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16-Civ-A4 Geotechnical Materials and Analysis: May 2017

Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)

  1. Question 1 Compaction, Structure, Gradation and Undrained Strength
  2. Question 2 Effective Stress under a Dam Spillway (Flow Net)
  3. Question 3 Effective Shear-Strength Parameters and A f from CU Triaxial Tests
  4. Question 4 Consolidation Settlement of a Clay Layer under a Footing
  5. Question 5 Vertical-Stress Increase between Two Footings (Two Methods)

Start with Question 1 →

Paper format: PEO/EGBC National Examination 16-Civ-A4 — Geotechnical Materials and Analysis, May 2017. Closed book, 3 hours, 100 marks. Answer ALL questions (5 × 20 marks). All required charts and equations were supplied at the back of the paper.

Reference texts: Das, B.M. & Sobhan, K., Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 9th ed. (Cengage); Holtz, Kovacs & Sheahan, An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, 2nd ed.; Knappett & Craig, Craig’s Soil Mechanics, 8th ed.; Budhu, Soil Mechanics and Foundations, 3rd ed.

Check (source figures): Q2’s flow net is a hand-drawn sketch; the counts used (Nd = 10, one drop to B and nine to A) were taken from the printed net and carry the usual ±1-field tolerance. Void ratio (e0), Cc and the preconsolidation break in Q4’s Figure 4(a), and the OCR–Af read in Q3’s Figure 3, are read off hand-plotted curves. Conclusions are robust to these reading tolerances; each is flagged where it bites.