Final Term Paper Exam

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY PESHAWAR

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
CE – 321: Foundation Engineering
6th Semester (Spring–2021)
Total Marks = 50 Time: 3 Hours

Question-1:
(i) Describe
a- Which method (ASD or LSD) would you prefer for Geotechnical design of foundation.
b- How do you start a geotechnical design assuming all geotechnical design soil
parameters are available?
c- The situations where negative skin friction will occur in the field?
d- A very thick soft clay layer is encountered at site. Which soil improvement technique
would you prefer and Why?
[2, 2, 2, 2] [CLO 1]
(ii) Solve for the ultimate bearing capacity (both drained and undrained loading conditions)
of a strip footing 2m in width, with its base at a depth of 1.5 m below ground surface
and resting on saturated clay soil with the following properties: saturated unit weight =
20 kN/m3; cu = 40 kN/m2, u=0; c = 10 kPa; = 20. The water table is at 1 m depth
below ground level. Use Terzaghi bearing capacity equation with Meyerhof’s Bearing
Capacity Factors.
[5+5] [CLO 2]
Question-2:
(i) A footing 4 m x 2 m in plan transmits a pressure of 150 kPa on a cohesive soil having
E = 6 x 104 kPa and Poisson’s ratio = 0.50. Solve for the immediate settlement of the
footing at the center.
(ii) A square foundation, 2.5 x 2.5 m in size, supports a column load of 478 kN. The soil
characteristics are given in the figure below. Field monitoring indicated that the
foundation settlement in the clay layer was 46 mm at the end of 2 years. Solve for
a. the average stress increase in the clay layer due to the applied load using slope
2:1 method.
b. the primary consolidation settlement.
c. the degree of consolidation after 2 years?
d. the coefficient of consolidation for the pressure range.
e. the settlement in 3 years.

[5+5] [CLO 2]

1
Question-3:

a) A group of 9 piles (piled foundation) with 3 piles in a row was driven into a soft clay
extending from the ground level to a great depth. The diameter and the length of the
piles were 30 cm and 10 m respectively. The unconfined compressive strength of the
clay is 70 kPa. If the piles were placed 90 cm center to center, solve for the allowable
load on the pile group on the basis of a shear failure criterion for a factor of safety of
2.5. Assume Adhesion factor =1.
Hint: average undrained shear strength 𝑐̅𝑢 is equation under shear strength at the base
𝑐𝑢𝑏 . 𝑐̅𝑢 = 𝑐𝑢𝑏

b) It is required to construct a pile foundation comprised of 20 piles arranged in 5 columns

and 4 rows and are spaced 90 cm center to center in the group. The diameter and lengths
of the piles are 30 cm and 9 m respectively. The bottom of the piles cap is located at a
depth of 2.0 m from the ground surface. The details of the soil properties and other
details are given below with reference to ground level as the datum. The water table
was found at a depth of 4 m from the ground level. Solve for the consolidation
settlement of the pile foundation, if the total load imposed on the foundation is 2500
kN.

Table 1. Soil Properties

Depth (m) Soil Properties
From To
0 2 Silt, saturated, =16 kN/m3
2 4 Clay, saturated, = kN/m3
4 12 Clay, saturated, =19.2 kN/m3, 𝑞𝑢 = 120 kN/m2, 𝑒𝑜 = 0.80, 𝑐𝑐 = 0.23
12 14 Clay, = kN/m3, 𝑞𝑢 = 90 kN/m2, 𝑒𝑜 = 1.08, 𝑐𝑐 = 0.34
14 17 Clay, =20 kN/m3, 𝑞𝑢 = 180 kN/m2, 𝑒𝑜 = 0.70, 𝑐𝑐 = 0.2
17 --- Rocky stratum

[6+6] [CLO 2]
Question-4:

A concrete gravity retaining wall is 6.6 m high and 3.2 m wide. If the thickness of the soil at
front of wall is 2 m, solve for the minimum and maximum base pressures assuming no base
friction or adhesion. The soil has following properties:
c′ = 0 and ɸ′= 35°, density of soil = 1.8 Mg/m3, density of concrete = 2.4 Mg/m3.

[10] [CLO 2]