CE361 Soil Mechanics I
HOMEWORK #1
Due Date: 17 October 2024
Q1. Why does montmorillonite undergo a large volume change in contact with water? (5p)
Q2. Prove the following relation: (5p)
wG s (1-n)
S=
n
Q3. The saturated sample is 500g. The dry mass is 408g. Determine (a) water content, (b) void ratio, (c) saturated
unit weight, and (d) effective unit weight. (Assume Gs=2.60) (5p)
Q4. The unit weight of dry sandy soil is 17kN/m3. The specific gravity of the soil grains is 2.6. What would be the
water content and unit weight if the soil becomes saturated at the same void ratio? (5p)
Q5. The saturated sample has a volume of 0.0005m3 and weighs 18N. After oven drying, the sample weighs 9N.
Calculate the water content, void ratio, and degree of saturation. (5p)
Q6. A sandy soil has a natural water content of 28% and a bulk unit weight of 19kN/m3. The void ratio at the densest
and loosest states are 0.6 and 0.85. Find the relative density and degree of saturation of this soil. (5p)
Q7. The following results were obtained from sieve analyses of two soils: (10p)
Sieve No. Mass of soil retained on each sieve
(g)
Soil A Soil B
4 0 0
10 20.5 48
20 26.3 20
40 40.5 60.5
100 19 37.5
200 27 22.2
Pan 68 5.8
Hydrometer tests of these soils give the following results: Soil A, % finer than 0.002 mm is 48%; Soil B, % finer than
0.002 mm is 2%.
(a) Plot the gradation curve for each soil on the same graph.
(b) How many coarse-grained and fine-grained particles exist in each soil?
(c) What are the percentages of clay and silt in each soil?
(d) Determine D10 for each soil.
(e) Determine the uniformity coefficient and the coefficient of curvature for each soil.
(f) Describe each soil's gradation curve (e.g., well graded).
Q8. From the results of a sieve analysis given below, plot the particle size distribution curve and classify the soil
using the USCS system. Clay to silt ratio is 3:1. (10p)
Sieve Size Weight of soil
(mm) retained on each
sieve (N)
4.75 3
2 5.9
0.84 3.8
0.25 2.5
0.075 6.8
Pan 2.1
Q9. The following results were obtained from a liquid limit test on clay using the Casagrande cup device. (10p)
Number of blows Water content (%)
6 52
13 48
19 43.2
27 38.6
32 37
(a) Determine the liquid limit.
(b) Calculate the liquidity index if the natural water content is 38% and the plastic limit is 23%.
(c) Do you expect a brittle type of failure for this soil? Reason?
1
Q10. Classify the soil using the USCS flowchart. (15p)
Q11.Classify the following soils by using the USCS system. Give the group symbols. (15p)
Soil No.4 No.200 Liquid limit Plasticity index
A 70 30 33 21
B 48 20 41 22
C 95 70 52 28
D 100 82 30 19
E 100 74 35 21
F 87 26 38 18
G 88 78 69 38
H 99 57 54 26
Q12. Atterberg limits and % of clay fraction are obtained for the following soils. For each soil, (10p)
a. Compute the activity
b. Evaluate the activity of the clay.
Soil 1 Soil 2 Soil 3
Liquid limit 140 53 38
Plastic limit 73 32 27
% clay fraction 50 50 50
