Define the term critical void ratio.

The soil profile at a site consists of 10 m of gravelly sand underlain by a soft clay layer. The water table lies 1 m below the ground level. The moist and saturated unit weights of the gravelly sand are 17.0 kN/m3 and 20.0 kN/m3, respectively. Due to some ongoing construction work, it is proposed to lower the water table to 3 m below the ground level. What will be the change in the effective stress on top of the soft clay layer?

The soil profile at a site consists of 10 m of gravelly sand underlain by a soft clay layer. The water table lies 1 m below the ground level. The moist and saturated unit weights of the gravelly sand are 17.0 kN/m3 and 20.0 kN/m3, respectively. Due to some ongoing construction work, it is proposed to lower the water table to 3 m below the ground level. What will be the change in the effective stress on top of the soft clay layer?

Three groups of students from the Geotechnical Engineering class collected soil-aggregate samples for laboratory testing from a recycled aggregate processing plant in Palm Beach County, Florida. Three samples, denoted by Soil A, Soil B, and Soil C, were collected from three locations of the aggregate stockpile, and sieve analyses were conducted (see Figure 2.35). (a) (b) Figure 2.35 (a) Soil-aggregate stockpile; (b) sieve analysis (Courtesy of Khaled Sobhan, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida) a. Determine the coefficient of uniformity and the coefficient of gradation for Soils A, B, and C. b. Which one is coarser: Soil A or Soil C? Justify your answer. c. Although the soils are obtained from the same stockpile, why are the curves so different? (Hint: Comment on particle segregation and representative field sampling.) d. Determine the percentages of gravel, sand and fines according to Unified Soil Classification System.

In Problem 7.1, if there was no bedrock present for at least 12.0 ft below the foundation, what would the ultimate bearing capacity be? 7.1 A 7.5 ft wide rough continuous foundation is placed in the ground at 3.0 ft depth. There is bedrock present at 3 ft depth below the bottom of the foundation. The soil properties are c′ = 210 lb/ft2, ϕ′ = 25°, and γ = 115.0 lb/ft3. Determine the ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation.

Discuss the process of lime stabilization, and indicate the soil characteristics for which it is most effective.

The subsurface characteristics for a highway pavement rehabilitation project in the southeastern United States are shown in a boring log in Figure 5.13. The highway structure consists of the asphalt pavement underlain by four different soil strata up to a depth of 20 ft, after which the boring was terminated. Some data on the grain size and plasticity characteristics are also provided for each stratum. Perform the following tasks: 1. Determine the AASHTO soil classification and the group index (GI) for each layer. 2. Determine the most probable group symbols and group names for the various layers according to the Unified soil classification system. Use Table 5.3 and the soil characteristics given in the boring log.