BOARD OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CIVIL ENGINEERING MID-PREBOARD Examination

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Hydraulics and Geotechnical Eng’g
INSTRUCTION: Select the correct answer for each of the following questions.
Mark only one answer for each item by shading the box corresponding the
letter of your choice on the answer sheet provided.
STRICTLY NO ERASURES ALLOWED. Use pencil no. 2 only.

Situation 1(nos. 1-3). The time required for a 50% consolidation of a 25 mm thick
layer (drained at both top and bottom) in a laboratory is 2 mins. and 20 secs.

1. How long will it take a 3-meter thick layer of the same clay in the field under
the same pressure increment to reach 50% consolidation? In the field there is a
rock layer under the bottom of the clay.
a. 134395 c. 93
b. 134935 d. 95

2. How long will in minutes it take for 30% primary consolidation to occur?
a. 48384 c. 34
b. 48834 d. 36

3. From the application of the given pressure the anticipated primary

consolidation settlement is 0.064 mm. What is the average degree of
consolidation of the clay layer when the settlement is 0.02 mm?
a. 30.25% c. 28.25%
b. 31.25% d. 29.25%

Situation 2(nos. 4-6). The following data were obtained from a field density test
of a compacted fill of sandy clay. Laboratory moisture density test on the fill
material indicated a maximum dry density of 1924.8 kg/m 3 at an optimum moisture
content of 11%.
Weight of the moist soil removed from the test hole = 1038 g
Weight of the soil after oven-drying = 914 g
Volume of the test hole from rubber-balloon apparatus = 0.000479 m3

4. Determine the water content.

a. 16.3% c. 15.4%
b. 13.6% d. 14.5%
5. Determine the dry unit weight
a. 17.18 kN/m3 c. 18.71 kN/m3
3
b. 18.17 kN/m d. 17.81 kN/m3
6. Determine the percent compaction of the fill.
a. 99.1% c. 98.1%
b. 97.1% d. 96.1%

Situation 3(nos. 7-9). A soil layer has a thickness of 1.1 m making an angle of
140 with the horizontal. The difference in heads between two points of the soil
measured 36 m horizontally is 1.4 m. Given that k = 4.87x10-2 cm/s.
7. Compute the hydraulic gradient.
a. 0.028 b. 0.038 c. 0.048 d. 0.058

8. Compute the cross sectional are at right angles in square meters.

a. 1.037 b. 1.047 c. 1.057 d. 1.067

9. Compute the flow rate in m3/hr per meter length.

a. 0.071 b. 0.081 c. 0.091 d. 0.061

10. It is the ratio between volume of voids and volume of soil.

a. void ratio c. porosity
b. saturation d. specific gravity

11. It is the ratio between the unit weight of an object and the unit weight of
water.
a. specific gravity of soil solids c. specific weight
b. specific gravity d. specific mass

12. It is also called as the coefficient of permeability of the soil.

a. hydraulic conduction c. hydraulic press
b. hydraulic flow d. hydraulic conductivity

Situation 4(nos. 13-15). The shear strength of a normally consolidated clay can
be given by the equation τ = ótan280. A consolidated un-drained test was conducted
on the clay.
Chamber confining pressure = 105 kPa
Deviator stress at failure = 97 kPa

13. Compute the pore water pressure developed in the clay specimen at failure.
a. 49.81 kPa c. 50.19 kPa
b. 48.91 kPa d. 51.19 kPa

14. Compute the consolidated un-drained friction angle.

a. 18.42 degrees c. 20.42 degrees
b. 19.42 degrees d. 21.42 degrees

15. What would have been the deviator stress at failure if a drained test had
been conducted with the same chamber confining pressure?
a. 92.91 kPa c. 371.64 kPa
b. 185.82 kPa d. 60.14 kPa

16. The thickness of soil above the layer of hard rock is “H” meters. The soil
rock interface has slope of 250. If the soil weighs 15 kN/m3 and the angle of
friction is 150. Compute the value of “H” if there is no seepage. Cohesion of
soil to be 10 kPa. Assume factor of safety of 1.5
a. 1.55 m c. 1.77 m
b. 1.66 m d. 1.88 m

Situation 5(nos. 17-20). A strip footing 1 meter wide at its base is located at a
depth of 0.80 m below the ground surface. The properties of the soil are γ = 18
kN/m3, unconfined compressive stress = 60 kPa and ϕ = 200. Assume factor of safety
of 3. Nc = 11.8, Nq = 3.9, Nγ = 1.7.

17. Determine the bearing capacity due to cohesion.

a. 354 kPa c. 708 kPa
b. 345 kPa d. 780 kPa

18. Determine the bearing capacity due to over burden pressure.

a. 56.16 kPa c. 65.16 kPa
b. 70.2 kPa d. 18 kPa

19. Determine the bearing capacity due to dimension.

a. 15.3 kPa c. 16.3 kPa
b. 13.5 kPa d. 13.8 kPa

20. Determine the net allowable bearing capacity of the soil.

a. 779.46 kPa c. 255.02 kPa
b. 425.46 kPa d. 137.02 kPa

Situation 6(nos. 21-23). A soil at a constant moisture content shows the

following when compacted.
Degree of Saturation Dry unit Weight (kN/m3)
40% 14.50
70% 17.89
21. Determine the specific gravity of the soil.
a. 2.64 b. 2.71 c. 2.84 d. 2.34

22. Determine the moisture content.

a. 9.46% b. 6.94% c. 10.68% d. 11.68%

23. Calculate the void ratio of the soil 17.89 kN/m3

a. 0.337 b. 0.447 c. 0.557 d. 0.667

24. The water content of a soft clay is 54.2% and the liquid limit is 56%.
Estimate the compression index.
a. 0.214 b. 0.414 c. 2.14x10-3 d. 4.14x10-3

25. A soil sample having a mass of 6.4 kg has a volume of 0.052 m3. If the water
content is 24% and the specific gravity is 2.66. Compute the degree of
saturation.
a. 27% b. 28% c. 29% d. 30%

26. Given the following properties of soil. γsolids = 26.487 kN/m3, e = 0.5.
calculate the critical hydraulic gradient.
a. 1.41 b. 1.13 c. 1.14 d. 1.31

Situation 7(nos. 27-28). A soil has 4 layers, 3 meters thickness each. The
hydraulic conductivity of each layer is given: k 1 = 2x10-4, k2 = 1x10-5, k3 = 2x10-3,
k4 = 1x10-3 where all “k” are in cm/sec.
27. What is the equivalent horizontal coefficient of permeability of the soil in
cm/sec?
a. 7.025x10-4 c. 7.052x10-4
-4
b. 8.052x10 d. 8.025x10-4

28. What is the total flow if iave = 0.70 in cm3/sec?

a. 0.674 b. 0.764 c. 0.467 d. 0.476
Situation 8(nos. 29-31). From the grain size analysis. Use figure 1 to classify
the soil.
Sieve size Diameter(mm) %Finer
#4 4.75 90
#8 2.36 64
#10 2.00 58
#25 0.71 30
#60 0.250 22
#100 0.150 10
#200 0.075 4

29. What is the effective size?

a. 0.30 b. 0.15 c. 0.45 d. 0.60

30. Compute the coefficient of uniformity.

a. 15 c. 13 c. 18 d. 4

31. Classify the soil according to USCS.

a. SW b. SM c. GW d. SP

Situation 9(nos. 32-34). A soil layer has a dry unit weight of 14.72 kN/m 3 and a
saturated unit weight of 20.12 kN/m3. The water table is located 2 m below the
ground surface.

32. What is the total stress at point A(2.5 m below the ground water table)
a. 79.74 kPa c. 50.3 kPa
b. 39.5 kPa d. 29.44 kPa

33. What is the pore water pressure at point A?

a. 4.91 kPa c. 24.53 kPa
b. 9.41 kPa d. 42.53 kPa

34. What is the vertical effective stress at point A?

a. 55.21 kPa c. 30.09 kPa
b. 20.03 kPa d. 7.77 kPa

35. A rectangular gate is in vertical position with dimensions 3 m horizontally

and 5 m vertically. The top of the gate is 5 m below the water surface. How far
from the water table is the centroid of the gate?
a. 6.5 m c. 7.5 m
b. 5.6 m d. 5.8 m

Situation 10(nos. 36-38). A soil sample was determined in the laboratory to have
a liquid limit of 41% and a plastic limit of 21.1%. The water content is 30%. Use
the table below for the following questions.
LI<0 Brittle solid
0<LI<1 Plastic
LI>1 Liquid

36. Determine the plastic index.

a. 17.9 b. 18.9 c. 19.9 d. 20.9

37. Determine the liquidity index.

a. 0.347 b. 0.447 c. 0.547 d. 0.647

38. What is the characteristic of the soil?

 a. brittle c. liquid
b. plastic d. solid

Situation 11(nos. 39-41). For a falling head permeability test, the following are
given. Length of specimen is 380 mm, area of specimen is 6.5 cm², hydraulic
conductivity of specimen is 0.175 cm/min.

39. What would be the area of the stand pipe for the head to drop from 650 cm to
300 cm in 8 minutes?
a. 0.13 cm² c. 0.31 cm²
b. 0.14 cm² d. 0.41 cm²

40. Compute the interstitial velocity under the test condition if the soil
specimen has a void ratio of 0.50 in cm/sec.?
a. 4.86 b. 0.081 c. 291.6 d. 129.6

41. Compute the head difference at time equal to 6 minutes.

a. 487.16 cm c. 463.16 cm
b. 784.16 cm d. 364.16 cm

Situation 12(nos. 42-44). A certain 20-meter thick sandy aquifer has a

transmissivity of 0.12 m²/s and a void ratio of 0.91. Ground water is flowing
through this aquifer with a hydraulic gradient of 0.0065.

42. Compute the hydraulic conductivity of the sad aquifer.

a. 6x10-3 m/s c. 4x10-3 m/s
-3
b. 5x10 m/s d. 3x10-3 m/s

43. Compute the seepage velocity.

a. 7.125x10-5 m/s c. 9.125x10-5 m/s
b. 8.125x10-5 m/s d. 6.125x10-5 m/s

44. How much time would be required for water to travel 1 km through this
aquifer?
a. 142.5 days c. 136.5 days
b. 124.5 days d. 163.5 days

Situation 13(nos. 45-47). A sandy soil having a cohesion of 24 kPa has a bearing
capacity factor Nq = 14.72.
Nq = eπtanϕtan²(45 + ϕ/2)
Nc = cotϕ(Nq – 1)
Nγ = 2(Nq + 1)tanϕ

45. Compute the value of the angle of internal friction of the sandy soil.
a. 250 b. 260 c. 270 d. 280

46. Compute the value of the bearing capacity factor Nc.

a. 10.66 b. 29.42 c. 25.80 d. 26.93

47. Compute the value of the bearing capacity factor Nγ.

a. 14.66 b. 15.33 c. 16.02 d. 16.72
48. It is also known as the buoyant unit weight.
a. gamma dry c. gamma saturated
b. gamma moist d. gamma submerged

49. The term use as the changed in a specific height of a soil layer.
a. delta height c. settlement
 b. embedment d. degration

50. Given the following properties: capillary constant C = 0.20 cm², effective
diameter d10 = 10 µm, void ratio e = 0.40. Find the height of the capillary
rise.
a. 5x10-3 m c. 5 m
b. 5x10-6 m d. 0.5 m
FIGURE 1