AMOUD UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Course: Soil Mechanics 1 Academic year: 2019-2020

Chapter 2. Problems Lecturer: Eng. Abdirisak Sajin

Name: ___________________________________Id#:_________class:___

1. A container of volume 2.83x10-3 m3 weighs 9.8 N. Dry sand was poured to fill the
container. The container and the sand weigh 52.3 N. Calculate (a) the void ratio and
(b) the porosity.

2. A sample of saturated clay was placed in a container and weighed. The weight
was 6 N. The clay in its container was placed in an oven for 24 hours at 1050C. The
weight reduced to a constant value of 5 N. The weight of the container is 1 N. If
Gs=2.7, determine the (a) water content, (b) void ratio, (c) bulk unit weight, (d) dry
unit weight, and (e) effective unit weight.

3. The void space in a soil sample consists of 80% air and 20% water. The dry unit
weight is 15.7 kN/m3 and Gs = 2.7. Determine the water content.

4. A sample of wet soil was extruded from a sampling tube of diameter 100 mm in
a soil testing laboratory. The length of extruded sample was 200 mm. The mass of
the wet soil was 3.15 kg. Following a water content determination, the mass of the
dry soil was found to be 2.82 kg.
Determine the bulk density, water content, dry density and dry unit weight of the
soil.

5. The saturated unit weight and the water content in the field are found to be 18.55
kN/m3 and 33%, respectively. Determine the specific gravity of the soil solids and
the field void ratio.

6. Determine: a) moisture content b) void ratio c) porosity and d) degree of

saturation of a soil core sample shown in the diagram below. Also determine the dry
unit weight, γd
Given: Weight of soil sample = 1013g
Vol. of soil sample = 585.0cm3
 Specific Gravity, Gs= 2.65
Dry weight of soil = 904.0g

7. A soil specimen collected from a site weights 1.8 KN, and has a volume of 0.1 M3
.The moisture content determined from the laboratory is 12.4%. Given G.s=2.71
find:
a) The bulk unit weight
b) Dry unit weight
c) Void ratio
d) Porosity
e) Degree of saturation
f) Saturated unit weight

8. For a given soil, show that:

γb= γd (1+w)

9. For a given sandy soil, emax = 0.75 and emin = 0.52. If Gs = 2.67 and Dr = 65%,
determine:
a. Void ratio
 b. Dry unit weight

10. A sample of silty clay was found to have a volume of 14.88 ml, whilst its mass
at natural water content was 28.81 g and the particle specific gravity was 2.7.
Calculate the void ratio and degree of saturation if, after oven drying, the sample had
a mass of 24.83 g.

11. The porosity of a soil sample is 35% and the specific gravity of its particles is
2.7. Calculate its void ratio, dry unit weight, saturated unit weight and submerged
unit weight.

12. One cubic metre of wet soil weighs 19.80 kN. If the specific gravity of soil
particles is 2.70 and water content is 11%, find the void ratio, dry density and degree
of saturation.

13. Determine the (i) Water content, (ii) Dry density, (iii) Bulk density, (iv)Void
ratio and (v) Degree of saturation from the following data:
Sample size 3.81 cm dia. × 7.62 cm ht.
Wet weight = 1.668 N
Oven-dry weight = 1.400 N
Specific gravity = 2.7

14. A dry soil has a void ratio of 0.65 and its grain specific gravity is 2.80.
(i) What is its unit weight?
(ii) Water is added to the sample so that its degree of saturation is 60% without any
change in void ratio. Determine the water content and unit weight.
(iii) The sample is next placed below water. Determine its unit weight (not
considering buoyancy) if the degree of saturation is 95% and then 100%.

15. A sample of saturated soil has a water content of 35%. The specific gravity of
solids is 2.65. Determine its void ratio, porosity, saturated unit weight and dry unit
weight.