Soil Mechanics for Construction

Final Exam Name: Joshua Powell

Multiple Choice (60 points total; 3 points each) Choose the best answer for each of the
following questions:

1). Why is it important to know the strike and dip for bedrock if you are constructing a
building that will bear directly on bedrock?

a. To evaluate the potential for a landslide to occur.

b. To evaluate the shear strength of the rock for foundation support and rock
movement.
c. To help identify fracture zones.
d. All of the above.

2). Which of the following is not an advantage of using a standard penetration test to
evaluate soil conditions.

a. The test is very repeatable, providing standard results .

b. Nearly all drill rigs used for exploration are equipped to perform this test.
c. It has a relatively low cost.
d. It allows for the collection of a discrete sample of the soils being tested .

3). Which of the following is not required to classify a soil using the Unified Soil
Classification System for a fine-grained soil?

a. Soil Color
b. Organic content
b. Grain Size Distribution.
c. Liquid Limit.
d. Plastic Limit.

4). What is the pore pressure on a particle of soil at a depth of 12 feet below ground
surface(bgs) if the the groundwater table is at 3 feet bgs?

a. 187 lb/ft2.
b. 561.6 lb/ft2
c. 748.8 lb/ft2
d. 936 lb/ft2.

5). If the groundwater table drops 4 feet between two wells that are 20 feet apart, what is
the hydraulic gradient of the groundwater table.

a. 5 ft/ft
b. 4 ft/ft
c. 0.2 ft/ft
d. 0.1 ft/ft
6). What is capillary action?

a. The heave of soils near the surface due to water pressure.

b. The rate of movement of an element of water through soil.
c. The rise in water pressure in a confined aquifer.
d. The upward movement of water into the vadose zone from surface tension

7). What mathematical relationship is used to determine hydraulic conductivity?

a. Bernoulli’s Equation
b. Darcy’s Law
c. Terzaghi’s Theory
d. Dailey’s Theorem

8). If the liquid limit of a soil is found to be 42 and the plastic limit of a soil is found to be
30, what is the soils plasticity index?

a. 12.
b. 30.
c. 42.
d. 72.

9). What is Optimum Moisture Content?

a. The moisture content of soil at which maximum dry density is achieved

under a specific compaction effort.
b. The moisture content of soil determined to fill all void spaces with air under a
specific loading condition.
c. The moisture content most often used in construction.
d. The moisture content concrete requires to fully cure.

10). When specifying compaction requirements for the soil beneath an airport runway,
what test would a geotechnical engineer use?

a. Standard Penetration Test

b. Standard proctor Test
c. Modified Proctor Test
d. Cone Penetrometer Test.

11). What is the Angle of Repose in soils?

a. The angle that a soil deforms due to an applied shear force.

b. The angle at which the forces of gravity and friction are in balance.
c. The measured angle of a soil.
d. All of the above.
Use the following to answer the next 3 questions:

Soil A: Liquid Limit: 60 Plastic Limit: 20

Soil D: Liquid Limit: 40 Plastic Limit: 30

12). What is the USCS soil classification of Soil A (inorganic)?

a. CH: Sandy fat clay

b. CH: Fat Clay
c. CL: sandy lean clay
d. MH: Elastic Silt (per figure 5.3 in book)

13). What is the USCS soil classification of Soil D (inorganic)?

a. CH: Sandy fat clay

b. CL-ML: Sandy-silty clay
c. SM: silty sand (per figure 5.6)
d. GW-GC: Well graded gravel with clay & sand

14). What is the coefficient of curvature (Cc) for soil B?

a. 0.042
b. 0.83
c. 5.9
d. 15.4
15). Which of the following is not a mode of failure for a gravity retaining wall?

a. Slope Failure
b. Insufficient Soil Bearing.
c. Overturning Failure.
d. Sliding Failure.

16). Which of the following is not an example of a deep foundation?

a. Matt foundation.
b. Drilled shaft.
c. Auger cast piles.
d. Caissons.

17). What is used to prevent eccentricity in driven piles?

a. beams and anchors.

b. soil nails.
c. pile cap.
d. banisters.

18). Which of the following is not a method for soil improvement?

a. Blast Densification
b. Soil cut-off
c. Surcharging
d. Jet Grouting

19). What is the main variable used to measure vibrations on a construction site.

a. ground displacement
b. particle acceleration
c. peak particle velocity
d. ground pressure

20). How does mechanically stabilized earth reinforce poor soils to provide added
strength?

a. by increasing their compressive strength.

b. by supporting soils above it..
c. by carrying tensile loads for the soil.
d. by increasing their mass.
 Name:_________________

Short Answer –(40 points total)

Fill-in the blank (10 Points total - 5 points Each)

1). What is the soil classification of Soil A (inorganic) using the USCS if the Liquid
Limit is 55 and the Plastic Limit is 15 (Provide group symbol & name – 5 points)?

Sandy Elastic Silt (MH)

2). What is the soil classification of Soil G (inorganic) using the USCS if the soil is a non-
plastic soil (Provide Group symbol & name – 5 points)?

Poorly Graded Sand with Silt (SP-SM)

Cu > 6, nonplastic means not a clay

3). A sample of soil has a volume of 0.45ft3 and a weight of 53.3 lb. After being in an
oven, it has a weight of 45.1 lb. It has a specific gravity of solids of 2.70. Compute its
moisture content, dry density and porosity (5 points).

w = (53.3 – 45.1) / 45.1 = .182 or 18.2%

pd = 45.1 / .45 = 100.2 lbs/ft3

e = ((2.7 * 62.4) / 100.2) - 1= 0.68

n = e / (e+1) = .404 or 40.4%

(From porosity relationship to e from the text)

4). Calculate the vertical effective stresses at points A and B in the diagram below (10
points – 5 points for each point: A & B).

oz = ∑yH - u

B oz = (15.0*2) + (16.8*1.6) – (9.8*1.6) = 41.2 kPa

A oz = (15.0*2) + (16.8*2.5) + (17.2*3.6) – (9.8*6.1) = 74.1 kPa

5). Complete problem 7.14 in the text.( 5 points)?

Δh0 = 510 – 120 = 390mm

Δh1 = 261 – 120 = 141mm

t = 46.58 * 60 = 167,700s

k = (a*L)/(A*t) ln(Δh0 / Δh1)

k = ((3.14 * 32 * 20) / (3.14 * 48.52 * 167,700)) * ln(390/141)

= (565.5 / 1,239,270,311) * 1.0174

= 4.779 x 10-7 mm/s or 4.779 x 10-6 cm/s

This result seems reasonable given the typical values of hydraulic conductivity
for clays being between 10-6 and 10-10 as noted in table 7.1 in the text.

6). A circular footing is 6 feet in diameter, 1 foot thick and 3 feet deep and supports a
load of 90 kips. If soil density is 110 lb/cu ft and the concrete weighs 150 lb/cu ft,
what is the bearing pressure if groundwater is more than 10 feet deep? What are the
effects of groundwater on the bearing capacity of the soil? (5 points)

q=P/A

P = 90k + (3.14*32*1)*150 = 94.24 kip

A = 28.27 ft2

q = 94.24/28.27 = 3.33 kip/ft2

Groundwater in this case does not affect the bearing capacity of the soil, but it
would have if it would have been at a depth less than the width of the
foundation from the foundation bottom.
7. Identify five ways to improve retaining wall performance (5 points)?

 Designing the wall to withstand the pressures that will be experienced on

the site during and after construction
 Protecting the area from over saturation
 Ensuring that vibrations from activities do not disturb the soil too much
 Including weep holes or some other form of drainage
 Reinforcing the wall using any of the reinforcement methods suitable for
the wall type