University of the Cordilleras

Department of Civil Engineering

Mock Board Examinations
GEOTECHNICAL ENGG & HYDRAULICS

INSTRUCTIONS: Read each problem carefully. Select the best answer by shading the appropriate box in
the answer sheet. Write all solutions on separate sheets of paper provided you. STRICTLY NO CHANGING
OF ANSWERS!
1. The dry unit weight of a silty sand is 16.43 KN/cu m. It has a sp gr. of 2.65. The sand has a void ratio in
the loosest condition of 0.88 and a void ratio in the densest condition of 0.36. What is the relative
density?
a. 55.2% b. 16.2 KN/cu m c. 16.2% d. 57.6%
2. In #1, what is the porosity of the sand?
a. 0.22 b. 0.367 c. 0.58 d. 0.29
3. In #1, what is the degree of saturation when water content is 16%?
a. 37.1% b. 0.371 c. 73.1% d. 57.6%
4. The critical hydraulic gradient for a soil sample is 1.02. if the specific gravity of soil solids is 2.67 &
water content is 14%, what is the void ratio of the soil?
a. 1.10 b. 0.64 c. 0.38 d. 1.20
5. In #4, what is the degree of saturation?
a. 58.4% b. 54.8% c. 45.8% d. 48.5%
6. In #4, what is the dry unit weight at zero air voids?
a. 18.55 KN/cu m b. 19.07 KN/cu m c. 17.79 KN/cu m d. 17.02 KN/cu m
7. A soil has a liquidity index of 0.87, plasticity index of 16% and plastic limit of 12%. The soil has a sp. Gr.
of 2.72 and void ratio of 0.75. What is the in situ water content?
a. 12.55% b. 9.01% c. 25.92% d. 22.01%
8. In #7, what is the degree of saturation?
a. 45.51% b. 32.68% c. 94% d. 79.82%
9. A saturated 100 cu cm clay sample has a water content of 30%. It is found that the shrinkage limit
occurs at a water content of 19%. If Gs = 2.70, what is the shrinkage ratio?
a. 0.55 b. 1.78 c. 1.11 d. 0.65
10. A vertical rectangular gate 1.50 m wide and 3.0 m high is submerged in water with its top edge 2 m
below water surface. What is the total pressure acting on one side of the gate?
a. 154.51 KN b. 151.54 KN c. 145.15 KN d. 154.15 KN
11. In #10, what is the location of the pressure from the bottom of gate?
a. 1.35 m b. 1.53 m c. 1.268 m d. 1.286 m
12. A closed cylindrical tank 2 m in diameter and 8 m deep with axis vertical contains 6 m deep of oil (sp
gr 0.80). The air above the liquid surface has a pressure of 0.80 kg/sq cm. Determine the total normal
force (kg) acting on the wall.
a. 492602 kg b. 492206 kg c. 429602 kg d. 429206 kg
13. A sheet pile is embedded 4 m into soil whose k = 6.5 x 10-6 m/sec. The height of water upstream of
sheetpile is 5 m and on downstream 0.70 m. if the number of flow channels is 3 and number of
equipotential line drops is 6 from flow net, what is seepage in cubic meters/sec per meter?
a. 10.11 x 10-6 b. 1.011 x 10-6 c. 13.975 x 10-6 d. 13.579 x 10-6
14. At a certain point in soil, the normal and shear stresses acting are 120 KPa (C) and 40 KPa
respectively. On an orthogonal plane, the stresses are 300 KPa (C) and 40 KPa. What is the major
principal stress?
a. 310 KPa b. 308.50 KPa c. 305.80 KPa d. 301.90 KPa
15. In #14, what is the minor principal stress?
a. 210 KPa b. 201 KPa c. 115 KPa d. 111.50 KPa
16. A soil profile consists of 1.5 m thick dry sand (13.6 KN/cu m) overlying 3.20 m thick saturated sand
(e= 0.52, Gs=2.70). Beneath the saturated sand is 4 m thick saturated clay (19 KN/cu m, e= 0.60,
LL=42%). A uniform stress increase of 80 KPa occurs at the middle of clay layer. What is the current
overburden pressure at the middle of clay?
a. 73.88 KPa b. 74.98 KPa 110.12 KPa d. 101.21 KPa
17. In #16, what is the primary settlement in clay in mm?
a. 229 mm b. 120.29 mm 129.20 mm 22.90 mm
18. A concentrated load of 2500 KN acts on the ground surface underlain by soils that satisfy Boussinesq
condtions. What is the stress increase due to this load 6 m directly beneath?
a. 31.63 KPa b. 33.16 KPa c. 31.36 KPa d. 36.31 KPa
19. A square footing 1.120m x 1.120 m is 2.50 m below the ground underlain by soil whose unit weight
is 16 KN/cu m, cohesion 22 KPa , =28. What is the ultimate bearing capacity at this level according to
Terzaghi?
a. 1367.74 KPa b. 1245.33 KPa c. 1445.54 KPa d. 2112.08 KPa
20. In #19, what is the net allowable soil bearing pressure for FS = 3.0?
a. 442.58 KPa b. 401.78 KPa c. 468.51 KPa d. 690.69 KPa
21. A frictionless vertical retaining wall has a height of 6 m. The backfill is sloped at 10 and the unit
weight of soil is 16 KN/cu m. Angle of internal friction for the cohesionless soil is 20. What is the
Rankine active coefficient?
a. 0.432 b. 0.234 c. 0.531 d. 0.351
22. In #21 what is the Rankine active force?
a. 124.42 KN/m b. 67.39 KN/m c. 152.93 KN/m d. 101.09 KN/m
23. A 250 mm diam pipe (f = 0.015), 150 m long is connected in series to a 200 mm diam pipe (f=0.02),
200 m long. Determine the diameter of an equivalent single pipe 350 m long and f = 0.025 to replace the
2 pipes.
a. 251.25 mm b. 125.51 mm c. 302 mm d. 226 mm
24. Determine the flow through a trapezoidal concrete canal with side slopes 3 hor to 4 vert. and
bottom width 2 m. The depth of flow is 2 m and the slope is 3 m per 2 km. n = 0.013
a. 23.45 cu m/sec b. 20.85 cu m/sec c. 29.15 cu m/sec d. 21.95 cu m/sec
25. An earth canal is 6 m wide at the base and has side slopes 1.5 hor to 1 vert. It has a depth of flow of
1.80 m and carries a flow of about 10.30 cu m/sec using n for Mannings of 0.025. What is n in Kutters
formula?
a. 0.0253 b. 0.0259 c. 0.02502 d. 0.0256
26. A concrete culvert 1.20 m in diameter and 5 m long conveys flood water. Both ends of the culvert is
submerged and the difference in water level upstream and downstream is 2.40 m. Calculate discharge
assuming C = 0.61.
a. 3.744 cu m/s b. 4.734 cu m/s c. 3.477 cu m/s d. 4.374 cu m/s.
27. If the velocity of flow in a 600 mm diam CI pipe (E=8.29 x 1010 Pa) be changed in 0.25 sec from 0.60
m/sec to 0 by closing a valve 300 m from a reservoir, what is the velocity of pressure wave? Pipe is 20
mm thick.
a. 980 m/s b. 890 m/sec c. 1088 m/sec d. 1880 m/sec
28. in #27, what is the increase in pressure from water hammer?
a. 663 KPa b. 653 KPa c. 536 KPa d. 636 KPa
29. Find the flow in a 15 m wide rectangular channel for which the critical depth is 3 m.
a. 145.16 cu m/sec b. 244.12 cu m/sec c. 154.61 cu m/sec d. 224.41 cu m/sec
30. Water is flowing in a 3 m wide rectangular channel at a depth of 360 mm. A hydraulic jump occurs
and the depth of water from the jump is 1300 mm. Determine the discharge.
a. 1.952 cu m/sec b. 1.592 cu m/sec c. 5.856 cu m/sec d. 5.685 cu m/sec