Assignment 2 Deadline 14 March 2014

Tutorial 2

Q1. A Constant Head Laboratory permeability test was set up as shown in

Figure Q.1 with the following data: sat of soil = 21 kN/m3, w = 9.81 kN/m3, k =
3.0 x 10-3 m/s. Determine:

(a) the total head at level A and B (bottom and top of soil ample);
(b) the hydraulic gradient across the bottom and top of the sample;
(c) the rate of flow (m3/s) across the soil sample (assume the soil sample has a
diameter of 1.5 m);
(d) the critical hydraulic gradient across the soil sample;
(e) the seepage (hydraulic) pressure at level A;
(f) the pore water pressure at level C (Note: distribution of pore pressure with
depth is linear);
(g) the effective stress at level C; and
(h) how much higher can the inflow water level be raised before instability
against piping occurs in the soil sample?

Figure Q.1:
Schematic
diagram of
the constant
head permeability test.

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Q2. Figure Q.2 shows the flow lines in a soil layer under an impermeable concrete
dam with an impermeable cut-off wall at its upstream end. The soil is underlain
by a relatively impermeable rock.

Figure Q.2: Schematic diagram of an earth dam.

(a) Draw a square flow net using only these flow lines and hence calculate the
flow under the dam for the case when the soil is homogeneous and isotropic
with equal vertical and horizontal permeabilities. Take the permeability to
be, k = 4.5 x 10-4 m/s, and the retained water height to be 12.5 m.

(b) If the cut-off wall was at the downstream rather than the upstream end of the
dam, what would happen to the flow net and hence the flow. (Hint: You do
not need to draw anything).

Q3. A stratum of sand 2.5 m thick overlies a stratum of saturated clay 3 m thick. The
water table is 1 m below the surface. For the sand, Gs = 2.6, e = 0.50 and for the
clay, Gs = 2.75, e = 1.2.

Figure Q.3: Schematic diagram of the sand stratum.

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(a) Calculate the total and effective vertical stresses at depths of 1 m, 2.5 m and
5.5 m below the surface assuming that the sand above the water table is
completely dry.

(b) The same soil stratum as in (a) now lies 3 m below the surface of a lake.
Taking the properties to be the same as before (i.e., e and Gs), calculate the
total and effective vertical stresses at depths of 2.5 m and 5.5 m below the
soil surface.

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