SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
Geotechnical Engineering I (CIVL3106)
SUMMER 2015
Test #1
Date: July 12, 2015
Time: 09:40-11:10 hours
Student Name:
ID No.:
_____________________________________________________________________
ANSWER ALL FOUR Questions
Q. 1.
(8 marks)
State whether the following are true (T) or false (F):
Increase in compaction effort results in an increase in maximum dry density and
a decrease in optimum water content.
After an excavation of a soil, its void ratio decreases.
Soil behaves as a brittle solid when the water content is between the plastic limit
and the liquid limit.
The volume of a dry soil is equal to the volume of the solid particles
In general, the slope of the grain size curve for a poorly (uniformly) graded soil
is smaller that that for a well graded soil.
Marble is a sedimentary rock.
For standard compaction method and for the same water content, compacted
soil may have two different dry densities.
For the same organic soil, an oven-dried sample will give lower water content
than an air-dried sample.

Q. 2.
(7 marks)
3
A highway embankment (total volume 50000 m ) is to be constructed using a soil
from a borrow pit. The total unit weight of the soil in the embankment is 20 kN/m3
and the water content is 11%. For the borrow pit: the total unit weight is 17.2 kN/m3
and water content is 8.2%. The specific gravity of the solids is 2.7.
(a)
(b)

How many cubic meters of borrow pit material are needed to

construct the embankment?
If the soil in the embankment becomes saturated after construction,
what is the new water content of the soil?

Sketch phase diagrams for both embankment and borrow area (show the known
or calculated values).

Q. 3.
(7 marks)
(i) Give the USCS designation (symbol) and soil description of the three soils.
(ii) Classify the three soils according to the AASHTO classification system.
For soil 2 give the group index.
Sieve size &
Atterberg limits
No. 4
No. 10
No. 40
No. 200
D10 (mm)
D30 (mm)
D60 (mm)
LL (%)
PL (%)

Soil 1

Soil 2

Soil 3

95
80
54
8
0.08
0.18
0.6
29
19

92
87
65
30
22
14

100
94
86
76
52
28

Q. 4.
(8 marks)
A standard Proctor compaction test results are given below. The specific gravity of the
soil is 2.7. (Volume of mould 1000 cm3).
Mass of wet soil
(gm)
Mass of dry soil
(gm)

1751

1910

2055

2052

2010

1975

1516

1635

1735

1700

1640

1590

(a) Plot the compaction curve and determine the maximum dry density and
optimum water content.
(b) Plot the zero air void curve
(c) Plot the air void curve for a degree of saturation of 90%.
(d) Comment on the results from (b) and (c).

EQUATIONS, CHARTS AND TABLES

Unit weight of water is 9.81 kN/m3 , Density of water is 1 gm/cm3
GI = (F 35)[0.2+0.005(LL- 40)] + 0.01(F 15)(PI 10)

G
Se w Gs w

, Se wG s ,
d s w , d
1 e
1 w
1 e
Se w Gs w

G
d s w , d
Se wG s ,
,

1 e
1 e
1 w
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO) System
General
Classification

General Materials (35% or less passing 0.075 mm)

A-1

Group
Classification
Sieve Analysis,
percent passing
2.00mm(No.10)
0.425mm(No.40)
0.075mm(No.200)
Characteristics of
Fraction passing
0.425mm (No.40)
Liquid Limits
Plasticity Index
Usual Types of
Significant
Constituent
Materials
General Rating as
Sub grade
a

A-1-a

A-1-b

50max
30max
15max

50max
25max

Silt-Clay Materials (more than

35% passing 0.075mm)

A-2
A-3

A-2-6

A-5

A-6

A-7
A-7-5
A-7-6

A-2-4

A-2-5

51min
10max

35max

35max 35max

35max

36min

36min

36min

36min

6max

N.P

40max
10max

41min
10max

41min
11min

40max
10max

41min
10max

40max
11min

41min
11mina

Stone
Fragments
Gravel and
Sand

Fine
Sand

40max
11min

A-2-7

A-4

Silty or Clayey Gravel Sand

Silty Soil

Excellent to Good

Plasticity Index of A-7-5 subgroup is equal to or less than LL minus 30.

Plasticity Index of A-7-6 subgroup is grater than LL minus 30.

Clayey Soils

Fair to Poor

GRAVEL
Run sieve analysis and if < 50% passing sieve No. 200, then the soil is coarse grained. If
>50% of the coarse material is retained in sieve No. 4, then the soil is GRAVEL
% Passing Sieve No. USCS Criteria
Symbol
Name
200
Well-graded gravel
GW
Cu 4 and 1 Cc 3
<5%
Poorly-graded gravel
GP
Cu 4 OR Cc <1 OR Cc >3

Cu 4 and 1 Cc 3
Between 5 and 12%

Fines classify as CL or CH
Cu 4 and 1 Cc 3
Fines classify as ML or MH
Cu 4 OR Cc <1 OR Cc >3
Fines classify as CL or CH
Cu 4 OR Cc <1 OR Cc >3
Fines classify as ML or MH
Fines classify as CL or CH
(LL and PI above A-Line)
Fines classify as ML or MH
MH (LL and PI below A-line
Fines classify as CL-ML (LL
and PI in shaded area)

>12%

GW-GC

Well-graded gravel
with clay

GW-GM

Well-graded gravel
with silt

GP-GC

Poorly-graded gravel
with clay

GP-GM

Poorly-graded gravel
with silt

GC

Clayey gravel

GM

Silty gravel

GC-GM

Silty-clayey gravel

SAND
Run sieve analysis and if < 50% passing sieve No. 200, then the soil is coarse grained. If
<50% of the coarse material is retained in sieve No. 4, then the soil is SAND
% Passing Sieve No. USCS Criteria
Symbol
Name
200
Well-graded sand
SW
Cu 6 and 1 Cc 3
<5%

Cu 6 OR Cc <1 OR Cc >3
Cu 6 and 1 Cc 3

Between 5 and 12%

>12%

Fines classify as CL or CH
Cu 6 and 1 Cc 3
Fines classify as ML or MH
Cu 6 OR Cc <1 OR Cc >3
Fines classify as CL or CH
Cu 6 OR Cc <1 OR Cc >3
Fines classify as ML or MH
Fines classify as CL or CH
(LL and PI above A-Line)
Fines classify as ML or MH
MH (LL and PI below A-line
Fines classify as CL-ML (LL
and PI in shaded area)

SP

Poorly-graded sand

SW-SC

Well-graded sand
with clay

SW-SM

Well-graded sand
with silt

SP-SC

Poorly-graded sand
with clay

SP-SM

Poorly-graded sand
with silt

SC

Clayey sand

SM

Silty sand

SC-SM

Silty-clayey sand

SILT OR CLAY
Run sieve analysis and if > 50% passing sieve No. 200, then the soil is fine grained.
Run liquid and plastic limits* on material passing sieve No. 40.
Liquid limit

LL<50

LL>50%

USCS Criteria
LLR* < 0.75
LLR > 0.75 and LL and PI
plot below A-line
LLR > 0.75 and LL and PI
plot above A-line
LLR > 0.75 and LL and PI
plot in shaded area
LLR* < 0.75
LLR > 0.75 and LL and PI
plot below A-line
LLR > 0.75 and LL and PI
plot above A-line

Symbol
OL
ML
CL
CL-ML
OH
MH
CH

Name
Organic silt of clay
Low plastic
(inorganic) silt
Low plastic
(inorganic) clay
Low plastic silty
clay or clayey silt
Organic silt of clay
Highly plastic
(inorganic) silt
Highly plastic
(inorganic) clay

*Note: ASTM requires that the liquid limit be determined using oven-dried and
undried samples.
LLR = liquid limit ratio = (LL for oven-dried sample)/(LL for undried sample)