Code No: RR410102 Set No.

1
IV B.Tech I Semester Regular Examinations, November 2007
FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
(Civil Engineering)
Time: 3 hours Max Marks: 80
Answer any FIVE Questions
All Questions carry equal marks
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1. (a) Describe open excavation methods of exploration. What are their advantages
and disadvantages?
(b) What is a bore log? Give a typical example. [8+8]
2. (a) What are the different factors of safety used in the analysis of infinite slopes?
Define them.
(b) Describe the procedure for determining the factor of safety of a finite slope
using the standard method of slices. [8+8]
3. (a) Derive an expression for active pressure when the ground surface is inclined.
(b) The consolidated drained shear tests on silt yielded the following data:
σ3 (kN/mm2 ) σ1 (kN/mm2 )
0.20 0.46
0.40 0.88
If this material is used as a backfill for a smooth vertical retaining wall of 10m
height, what is the active earth thrust on the back of wall? What is its point
of location? Density of the backfill 16 kN/m3 . [8+8]
4. (a) Explain how you will determine active pressure by Culmann’s graphical method
for cohesionless soil without surcharge line load.
(b) What are the stability requirements of a retaining wall? [8+8]
5. (a) Discuss various factors, which affect the bearing capacity of soils [4]
(b) How to find out the bearing capacity of foundation from Rankine’s analysis
and write its limitations? [8]
(c) What are the assumptions made in Terzaghi’s analysis of bearing capacity of
a continuous footing? [4]
6. (a) A footing 2.0 m × 2.0 m is located at a depth of 1.5 m in a sand deposit.
Borings have indicated that the average corrected N value at the site is 25.
Water table is at a depth of 2 m below the ground surface. Determine the net
allowable bearing pressure for a factor of safety of 3 against shear failure and
a permissible settlement of 25 mm. Use Teng’s equation.
(b) A raft 10 m × 20 m is placed at a depth of 3 m on a clay soil with the following
properties: cu = 80 kN/m2 ; φu = 0 and γ = 18 kN/m2 .
Determine the factor of safety available against shear failure, if the raft, the
structure and the live loads that it will carry are expected to exert a pressure of

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Code No: RR410102 Set No. 1
200 kN/m2 . There is a provision for basement floor. Use Skempton’s equation
[8+8]

7. (a) What is the basis on which the dynamic formulae are derived? Mention two
well known dynamic formulae and explain the symbols involved?
(b) A friction pile 300mm in diameter is proposed to be driven in a layer of uniform
cohesive soil. The pile tip is assumed to carry 20% of the load. The skin friction
between the pile surface and the soil is assumed to be 50kN/m2. Determine
the length of piling required to carry a safe load 200kN with a factor of safety
of 4. [8+8]

8. (a) In a pile group, what are the geometrical properties that are to be considered
in bringing out a proper spacing of piles to ensure or progressively from one
side to the other? Explain.
(b) A group of 16 piles (diameter= 500cm, length= 14m, centre to centre spacing
= 1m) arranged in a square pattern passes through a recent fill (thickness=
3m) overlying a soft clay deposit (thickness= 5m) which is considering under
the fill load and rests in a stiff clay. All the strata are saturated. The soil
properties of different strata are as follows.

Type of soil Unit weight (γ), kN/m3 Strength parameters Adhesion parameter(α)
Cu (kPa) φu
Fill 16 50 0 0.60
Soft clay 17 20 0 0.40
Stiff clay 21 70 0 0.45

Estimate the ultimate load capacity of the pile group. [8+8]

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Code No: RR410102 Set No. 2
IV B.Tech I Semester Regular Examinations, November 2007
FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
(Civil Engineering)
Time: 3 hours Max Marks: 80
Answer any FIVE Questions
All Questions carry equal marks
⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

1. (a) Discuss with neat sketches any two boring methods used in soil exploration.
(b) Write a brief note on Geophysical method “Electrical Resistivity Method”
[8+8]
2. (a) What is meant by ‘Taylor’s stability’ number? Where do you make use of it?
(b) Distinguish between ‘total stress analysis’ and ‘effective stress analysis’ in slope
stability problems. Under what conditions each is used. [8+8]
3. (a) What are the assumptions made in Coulomb’s theory of earth pressure? [4]
(b) Compute the total active thrust and its point of application for the retaining
wall. (figure 3) [12]

Figure 3
4. (a) Describe, step by step, Rebhann’s graphical method for determining active
earth pressure.
(b) List and explain the stability considerations for retaining walls. [8+8]
5. (a) Derive the Terzaghi’s bearing capacity expression for shallow strip footing.
[12]
(b) How to find out the bearing capacity of stratified soil deposits? [4]
6. (a) What is meant by presumptive bearing capacity? Write the presumptive bear-
ing capacity values for different soils.
(b) The following data is obtained from a plate load test on 60 60 cm plate:

Pressure (kPa) 0.0 240 480 720 960 1200 1440 1680
Settlement(mm) 0.0 2.0 5.0 7.5 12.0 16.0 23.0 28.0
Plot a log-log graph and estimate the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil. [8+8]

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Code No: RR410102 Set No. 2
7. (a) What are the uses of pile foundations? [4]
(b) Write a note on under-reamed piles. [6]
(c) Determine the ultimate load-carrying capacity of a precast concrete pile having
a side of 450mm, driven 20m into a soft clay having undrained cohesion of
30kPa and saturated unit weight of 18 kN/m3 . Ground water table occurs at
the ground surface. Adopt α- method. [6]

8. (a) In a pile group, what are the geometrical properties that are to be considered
in bringing out a proper spacing of piles to ensure or progressively from one
side to the other? Explain.
(b) A group of 16 piles (diameter= 500cm, length= 14m, centre to centre spacing
= 1m) arranged in a square pattern passes through a recent fill (thickness=
3m) overlying a soft clay deposit (thickness= 5m) which is considering under
the fill load and rests in a stiff clay. All the strata are saturated. The soil
properties of different strata are as follows.

Type of soil Unit weight (γ), kN/m3 Strength parameters Adhesion parameter(α)
Cu (kPa) φu
Fill 16 50 0 0.60
Soft clay 17 20 0 0.40
Stiff clay 21 70 0 0.45

Estimate the ultimate load capacity of the pile group. [8+8]

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Code No: RR410102 Set No. 3
IV B.Tech I Semester Regular Examinations, November 2007
FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
(Civil Engineering)
Time: 3 hours Max Marks: 80
Answer any FIVE Questions
All Questions carry equal marks
⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

1. (a) Describe various methods of drilling holes for subsurface investigations. [10]
(b) Explain the following terms as related to soil sampling: [6]
i. Disturbed and undisturbed samples
ii. Representative and non-representative samples
iii. Area ratio and recovery ratio

2. (a) What is Taylor’s stability number? How do you use the stability chart? [6]
(b) Give the step by step procedure for analyzing the stability of the upstream
slope of an earth dam by the Swedish method of slices. Bring out the effect
of sudden draw down on the stability of slope. [10]

3. (a) Compare critically the two classical theories of earth pressure.

(b) Find the resultant passive earth pressure on the retaining wall shown below
using Rankine’s theory. (figure3)

Figure 3
4. (a) What are different types of retaining walls? Discuss them clearly
(b) Discuss the principles of design of retaining walls. [8+8]

5. Explain Terzaghi’s bearing capacity theory for a shallow foundation. State the
assumptions involved. Explain how the bearing capacity equation is modified for
[16]

(a) Local shear failure and

(b) Finite plan dimensions.

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Code No: RR410102 Set No. 3
6. (a) What are the limitations of plate load test? [6]
(b) Two load tests were conducted at site-one with a 0.5m square test plate and
the other with a 1.0m square test plate. For a settlement of 25mm, the loads
were found to be 60 kN and 180 kN, respectively in the two tests. Determine
the allowable bearing pressure of the sand and the load which a square footing,
2m×2m, can carry with the settlement not exceeding 25mm. [10]

7. (a) What are the circumstances under which a pile foundation is used? [4]
(b) Distinguish between the methods of design of:
i. Driven piles
ii. Cast in situ piles. [6]
(c) A R.C. pile of size 30×30cm, 10 m long is driven into coarse sand with unit
weight of 16 kN/m3 and angle of internal friction of 310. What is the allowable
load on the pile? For φ=310 , Nq =14. Make necessary assumptions. [6]

8. (a) Discuss the uses of penetration tests for the estimation of load carrying ca-
pacity of piles.
(b) A group of 9 piles, 8m long is used as the foundation for a column. The piles
are 30cm diameter with centre to centre spacing at 90cm. The subsoil consists
of clay with unconfined compressive strength of 200kN/m2 . Estimate the safe
load. Take F.S=3.0 [8+8]

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Code No: RR410102 Set No. 4
IV B.Tech I Semester Regular Examinations, November 2007
FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
(Civil Engineering)
Time: 3 hours Max Marks: 80
Answer any FIVE Questions
All Questions carry equal marks
⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

1. (a) How do you judge the disturbing effect of soil-sampler? [6]

(b) Explain briefly how do you plan an exploration programme for a housing
colony. [10]

2. (a) What is meant by ‘Taylor’s stability’ number? Where do you make use of it?
(b) Distinguish between ‘total stress analysis’ and ‘effective stress analysis’ in slope
stability problems. Under what conditions each is used. [8+8]

3. (a) What are the assumptions made in Coulomb’s theory of earth pressure? [4]
(b) Compute the total active thrust and its point of application for the retaining
wall. (figure 3) [12]

Figure 3
4. Write notes on:

(a) Rebhann’s construction and

(b) Culmann’s method

5. (a) How is a deep foundation different from a shallow foundation? [4]

(b) Discuss five important factors affecting bearing capacity of sands. [6]
(c) Compute the safe bearing capacity of a continuous footing 2.0 m wide and
resting on a clayey sand at a depth of 1.5 m if c = 16 kN/m2 , φ = 250 , γsat =
19 kN/m3 , Nc = 25, Nq = 12.5, Nγ = 10 and F.S.=3.0. [6]

6. (a) Describe the procedure of determining the safe bearing capacity based on the
standard penetration test.

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Code No: RR410102 Set No. 4
(b) A 1.8 m square column is founded at a depth of 1.8 m in sand, for which the
corrected N- value is 24. The water table is at a depth of 2.7 m. Determine
the net allowable bearing pressure for a permissible settlement of 40mm and
a factor of safety of 3 against shear failure. [8+8]

7. (a) What are the uses of pile foundations? [4]

(b) Write a note on under-reamed piles. [6]
(c) Determine the ultimate load-carrying capacity of a precast concrete pile having
a side of 450mm, driven 20m into a soft clay having undrained cohesion of
30kPa and saturated unit weight of 18 kN/m3 . Ground water table occurs at
the ground surface. Adopt α- method. [6]

8. (a) Discuss the settlement of pile groups resting on sands and clays.
(b) In a 16 pile group, the pile diameter is 0.4m and center to spacing of piles in
the square group is 1.5m. if cu = 50 kN/m2 , determine whether the failure is
would occur as block failure or when the piles act individually. Neglect end
bearing at the tip of the pile. All piles are 12m long. Take α= 0.7 for shear
mobilization around each pile. Also determine the safe load on this group.
[8+8]

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