Questions without answers in Geotechnical Engineering

Based on the Casagrande's plasticity chart, plasticity index (in $\%$) of inorganic clays having a liquid limit of $40 \%$, ranges between$18.0$ and $28.8$$14.6$ and $28....

Information related to foundation design is provided in table below.\[\begin{array}{|l|l|}\hline\text{Column 1} & \text{Column 2} \\\hline\text{(I) Converse-Labarre formu...

A fully saturated sandy soil deposit has water content $20 ~\%$ and specific gravity $2.65$.The critical hydraulic gradient for seepage through the soil to create the qui...

A shallow footing is subjected to a vertical load. Within the elastic limit of the underlying soil, the TRUE statement(s) is/are:Vertical displacement below a rigid shall...

For a clayey soil stratum, the time required for degree of consolidation from $25 \%$ to $50 \%$ is $30$ days.The total time (in days) required for $90 \%$ degree of cons...

The ultimate bearing capacity of a $1 \text{ m}$ wide strip footing is $532.80 \text{ kPa}$ , when it is embedded at $1 \text{ m}$ depth in dry cohesionless soil. The soi...

A building is proposed in an area having thick deposit of silty clay. The water table is at the ground surface. The saturated unit weight of soil is $18 ~\mathrm{kN} / \m...

A soil sample has following properties:Natural water content $=30$ $\%$Plasticity index $=40$ $\%$Liquidity index $=50$ $\%$The estimated plastic limit (in $\%$) of the s...

​​​​​​The name of a person in Column $1$ is to be matched with the test mentioned in Column $2$.\[\begin{array}{|l|l|}\hline\text{Column 1} & \text{Column 2} \\\hline(I)\...

For a liquid, the permeability of a sandy soil having a void ratio of $0.60$ was determined as $0.14 \mathrm{~cm} / \mathrm{s}$. Considering the same liquid and by using ...

To obtain undisturbed clay soil sample, an Area Ratio of $10 \%$ needs to be achieved for a thin walled sampling tube. If the outer diameter of the tube is $50.8$ mm , th...

As per the Rankine's earth pressure theory, which of the following statements is/are FALSE?For the active earth pressure, the inclination of failure plane is $\left(45^{\...

An infinite slope with slope angle $\beta=22^{\circ}$ consists of soil with the following properties:Unit weight $\gamma=15.72 ~\mathrm{kN} / \mathrm{m}^{3}$Cohesion $c^{...

A circular pile of $600 \text{ mm}$ diameter and $6 \text{ m}$ length is embedded in a saturated clayey soil. Undrained cohesion of the soil is $80 \text{ kPa}$ . Unit we...

A group of $25$ circular piles is arranged in $5 \times 5$ uniform pattern in a soft clay soil with equal spacing in both the directions. These are friction piles with ne...

A shallow strip footing of width $2$ m is embedded at a depth of $1.5$ m below the ground surface in a homogeneous pure clay with an angle of internal friction zero. Cons...

For a partially saturated soil deposit at a construction site, water content $(w)$ is $15 \%$, degree of saturation $(S)$ is $67 \%$, void ratio $(e)$ is $0.6$ and specif...

In the context of shear strength of soil, which of the following statements is/are CORRECT?The unconfined compression test is a special case of the unconsolidated-undrain...

The bank of a canal has the profile shown in the figure. The material is a homogeneous clay with a bulk unit weight of $20 \: \mathrm{kN} / \mathrm{m}^{3}$, undrained coh...

​​​​In an oedometer apparatus a specimen of fully saturated clay has been consolidated under a vertical pressure of $100 \mathrm{ kPa}$ and is at equilibrium state. Immed...

A cut slope is made in a silty clay soil for a new road project, as shown in the figure. The locations of ground water table (GWT) and potential failure surface are shown...

A reinforced concrete pile of $10 \mathrm{~m}$ length and $0.7 \mathrm{~m}$ diameter is embedded in a saturated pure clay with unit cohesion of $50 \mathrm{kPa}$. If the ...

Consider the statements $\mathrm{P}$ and $\mathrm{Q}$ related to the analysis/design of retaining walls.$\mathrm{P}$: When a rough retaining wall moves toward the backfil...

​​​​​Consider the statements $\text{P, Q,}$ and $\text{R}$.$\text{P}$: Compacted fine-grained soils with flocculated structure have isotropic permeability.$\text{Q}$: Phr...

​​​​​A $2 \mathrm{~m}$ wide strip footing is founded at a depth of $1.5 \mathrm{~m}$ below the ground level in a homogeneous pure clay bed. The clay bed has unit cohesion...

​​​​​Find the correct match between the plane stress states and the Mohr's circles.$\text{(P)-(III); (Q)-(IV); (R)-(I); (S)-(II)}$$\text{(P)-(III); (Q)-(II); (R)-(I); (S)...

A vertical smooth rigid retaining wall is supporting horizontal ground with dry cohesionless backfill having a friction angle of $30^{\circ}$. The inclinations of failure...

​​​​​​Which of the following statement(s) is/are CORRECT?Swell potential of soil decreases with an increase in the shrinkage limit.Both loose and dense sands with differe...

An infinite slope is made up of cohesionless soil with seepage parallel to and up to the sloping surface. The angle of slope is $30^{\circ}$ with respect to horizontal gr...

A soil sample was consolidated at a cell pressure of $20 \mathrm{kPa}$ and a back pressure of $10 \mathrm{kPa}$ for $24$ hours during a consolidated undrained $\text{(CU)...

A standard penetration test (SPT) was carried out at a location by using a manually operated hammer dropping system with $50 \%$ efficiency. The recorded SPT value at a p...

A vertical sheet pile wall is installed in an anisotropic soil having coefficient of horizontal permeability, $k_{H}$ and coefficient of vertical permeability, $k_{V}.$ I...

The reason(s) of the nonuniform elastic settlement profile below a flexible footing, resting on a cohesionless soil while subjected to uniform loading, is/are:Variation o...

An unconfined compression strength test was conducted on a cohesive soil. The test specimen failed at an axial stress of $76 ~ \mathrm{kPa}$. The undrained cohesion (in $...

In the given figure, Point $\mathrm{O}$ indicates the stress point of a soil element at initial non-hydrostatic stress condition. For the stress path $\text{(OP),}$ which...

The figure shows a vertical retaining wall with backfill consisting of cohesive-frictional soil and a failure plane developed due to passive earth pressure. The forces ac...

A square footing is to be designed to carry a column load of $500~ \mathrm{kN}$ which is resting on a soil stratum having the following average properties: bulk unit weig...

A circular pile of diameter $0.6 \mathrm{~m}$ and length $8 \mathrm{~m}$ was constructed in a cohesive soil stratum having the following properties: bulk unit weight $=19...

For the flow setup shown in the figure (not to scale), the hydraulic conductivities of the two soil samples, Soil $1$ and Soil $2,$ are $10 \mathrm{~mm} / \mathrm{s}$ and...

A consolidated drained $\text{(CD)}$ triaxial test was carried out on a sand sample with the known effective shear strength parameters, $c^{\prime}=0$ and $\phi^{\prime}=...