GEOTECHNICAL TERMS

1. POROSITY Ratio of volume of voids and volume of soil 0 < n < 100
2. VOID RATIO Ratio of volume of voids and volume of soil solids 0 < n
3. DEGREE OF SATURATION 0 ≤ S ≤ 100
4. The volume of solids is taken as unity In the unit phase diagram for a soil mass
5. “Loam” means Mixture of sand, silt, and clay size particles in approximately equal proportions
6. Archimedes’ Principle relationship between submerged unit weight and saturated unit weight
7. soil in civil engineering The unaggregated and uncemented deposits of minerals and organic particles
covering the earth’s crust
8. All planes except the horizontal and vertical planes the deviator stress increases the shear stress
9. Vane shear test not done on a laboratory set up
10. shear strength of a soil Increases with an increase in the normal stress , is proportional to the cohesion of
the soil , generally known as the strength of the soil
11. A cohesion less soil is considered dense if the SPT “N” value is between 30 to 50
12. A cohesion less soil is considered loose if the SPT “N” value is between 4 to 10
13. A cohesion less soil is considered very loose if the SPT “N” value is between 0 to 4
14. Gravel Soil grains with particle size greater than 4.75 mm but less than 75 mm according to USCS
15. Cobbles Soil grains with particle size is greater than 75 mm according to USCS.
16. 45° The maximum shear stress occurs on the filament which makes an angle with the horizontal plane equal
to
17. Sieve Analysis A practice of procedure used to asses the particle size distribution (also called gradation) of a
granular material. The size distribution is often of critical importance to the way the material performs in
use.
18. Parallel to stratification is always greater than that perpendicular to stratification The average/equivalent
coefficient of permeability of natural deposits
19. Water,Glacier ,Gravity Transporting and re-depositing soils, is done by
20. Residual soils are formed from the weathering of rocks and practically remain at the location of origin with
line or no movement of individual soil particles
21. Transported soils- those materials that have been moved from their place of origin by gravity, wind,water,
glaciers, or human activity
22. Textural classifications are merely based on Grain size
23. Two is the minimum number of observation wells required to determine the permeability of a stratum in the
field by a pumping test is
24. Consolidation is a function of the effective stress
25. Allowable bearing pressure for a foundation depends upon Both allowable settlement and ultimate bearing
capacity
26. The over consolidation ratio (OCR) of an over consolidated soil is Greater than 1
27. Failure plane does not carry maximum shear stress
28. At liquid limit a soil has Negligible or very small shear strength
29. Rise of water table above the ground surface causes equal increase in pore water pressure and total stress
30. The shear strength of soil decreases with decrease in normal stress
31. Effective stress on soil decreases both voids ratio and permeability
32. The coefficient of compressibility of soil, is the ratio of: strain to stress
33. Liquefaction A process by which water-saturated soil sediment temporarily loss strength and acts as a fluid
34. Clay The soil which contains finest grain particles
35. Sand If the plasticity index of a soil mass is zero
36. Primary Consolidation Volume change in saturated soils caused by the expulsion of pore water from loading
37. Stress taken up by the pore water The neutral stress in a soil mass
38. . Negative skin friction on piles Is caused due to relative settlement of the soil, in soft clays, Decreases the
pile capacity
39. Decreases If the ground water table in a soil formation rises as resulting of flooding, the bearing capacity of
the soil
40. Load imposed onto the soil One of the following foundation conditions does not affect the bearing capacity
of the supporting soil.
41. A decrease in water content results in a reduction of the volume of soil in: Liquid state, Plastic state ,Semi-
solid state
42. Shrinkage limit The water content in a soil sample when it continues to loose weight without loosing the
volume
43. Zero when the plastic limit of a soil is greater than the liquid limit, then the plasticity index is reported as
44. Compression of soil occurs rapidly if voids are filled with Air
45. Cohesionless soil is Sand
46. In a triaxial compression test when drainage is allowed during the first stage only and not during the second
stage, the test is known as Consolidated undrained test
47. An index used to identify the swelling potential of clay soils is called Activity
48. The property of a soil which permits water to percolate through it Permeability
49. Constant head method is best suited for determination of permeability of coarse-grained soils
50. Terzaghi's bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq and Nγ are functions of Angle of internal friction only
51. Coefficient of earth pressure at rest is Greater than active earth pressure but less than passive earth
pressure
52.
HYDRAULICS

1. above center of gravity is where the metacenter for stable equilibrium located
2. unstable equilibrium When the metacenter of a floating body is lower than the center of gravity, then the
body will be in
3. The metacentric height is the distance between the center of gravity of the floating body and the
metacenter
4. The weight per unit volume of a liquid at a standard temperature and pressure is called specific weight
5. water hammer A pressure surge or wave caused when a fluid in motion is forced to stop or change direction
suddenly (momentum change) is referred to in hydraulics as:
6. hydraulic jump A type of shock where the flow undergoes a sudden transition from swift flow to tranquil
flow
7. viscosity A fluid property that measures the fluid’s resistance to shear stress
8. ½ The vena contracta of a circular orifice is approximately ___ diameter downstream from the inner face of
the orifice plate
9. neutral equilibrium When the ship’s metacenter and center of gravity coincide at same point then the vessel
is said to be in
10. surface tension A force within the surface layer of a liquid that causes the layer to behave as an elastic sheet.
11. velocity head Minor losses through valves, fittings, bends, contractions etc. are commonly modeled as
proportional to
12. The best hydraulic cross section for a trapezoidal channel of base width b is one for which the length of the
side edge of the flow section is: b
13. Turbulent When the path lines of the individual particles of a flowing liquid are irregular curves and
continually cross each other and form a complicated network, the flow is called
14. steady flow Type of flow where the flow rate does not change over time
15. uniform flow Type of flow where the mean velocity of flow for a given length or reach is the same at every
cross section
16. laminar flow Uninterrupted flow in a fluid near a solid boundary in which the direction of flow at every
point remains constant:
17. continuous flow Type of flow where at any time, the discharge or flow rate at every section of the stream is
the same
18. critical flow Type of flow in which, for a fixed rate of flow, the specific energy is minimum
19. incompressible flow Type of flow in which the density of the fluid is constant from one point to another.
20. rotational flow Type of flow in which the fluid particles rotate about their own axis while flowing along the
streamlines
21. All other conditions and parameters remaining the same, water hammer pressure can be reduced by using
pipe of greater diameter
22. If a water tank, partially filled with water is being carried on a truck, moving with a constant horizontal
acceleration, the level of liquid will rise on the rear side and fall on the front side of the tank
23. As the depth of immersion of a vertical plane surface increase, the location of center of pressure comes
closer to the center of gravity of the area
24. In open channel water flows under force of gravity
25. The pressure exerted onto a liquid is transmitted undiminished to all portions of the liquid. This principle in
fluid mechanics is attributed to: Pascal
26. In any stream flowing steadily without friction, the total energy contained is the same at every point in its
path of flow. This principle is attributed to: Bernoulli
27. The volume of a gas at constant temperature varies inversely as the pressure applied to the gas. This
principle is attributed to: Boyle
28. . Any body completely or partially submerged in a fluid (gas or liquid) at rest is acted upon by an upward, or
buoyant, force the magnitude of which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body. This
principle is attributed to: Archimedes
29. A theorem in fluid dynamics relating the speed of fluid flowing out of an orifice to the height of fluid above
the opening. Torricelli
30. The continuity equation is based on the principle of: conservation of mass
31. When a valve is suddenly closed on a liquid flowing through a long pipe, the pressure wave of high intensity
thus generated is known as: water hammer
32. Viscosity property of the fluid accounts for the major losses in pipes
33. An open vessel of water is accelerated up an inclined plane. The free water surface will make an angle in
opposite direction to inclination of inclined plane
34. The horizontal to vertical side slope in case of Cipolletti weir 1:4
35. The horizontal component of the force on a curved surface is equal to force on a vertical projection of the
curved surface
36. For the most economical trapezoidal open channel half of the top width must be equal to one of the
sloping sides, the hydraulic radius must be equal to half the depth of flow ,the semicircle drawn with top
width as diameter must touch the three sides of the channel
37. Gauge pressure is absolute pressure - atmospheric pressure
38. In flow, the liquid particles may possess potential energy ,kinetic energy , pressure energy
39. For most economical rectangular section of a channel, the depth is kept half the width
40. Atmospheric pressure varies with altitude,temperature ,weather conditions
41. The rise of the liquid along the walls of a revolving cylinder above the initial level, is the same as the
depression of the liquid at the axis of rotation
42. The specific weight of water is 1000 kg/m3 at normal pressure of 760 mm,at 4°C temperature , at mean sea
level
43. The width of a weir with end contraction, is less than the width of the channel
44. An open container filled with water is moved vertically upward with a uniform linear acceleration. The
pressure at its bottom will be greater than static pressure
45. Falling drops of water become spheres due to surface tension
46. For a long pipe, the head loss at the entrance and outlet both are ignored
47. If cohesion between molecules of a fluid is greater than adhesion between fluid and glass, then the free level
of fluid in a dipped glass tube will be Lower than the surface of liquid
48. Coefficient of velocity is defined as the ratio of Actual velocity of jet at vena contracta to the theoretical
velocity
49. When a cylindrical vessel containing liquid is resolved, the surface of the liquid takes the shape of A
paraboloid
50. The locus of elevations to which liquid successive piezometer tubes to any selected datum is known as
Hydraulic gradient
51. Piezometer are used to measure pressure heads in pipes where the liquid is in motion.
52. The difference between energy gradient and hydraulic gradient is called Velocity head
53. Minimum specific energy of an open rectangular channel with critical depth dc (3/2)dc
54. Infinite viscosities does not describe real fluids
55. The section on the jet where the contraction ceases is called the: vena contracta
56. Celerity is the speed at which the surge (or wave) is moving with respect to fluid medium.
57.