CVEN90044 Engineering Site Characterisation

Page 2 of 27
Student JD:

Question 1:
Write your answers in the space provided below. Remember to return your exam paper
together with the script booklet.

a) You are drilling and sampling at a site in an arid region. You encounter a fine-graded soil
that is dry and hard. You are able to break chunks of the soil with your fingers but only with
difficulty. You add water to the soil until it is in a plastic state and then form a ribbon out
of the plastic soil by squeezing it between your thumb and forefinger. It is easy to form a
long thin ribbon out of the moistened soil. Is this soil a silt or a clay? Provide a brief
justification. (3 marks)
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p � A) L 'S � t1'5'A VV1 tr rm. tA vl b� eo-..,� � �"

g= -;m\\ � ;5 _J
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b) You are examining a soil sample retrieved during drilling. The sample has little or no
plasticity. The particles are very uniform and about the size of the period"." at the end of
this sentence. What is the most likely USCS classification for this soil? Justify brie fly.

.VD V 14� d\'cl�

(2 marks)

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� Pn�(� � ��J

Continued on next page

Question 2_Geology

The Melbourne Formation is a Silurian aged (older than 420 million years) sedimentary rock which
forms the bedrock of Melbourne. Briefly describe the following:

Material properties of the Melbourne Formation

Minimum answer ‐ Interbedded layers of siltstone and sandstone

Advanced answer – Siltstone typically has low intact strength, Sandstone typically has medium to
high intact strength.

Half marks – name at least one intact material property such as a strength, stiffness or rock type.

Mass properties of the Melbourne Formation

Minimum answer ‐ Contains folds, faults and joints.

Advanced answer – Folds with north‐south trending fold axes, bedding planes typically at residual
strength with inclined faults and orthogonal joints.

Half marks – name at least one mass property such as fold, fault, joint, bedding plane.

Environmental (Geomorphological) properties of the Melbourne Formation

Minimum answer – Deep chemical weathering and mechanical weathering.

Advanced answer – Residual soils overlying chemically weathered rock, mechanical weathering has
created deeply incised drainage channels.

Half marks – name one environmental property such as chemical weathering, residual clay, erosion.
CVEN30010 exam SM1 2019 – Geophysics

Question 5

As a part of a carpark retrofit in suburban Melbourne, an old storm drain pipe which carries water
from the west side to east of the carpark is required replacement. As the engineering consultant, you
decided to conduct a Ground Penetrating Radar survey to verify the existing utility map. Figure XXXX
shows the most possible location of the pipe and the lines where the survey was undertaken. Given
the provided information what would you expect to see as the results of 4 lines of the survey in case
the pipe is present? You need to draw 4 figures showing the possible results of the GPR surveys for
each line. (9 marks)

Figure XXXX. GPR survey location

ANSWER

4 Figure with correct units – 1 marks total

Showing the parabola shape for line 1, 2 and 3 – 3 marks

Showing different depths for Lines 1, 2 and 3 gradually increasing – 3 marks

Showing Figure 4 with correct slope direction – 2 mark

2
CVEN30010 exam SM1 2019 – Geophysics

ot l s o Question

Question 6

The city of Huntersville is going to undertake a study into a 70‐year‐old decommissioned landfill which
was constructed over Silurian mudstone. Part of the study is to estimate the thickness of the waste in
the landfill. According to the local experience, the thickness of the waste is varied across the landfill
footprint. As an engineering consultant, you are asked to provide recommendations on how to
estimate the thickness of the waste across the landfill area. Due to environmental concerns no more
than 1 borehole is allowed to be drilled as part of the investigation. Provide your answer using a figure.
(3 marks)

Since drilling is not allowed, it is suggested to conduct seismic refraction at multiple locations (1 marks)
to estimate the depth to the bedrock which is essentially the thickness of the waster. It is also
recommended to drill one borehole to verify the result of the seismic refraction (1 mark).

Due to the nature of the waste, GPR or EM will not work in these circumstances.

Figure, 1 mark

ot l s o Question

3
Question 5 s

A trench to is going to be excavated between points A and C as per site plan view shown in Figure
XXXX. The soil profile is suggested to be a silty clay underlain by fresh mudstone. A seismic refraction
test has been conducted on the site and the results are summarised in Table XXXX. The bottom of
the trench must have the same RL along its length between point A and C. Determine the minimum
cost of excavation for a 2.5‐meter wide trench. The cost of excavation in soil and rock are 65 m3
and 175 m3, respectively. Provide any assumption made.

Figure XXXX. Site plan view Table XXXX. Tests results

Parameter Value
Velocity in bedrock 1550 m s
Velocity in bedrock 23000 cm s
reakpoint – shot location at point A 6m
reakpoint – shot location at point 7.22 m
reakpoint – shot location at point C 8.4 m

S L TI N

Depth to bedrock

2.58 1 mark
.
3.62 1 mark

ASS MPTI N the depth to bedrock between in the direction of trench width (along 2.5) has no
inclination (. 1 mark

The volume of excavation

. .
2.5 232.5 2 mark
. .
2.5 39 2 mark

232.5 $65/ 39 $175/ $21937.5 1 marks

Question XXXX

A plan for the development of an old fuel station site is underway. From the preliminary site
investigation, you have been provided with a result of a test that has been conducted on site as
shown in Figure XXXXX

a) What is the name of the equipment used for the test? 1 mark
b) ased on the provided result, you are asked to identify 3 locations that are safe to conduct 3
boreholes for soil classification purposes. oreholes must be spaced at least 9 meters apart
and two of the boreholes must be at least 2.5 meters deep. You need to also determine the
maximum drilling depth for the third borehole. 5 marks
c) Determine the number and the type of the underground structure(s) that could be identified
from Figure XXXX. 2 marks

Figure XXXX. Result of an in‐situ test

S L TI N
A) GPR or Ground Penetrating Radar 1mark
) From left to right the deep boreholes in the first two regions and the borehole in the
third region to the depth above the cones 3 marks (Depth has to be identified 1 mark .
Check the distance between the boreholes 1 mark .

C) Fuel Tank ( ER MARK for pipes) 1 mark . Five of them 1 mark

Question XXXX

A trench is going to be excavated between point A and as per a site plan view shown in Figure
XXXX. The soil profile is suggested to be a silty clay underlain by fresh mudstone. ased on the
provided results from seismic refection tests, determine the cost of excavation for a 1.5‐meter
width. The trench is to be extended to the top of the bedrock. The cost of excavation is 55 m3.
Provide any assumption made.

Figure XXXX. Site plan view Table XXXX. Tests results

Point A Point
Velocity in bedrock 1400 m x
Velocity in bedrock 250 m s
reakpoint – shot location at point A 5m
reakpoint – shot location at point 16 m

S L TI N

Depth to bedrock

2. 9 1 mark

6.68 1 mark

ASS MPTI N the depth to bedrock between A and is increasing consistently with distance. The
volume of excavation 1 mark
. .
1.5 328.875 3 marks

328.875 $55/ $18 88.1 2 marks

Question 6

Explain how the following parameters affect the depth of penetration of a Ground Penetrating Radar
(GPR) 3 marks

a) Soil water content (1)

Higher the water content the lower the depth of penetration since the soil will have a higher
dielectric constant

b) Soil salinity (1)

The higher the salinity the lower the depth of penetration due to the wave attenuation happens
due to the high conductivity of the soil

c) Frequency of GPR (1)

Higher the frequency the lower the depth of the Penetration since the energy loss of a high
frequency wave is higher than a low‐frequency wave.

Each one mark including explanation (no explanation ER mark)

 (1) Figure 5-5 also suggests the soil is silty sand

(1)
(1)

(1)
(1)
 CVEN90044 Engineering Site Characterisation
Page 15 of24
Student ID:

Question 8:
Write your answers in the space provided below.

A series of laboratory and in-situ tests including rectangular VST, PMT, DMT and CPT has been
conducted at an unknown depth below the ground surface. Site investigation showed that water
table does not exist. Some parameters and measurements from each test are available as below:

Laboratory tests:

a) Atterberg Limits: PI is 60%.

b) Oedometer Test: OCR is 11.5
c) Specific Gravity measurement: Gs is 2.65
d) Compaction test: Combined weight of compacted soil sample and the mold is 3730 g.
Water content of soil sample is 11.5%. The weight and volume of mold are 2000 g and
944 cm3, respectively.
In-situ tests:

a) VST: The tester has a blade dian1eter of 50.8 mm and a blade height of 101.6 mm. The
vane required a torque of 0.03 kN.m to shear the soil.
b) CPT: qc and fs were measured 0.96 MPa and 60 kPa, respectively
c) PMT: Limit pressure is 310 kPa
d) DMT: Horizontal stress index is 25 and corrected second reading (P1) is 1000 kPa
Assumption:

You can assume undrained shear strength values measured by different in-situ tests are the same.
Unit weight of water is equal to 10 kN/m3

Questions:

8-1) Soil behaviour type based on CPT result, depth ofin-situ testing [unit meter], total unit weight
[unit kN/m3], void ratio of the soil and dry unit weight [unit kN/m3] of the soil. (12 marks)

MA,\ .. M !, .., = 3 1:, o

O" 1
(JJ

fl\ M -:. '2-o 2>0 oy

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- C,, 4t./ y IO fV)

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Continued on next page

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Question X

To characterise a potential development site, levelling was performed in a close loop as shown
in the figure below. Necessary observations were recorded as shown in Table 1 (shown on the
next page). The view through the level for the final measurement of the level run is also shown.

(a) Tabulate the reduced level (RL) of different points. Use the given table (Table 1 with
observed data – next page) to record your values. For the final measurement, use the level
view above to record the correct height and distance measurement. Make sure you label
the measurements with the correct point names and calculate the adjusted RLs. (8)
Correct height from the photo (1)
Correct distance from photo (1)
Correct Point labels in table (1)
Correct rise/fall calcs (2)
Correct RL calcs (1)
Correct Adjusted RL calcs (2)

(b) What is the acceptable misclosure limit? (1)

Misclosure formula = 12√k = 12√0.254 =6.06mm
Students need to add up the distances given in the table. Note, it is only the sum of BS and FS distances, the IS
distances should not be included.

(c) Comment on the observed misclosure, does it fall within the acceptable range? What is the
most likely type of error you have encountered? (1)
Misclosure from Levelling = -0.006. It DOES fall within the acceptable range.
It is most likely collimation error, since several of the BS/FS pairs are not exactly the same distance from the
setup, but only by 1-2m, resulting in a small but still unacceptable error. Need to get both correct to get 1 mark.

(d) You are levelling up a slope with an average incline of 5°. Given that your level staff
extends to a maximum of 3m, and it’s a hot day, what is the maximum horizontal distance
up the hill you can travel in a single setup? (2)
Since it is a hot day, measurements must be taken at minimum 0.5m on the staff. This gives a maximum height
difference between two setups of 2.5m using the maximum reading on the staff. Then it’s simple trig to solve for
the distance giving 28.6m.

(e) GPS/GNSS systems have three main components. List them and use 1 sentence to describe
how each contributes to establishing the location of a point on the ground. (3)
 CVEN90044 Engineering Site Characterisation
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Student ID: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_____________________________________________________________________________

Space segment – constellation of satellites that are constantly emitting a radio signal that can be intercepted by
a receiver and based on timing differences in the emitted signal the distance from each can be established

Control Segment – Ground-based stations that communicate with the satellites, track their exact position, and
update that position and clock time so that the distance to each satellite can be accurately calculated by the
receivers

User segment – a GPS receiver in a device that takes the signal from multiple satellites, at least 3 to get a good
idea of position, and triangulates position based on difference in signal time from each.
 CVEN90044 Engineering Site Characterisation
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Student ID: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_____________________________________________________________________________

Table 1. Dimensions given in m.

Intermediate Distance Adjusted

Backsight Foresight (m) Rise Fall RL Point Names
sight RL

1.324 44 1125.666 1125.666 MA

2.157 1.424 5 46 ‐0.100 1125.566 1125.569 CP1

0.568 51 1.589 1127.155 1127.161 Peg A

1.250 1.697 50 4 ‐1.129 1126.026 1126.032 CP2

1.897 1.856 12 50 ‐0.606 1125.420 1125.428 CP3

3.120 27 ‐1.223 1124.197 1124.208 Kerb

2.450 1.651 16 13 1.469 1125.666 1125.677 CP4

2.464 14.9
‐0.014 1125.652 1125.666 MA

9.078 9.092 254.90 3.058 ‐3.072 ∑

‐0.014 ‐0.014 ‐0.014 0 ∆

(Total for Question X =15%)

(a) Explain briefly how to obtain the terrain height multiplier and mention factors causing
this value to increase. (5 marks)

How to obtain terrain height multiplier

1. Determine the height of the building in metres (1)
2. Determine the terrain category for 8 cardinal directions (1)
3. For each cardinal direction, calculate the average terrain within a distance of max (500 m
or 40 ) from 20 away from the building. (1)
4. Then, use table 4.1 from AS1170.2 to obtain M ,cat by linear interpolation (1)

Factors affecting M ,cat to increase

Higher height and smaller terrain category. (1)

(b) Calculate the total base shear acting on a 7‐storey hospital building located in Melbourne
based on AS1170.4‐2007. The design working life of the building is 50 years and lateral
load induced by the earthquake will be resited by limited ductile shear walls. The inter‐
storey height of the building is 3 metres except for the ground floor which has a height of
5 m. It is built on the top of a very soft soil. The seismic weight on the typical floor is equal
to 2000 kN excluding the roof. The seismic weight on the roof can be assumed to be equal
to 75 of the typical floor. (10 marks)

Design working life of 50 years  IL4  P 1 2500  1.8 (2)

Melbourne  . 8 (1)
. .
1.25 1.25 . 5 3 6 5 .67 (1)
.
Very soft soil (type E) .7 3.68 (1)
.

Limited ductile shear wall  / 0.38 (2)

2 6 .75 2 135 (1)

/ (1)

1.8 . 8 3.68 .38 13 5 2718.5 (1)

(c) Two identical buildings will be built in Melbourne and in Hobart. Determine the ushfire
Attack levels ( ALs) of these two sites based on AS 3959‐2009 with the following
characteristic shown below. Explain the difference between the two results. Then, discuss
the predicted bushfire attack and levels of exposure as well as the strategies to deal with
this bushfire attack.
 The typical vegetation in both locations is shown below
 2m

Typical vegetation
 The topography of the vegetation close to the designed house is shown below

1 15 1 10

(10 marks)
 A suburb in Hobart  5 (1)

A suburb in Melbourne  1 (1)

Vegetation type  2 (1)

1
12 11.9 1
1 1
Slope  (1)

Angle  3.81 5 1

29 (1)

There is no difference in terms of AL for both locations due to the shrubland vegetation. If
the group vegetation is a woodland, then AL of F for Melbourne and AL of 40 for Hobart
will be expected. It means that Melbourne is more prone to the bushfire than Hobart. (1)

(1)

Provide both active and passive fire protection in addition to sufficient emergency access. The active
fire protection includes the fire extinguisher and sprinkles systems. The passive fire protection
includes the use of non‐combustible material such as fire‐resistance rated glass, walls, and floors. (1)
 Q10

A residential building in one suburb in Melbourne is sub ected to a site wind speed of
37.35 m s from the North direction as shown in the figure below. The orientation of the building
is 2 clockwise from the north direction.

a. Calculate the site wind speed for the remaining cardinal directions (3.5 marks)
b. Plot the site wind speed in the chart provided (2 marks)
c. Determine the design wind speed in the transverse and longitudinal direction
of the building based on the chart (5 marks)

North
37.35 m s
35.48 m s 20 31.75 m s

37.35 m s 29.88 m s

29.88 m s
33.62 m s
31.75 m s

40
38
36
Site wind speed (m s)

34
32
30
28
26
0
N NE E SE S SW W NW N
Cardinal directions

Cross‐wind 37.35 /
Longitudinal‐wind 37.35 /
2. Determine the total base shear acting on a 3‐storey unreinforced masonry small office
building located in one of the suburbs in Darwin based on AS1170.4‐2007. The building is built
on top of a rock soil and has a design working life of 50 years. The inter‐storey height of the
building is 3.5 metres except for the ground floor which has a height of 4 m. The seismic weight
on the typical floor is equal to 1500 kN excluding the roof. The seismic weight on the roof can
be assumed to be equal to 50 of the typical floor. (10 marks)

Design working life of 50 years  IL2  P 1 500  1. (2)

Darwin  . 9 (1)
. .
1.25 1.25 . 5 3.5 2 .378 (2)
.
Rock soil (type ) 2.33 (1)
.

unreinforced masonry  / 0.62 (1)

15 2 .5 15 375 (1)

/ (1)

1. . 9 2.33 .62 375 87.55 (1)

3. Explain the effect of different type of vegetation and slope on ushfire Attack levels ( ALs)
of a site in Tasmania with a constant distance to the vegetation based on AS 3959‐2009. (5
marks)

Tasmania  5 (1)

With a constant distance

Vegetation type  (2)

Slope  (2)
1. Explain how the wind pressure distributed to a portal frame (as shown below) of a rectangular
(gable frame) low‐rise building with a significant opening in one side of the walls. Assume the
worst case scenario to determine the direction of the wind. (5 marks)

2. Calculate the total base shear acting on a 10‐storey ordinary moment‐resisting reinforced
concrete frame office building located in Melbourne based on AS1170.4‐2007. The design
working life of the building is 50 years. The inter‐storey height of the building is 3 metres
except for the ground floor which has a height of 4 m. It is built on the top of a very soft soil.
The seismic weight on the typical floor is equal to 2000 kN excluding the roof. The seismic
weight on the roof can be assumed to be equal to 75 of the typical floor. (10 marks)

Design working life of 50 years  IL3  P 1 1000  1.3 (2)

Melbourne  . 8 (1)
. .
1.25 1.25 . 7 3 9 1.23 (1)
.
Very soft soil (type E) 2.5 (1)
.

RC ordinary moment‐resisting frame  / 0.38 (2)

2 9 .75 2 195 (1)

/ (1)

1.3 . 8 2.5 .38 19 5 1926.6 (1)

3. Determine the ushfire Attack levels ( ALs) of a site based on AS 3959‐2009 with the following
characteristic. Then, discuss the predicted bushfire attack and levels of exposure as well as
the strategies to deal with this bushfire attack.
 The typical vegetation in one of the suburbs in Melbourne is shown below

2m

Typical vegetation
 The topography of the vegetation close to the designed house is shown below

1 15 1 10

(10 marks)
 A suburb in Melbourne  1 (1)

Vegetation type  2 (1)

1
12 11.9 1
1 1
Slope  (1)

Angle  3.81 5 1

29 (1)

(2)

Provide both active and passive fire protection in addition to sufficient emergency access. The active
fire protection includes the fire extinguisher and sprinkles systems. The passive fire protection
includes the use of non‐combustible material such as fire‐resistance rated glass, walls, and floors. (2)