Department of Civil Engineering

Institute of Technical Education & Research, SOA University

End Semester Examination, December-2016

Advanced Soil Mechanics (CE521T)
Semester: 1st M.Tech.
Full mark: 60

Branch: Civil/Geotechnical Engineering

Time: 3 Hours

All questions carry equal marks. All bits of each question carry equal marks.
Subject Learning Outcome
(Student will able to)

*Taxonomy
Level

Interpret
phase
diagram
relationships of soils and behavior
of sand, silt and clay.

L2

Question
number
1(a), 1(b),
2(a), 2(b),
2(c), 6(a),
6(b)

Marks

14

Illustrate
the
experimental
1(c), 6(c),
knowledge and ideas about L3
6
8(c)
properties of soil.
Demonstrate
Mohr-coulomb
3(a), 3(b),
criteria of soil failure from L3
6
3(c)
Mohrs circle method.
Describe equilibrium equations in
4(a), 4(b),
a soil mass based on stresses
L4
8
4(c), 8(a)
acting on a 3D element and 2D
element.
Illustrate
volumetric
and
deviatoric stresses and strains
5(a), 5(b),
L4
6
in soil mass and Describe plane
5(c)
stress and plane strain conditions.
Describe seepage in a soil mass
7(a), 7(b),
L5
6
based on Darcys law.
7(c)
Interpret the understanding
8(b), 9(a),
of triaxial test and notion of L5
8
9(b), 9(c)
effective and pore water pressure.
Illustrate permeability of soil
10(a),
strata in field and flownet L4
10(b),
6
diagrams.
10(c)
*Blooms taxonomy levels: Knowledge (L1), Comprehension (L2), Application (L3), Analysis (L4),
Evaluation (L5), Creation (L6)

Answer all ten questions.

a.
b.
c.

Question 1
Arrange grain sizes of sand, clay and silt in ascending order.
Arrange kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite in descending
order of charge neutrality (most neutral to least).
Describe shrinkage limit and how it varies with clay content
graphically?

2
2
2

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Department of Civil Engineering

Institute of Technical Education & Research, SOA University

a.
b.
c.

a.

b.
c.

a.
b.
c.

a.
b.
c.
a.
b.
c.

a.
b.
c.
a.
b.

Question 2
If a clay sample has 50% positively and 50% negatively
charged particle, Explain which phenomenon will occur in
water solution?
Explain how does montmorillonite change void ratio and
liquid limit of a soil? (Only draw graph)
The natural water content of soil sample is 40%, specific
gravity 2.7 and saturation is 90%. Calculate porosity.
Question 3
1 2
Two state of stresses are given as 0 10 . Sketch their
5 15
Mohrs circles on axis and point out maximum shear
stresses on diagram.
Calculate Mohr-Coulomb failure parameter c for above
case.
Calculate Mohr-Coulomb failure parameter for above
case.
Question 4
Sketch Mohrs circle diagrams for 1) isotropic loading (iso )
and 2) pure axial loading (ax ) in triaxial cell.
Calculate hydrostatic stress tensor for a triaxial specimen
subjected to isotropic stress of 10MPa.
Calculate deviatoric stress tensor for above data.
Question
5

9 6 3
Stress tensor for an element is 6 5 2 Calculate values
3 2 4
of I1 and I2 .
Calculate the value of I3 .
Calculate 1 , 2 and 3 .
Question 6
State two example where plane strain condition can be
applied.
Define plane stress condition.
Sketch dry density versus moisture content curve for a
standard compaction test on a silty clay.
Question 7
State Darcys law. Why it is valid when Reynolds number
is less than 1?
Sketch schematic diagram of constant head permeability
apparatus.
Using Darcys law, formulate constant head permeability.
Question 8
Illustrate three axes of cylindrical coordinate system.
Explain why in triaxial testing loading of specimen is slow
and gradual?

2
2
2

2
2

2
2
2

2
2
2
2
2
2

2
2
2
2
2

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Department of Civil Engineering

Institute of Technical Education & Research, SOA University

c.

a.

b.

c.

a.

b.

c.

Interpret two major disadvantages of direct shear test over

triaxial test.
Question 9
Given pore water pressure parameter A = 1, If axial
pressure is increased from 10KP a to 20KP a very slowly.
Calculate the change in pore water pressure?
Given pore water pressure parameters A = B = 1,
formulate u (pore water pressure) in terms of principal
stresses 1 and 2 = 3 in triaxial testing.
For above condition, if triaxial sample is isotropically
loaded from rest to 15KP a stress. Calculate change in
pore water pressure (u).
Question 10
Differentiate between equipotential lines and flow/stream
lines in a flownet graphically.
Given a soil strata with clay layer interlaced between
layer k(cm/sec) h(m)
sand
0.1
2.5
two sand layers
. Calculate
clay
0.001
5
sand
0.1
2.5
equivalent horizontal permeability.
Calculate equivalent vertical permeability for above data.

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