CE-407 Division S1 Foundation Engineering [Semester II]

Mid-Semester examination

Total marks: 60 marks Date: October 7, 2020

Time: 6.00 pm – 8.00 pm ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS Weightage: 20 %
Draw neat diagrams and clearly state assumptions, wherever applicable
Take w = 10 kNm3

1. a) A foundation 4 x 2 m, carrying a uniform pressure of 150 kN/m2, is located

at a depth of 1 m in a layer of clay 5 m thick for which the value of modulus of
elasticity of the soil is 40,000 kN/m2. A hard stratum lies below the clay layer.
Determine the average immediate settlement under the foundation.
[4 Marks]

1. b) A strip footing to be designed to support a dead load of 500 kN/m and

imposed load of 300 kN/m at a depth of 0.7 m in a gravelly sand. Shear strength
parameters are c = 0 kPa and  = 40. (i) Determine the required breadth of the
footing if a factor of safety of 2.5 against shear failure is specified and assuming
that the water table may rise to base of the footing. (ii) Also determine net ultimate
bearing capacity of the soil. The unit weight of the sand above the water table is
17 kN/m3 and below the water table the saturated unit weight is 20 kN/m3. Take
Nq = 64.20 and N = 109.41. [8 Marks]

2. a)The retaining wall shown in figure

carries a horizontal load of 300 kN/m run
at a point 2.5 m above the base and a
centrally applied vertical load of 1100
kN/m run. It is founded at a depth of 1.8 m
in a silty sand. Ground water table is at
base. Check the adequacy of retaining wall
against general shear failure of the base
of the wall. Take for  = 25 Nc = 20.72;
Nq = 10.66 and N = 10.88. [8 Marks]

2. b) A square footing under a vertical column load of V = 200 kN is subjected

to a horizontal load H kN and a rotational moment of 2H kNm. The footing has a
breadth of 2.5 m and is placed at 1 m depth. The ground water level is 0.5 m
below the foundation level. Determine the value of H leading to foundation
failure at qult = 500 kPa, for the soil with an effective friction angle  of 32 and
a unit weight of the soil above ground water level is  = 18 kN/m3 and below
the ground water level is sat = 20.33 kN/m3. The bearing capacity factors for 
= 32 are Nq = 23.2 and N = 27.7; Given iq = [1 - 0.7H/V]3 and i = [1 – (H/V)]3.
[8 Marks]

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Figure for Q. 2(b)

3. a) A square footing is 1.8 m x 1.8 m with a 0.4 m x 0.4 m square column. It is

loaded with an axial load of 1800 kN and Mx = 450 kNm; My = 360 kNm.
Undrained triaxial tests gave  = 36 and c = 20 kN/m2. The footing depth is
1.8 m and the soil unit weight is 18 kN/m3; the water table is at a depth of 6.1 m
from the ground surface. Take Nc = 51; Nq = 38; and N = 40. What is the safe
bearing capacity qs, if the factor of safety = 3 (qs = qult/FS) and compare with the
actual soil pressure. [8 Marks]

3. b) A rectangular foundation, 2 m x 4m, is to be founded at a depth of 1 m below

the surface of a deep stratum of soft saturated clay (unit weight = 20 kN/m3).
Undrained and Consolidated undrained triaxial compression tests establish the
following soil parameters: u = 0; cu = 24 kN/m2 and  = 25; c = 0 kN/m2
Assuming general shear failure, determine the net ultimate bearing capacity of
the foundation for (i) immediately after construction and (ii) some years after
construction. For u = 0  take Nc = 5.14; Nq = 1 and N = 0 and for  = 0 
take Nc = 20.72; Nq = 10.66 and N = 10.88. [8 Marks]

4. a) An earthen embankment (see

figure) is defined as a mound of earth
built using compacted soil fill. A soft
soil deposit has an undrained cohesion
cu of 20 kPa. (i) What will be height of
an earthen embankment, which can be
placed on top of soil surface at the onset
of bearing failure, if the ground water
level is at the soil surface. (ii) What will
be height of an earthen embankment, if
it is to support traffic load intensity of
24 kPa on road surface with factor of
safety against bearing failure = 2.
Take Nc = 5.7 and unit weight of the fill
material = 20 kN/m3.
[8 Marks]
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4. b) A soil boring of 200 mm dia. was drilled in a sandy soil deposit shown in
figure below. An SPT was performed at intervals of 1 m. A donut hammer and a
liner sampler without the liner was used. Every care was taken to connect the rod
segments firmly and to follow standard procedure. If the SPT blow counts
(Measured SPT = N = Nm) at 2 m and 10 m below the ground surface were,
respectively 8 and 30, what would be the corresponding blow counts be if a safety
hammer had been used and if all recommended corrections were made? Take  =
18 kN/m3 above water level and sat = 20 kN/m3 below water level.
[8 Marks]

Useful information for the examination is given below

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For sampler without liner C = 1.2
S
Sample with liner Cs = 1
C = 0.75 if rod length < 4 m
R
= 0.85 if 4 m ≤ rod length < 6 m
= 0.95 if 6m ≤ rod length < 10 m
= 1.0 if rod length  10 m

C = 1.0 For BH dia. 66 – 115 mm

B
= 1.05 for 150 mm dia.
= 1.15 for 200 mm dia.

EH of Donut hammer is 45%

Overburden correction factor

Pa = 1 atm = 100 kPa (for common reference )
– valid up to vo = 200 kPa

 N  15 
N   15   cor 
 2  Take Ncor = (N1)60)

(in the above equation, water table correction factor needs to be added)

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End of question paper
---Good Luck---

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