NUS CONFIDENTIAL

CE2112 

               NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

 
CE2112 – SOIL MECHANICS

(Semester 1: AY2016/2017)

Time Allowed: 2.5 Hours

______________________________________________________________________

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

1. Please write your student number only. Do not write your name.

2. This assessment paper contains FOUR questions and comprises NINE printed
pages.

3. Answer ALL questions. All questions carry equal marks.

4. Please use different booklets for Sections A and B.

5. Please start each question on a new page.

6. This is an “OPEN BOOK” assessment.

7. Programmable calculators are NOT allowed.

8. You may assume that the unit weight of water is 10kN/m3.

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SECTION A
Question 1 [25 marks]
(a) Figure 1.1 shows the ground conditions underneath the seabed in deepwater
conditions. Using the information given in the Figure, and assuming that the
groundwater conditions are hydrostatic, determine the total and effective vertical
stress as well as the total horizontal stress at points A and B, which lie at the
base of the soft andstiff clay layers, respectively.
Sea level
Water depth 2000m

Seabed

Soft clay: Bulk unit weight = 15kN/m3 ; K0=0.65
A

Stiff clay: Bulk unit weight = 19kN/m3 ; K0=0.5

Bedrock

effective horizontal stress

Note: K0= .
effective vertical stress
[6 marks]

Figure 1.1 Deepwater Site

(b) Marine clay dredged from a coastal site in Singapore and found to have the
following properties:
 Bulk unit weight: 16kN/m3
 Natural water content: 68%
 Plastic limit: 30%
 Plasticity index: 55%
 Degree of saturation: 1.0

 
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 Specific gravity of soil particles: 2.65

 Ratio of sand:silt:clay sized particles by mass: 0:30:70.
 Heavy metal content (by mass): 0%

Evaluate
i. the void ratio and dry density of this soil;
ii. the weights of silt solids, clay solids and water in every 1m3 of soil;
iii. the volume of soil solids in every 1m3 of soil.

[7 marks]

(c) The marine clay is to be mixed with sludge (i.e. solid waste) from a wastewater
recycling work to reduce organic and heavy metal content of the sludge. The
constituents of the sludge are as follows:
 Water content: 75%
 Organic content (by mass): 55% of mass of solid
 Heavy metal content: 30% of mass of solid
 Bulk unit weight: 18kN/m3.

The marine clay is to be mixed with the sludge so that the organic and heavy
metal contents do not exceed (but can be less than) the following target
values, to be re-used as landfill material:
o Organic content (by mass): 5% of mass of solid
o Heavy metal content: 2% of mass of solid

The total volume of sludge to be mixed with marine clay is 2million m3.
(i) Estimate the volume of marine clay that will be required to mix with the
sludge so that organic and heavy metal content will not exceed both target
values.
(ii) Indicate which target value is critical i.e. whether the volume of marine clay
is governed by the organic content or heavy metal content target values.
(iii) The overall water content of the final mixture, assuming no change in the
amount of water in the sludge and marine clay.
[12 marks]

 
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200kPa

50kPa

x Figure 2.1. Plane strain biaxial test

specimen.

z
Question 2 [25 marks]
(a) Figure 2.1 shows a plane strain biaxial test on a cuboidal soil specimen. The
loading conditions on the specimens are as follows:
 Top and bottom faces subjected to σy = 200kPa
 Left and right faces subjected to σx = 50kPa
 Front and back faces not allowed to move i.e. εz = 0.
 Shear stresses on all faces i.e. γxy, γyz and γzx all equal to 0.

The specimen can be considered to be an elastic material with Young’s modulus of

100MPa and Poisson’s ratio of 0.4. Using this information, calculate the normal
strains εx and εy.
[4 marks]

 
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(b)

New landfill, bulk unit weight = 13kN/m3
6m

Original ground surface 
Sandy soil: bulk unit weight = 13kN/m3 above  Ground water table 
groundwater table; 18kN/m3 below groundwater  at 1m above soft 
table. clay surface.

Soft clay: 
Bulk unit weight = 16kN/m3
Coefficient of consolidation = 1m2/year

Sandy aquifer with high permeability

Figure 2.2. Landfill with aquifer.

Figure 2.2 shows a landfill scenario for an industry estate with the following event
sequence:
Table 2.1 Event Sequence
Period Event
Pre-1970 No landfill yet. Ground and water in geostatic and
hydrostatic equilibrium.
January to March Rapid new landfill with thickness of 6m, over a period of
1970 3months.
January to March Rapid drawdown of hydraulic head in sandy aquifer to -3m
2000 relative to the groundwater table. Groundwater table
remains at 1m above soft clay surface.

Laboratory oedometer tests on the soft clay specimen collected at mid-depth of the
clay indicate that as the effective stress is increased from 80kPa to 190kPa, the void
ratio of the clay decreases from 1.590 to 1.325.

Using the above information and assuming the landfill and rapid drawdown to be both
instantaneous:
(i) Estimate an equivalent coefficient of volume change for the soft clay.
(ii) Sketch, showing significant values,
 the total stress, effective stress and pore pressure profiles in the soft clay
before and immediately after the landfill in 1970, and
 the excess pore pressure profile in the soft clay immediately after the
landfill in 1970.

 
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(iii) Estimate the final settlement due to the landfill.

(iv) Estimate the settlement just before rapid drawdown in January 2000.
(v) Sketch, showing significant value(s), the long-term (time → ∞) total stress,
effective stress and pore pressure profiles in the soft clay.
(vi) Sketch, showing significant value(s),
 the total excess pore pressure profile arising from both the landfill and
rapid drawdown, and
 the excess pore pressure profile arising from the rapid drawdown alone.
(vii) Estimate the final total settlement due to the landfill and rapid drawdown.
(viii) Estimate the additional settlement which is expected to occur between
January 2018 and January 2025.

[21 marks]

…/3

 
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SECTION B

Question 3 [25 marks]

Figure 3-1

The above Figure 3.1 shows a sheet-pile cutoff wall installed to keep water out from
the downstream end. It retains 3 m of water at the upstream side on the left and 0 m of
water at the downstream on the right side of the figure.

The vertical and horizontal permeabilities of the silty-sand are 1x10-4 m/s and 4x10-4
m/s respectively.

The vertical and horizontal permeabilities of the underlying clay are 1x10-9 m/s and
4x10-9 m/s.

The dry and saturated unit weights of the silty sand are 18 kN/m3 and 21kN/m3. The
saturated unit weight of the clay is 23kN/m3.

(a) Draw suitable flownet for the problem. Comment about the impact of the
anisotropic condition on the drawing of flownet. How would the flownet differ
as compared to an isotropic condition?
[8 marks]

(b) Calculate the flow rate of water infiltrating from the upstream to the downstream
per day (and per metre into the plane of paper).
[5 marks]

 
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(c) Estimate the pore water pressure at point “X” in the above figure.
[2 marks]

Figure 3-2

Figure 3-2 shows the adoption of a 7m long impermeable blanket placed at the
downstream end.

(d) Do you think the impermeable blanket is effective? Explain with a sketch of an
appropriate flownet. Compute the new flowrate.
[10 marks]

 
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Question 4 [25 marks]

A consolidated undrained triaxial compression test was performed on a normally

consolidated clay sample. The cylindrical sample of 50mm diameter and 100mm
height was consolidated to 1000 kPa before shearing. Results of the shearing stage of
the test are shown in Table 4-1.

Table 4-1

Axial strain (%) Axial load (kN) Excess pore pressure (kPa)
0 0.00 0
1 0.63 440
2 0.78 574
3 0.88 639
4 0.89 727
5 0.83 772
6 0.75 801
8 0.70 826
10 0.65 830
15 0.64 833

(a) Plot the total and effective Mohr circles.

[13 marks]

(b) If total and effective friction angles are 10° and 15°, identify a reasonable value
for:
(i) Undrained shear strength (cu)
(ii) Effective cohesion (c')
[6 marks]

(c) A separate consolidated undrained triaxial test of an identical soil sample was
carried out. It was found that the sample failed when the maximum shear stress
on the mohr circle is 600 kPa.

Plot a mohr circle on the sketch that you drew in part (a). Determine the major
and minor principal stresses at the inception of failure of the sample.
[6 marks]

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