Geotechnical engg

Practicals last two chapter

 PLATE LOAD TEST
• The plate load test is a field test, which is performed to determine the ultimate bearing
capacity of the soil and the probable settlement under a given load. This test is very
popular for the selection and design of the shallow foundation.
• APPARATUS REQD
➢ A steel plate is at least 300 mm square and 6 mm thick.
➢ Hydraulic jack & pump
➢ A hydraulic jack with a capacity of at least 1.5 times the anticipated test load.
➢ A set of steel shims, at least 6 mm thick.
➢ Reaction beam or reaction truss
➢ A dial gauge, with a range of 0-250 mm and an accuracy of 0.02 mm.
➢ Pressure gauge
➢ A loading frame with a capacity of at least 1.5 times the anticipated test load.
➢ A steel rule or tape measure is at least 3 m long.
➢ Necessary equipment for the loading platform.
➢ Tripod, Plumb bob, spirit level, etc.
➢ A hammer.
➢ A set of wrenches.
➢ A clean, dry cloth.

• PROCEDURE

1.We need to excavate the test pit up to your desired depth or the foundation we have to build (size
1.5m X1.5m), and the size should be at least 5 times of the size of the plate(Bp).
2.Then find the centre of the pit and the size of the hole is similar to the size of the plate.
3.The steel plate is used as the load-bearing member and the square plate is used for square footing
and circular plate is used for circular footing.
4.Thereafter a column is placed at the centre so the load is transferred through the column to the
plate.
5.As we know that there are two methods for the transfer of load which are by gravity loading
method and truss method and already discussed above.
6.There are two dial gauges placed on the corners of the plate to record the settlement of the plate at
each increment of load.
7. Then the seating load of .7T/m² and then release before the actual loading starts.
8. All the initial readings are noted.
9. The hydraulic jack is used to apply the load and the load is increased gradually. The increase in
load is generally one-fifth of the safe bearing capacity or one-tenth of the ultimate load or any
smaller values. The pressure gauge is used to note the reading.
10. The settlement of the plate at each increment is taken or recorded from the dial gauges. By the
increasing settlement, the load settlement maybe 1, 4, 10, 20, 40, and 60 minutes or specific
hourly intervals is repeated until it reached .2mm per hour, and the reading is noted down in the
tabular form.
11. Collect all the data from the dial gauge or pressure gauge for a particular loading.
• Advantages of Plate Load Test
➢From this method, we can predict the assumption of designing the foundation for a certain
depth and specific load.
➢It is cost and time-efficient.
➢We can design a shallow foundation for this test.
➢It is quite easy to perform and very reliable.
 STANDARD PENETRATION TEST
• The standard penetration test, commonly known
as 'SPT', was developed to provide geotechnical
engineering properties for foundation design
purposes. The test is carried out within a
borehole. The results can be used to determine the
relative density, bearing capacity, and settlement
of granular soil.

• APPARATUS REQD
1. Standard Split Spoon Sampler
2. Drop Hammer weighing 63.5kg
3. Guiding rod
4. Drilling Rig.
5. Driving head (anvil).
 PROCEDURE
• The test is conducted in a bore hole by means of a standard split spoon
sampler. Once the drilling is done to the desired depth, the drilling tool is
removed and the sampler is placed inside the bore hole. By means of a
drop hammer of 63.5kg mass falling through a height of 750mm at the
rate of 30 blows per minute, the sampler is driven into the soil. This is as
per IS -2131:1963. The number of blows of hammer required to drive a
depth of 150mm is counted. Further it is driven by 150 mm and the
blows are counted. Similarly, the sampler is once again further driven by
150mm and the number of blows recorded. The number of blows
recorded for the first 150mm not taken into consideration.. The number
of blows recorded for last two 150mm intervals are added to give
the standard penetration number (N). In other words,
• N = No: of blows required for 150mm penetration beyond seating drive
of 150mm.
➢ If the number of blows for 150mm drive exceeds 50, it is taken as refusal and the test is
discontinued. The standard penetration number is corrected for dilatancy correction and
overburden correction.

• ADVANTAGES
1. The advantages of standard penetration test are:The test is simple and economical
2. The test provides representative samples for visual inspection, classification tests and for moisture
content.
3. Actual soil behaviour is obtained through SPT values
4. The method helps to penetrate dense layers and fills
5. Test can be applied for variety of soil conditions
 STANDARD PROCTOR TEST
• Standard Proctor Test was developed by R.R. Proctor. This test is used to determine the optimum
moisture content for the soil under given compaction.
• APPARATUS REQD
➢ Standard Proctor Apparatus
i. Cylindrical metal mold of an internal diameter of 4 inches ( 102 mm ) and effective height of 4.6 inches ( 117 mm
) with an internal volume of 1/30 cu. ft ( 0.945 ltr ).
ii. A 50 mm diameter rammer of weight 2.5 kg and height of fall of 1 foot ( 305 mm ), moving in the metallic outer
sleeve.
iii. Detachable collar of 50 mm effective height ( 60 mm total height ).
iv. Detachable base plate
➢ Thermostatically controlled oven (105°C +- 110°C)
➢ Mixing Tools like a spoon, trowel, and spatula.
➢ Tray & scoop
➢ Containers
 PROCEDURE
➢ Take about 20kg of air-dried soil. Sieve it through 20mm and 4.7mm sieve.

➢ Calculate the percentage retained on 20mm sieve and 4.75mm sieve, and the percentage passing
4.75mm sieve.

➢ If the percentage retained on 4.75mm sieve is greater than 20, use the large mould of 150mm
diameter. If it is less than 20%, the standard mould of 100mm diameter can be used. The following
procedure is for the standard mould.

➢ Mix the soil retained on 4.75mm sieve and that passing 4.75mm sieve in proportions determined in
step (2) to obtain about 16 to 18 kg of soil specimen.

➢ Clean and dry the mould and the base plate. Grease them lightly.

➢ Weigh the mould with the base plate to the nearest 1 gram.
➢ Take about 16 – 18 kg of soil specimen. Add water to it to bring the water content to about 4% if the
soil is sandy and to about 8% if the soil is clayey.

➢ Keep the soil in an air-tight container for about 18 to 20 hours for maturing. Mix the soil thoroughly.
Divide the processed soil into 6 to 8 parts.

➢ Attach the collar to the mould. Place the mould on a solid base.

➢ Take about 2.5kg of the processed soil, and hence place it in the mould in 3 equal layers. Take about
one-third the quantity first, and compact it by giving 25 blows of the rammer. The blows should be
uniformly distributed over the surface of each layer.

➢ The top surface of the first layer be scratched with spatula before placing the second layer. The second
layer should also be compacted by 25 blows of rammer. Likewise, place the third layer and compact it.

➢ The amount of the soil used should be just sufficient to fill the mould ad leaving about 5 mm above the
top of the mould to be struck off when the collar is removed.

➢ Remove the collar and trim off the excess soil projecting above the mould using a straight edge.
➢ Clean the base plate and the mould from outside. Weigh it to the nearest gram.
➢ Remove the soil from the mould. The soil may also be ejected out.
➢ Take the soil samples for the water content determination from the top, middle and bottom portions.
Determine the water content.
➢ Add about 3% of the water to a fresh portion of the processed soil, and repeat the steps 10 to 14.

❑ Modified proctor test is almost same as standard proctor test, some of minor differences are
mentioned below.
 California Bearing Ratio Test
• The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) is a measure of the strength of the subgrade of
a road or other paved area, and of the materials used in its construction.
• The California Bearing Ratio(CBR) test is a measure of resistance of a material to
penetration of standard plunger under controlled density and moisture
conditions. It was developed by the California Division of Highways as a method
of classifying and evaluating soil- subgrade and base course materials for flexible
pavements. CBR test may be conducted in remoulded or undisturbed sample. Test
consists of causing a cylindrical plunger of 50mm diameter to penetrate a
pavement component material at 1.25mm/minute. The loads for 2.5mm and
5mm are recorded. This load is expressed as a percentage of standard load value
at a respective deformation level to obtain CBR value.