CIV324Winter2015

Prof.Kwon

Assignment 5. Solve Problem 1 a), 2 a), 3 a), 3 b) and 4 a)

Due Feb 26 (Thursday)

Assignment 6. Solve Problem 1 b)~d), 2 b)~c), 3 c)~d) and 4 b)~d)

Due Mar 5 (Thursday)

GB drop-off boxes in the 4th floor computer lab. Assignment will be collected on early Friday morning
(Feb 27 and Mar 6).

1) A soil profile consists of 3m of sand over 3m of a brown clay over 6m of a gray clay over
gravel. The water table is 1m below ground surface and initially hydrostatic porewater
pressure exists throughout the soil profile. Cased wells are installed into the gravel layer and
water is pumped at such a rate that water level in the wells stabilizes at the top of the gravel
layer (bottom of gray clay). Since the sand layer is connected to the source of water, the
water table remains at 1 m below surface while the water is pumped out from gravel layer.
a) Compute settlement of the ground surface resulting from end-of-primary (EOP)
consolidation.
Answer: Sp = 67 cm
b) Calculate how long it takes to reach 70% of EOP consolidation settlement.
Answer: 2.7 years
c) Sketch the excess porewater pressure isochrone that corresponds to 70% of EOP
consolidation settlement.
d) Compute settlement of the ground surface resulting from secondary compression of the
gray clay layer after 50 years of pumping water from the gravel layer.
Answer: 12 cm

CIV324Winter2015

Prof.Kwon

2) A tower structure, with diameter of 30 m, is expected to apply a net uniform pressure of 100
kPa to the soil profile.
a) Compute settlement resulting from primary consolidation of the clay.
Answer: Sp = 11 cm
b) Compute the time required for the clay to reach end of primary settlement (tp t95)
Answer: tp = 9 years.
c) After primary consolidation of the clay, water is pumped from cased deep wells that
penetrate into the gravel layer. If porewater pressure at the bottom of the clay layer is
reduced to zero for 1.6 years, compute additional settlement, if any, of the tower.
Answer: S1.6 years = 14 cm

CIV324Winter2015

Prof.Kwon

3) A soil profile consists of 3 m of desiccated crust ( = 18 kN/m3) over 3.5 m of organic silt
(= 16 kN/m3, eo = 1.5, cc = 1.3, p / vo 1.3 , cr/cc = 0.2, c/cc = 0.05, and cv = 0.1 m2 /day)
over 6 m of blue clay (r = 17 kN/m3, eo = 1.3, cc = 0.6, p / vo 1.8 , cr/cc = 0.15) over intact
shale. The water table is 3 m below the ground surface. A 12 m x 12 m square foundation
slab carrying 8 MN will be placed at 1.5 m below the ground surface. Compute settlement at
the center of the slab resulting from:
a) Primary consolidation of the organic silt
Answer: Sp = 10 cm
b) Primary consolidation of the blue clay
Answer: Sp = 1.5 cm
c) Secondary compression of the organic silt after 30 years, assuming that as compared to
the organic silt the fissured crust is highly permeable and the blue clay is impermeable.
Answer: Ssecondary = 17 cm

d) For the same assumptions as in (c) sketch porewater pressure isochrones in the organic
silt corresponding to 10%, 50%, and 95% primary consolidation.

CIV324Winter2015

Prof.Kwon

4) Due to the recent development of surrounding area and overuse of underground water, the
water table of the area was recently dropped by 10 m. The water table will remain at that
level for the next 50 years. You are planning to construct a landmark bridge but worried
about how much the area will settle in the next 50 years.
a. Calculate settlement due to primary consolidation.
b. Plot porewater pressure distribution (u) at the end of primary consolidation and sketch excess
porewater pressure (u) isochrones of clay layer when t = t0, t10, t50, and t95.
c. Calculate the settlement resulting from secondary consolidation after 50 years.

25m

10m

DenseSand
=20kN/m3

Clay
=17kN/m3 p/vo =1C/C c =0.03
C v =3.6m2/year
eo =0.7
C c =0.6
Cr/C c =0.1
Gravel

Note:Thewatertableinthefigurewasrecordedbeforetheareawas
developed.

Depth

5m

Depth

d. If the bottom layer is impermeable rock instead of gravel, how will it affect the following values
(increase, decrease, or does not change)?
- Settlement resulting from primary consolidation
- Time to reach the end of primary consolidation

u'