TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES
938 AURORA BOULEVARD CUBAO QUEZON CITY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
CE 414
INTEGRATION COURSE 2 FOR CE
PROBLEM SET NO. 3
SUBMITTED BY:
LAVARIAS EMMANUEL JOHN T.
SUBMITTED TO:
ENGR. Dionesse Amor Y. Balingway
MAY 16, 2025
1. A soil sample was compacted. The result of the 4. 50 cc of moist clay was obtained by pressing a
standard proctor test shows that at 100% compaction, the sharpened hollow cylinder into the wall a test pit. The
soil weight 131.1 pcf with optimum moisture content of extruded sample had an initial weight of 85 grams. After
14%. What is the maximum dry unit weight of the soil oven – drying it weight 60 grams. If G = 2.72, determine
(at zero air voids) in pcf? G = 2.67 the degree of saturation of the sample.
Solution: Solution:
2. A compacted clay weighing 1.62 kg weighs 0.88 kg
when immersed (suspended) in water. Determine the
bulk specific gravity of the clay.
Solution:
5. A soil has the following particle – size distribution:
Gravel = 20%
Sand = 10%
3. It its natural state, a moist soil has a volume of 9350 Silt = 30%
cc and weight 18 kg. The oven – dried weight of the soil
is 15.54kg. Use G = 2.67 Clay = 40%
a) Determine the moistures content in percent. Classify the soil according to USDA textural
classification system.
b) Determine the void ratio in percent
Solution:
c) Determine the degree of saturation in percent
Solution:
6. In its natural state, moist soil has a volume of 7. A soil sample has a total unit weight of 16.97
9.34x10^-3 m3 and weighs 177.6x10^-3 kN. The oven- kN/m3 and a void ratio of 0.84. The specific gravity of
dried weight of the soil is 153.6x10^-3 kN. If Gs= 2.67 solids is 2.70. Determine the moisture content, dry unit
a. Moisture content (%) weight, and degree of saturation of the sample.
b. Moist unit weight (kN/m3) Solution:
c. Dry unit weight (kN/m3)
d. Void ratio
e. Porosity
f. Degree of saturation (%)
Solution:
8. A soil sample in its natural state has a weight of 5.05
Ib and a volume of 0.041 ft 3. In an oven-dried state, the
dry weight of the sample is 4.49 Ib. The specific gravity
of the solids is 2.68. Determine the total unit weight,
water content, void ratio, porosity, and degree of
saturation.
Solution:
9. Earth is required to be excavated from borrow pits for 10. Results from liquid and plastic limit tests conducted
building an embankment. The wet unit weight of on soil are given below.
undisturbed soil is 18 kN/m3 and its water content is 8%.
In order to build a 4 m high embankment with top width
2 m and side slopes 1:1, estimate the quantity of earth Liquid limit tests:
required to be excavated per meter length of
embankment. The dry unit weight required in the
embankment is 15 kN/m3 with a moisture content of
10%. Assume the specific gravity of solids as 2.67. Also
determine the void ratios and the degree of saturation of
the soil in both the undisturbed and remolded states.
Solution: Plastic limit tests: PL = 19.1%
a. Draw the flow curve and obtain the liquid limit.
b. What is the plasticity index of the soil?
Solution:
11. An oven-dried sample having a mass of 195g was
put inside a pycnometer which was then completely
filled with distilled water. The mass of the pycnometer
with soil and water was found to be 1584g. The mass of
the pycnometer filled with water alone was 1465g.
Calculate the Specific Gravity of soil solids.
Solution:
12. In the above example, while finding the mass of the
pycnometer with soil and water, 2cm 3 of air got
entrapped. Will the computed value of G be higher or
lower than the correct value and what will be the
percentage error?
Solution:
13. A constant head permeability test was carried out 16. A pumping test was made in previous gravels and
on a cylindrical sample of sand 4 in. in diameter and 6 sands extending to a depth of 50 ft, where a bed of clay
in. in height. 10 in3 of water was collected in 1.75 min, was encountered. The normal ground water level was at
under a head of 12 in. Compute the hydraulic the ground surface. Observation wells were located at
conductivity in ft/year and the velocity of flow in ft/sec. distances of 10 and 25 ft from the pumping well. At a
discharge of 761 ft3 per minute from the pumping well,
Solution:
a steady state was attained in about 24 hr. The draw-
down at a distance of 10 ft was 5.5 ft and at 25 ft was
1.21 ft. Compute the hydraulic conductivity in ft/sec.
Solution:
14. A sand sample of 35 cm2 cross sectional area and 20
cm long was tested in a constant head permeameter.
Under a head of 60 cm, the discharge was 120 ml in 6
min. The dry weight of sand used for the test was 1 120
g, and Gs = 2.68. Determine the hydraulic conductivity
in cm/sec, and the discharge velocity. 17. A pump is to be installed in a pond to create a water
fountain. The designers wanted the height of the water to
Solution:
reach 10 m above the water surface. If the efficiency of
the pump is 60%, what is the required pump head.
Solution:
15. The hydraulic conductivity of a soil sample was
determined in a soil mechanics laboratory by making use
of a falling head permeameter. The data used and the test 18. A saturated soil used to determine the shrinkage limit
results obtained were as follows: diameter of sample = has an initial volume Vi = 20.2 cm3, final volume Vf =
2.36 in, height of sample = 5.91 in, diameter of stand 14.3 cm3, mass of wet soil M1 = 34 g, and mass of dry
pipe = 0.79 in, initial head h 0 = 17.72 in. final head h 1 = soil M2 = 24 g. Determine the shrinkage limit and the
11.81 in. Time elapsed = 1 min 45 sec. Determine the shrinkage ratio.
hydraulic conductivity in ft/day.
Solution:
Solution:
19. A sample of wet silty clay soil has a mass of 126 kg. 20. In a falling head permeameter, the sample used is 20
The following data were obtained from laboratory tests cm long having a cross-sectional area of 24 cm 2.
on the sample: Wet density, ρ = 2.1 g/cm3, Gs = 2.7, Calculate the time required for a drop of head from 25
water content, w = 15%. to 12 cm if the cross-sectional area of the stand pipe is 2
cm2. The sample of soil is made of three layers. The
a. dry density
thickness of the first layer from the top is 8 cm and has a
b. porosity value of k1 = 2 x 104 cm/sec, the second layer of
thickness 8 cm has k2 = 5 x 104 cm/sec and the bottom
c. void ratio
layer of thickness 4 cm has k 3 = 7 x 104 cm/sec. Assume
d. degree of saturation that the flow is taking place perpendicular to the layers.
Solution: Solution:
21. The data given below relate to two falling head
permeameter tests performed on two different soil
samples:
(a) stand pipe area = 4 cm2, (b) sample area = 28 cm2,
(c) sample height = 5 cm, (d) initial head in the stand
pipe =100 cm, (e) final head = 20 cm, (f) time required
for the fall of water level in test 1, t = 500 sec, (g) for
test 2, t = 15 sec.
Determine the values of k for each of the samples. If
these two types of soils form adjacent layers in a natural
state with flow (a) in the horizontal direction, and (b)
flow in the vertical direction, determine the equivalent
permeability for both the cases by assuming that the
thickness of each layer is equal to 150 cm.
Solution:
22. In a constant head permeability test in the 25. A borehole at a site reveals the soil profile shown in
laboratory, the following are given: the figure. Assume G = 2.7 for all soil types.
1) What is the unit weight of the soil in layer 1 in kN/m3
Length of soil specimen = 25cm 2) What is the effective stress at a depth of 2m below
Cross sectional area of soil specimen = 105cm2 the ground surface, in kPa?
3) What is the effective stress at a depth of 20.6m
If the value of the hydraulic conductivity is 0.014cm/sec below the ground surface, in kPa?
and a flow rate of 120cm3/min must be maintained Solution:
through the soil. Determine the (a) head difference
across the specimen, (b) discharge velocity under the test
condition, and (c) seepage velocity if the porosity of soil
sample is 0.20
Solution:
23. In order to compute the seepage loss through the
foundation of a cofferdam, flow nets were constructed. 26.
The result of the flow net study gave Nf, = 6, Nd = 16.
Solution:
The head of water lost during seepage was 19.68 ft. If
the hydraulic conductivity of the soil is k = 13.12 x 10~5
ft/min, compute the seepage loss per foot length of
dam per day.
Solution:
27. For a constant head laboratory permeability teston
a fine sand, the following values are given: Length of
specimen, L = 10inDiameter of specimen = 2.5inHead
difference, h = 22inWater collected in 2mins = 0.044in
^3Void ratio of specimen is 0.34
Determine the conductivity k of the soil in in/min
Solution:
24. A concrete dam is constructed across a river over a
permeable stratum of soil of limited thickness. The water
heads are upstream side 16m and 2 m on the downstream
side. The flow net constructed under the dam gives Nf. =
4 and Nd=l2. Calculate the seepage loss through the
subsoil if the average value of the hydraulic conductivity
is 6 x 10~3 cm/sec horizontally and 3 x 10"4 cm/ sec
vertically.
Solution:
29. The ground water level in a thick, very fine sand
deposit is located 2.0m below the ground surface.
Above the free ground water line, the sand is saturated
by capillary action. The unit weight of the saturated
sand is 20.3kN/m3. What is the total stress in kPa on a
horizontal plane A located 4.5m below the ground
surface?
Solution:
28. A soil sample 10cm in diameter is placed in a tube
1m long. A constant supply of water is allowed to flow
into one end of the soil at A and the outflow at B is
collected by a beaker, as shown in the figure. The
average amount of water collected is 1cc for every 10
seconds. The tube is inclined as shown. Determine the
average velocity of flow through the soil in cm/s
Solution:
30. A sample of saturated soil weighs 588N and has
a volume of 0.03m3. If the voids ratio of the soil is
0.75, determine the specific gravity of the solids
Solution:
