UNIT – I (Chapter 1) Sub-Soil Investigation and Sampling

1. State the objectives of soil exploration and Illustrate methods of soil exploration.
2. Explain the methods of soil exploration and comment on suitability of each method?
3. Describe briefly various methods of borings for subsurface investigation
4. Enumerate the types of soil samples and distinguish them. Describe split spoon sampler with
help of neat sketch.
5. Compute the area ratio of a thin-walled tube sampler having an external diameter of 6cm and
a wall thickness of 2.25mm. Would you recommend the sampler for obtaining undisturbed soil
samples? Why?
6. Describe the procedure to conduct the Standard Penetration Test and corrections to be applied
7. The field ‘N’ value in a deposit of fully submerged fine sand was 50 at a depth of 8 m. The
average saturated unit weight of soil is 19 kN/m3. Calculate the corrected ‘N’ value.
8. Write briefly about the dynamic cone penetration test.
9. How do you decide the number of boreholes to be made in the soil investigation?
10. What are the parameters which are important in preparing the soil investigation report?
11. Briefly explain any two geophysical methods for soil investigation?
UNIT – I (Chapter 2) Lateral Earth Pressure & Retaining Walls

1. Explain the earth pressure in active, passive and rest conditions?

2. State the assumptions in Rankine’s theory. Derive an expression for Active and Passive
pressure.
3. Write procedure to find the active thrust by Culmann’s graphical method.
4. A backfill has a cohesion of 15kN/m2, φ = 30o and γ = 18 kN/m3. Determine the depth of
tension crack.
5. A retaining wall is 7 m high, with its back face smooth and vertical. It retains sand with its
surface horizontal. Using Rankine’s theory, determine active earth pressure at the base when
the backfill is (a) dry (b) saturated and (c) submerged, with water table at the surface. Take γ =
18 kN/m3 and φ = 300, γ sat = 21 kN/m3.
6. A retaining wall is 7.5 m high, retains a cohesion less backfill. The top 3 m of the fill has a unit
weight of 18 kN/m3 and φ = 300, and the rest has a unit weight of 24 kN/m3 and φ = 200.
Determine active earth pressure distribution on the wall. Assume water table at 3m depth. Also
find total active force.
7. Estimate the total active thrust on the back of a rigid retaining wall shown. Neglect effect of
tension zone. Assume there is no friction between soil and wall.

8. A gravity retaining wall retains 12m of a backfill, γ=17.7 kN/m3, φ=250 with a uniform
horizontal surface. Assume the wall interface to be vertical, determine the magnitude and point
of application of the total active pressure. If the water table is at a height of 6m, how far do the
magnitude and the point of application of active pressure changed.
9. The backfill soil of a retaining wall 6 m high consists of 2 layers of soil with properties as
follows?
i) top layer thickness 3m, γ=16.5 kN/m3, c = 0 kN/m2, Φ=300
ii) second layer = γ =18 kN/m3, c = 0 kN/m2, Φ=360.
Water table is at the interface of the two layers. Draw the active earth pressure diagram and
determine the magnitude and point of application of the resultant thrust.

10. Discuss the principles of the design of retaining walls.

UNIT – II (Chapter 3) Stability of Slopes

1. Explain briefly the various types of slope failures.

2. What are the different factors of safety used in the stability of infinite and finite slopes? Explain
with the help of sketches.
3. Explain the “friction circle method” of analyzing the stability of slopes.
4. Explain the “method of slices” for stability analysis of slopes.
5. Differentiate the Infinite and finite slopes in cohesive soils?
6. Explain the stability of slopes of an earth dam in “sudden draw down” condition.
7. Refer example problems from “Basic and Applied Soil Mechanics by Gopal Ranjan, A S R
Rao”
UNIT – II (Chapter 4) Vertical Stresses below Applied Loads

1. What do you understand by the terms Isobar and pressure bulb?

2. Derive expression for stress distribution due to line load and strip load.
3. Discuss in brief about the on ‘Newmark’s influence chart’.
4. State the assumptions implied in the use of the Boussinesq’s theory to determine the
vertical stress in a soil due to a point load and discuss their validity.
5. Derive the expression for the vertical stress at a depth Z beneath the center of a uniformly
loaded circular area using Boussinesq’s theory.
6. A concentrated load of 40kN acts on the surface of a soil. Determine the vertical stress increment
at points directly beneath the load up to a depth of 10m and draw a plot. Also plot the variation
of vertical stress increment due to load on horizontal plane at depths of 1m, 2m and 3m up to a
horizontal distance of 3m on either side of centre.
7. An elevated structure with a total weight of 10,000 kN is supported on a tower with 4 legs. The
legs rest on piers located at the corners of a square 6m on a side. What is the vertical stress
increment due to this loading at a point 7m beneath the centre of the structure?
UNIT – III (Chapter 5) Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundation

1. What is shallow foundation? Explain the types of shallow foundation and their suitability.
2. Explain in detail the various types of shear failure.
3. Explain Terzaghi’s analysis of bearing capacity of soil in general shear failure.
4. Write the step-by-step procedure for IS Code Method for computing bearing capacity in
shallow foundation.
5. Strip footing of width 3 m is founded at a depth of 2m below the ground surface in a (c - φ)
soil having a cohesion c = 30 kN/m2 and angle of shearing resistance φ = 35º. The water table
is at a depth of 5m below ground level. The unit weight of soil above the water table is 17.25
kN/m2. For φ = 35º, Nc = 57.8, Nq = 41.4 and Nγ = 42.4.
For a Factor of Safety of 3, determine
(i) the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil
(ii) the net ultimate bearing capacity of soil
(iii) the safe bearing capacity and
(iv) the safe load /m length
Use the general shear failure theory of Terzaghi’s Analysis.
6. Determine the depth at which a circular footing of 2 m diameter be founded to provide a factor
of safety of 3, if it has to carry a safe load of 1600 kN. The foundation soil has c = 10 kN/m 2,
φ = 30º, γ = 18 kN/m3. Take Nc = 37.2, Nq = 22.5 and Nγ = 19.7. Use Terzaghi’s analysis.
7. A square footing 2.5 m X 2.5 m is built in a bed of loose sand of unit weight of 16 kN/m 3 and
having an angle of shearing resistance of 25º. The depth of base of the footing is 1.5 m below
the ground surface. Calculate the safe load that can be carried by the footing with a factor of
safety of 3 against local shear failure. Use Terzaghi’s analysis. Take Nc’ = 14.8, Nq’ = 5.6 and
Nγ’ = 3.2.
UNIT – III (Chapter 6) Settlement Analysis

1. What are the factors influencing settlement of a foundation?

2. Write the difference between Safe Bearing Capacity and Allowable bearing Pressure?
3. What are caused of Differential Settlement and what are the methods that are to be followed
for reducing differential settlement?
4. Explain plate load test with the help of a neat sketch and state its limitations.
5. Explain how you can determine allowable bearing pressure in sand based on settlement
consideration?
6. A square footing is required to carry a net load of 1200Kn. Determine the size of the footing
if the depth of foundation is 2m and the tolerable settlement is 40mm. the soil is sandy with
N = 12. Take a factor of safety of 3.0. the water table is very deep. Use Teng’s equation.
7. A rectangular footing (3mx2m) exerts a pressure of 100kN/m2 on a cohesive soil (Es = 5x104
kN/m2 and µ = 0.50). Determine the immediate settlement at the centre, assuming a) Footing
is flexible (I=1.36) b) Footing is rigid (I=1.06)
8. Two plate load tests at a site gave the following results

Size of plate load settlement

0.305x0.305m 40 kN 25 mm
0.61 x0.61 m 40 Kn 15 mm
a). Assuming Poisson’s ratio as 0.3, determine the deformation modulus of the soil
b). If there are two columns, one of the size 2.5 m x2.5m, carrying a load of 2700kN, and
the other of size 3m x3m, carrying a load of 3900kN, determine the differential
settlement. The columns are 7 m apart.
UNIT – IV (Chapter 7) Pile Foundations

1. Explain various types of piles also giving the advantages and disadvantages for each type.
2. Discuss different methods for installation of piles.
3. Explain how can you determine pile capacity in sands using static formula?
4. Explain Indian standard method of conducting a pile load test with a sketch. How do you
estimate safe load carrying capacity from the results of pile load test?
5. A drop hammer weighing 30 kN and falling through a height of 0.8 m drives a pile to an average
penetration of 8.2 mm under the last few blows. Determine the allowable load (kN) for the pile
according to Engineering News Formula
6. A wooden pile of 12m length is driven by a 1600 kg drop hammer falling through 2m to a final
set equal to 1.25 cm per blow. Calculate the safe load on the pile using Engineering news record
formula. Take factor of safety as 6.0 and efficiency of hammer is 0.8.
7. A precast concrete pile of size 35 cm x 35 cm is driven by a single acting steam hammer.
Estimate the allowable load using Hiley’s Formula and following data.
a. Maximum rated energy = 3000 kN-cm
b. Weight of the hammer = 35 kN
c. Length of the pile = 15 m
d. Efficiency of hammer = 0.8
e. Coefficient of restitution = 0.5
f. Weight of pile cap = 3 kN
g. No. of blows for last 25.4 mm =6
8. What is the allowable axial load carrying capacity of the 9 square pile groups with 12 m length,
if the diameter and center to center distance of the piles on both sides are 1 m and 2 m
respectively? Given that Cu =35kN/m2, γ =16kN/m3
9. A group of 16 piles arranged in square pattern are driven into a clay deposit whose properties
are ϕ' =0, cu =72 kPa and α=0.65. The piles are 500mm in diameter, 8m long and spaced at
1.2m center to center. Calculate the capacity of the group neglecting end bearing.
UNIT – IV (Chapter 8) Well Foundations

1. What are the different shapes of wells? Discuss the characteristics, advantages and
disadvantages of each shape.
2. Draw a neat sketch of components of well foundation and explain functions of each
component.
3. What are the various forces acting on a well foundation?
4. Explain the procedure of sinking of wells
5. Briefly explain any four measures to rectify tilts and shifts with figures

UNIT – IV (Chapter 9) Foundations in Expansive Soils

1. Describe in detail any two alternate foundation techniques in swelling of soils

2. Explain briefly how the expansive soil affects the components of a building. Explain the
swelling of soils and how can you identify the swelling soils
3. Describe the construction of under-reamed pile.
4. Describe any three design specifications of under reamed piles as per IS 2911-Part III. What
are the limitations in under reamed pile design as per the above code?