List of top Geotechnical Engineering Questions

Let the state of stress at a point in a body be the difference of two plane states of stress shown in the figure. Consider all the possible planes perpendicular to the x-y plane and passing through that point. The magnitude of the maximum compressive stress on any such plane is \( k \sigma_0 \), where \( k \) is equal to \_\_\_\_ (round off to one decimal place).
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A rectangular channel is 4.0 m wide and carries a discharge of 2.0 m³/s with a depth of 0.4 m. The channel transitions to a maximum width contraction at a downstream location, without influencing the upstream flow conditions. The width (in meters) at the maximum contraction is ______ (rounded off to 2 decimal places).

An infinite slope is made up of cohesionless soil with seepage parallel to and up to the sloping surface. The angle of slope is 30° with respect to horizontal ground surface. The unit weights of the saturated soil and water are 20 kN/m³ and 10 kN/m³, respectively.
The minimum angle of shearing resistance of the soil (in degrees) for the critically stable condition of the slope is _____ (rounded off to the nearest integer).

The in-situ percentage of voids of a sand deposit is 50%. The maximum and minimum densities of sand determined from the laboratory tests are 1.8 g/cm³ and 1.3 g/cm³, respectively. Assume the specific gravity of sand as 2.7.
The relative density index of the in-situ sand is ______ (rounded off to 2 decimal places).

In the context of pavement material characterization, the CORRECT statement(s) is/are

Consider the statements P and Q related to the analysis/design of retaining walls.
P : When a rough retaining wall moves toward the backfill, the wall friction force/resistance mobilizes in upward direction along the wall.
Q : Most of the earth pressure theories calculate the earth pressure due to surcharge by neglecting the actual distribution of stresses due to surcharge.
Which one of the following options is CORRECT ?

Which one of the following saturated fine-grained soils can attain a negative Skempton's pore pressure coefficient (A) ?

A simply supported, uniformly loaded, two-way slab panel is torsionally unrestrained. The effective span lengths along the short span (x) and long span (y) directions of the panel are l_x and l_y, respectively. The design moments for the reinforcements along the x and y directions are M_ux and M_uy, respectively. By using Rankine-Grashoff method, the ratio M_ux/M_uy is proportional to

The contact pressure distribution shown in the figure belongs to a

The total primary consolidation settlement (S_c) of a building constructed on a 10 m thick saturated clay layer is estimated to be 50 mm. After 300 days of the construction of the building, primary consolidation settlement was reported as 10 mm. The additional time (in days) required to achieve 50% of S_c will be _____ (rounded off to the nearest integer).

A soil sample was consolidated at a cell pressure of 20 kPa and a back pressure of 10 kPa for 24 hours during a consolidated undrained (CU) triaxial test. The cell pressure was increased to 30 kPa on the next day and it resulted in the development of pore water pressure of 1 kPa. The soil sample failed when the axial stress was gradually increased to 50 kPa. The pore water pressure at failure was recorded as 21 kPa. The value of Skempton's pore pressure parameter B for the soil sample is ______ (rounded off to 2 decimal places).

Find the correct match between the plane stress states and the Mohr's circles.

A vertical smooth rigid retaining wall is supporting horizontal ground with dry cohesionless backfill having a friction angle of 30°. The inclinations of failure planes with respect to the major principal plane for Rankine's active and passive earth pressure conditions, respectively, are

An embankment is constructed with soil by maintaining the degree of saturation as 75% during compaction. The specific gravity of soil is 2.68 and the moisture content is 17% during compaction. Consider the unit weight of water as 10 kN/m³. The dry unit weight (in kN/m³) of the compacted soil is _____ . (rounded off to 2 decimal places).

Consider the statements P and Q.
P: Soil particles formed by mechanical weathering, and close to their origin are generally subrounded.
Q: Activity of the clay physically signifies its swell potential.
Which one of the following options is CORRECT?

A 2 m wide strip footing is founded at a depth of 1.5 m below the ground level in a homogeneous pure clay bed. The clay bed has unit cohesion of 40 kPa. Due to seasonal fluctuations of water table from peak summer to peak monsoon period, the net ultimate bearing capacity of the footing, as per Terzaghi's theory, will

Given below are two statements:
Statement I: Hardness of green sand mold increases with increase in permeability.
Statement II: Increase in permeability of the green sand will make the mold denser and harder.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Soil = 0.75
G = 2.68
Water content = 17% 
γ_w = 10 kg n /m³ 
γ_d = ?