Factors Affecting SPT value N: SPT value is influenced by drill rod length, presence of liner in the sampler, bore

hole diameters etc. Influence factor Rod length size >10m 6-10 m 4- 6 m 3-4 m 65-115 mm 150 mm 200 mm Correction factor CN 1 0.95 0.85 0.75 1 1.05 1.15 1 1.2

Bore hole diameter Standard sampler US sampler without liners

Relation of consistency of clay, SPT value (N) & unconfined compressive strength (qu) : N qu Consistency <2 <25 Very soft 2-4 25-50 soft 4-8 50-100 medium 8-15 100-200 stiff 15-30 200-400 Very stiff >30 >400 hard

Problems on SPT value: 1. An SPT was performed at a depth of 6m in sand of unit weight 20.2kN/m3. Blow count was 40. Find the corrected N value? Ans :36 Corrected N is N =N x CN where CN =0.77 log10 (20/ ) and = H 2. An SPT test was conducted at a depth of 8.5m in sand of Unit weight 20.04kN/m3. Blow count was 38. Water table is located 1.5m below ground surface. Find the corrected N value? Ans: 42. Corrected N is N =N x CN where CN =0.77 log10 (20/ ) and = (H-Hw) + (sat w) Hw = (1.5) 20.04 + (8.5-1.5) (20.04 - 9.81) 3. SPT was conducted at a depth of 3m in sand of unit weight 18.2kN/m3. N value is found to be 26. Find the corrected N value if ground water is located 2.4 m below the ground surface? Ans: Correlation on Resistivity: 2 Ohm.cm 1000 - 2000 3000-15000 15000-75000 30000-100000 100000 100000-300000 >300000 Type of material Wet to moist clayey soil Wet to moist silty clay and silty soils Moist to dry silty and sandy soils Well fractured bedrock with moist soil filled cracks Sand and gravel with silt Slightly fractured bed rock with dry soil filled cracks, sand and gravel with layers of silt Massive bedded and hard bed rock, coarse, dry sand and gravel deposits

Problem on seismic refraction: 1. Soil exploration was conducted at a construction site by seismic refraction with field readings obtained as : Distance 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 in ft Time in 21 42 62.25 83 86.75 88.25 89.25 90.75 93 ms Find the thickness and type of materials of first soil layer and the type of material in the underlying second layer? 2. Soil exploration was conducted at a construction site by electrical resistivity method with field readings obtained as : Electrode 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 spacing ft Resistance 12.73 2.79 1.46 1.15 1.05 0.84 1.21 1 0.97 0.95 readings Ohms Find the thickness and type of materials of first soil layer and the type of material in the underlying second layer?
LOCATION OF GROUND WATER TABLE DETERMINATION:

Location of water table is important to soil engineers particularly when it is near the ground surface. Knowing the position of water table is also very important when sites are chosen for hazardous waste and sanitary landfills to avoid contaminating the ground water. In a site water table tends to rise or fall during wet or dry season respectively. Fluctuation of water table may result in reduction of foundation stability or may even cause the floating of structures. A soils bearing capacity can be reduced when the water table is at or near the footing. Thus foundation design or construction methods are affected by location of water table. Water table can be located by measuring down to the water level of existing wells in an area. It can also be determined from boring holes. The level to which ground water rises and stabilizes in a boring hole is the ground water elevation in that area. If adjacent soil is pervious, water level in a boring hole will stabilize in a short period of time. If the soil is relatively impervious, it may take much longer time to stabilize. Problem on depth of Bore Hole: 1. A 1.2 m square footing is subjected to a contact pressure of 910.2kN/m2. The wet unit weight of cohesive soil supporting the footing is 17.9 kN/m3 and ground water is known to be at a great depth. Determine the minimum depth of test boring based on the criterion that test borings in cohesive soils should be carried at least to a depth where the increase in stress due to foundation loading is less than 10% of effective overburden pressure?

08.606.1 Elective II SOIL EXPLORATION

Module I

Objectives of soil exploration Planning of a sub-surface exploration programme Collection of existing information Reconnaissance Detailed investigation - Number, size, spacing and depth of boreholes Different methods of exploration - Open pits and borings Methods of boring Auger boring, auger and shell boring, wash boring, percussion drilling, rotary drilling Comparison of the methods. Geophysical methods Seismic refraction method Procedure, uses, limitations Electrical resistivity method Electrical profiling and electrical sounding Procedure, uses - Field determination of permeability by pumping out test[no derivation required] Module II Sounding methods Standard Penetration Test Procedure Various corrections to be applied to observed N values Factors influencing the SPT results and precautions to obtain reliable results Merits/drawbacks of the test Correlations of N value with various engineering and index properties of soils Static Cone Penetration Test Procedure Merits/drawbacks Correlation of static CPT results with various soil properties - Dynamic Cone Penetration Test Procedure Merits/drawbacks Critical comparison of SPT, static CPT and dynamic CPT Plate load test Procedure, uses and limitations - Pressure meter test - Procedure Uses Module III Soil sampling Undisturbed, disturbed, and representative samples Chunk and tube samples Factors affecting sample disturbance and methods to minimize them Area ratio Inside clearance Outside clearance Recovery ratio Ball check valve Handling and transportation of samples Extrusion of samples Types of samplers Thin walled sampler Piston sampler Split spoon sampler - Core retainers Liners Rock cores Types of drill bits Rock Quality Designation Bore log Soil profile Sub-soil investigation report
References: 1. Gopal Ranjan & A.S.R Rao, Basic and Applied Soil Mechanics, New Age International (P) Limited, New Delhi, 2002 2. K.R. Arora, Geotechnical Engineering, Standard Publishers Distributors, New Delhi, 2006 3. Venkatramaiah, Geotechnical Engineering, Universities Press (India) Limited, Hyderabad, 2000 4. Joseph E. Bowles, Foundation Analysis and Design, Mc. Graw Hill Inc., New York, 1988 Question Paper: Duration: 3 hours

The question paper consists of Part A and Part B. Part A carries 40 marks. There will be 8 compulsory short answer questions. Part B is for 60 marks. There will be 2 questions from each module. The candidate has to answer one question of 20 marks from each module.