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Practical Exercise 2014

This document provides instructions for a practical exercise to classify soils from 3 borehole locations for use in an earth dam construction project. Students will [1] identify and classify the soil samples using standard laboratory tests, [2] investigate the design requirements of the dam's stability, core and filter zones, and [3] comment on the suitability of the 3 soil types for each zone. Students will work in groups of 3, submit individual reports by the deadline following report writing guidelines, and be assessed based on demonstrating their understanding of soil classification methods, laboratory results, and matching suitable soil properties to the dam's zone requirements.

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Dilshan Jayasuriya
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102 views3 pages

Practical Exercise 2014

This document provides instructions for a practical exercise to classify soils from 3 borehole locations for use in an earth dam construction project. Students will [1] identify and classify the soil samples using standard laboratory tests, [2] investigate the design requirements of the dam's stability, core and filter zones, and [3] comment on the suitability of the 3 soil types for each zone. Students will work in groups of 3, submit individual reports by the deadline following report writing guidelines, and be assessed based on demonstrating their understanding of soil classification methods, laboratory results, and matching suitable soil properties to the dam's zone requirements.

Uploaded by

Dilshan Jayasuriya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING

ENEN 20002 Earth Processes for Engineering

Practical Exercise –
Identification and Classification of Soils for Engineering Applications

Objective

To provide students with a hands-on exercise in performing basic soil classification tests and applying
their lab results to evaluate soil properties for engineering applications.

Problem Description

A consulting firm called Sustainable Earth has recently been commissioned to conduct a feasibility
study for an earthwork project that includes the construction of an earth dam as shown in Figure 1. The
project team is investigating the use of excavated materials borrowed from 3 different sources as
shown at the 3 borehole locations (Figure 1). Soil samples collected from the 3 boreholes have been
collected for identification and classification in order to assess their properties and suitability for the
earth dam construction.

Proposed dam site


BH2 BH3

BH1

Figure 1: Proposed Dam Site and Borehole Locations

1 ENEN 20002 Practical Exercise 2014


Figure 2 shows a typical cross-section of the proposed earth dam, in which the earthwork construction
is principally divided into 3 different zones:
a) Stability Zone
b) Core Zone
c) Filter Zone

Full Reservoir Level

Do
pe Core Zone wn
Slo s tre
am am
s tre Slo
Up Stability Zone Stability Zone pe

Filter Zone

Figure 2: Typical Cross-Section of Proposed Earth Dam

The Tasks

1. As a member of the technical team working in this project, you need to identify and classify the
soil samples recovered from the 3 boreholes by conducting some commonly used standard
laboratory tests. Full details of the tests and instructions for lab report requirements are provided in
a separate document titled Laboratory Instruction for Practical Exercise.

2. You are asked to investigate the purpose and design function of each of the 3 earth zones as shown
in Figure 2, and suggest the desirable engineering soil properties required for each zone.

3. Comment on the suitability of the 3 types of soil (classified in Task 1) for each of the 3 earth zones
(interpreted in Task 2).

Reporting and Assessment

• You will be working in a group of 3 to be allocated on the day.

• Each student has to submit his/her own individual report fully addressing Tasks 1, 2 and 3 above.

• The report is to be submitted in a hard copy, which has to be typed up and submitted with a
standard assignment declaration form in the collection box marked for this subject located in Level
4 of Block C.

• You are also required to submit an identical electronic copy of your report using the Turnitin link
provided in the LMS.

• Hard copy and soft copy must be identical.

• The report is due at 10:00 a.m., Friday 17 Oct 2014. Late submissions received after the due date
without a prior arrangement and justification will not be marked.

• Students who fail to attend their lab sessions will not be awarded any marks to their lab report.

2 ENEN 20002 Practical Exercise 2014


• A marking scheme for this report is available in LMS (same folder where this Practical Exercise
document is located).

Presentation Guidelines

Please refer to the Report Writing guidelines document provided to you earlier (in LMS Assignment 1
folder) for general presentation, and note the following specific points relevant to this Practical
Exercise.

• Methods - Demonstrate your understanding of how the visual and laboratory classification
procedures are performed and their advantage(s) and shortcomings.

• Results - Demonstrate your knowledge of the steps leading to (i) the outcomes of your visual
classification tests and (ii) the figures provided to you in the laboratory data sheet. All results
should be presented in tables and/or graphs.

• Discussion and conclusions - demonstrate an understanding of the desired performance for each
of the 3 zones in the dam (Task 2); and select with justifications the most appropriate material for
each of the 3 zones by matching the material properties with the performance requirements of each
zone (Task 3).

3 ENEN 20002 Practical Exercise 2014

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