑖𝑛) 𝛾𝑑
Total Volume of oven dried soil cake=10.00cc DESIGNATION OF GRANULAR SOILS
38. Determine the shrinkage limit DESIGNATION 𝐷𝑟 (%)
a. 10.523 c. 7.612 Very Loose 0-15
b. 7.216 d. 10.247 Loose 15-50
39. Determine the shrinkage ratio of the soil. Medium Dense 50-70
a. 0.505 c. 1.981 Dense 70-85
b. 0.550 d. 1.891 Very Dense 85-100
40. Determine the specific gravity of soil solids.
a. 2.486 c. 2.311 SITUATION: Following are the results of a field unit weight determination test
b. 2.423 d. 2.376 performed on the soil by means of the sand cone method.
Calibrated density of sand = 1570 kg/m3
41. A soil has plasticity index of 18% and liquid limit of 65%. Find the Calibrated mass of sand to fill the cone = 0.545kg
shrinkage limit of the soil. Mass of jar+cone+sand (before use) = 7.59kg
Mass of jar+cone+sand (after use) = 4.78kg
Mass of moist soil from hole = 3.007kg
Moisture content of moist soil = 10.2%
Maximum dry unit weight in the lab compaction test = 19kN/m3

a. 33.25 c. 33.75
b. 34.65 d. 36.35
45. Determine the dry unit weight of compaction in the field in kN/m3.
a. 18.25 c. 17.84
SOIL COMPACTION – is the densification of soil removal of air which requires
b. 18.56 d. 18.13
mechanical energy. The degree of compaction measured in terms of dry unit
46. Determine the relative compaction in the field.
weight. The moisture content at which the maximum dry unit weight is
a. 96.05 c. 97.68
attained is called optimum moisture content. b. 93.89 d. 95.42

SOIL COMPACTION APPARATUS SITUATION: A soil sample weighing 249kg is removed from a test pit. Water
A. Standard Proctor Mold and Hammer weighing 124kg will just fill the pit. A sample of the soil weighing 113.2 grams
B. Sand Cone Apparatus is oven dried and its weight after oven drying is 98.7grams. Maximum
C. Rubber Balloon Apparatus attainable dry unit weight of soil is 18.8kN/m3 and minimum attainable dry
unit weight is 15.75 kN/m3. Specific gravity of soil is 2.67.
42. The following data were obtained from a field density test on a compacted 47. Determine the wet unit weight in kN/m3.
fill of sandy clay. Laboratory moisture density test on the fill material a. 20.35 c. 19.25
indicated a maximum dry density of 120pcf at optimum moisture content b. 19.70 d. 20.63
of 11%. 48. Determine the dry unit weight in kN/m3.
Weight of moist soil removed from test hole = 1038g a. 17.99 c. 17.74
Weight of soil after oven drying = 914g b. 17.18 d. 16.77
Volume of test hole from Rubber Balloon Apparatus = 0.0169cu ft 49. Determine the relative density of soil.
a. 51.17% c. 69.14%
What was the percent compaction of the fill? b. 76.75% d. 37.49%
a. 99.02 c. 99.65
b. 99.82 d. 99.15 SITUATION: The maximum dry unit weight of soil is 18.8kN/m3 and the
minimum dry unit weight is 15.5kN/m3.
SITUATION: Given the results of a Standard Proctor Test: 50. Determine the relative compaction in the field if the relative density is
Weight of moist soil in 72%.
Water Content, %
Proctor mold (grams) a. 97.83 c. 94.37
10 1485 b. 96.42 d. 99.33
12 1606 51. Determine the dry unit weight in the field, kN/m3.
14 1696 a. 17.74 c. 18.67
16 1757 b. 18.39 d. 18.13
18 1741 52. Determine the moist unit weight in the field if water content is 15%,
20 1651 kN/m3.
The volume of the mold for this test is 1/30 cubic feet (946000 cubic a. 20.85 c. 21.15
millimeters) b. 21.47 d. 20.40
43. Determine the maximum dry unit weight of the soil in grams/cc.
a. 1.63 c. 1.65
b. 1.60 d. 1.67
44. Determine the optimum moisture content in percent.
a. 16.20% c. 16%
b. 18% d. 18.52%
 REVIEW MODULE – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

The grain-size distribution of the backfill material is an important factor that

controls the rate of densification. Brown (1977) has defined a quantity called LABORATORY METHODS OF DETERMINING HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
the suitability number for rating backfill as A. CONSTANT HEAD PERMEABILITY TEST
A test in which the hydraulic gradient is constant throughout the duration of
3 1 1
𝑆𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑆𝑁 = 1.70√ + + experiment.
(𝐷50 )2 (𝐷20 )2 (𝐷10 )2
The smaller the value of 𝑆𝑁 , the more desirable the backfill material.
Range of 𝑆𝑁 Rating as Backfill
0-10 Excellent
10-20 Good
20-30 Fair
30-50 Poor
>50 Unsuitable

53. Following are the details of the backfill material:

𝐷10 = 0.36𝑚𝑚 𝐷20 = 0.52𝑚𝑚 𝐷50 = 1.42𝑚𝑚
Find the suitability number.
a. 5.872 c. 6.106 𝑉𝐿
b. 5.321 d. 6.325 𝑘=
ℎ𝐴𝑡

PERMEABILITY 𝑉 = 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒
A material is permeable if it contains continuous voids 𝑘 = 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝐿 = 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒
DARCY’S LAW ℎ = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒
It states that the velocity of flow of water through saturated soil is directly 𝑡 = 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
proportional to the hydraulic gradient. 𝐴 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒

𝑉 = 𝑘𝑖 𝑜𝑟 𝑄 = 𝑘𝑖𝐴 57. A sand sample of 35 sq.cm. cross sectional area and 20 cm long was tested
in a constant head permeameter. Under a head of 60 cm, the discharge
𝑉 = 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 was 120 mL in 6 min. Determine the hydraulic conductivity in cm/sec.
𝑖 = ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 a. 0.004251 c. 0.003521
𝐴 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 b. 0.003175 d. 0.003941
𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤.
𝑘 = 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 / ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 B. FALLING HEAD TEST
A test in which the hydraulic gradient is continuously changing through the
𝑉 duration of experiment.
𝑆𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑉𝑠 = 𝑎𝐿 ℎ1
𝑛 k= ln ( )
𝐴𝑡 ℎ2
𝑘 = 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑎 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑝𝑖𝑝𝑒
𝐴 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒
𝐿 = 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒
𝑡 = 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
ℎ1 = 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡 = 0
ℎ2 = 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = 𝑡

SITUATION: For a variable head permeability test, the following data are given:
Length of specimen=200mm
Area of Soil Specimen=1000sq.mm
Area of standpipe=40sq.mm
Head difference at time t=0 is 500mm
Head difference at t=3min is 300mm
SITUATION: From the figure shown, the thickness of a permeable soil layer is
58. Compute the hydraulic conductivity of the soil in cm/sec
1.1m making an angle of 14° with the horizontal K=4.87x10-2 cm/sec, e=0.7., a. 3.1425 x10-3 c. 2.7125 x10-3
S=36m, h=1.4m. b. 2.2703 x10-3 d. 2.4214 x10-3
59. What was the head difference at time t= 100sec, mm?
a. 356.11 c. 376.46
b. 123.54 d. 143.89

TEMPERATURE CORRECTION
It is customary to report this hydraulic conductivity of the soil at standard
temperature of 20 degrees, but this standard temperature is not usually met
that’s why temperature correction must be applied if the temperature during
test is not 20 degrees.
𝑅𝑇 = 2.42 − 0.475 ln 𝑇
60. If the test temperature test in number 57 is 40 degrees, compute the
54. Compute the hydraulic gradient
corrected value of hydraulic conductivity.
a. 0.0377 c. 0.0461
b. 0.0425 d. 0.0333 a. 0.002120 c. 0.004212
55. Compute the flow rate in cu.m/hr/m b. 0.003525 d. 0.004754
61. If the test temperature test is 10 degrees in number 58, compute the
a. 0.0728 c. 0.0731
b. 0.0750 d. 0.0706 corrected value of hydraulic conductivity.
56. Determine the seepage velocity, m/hr. a. 0.002542 c. 0.001934
a. 0.16 c. 0.26 b. 0.001712 d. 0.003011
b. 0.12 d. 0.22
 REVIEW MODULE – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

PERMEABILITY TEST FROM PUMPING WELLS

A. WELL IN AN UNCONFINED AQUIFER UNDERLAIN BY AN IMPERMEABLE HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY IN STRATIFIED SOILS
LAYER A. EQUIVALENT HORIZONTAL CONDUCTIVITY

𝑟
Q ln ( 1 )
𝑟2
k=
π(ℎ1 2 − ℎ2 2 )

𝑘 = 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑄 = 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒
𝑟1 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙
𝑟2 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙
ℎ1 = ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙
ℎ2 = ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙

SITUATION: A 500 mm diameter test well penetrates 30m, below the static
𝑘1 𝐻1 + 𝑘2 𝐻2 + 𝑘3 𝐻3
water table. After 24 hours of pumping at 80 liters/sec. The water level in an 𝑘𝑒𝑞 =
𝐻
observation well at a distance of 100m from the test well is lowered 0.5m and
the other observation well at a distance of 40m from the test well, the ∑ 𝑘𝐻
drawdown is 1.1 m. 𝑘𝑒𝑞 =
∑𝐻
62. What is the rate of flow in cu.m per day?
a. 6912 c. 6911 B. EQUIVALENT VERTICAL CONDUCTIVITY
b. 6910 d. 6913
63. Compute the coefficient of permeability of the aquifer in m/day.
a. 55.42 c. 61.32
b. 57.53 d. 64.82
64. Determine the drawdown in the test well, meter.
a. 25.32 c. 25.67
b. 4.33 d. 4.68

B. WELL IN A CONFINED AQUIFER UNDERLAIN BY AN IMPERMEABLE LAYER

𝑟 𝑟
Q ln ( 1 ) Q ln ( 1 )
𝑟2 𝑟2
k= =
2πt(ℎ1 − ℎ2 ) 2πt(𝑧2 − 𝑧1 )

𝑘 = 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐻 ℎ
𝑄 = 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 =∑
𝑘𝑒𝑞 𝑘
𝑟1 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙
SITUATION: The data for stratified soil were given as follows
𝑟2 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙
Layer Depth K
ℎ1 = ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙
ℎ2 = ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 1 4m 5cm/h
𝑡 = 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟 2 8m 3 cm/h
3 12m 2 cm/h
𝑟 68. Determine the equivalent horizontal coefficient of permeability, cm/hr.
Q ln ( 1 )
𝑟2 a. 2.535 c. 2.833
T= = kt
2π(𝑧2 − 𝑧1 ) b. 2.521 d. 2.142
69. Determine the vertical coefficient of permeability, cm/hr.
𝑍2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑍1 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑤 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛. a. 2.535 c. 2.521
𝑇 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟. b. 2.142 d. 2.833

SITUATION: A permeability pumping test was carried out in a confined aquifer SITUATION: The figure shows 3 layers of soil in a tube. Water is supplied to
with the piezometric level before pumping is 2.18m below the ground surface. maintain a constant-head difference of 300mm across the sample. The
The aquiclude has a thickness of 5.7 m measured from the ground surface and hydraulic conductivities of the soils in the direction of flow through them are
the confined aquifer is 7.6m deep until it reaches the aquiclude layer at the as follows:
bottom. At a steady pumping rate of 15.6 cu.m/hr the drawdown in the KA= 2 x 10-3 mm/sec KB= 3.7 x 10-1 mm/sec KC= 1.2 x 10-4 mm/sec
observation wells were respectively equal to 1.62m and 0.47 m. The distance
of the observation wells from the center of the test well were 15m and 32m
respectively.

65. Compute the depth of water at the farthest observation well, meters.
a. 11.68 c. 10.65
b. 12.83 d. 9.5
66. Compute the coefficient of permeability, m/hr.
a. 0.215 c. 0.324
b. 0.293 d. 0.412
67. Compute the transmissibility of the impermeable layer, m2/hr.
a. 2.23 c. 3.13
b. 2.46 d. 1.64

70. Determine the velocity of flow, mm/sec.

a. 0.0002263 c. 0.0004126
b. 0.0004215 d. 0.0001942
71. Determine hA and hB, mm.
a. 265.41; 263.41 c. 283.02; 282.93
b. 271.14; 269.42 d. 242.12; 240.82
 REVIEW MODULE – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 1

SEEPAGE
72. If the cross-sectional area of the tank is 0.5 sq.m. Determine the effective
stresses at points A and B. If the hydraulic conductivity K = 0.12 cm/sec, and
the rate of seepage is 0.3 liters/sec, kN/m2.

0.60𝑚

𝛾 = 17.9 𝑘𝑁/𝑚3

1𝑚 𝐵

0.40𝑚
𝐴

a. 3.142, 1.825 c. 3.172; 1.362

b. 3.185, 1.911 d. 8.09; 4.854

73. Determine the effective stress at A. Assuming e = 0.50 and sp.gr = 2.70,
kN/m2

0.8𝑚
0.7𝑚

𝑒 = 0.50
𝐺𝑆 = 2.7

2.2𝑚 𝑨

1𝑚

a. 17.421 c. 17.321
b. 17.512 d. 17.622

74. Assuming sp.gr of soil is G and its void ratio is e, determine the critical
hydraulic gradient.
𝐺𝑠 + 1 𝐺𝑠 + 1
a. c.
1+𝑒 1−𝑒
𝐺𝑠 − 1 𝐺𝑠 − 1
b. d.
1−𝑒 1+𝑒