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PREBOARD FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING

CIVIL ENGINEERS Final Preboard Examination

Sunday, April 16, 2023 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

HYDRAULICS & GEOTECHNICAL ENGG. SET A

INSTRUCTION: Select the correct answer for each of the following questions.
Mark only one answer for each item by shading the box corresponding to the
letter of your choice on the answer sheet provided. STRICTLY NO ERASURES
ALLOWED.

NOTE: A times B is represented by AxB or A*B. A raised to the power of n is

expressed as A^n.

Situation 1 – A 7 m high retaining wall retains a soil which is inclined at a

slope of 1V:3H. The soil it retains has a unit weight of 20 kN/m^3 and an
angle of friction of 20°.

1. Using Rankine’s theory, which of the following most nearly gives the
coefficient of active pressure?
a. 0.72 c. 0.49
b. 0.43 d. 0.59

2. Which of the following most nearly gives the total active force?
a. 240.1 kN c. 289.1 kN
b. 210.7 kN d. 352.8 kN

Situation 2 – A triaxial test was conducted on a clay sample. The normal and
shear stresses on the failure plane were determined to be 159 kPa and 76
kPa, respectively. The angle of shearing resistance is 12°.

3. Determine the cohesion of the soil.

a. 42.20 kPa c. 28.90 kPa
b. 38.60 kPa d. 33.78 kPa

4. Determine the chamber confining pressure.

a. 83.23 kPa c. 90.44 kPa
b. 88.67 kPa d. 97.45 kPa

5. Determine the plunger stress.

a. 122.78 kPa c. 168.43 kPa
b. 155.40 kPa d. 192.54 kPa

Situation 3 – A normally consolidated clay layer 3 m thick has a void ratio of

1.10. Liquid limit is equal to 40% and the average effective stress on the
clay layer was 80 kPa. The average stress on it is increased to 120 kPa as
a result of construction of a foundation.

6. Which of the following most nearly gives the consolidation settlement that
the clay later undergo?
a. 68 mm c. 40 mm
b. 17 mm d. 45 mm

7. Which of the following most nearly gives the consolidation settlement if

the preconsolidation pressure is 130 kPa? Assume Cs = 1/4Cc.
a. 68 mm c. 40 mm
b. 17 mm d. 45 mm

8. Which of the following most nearly gives the consolidation settlement if

the preconsolidation pressure is 96 kPa? Assume Cs = 1/4Cc.
a. 68 mm c. 40 mm
b. 17 mm d. 45 mm

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HYDRAULICS & GEOTECHNICAL ENGG. SET A

9. A 250 mm diameter jet of water discharging at a rate of 491 liters per

second impinges normally on a flat metal plate. Find the force (kN) exerted
by the jet on the plate if the plate is moving at 2 m/s in the same
direction as the jet.
a. 3.93 c. 3.14
b. 5.75 d. 2.51

10. Water jumps from a depth of 32 cm to 88 cm in an open rectangular channel

3.5 m wide. Find the discharge in m^3/s. Use g = 9.81 m/s^2.
a. 4.50 c. 4.75
b. 5.00 d. 5.25

11. A 300 mm pipe, 2500 m long, for which f = 0.02, discharges freely into the
air at an elevation of 5.2 m lower than the water surface of the reservoir.
Calculate the discharge, in m^3/s.
a. 0.012 c. 0.055
b. 0.086 d. 0.125

Situation 4 – A 5 m by 4 m rectangular plate is vertically submerged in water,

the 5-m side being horizontal. Determine the magnitude of the force (kN)
on one side of the plate if the top edge is:

12. At the water surface.

a. 392.4 c. 294.3
b. 490.5 d. 196.2

13. 1 m below the water surface.

a. 490.5 c. 686.7
b. 588.6 d. 784.8

14. 1 m above the water surface.

a. 294.3 c. 147.2
b. 196.2 d. 220.7

Situation 5 – An open cylindrical tank, 1 m in diameter and 2 m high has 1.5 m

of water.

15. What constant rpm can be given to the cylinder without causing any water
to spill?
a. 61.7 c. 84.6
b. 76.9 d. 59.8

16. What is the pressure, in kPa, at the center of the bottom of the tank when
it is rotated at 57.3 rpm?
a. 10.2 c. 9.81
b. 12.5 d. 14.7

17. What is the pressure, in kPa, at the circumference of the bottom of the
tank when it is rotated at 57.3 rpm?
a. 16.97 c. 14.72
b. 19.22 d. 17.85

Situation 6 – Water flows in a trapezoidal earth canal, 3 m bottom width, side

slope of 3H:1V, at a depth of 62 cm. The canal is on a slope of 0.0008 and
Manning’s n = 0.022.

18. Calculate the amount of flow, in m^3/s.

a. 1.67 c. 3.04
b. 2.22 d. 3.82

19. Calculate the shearing stress, in Pa.

a. 2.27 c. 2.94
b. 3.08 d. 3.42

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HYDRAULICS & GEOTECHNICAL ENGG. SET A

20. If the seepage rate is estimated at 46 cm/day, what is the discharge after
a length of flow of 1 kilometer.
a. 1.08 c. 3.29
b. 2.18 d. 2.26

Situation 7 – The soil profile at a site for a proposed office building consists
of a layer of fine sand 10.4 m thick above a layer of soft and normally
consolidated clay 2 m thick. Below the soft clay is a deposit of coarse
sand. The groundwater table was observed at 3 m below ground level. The
void ratio of the sand is 0.76 and the water content of the clay is 43%.
The building will impose a vertical stress increase of 140 kPa at the
middle of the clay layer. Assume the soil above water table to be saturated,
Cc = 0.3 and Gs = 2.7 (for sand and clay).

21. Calculate the void ratio of the clay.

a. 1.16 c. 1.22
b. 1.32 d. 1.10

22. Calculate the vertical effective stress at the midpoint of the clay layer.
a. 109 kPa c. 136 kPa
b. 115 kPa d. 123 kPa

23. Estimate the primary consolidation settlement of the clay.

a. 99.7 mm c. 91.7 mm
b. 85.5 mm d. 96.1 mm

Situation 8 – Refer to figure HGE – 001.

The soil has the particle size distribution of:

Gravel = 21%
Sand = 12%
Silt = 35%
Clay = 32%

24. Calculate the modified percentage of sand.

a. 15.19% c. 18.46%
b. 17.65% d. 13.67%

25. Calculate the modified percentage of silt.

a. 41.03% c. 39.77%
b. 51.47% d. 44.30%

26. What is the soil classification according to the USDA textural

classification system.
a. gravelly clay c. gravelly silty clay
b. gravelly loam d. gravelly silty loam

27. Pipes 1, 2, and 3 are 300 m, 150 m, and 250 m long and of 250 mm, 120 mm,
and 200 mm diameter with f 1, f2, and f3 equal to 0.019, 0.021, and 0.020
respectively are connected in series. If the total head loss is 10 m, what
is the discharge in m^3/s?
a. 0.018 c. 0.067
b. 0.029 d. 0.055

28. Assuming the same cross-sectional area and slope, which of the following
channel shapes will give the highest discharge?
a. half circle c. half hexagon
b. rectangle d. triangle

29. For the value of the atmospheric pressure at sea level used in engineering
practice, evaluate about how high, in meters, is the atmosphere above sea
level.
a. 9,500 c. 8,500
b. 7,500 d. 10,500

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HYDRAULICS & GEOTECHNICAL ENGG. SET A

Situation 9 – For a given circular channel, D = 3 m, n = 0.016, and S = 0.2°.

30. Determine the discharge in m^3/s if the depth of flow is 2.30 m.

a. 25.36 c. 18.79
b. 20.14 d. 22.58

31. Determine the maximum discharge, in m^3/s.

a. 23.18 c. 28.77
b. 21.55 d. 26.94

32. Determine the maximum velocity, in m/s.

a. 2.06 c. 3.47
b. 2.94 d. 4.71

Situation 10 – A consolidated drained triaxial test was conducted for a normally

consolidated clay. Its consolidation pressure was 80 kPa and the deviatoric
stress at failure was 135 kPa.

33. Determine the angle of internal friction of the soil.

a. 19.7° c. 23.2°
b. 21.1° d. 27.2°

34. Determine the major principal stress.

a. 215 kPa c. 148 kPa
b. 205 kPa d. 173 kPa

35. Determine the maximum shear stress of the soil.

a. 135.0 kPa c. 67.5 kPa
b. 87.5 kPa d. 95.5 kPa

Situation 11 – A smooth-backed vertical wall is 6 m high and retains a soil

with a bulk unit weight of 20 kN/m^3 and ϕ = 20°. The top of the soil is
level with the top of the wall and its surface is horizontal and carries
a uniformly distributed load of 50 kPa. Using Rankine’s theory:

36. Determine the coefficient of lateral earth pressure for active soil.
a. 0.539 c. 0.588
b. 0.490 d. 0.390

37. Determine the total active thrust on the wall per linear meter of wall.
a. 420 kN c. 355 kN
b. 388 kN d. 323 kN

38. Determine the point of application of the total active thrust from the
bottom of the wall.
a. 2.25 m c. 2.45 m
b. 2.55 m d. 2.35 m

Situation 12 – A soil specimen has the following properties: Gs = 2.7, e = 0.6,

and w = 14%.

39. Calculate the dry unit weight.

a. 14.9 kN/m^3 c. 13.3 kN/m^3
b. 16.6 kN/m^3 d. 18.3 kN/m^3

40. Calculate the wet unit weight.

a. 19.9 kN/m^3 c. 18.9 kN/m^3
b. 15.1 kN/m^3 d. 17.0 kN/m^3

41. Calculate the degree of saturation.

a. 63.0% c. 44.2%
b. 57.3% d. 39.9%

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HYDRAULICS & GEOTECHNICAL ENGG. SET A

Situation 13 – A stratified soil deposit consists of four layers. The thickness

of the second, third, and fourth layers are equal to half, one-third, and
one-fourth, respectively, the thickness of the top layer, while their
coefficients of permeability are respectively twice, thrice, and four times
that of the top layer.

42. Determine the equivalent horizontal coefficient of permeability.

a. 1.46 k1 c. 1.92 k1
b. 1.03 k1 d. 1.32 k1

43. Determine the equivalent vertical coefficient of permeability.

a. 1.46 k1 c. 1.92 k1
b. 1.03 k1 d. 1.32 k1

44. Determine the ratio of equivalent coefficient of permeability.

a. 1.46 c. 1.92
b. 1.03 d. 1.32

45. A hydraulic jack is used to raise a 10 kN car. A force of 40 kN is applied

on a 25 cm diameter plunger. What diameter of jack is required to raise
the car?
a. 75 mm c. 125 mm
b. 100 mm d. 150 mm

46. A spherical balloon 6 m in diameter is filled with gas weighing 5 N/m^3.

In standard air weighing 12 N/m^3, evaluate the maximum load, excluding
its own weight, that the balloon can lift?
a. 812 N c. 672 N
b. 792 N d. 916 N

47. An unconfined compression test was conducted on a sample of clay having a

diameter of 100 mm. The failure load was recorded at 200 N. The cohesion
strength of the clay, in kPa, is nearest to a value of:
a. 12.7 c. 31.1
b. 25.3 d. 37.0

Situation 14 - A circular footing 10 m in diameter is 2 m below the ground

surface for which the bulk unit weight of the soil is 16 kN/m^3, the soil
being cohesionless, and the angle of internal friction is 20°. Consider
the condition of general shear failure and use Terzaghi’s equation for
circular footing. Use Nc = 17.69, Nq = 7.44, Ny = 3.64

48. Evaluate the contribution of footing embedment to the ultimate bearing

capacity, in kPa.
a. 172 c. 210
b. 238 d. 150

49. Evaluate the contribution of footing dimension to the ultimate bearing

capacity, in kPa.
a. 233 c. 175
b. 303 d. 152

50. Determine the gross allowable pressure, in kPa, if the factor of safety is
3.0.
a. 72.5 c. 84.7
b. 111.4 d. 137.6

*** E N D ***

WARNING: Failure to submit your Test Questions (Complete) set will

cause the cancellation of your Test-Result for the subject.

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HYDRAULICS & GEOTECHNICAL ENGG. SET A

(PLEASE DO NOT DETACH)

HGE – 001

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