07-Str-A3: May 2015

Paper format. Engineers Canada / PEO National Examinations, May 2015 — 07-Str-A3 Geotechnical Materials and Analysis. Closed book, three hours, 100 marks, approved Casio or Sharp calculator, drawing instruments required. All six questions are compulsory and are weighted 20 / 10 / 10 / 20 / 20 / 20. The paper supplies its own appendix: a formula sheet, the rectangular-loading m–n influence chart and a Newmark influence chart with influence value $I_N = 0.005$ (200 elements). Values quoted from those sheets are used here.

Reference texts.

• B. M. Das & K. Sobhan, Principles of Geotechnical Engineering, 9th ed. — Ch. 6 (compaction), Ch. 7 (permeability and flow), Ch. 9 (stresses in a soil mass), Ch. 11 (consolidation), Ch. 12 (shear strength), Ch. 13 (lateral earth pressure).
• R. F. Craig / J. A. Knappett, Craig’s Soil Mechanics, 8th ed. — Ch. 4 (effective stress and pore pressure coefficients), Ch. 5 (shear strength), Ch. 7 (consolidation), Ch. 11 (retaining structures).
• Canadian Geotechnical Society, Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual (CFEM), 4th ed. — Ch. 4 (site investigation and sampling), Ch. 6 (settlement), Ch. 9 (earth pressures). The Canadian reference for practice, sampling classes and terminology.
• K. Terzaghi, R. B. Peck & G. Mesri, Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice, 3rd ed. — Art. 15–17 (consolidation), Art. 19–20 (shear strength).

Check — two printing slips in the source, carried as printed. (1) Question 1 is headed “(4 x 5 = 20 marks)” but prints five lettered parts (i)–(v). All five are answered below and the header total of 20 marks is kept; read the header as five parts at four marks each. (2) In Question 5 the surcharge and the two cohesion intercepts are printed with the units $\text{kN/m}^{3}$ — dimensionally these are stresses and must be read as $\text{kPa}$ ($\text{kN/m}^{2}$); the unit weights carry the $\text{kN/m}^{3}$ correctly. The solution states each value in the unit its symbol requires.