Civil Engineering Department

TY Civil- II
Foundation Engineering
Question Bank
Theory Questions
1. Write in detail about Auger boring with neat sketch.
2. What do you understand by site investigation? What are the different purposes for
which the site investigation is done?
3. Write in detail about Rotary drilling with neat sketch.
4. Write in detail about wash boring with neat sketch
5. In a site investigation for the design of foundation of a major structure, what kind of
detailed information do you set out to obtain?
6. State the assumption made in Terzaghi’s analysis.
7. Write a short note on modes of shear failure
8. Discuss the factors affecting bearing capacity of soil
9. Differentiate general local and punching shear failure
10. Write a short note on factors influencing bearing capacity
11. Discuss the effect of water table on the bearing capacity of soil
12. What are the limitation of plate load test?
13. Write a brief note on standard penetration test
14. Mention the limitations of Terzaghi’s bearing capacity theory
15. Explain the test procedure for conducting plate load test as per Indian Standards
16. What is expansive soil? What precautions need to be taken while designing
foundation in expansive soil?
17. Explain in detail about geotextile and its role in ground improvement.
18. Enlist the ground improvement techniques. Explain any one in detail with its
suitability.

19. Explain in detail the Pre-loading methods for ground improvement technique.
20. Write the advantages and limitation of the Pre-loading methods
21. Write a short note on vibro-flotation methods for ground improvement technique
22. Explain in detail about geotextile and its role in ground improvement.
23. List the factors influencing settlement.
24. Explain the concept of elastic settlement.
25. Distinguish between Consolidation Settlement and Immediate settlement
26. What are the different types of settlements of footings? Explain in detail
27. Explain the type of pile based on mechanism of load transfer
28. Write a short note on design and construction of under reamed pile with neat sketch
29. What is negative skin friction? What is its effect on the pile?
30. Write a note on selection on pile
31. Write the uses of piles
32. Compare circular and diaphragm type cofferdam with respect to following points
elevation, two advantages and two disadvantages
33. Define grip length and explain how to decide the grip length of a foundation
34. Define tilt and shift of a well. Explain with neat sketch any four techniques of
rectifying the tilt of well
35. Explain earth-fill cofferdam with a neat labelled sketch (plan and elevation).
Following
points need to be explained [suitability w.r.t. depth of water, one advantage, one
disadvantage]
36. List any six ideal requirements of a cofferdam
37. List out the types of Caissons
38. Write a brief critical note on ‘Taylor’s Stability Number
39. Explain the friction circle method for finding factor of safety of slopes
40. What are different types of slopes failure? explain briefly finite and infinite slopes.
Problems/ Numericals

1. Determine the ultimate bearing capacity of square footing of 1.5 m size, at a depth
of 1.5 m,in a pure clay with an unconfined strength of 150 kN/m 2. ɸ = 00 and γ=17
kN/m3, Take Nc=5.7, Nq=1.0, and Nγ= 0
2. A strip footing of 2 m size, which is laid at a depth of 1.3 m below the ground
surface.Determine the net ultimate bearing capacity using IS code method for the
following cases, take γ = 20 kN/m 3, ɸ= 300 and c = 0, corresponding N c = 30.14,
Nq =18.4, and Nγ = 22.4
i) When the water table is at base of footing
ii) When the water table at ground level
3. A sampler has inner diameter of 68mm with its thickness 4mm and cutting edge of
sampler has outer diameter of 81mm with its thickness 8mm and determine (a)
area ratio (b) inside clearance (c) outside clearance.

4. square footing located at a depth of 1.3 m below the ground has to carry a safe
load of 650 kN. Find the size of the footing if the desired factor of safety is 3. The
soil has the following properties: Void ratio = 0.45, degree of saturation is 50%,
specific gravity is 2.5, c = 6 kN/m 2 , φ = 30º use Terzaghi’s analysis. Terzaghi’s
bearing capacity factors for φ = 300 Nc = 37.2 Nq = 22.5 Nγ = 19.7

5. A square footing placed at a depth of 1 m is required to carry a load of 1000 kN.

Find the required size of footing given the following data. C = 10 kPa, = 38º , γ =
19 kN/m 3 , Nc = 61.35, Nq = 48.93, Nγ = 74.03 and F = 3. Assume water table is
at the base of footing.

6. Estimate the immediate settlement of a concrete footing 1 m X 1.5 m in size, if it

is founded at a depth of 1 m in silty soil whose compression modulus is 9000 kPa.
Footing is expected to transmit unit pressure of 200 kPa. Assume If = 1.06, µ = 0.3

7. Determine the elastic settlement of a footing 2 m X 3.5 m resting on sandy soil

given Es = 45000 kPa and µ = 0.4. Footing carries a load of 1000 kN. Take I f =
0.82

8. Design a combined footing for two columns carrying a load of 650 kN and 810
kN. Size ofEach column is 500 mm × 500 mm, c/c distance between column is 4.6
m, length of footing is5.1 m SBC of soil is 200 kN/m2.

9. Design a combined footing for two columns carrying a load of 760 kN and 900
kN. Size of each column is 450 mm × 450 mm, c/c distance between column is 4.5
m, length of footing is 5 m SBC of soil is 160 kN/m2.

10. Design a combined trapezoidal footing by using following data

External column load – 800kN
Internal column load – 600kN
C/C spacing between columns – 3.8m
Size of each column – 400mm
 Both column flush with footing and SBC of soil is 120kN/m2
Draw SFD and BMD

11. Design a strap footing for two columns using following data:
External column (450mm size) flush with boundary carries 600kN load
Internal column (500mm size) carries a load of 1000kN
Spacing c/c of column is 6m and SBC of soil is 150kN/m2
12. Design footing for two columns by using following data. If size of each column is
0.5m X 0.5m draw plan, elevation, SFD and BMD showing all relevant
calculations? Assume suitable data if required for design purpose. External
column is at a clear distance of 0.2m from boundary of plot. External column load
– 600kN, Internal column load – 900kN, spacing c/c is 4.5 SBC of soil = 200kPa
13. A 30 kN drop hammer was used a R.C pile. It has free fall of 2m. the average
penetration recorded in the last few blows is 6mm/blow. Estimate the allowable
load on pile according to Engineering news formula
14. A concrete pile 8m long was driven by a single acting Vulcan hammer with rated
energy 45.26kJ. The total settlement as recorded for the last 15 blows was
1.5mm/blow. Using engineering news formula calculate the pile capacity.
15. A pre cast R.C.C pile is driven by a steam hammer. Weight of hammer is 30kN.
The stroke length of hammer is 0.80m which results in average penetration of
0.4cm in the last few blows of the hammer. Determine safe load on the pile.
16. Determine the load carrying capacity of a wooden pile driven with a drop hammer
weighing 50kN and having a free fall of 1.2m by using Engineering news formula
the penetration in the last blow is 10mm.
17. A square group of 16 piles penetration through the filled-up soil of 3m depth. The
pile diameter is 250mm and pile spacing is 0.75m the unit cohesion of material is
18kN/m2.And unit weight of soil is 15kN/m3. Compute negative skin friction
given adhesion coefficient as 0.4

18. A square group of 9 pile was driven into soft clay extending to a large depth. The
diameter and length of the piles were 300mm and 9m respectively. If undrained
cohesion is 45kNm3 and the pile spacing is 1 m centre to centre. What is the
capacity of group? Take factor of safety of 2.5 adhesion factor is 0.7

19. group of 16 piles of 600mm diameter is arranged in a square pattern with centre to
centre spacing of 1.4m the piles are 9m long and are embedded in soft clay with
cohesion of 30kN/m2 bearing resistance may be neglected for the piles. Adhesion
factor is 0.75Determine the ultimate load capacity of the pile group.

20. 200mm diameter, 8m long piles are used as foundation for a column in a uniform
deposit of medium clay unconfined compressive strength is 100kN/m2 and
adhesion factor is 0.9. There are nine piles arranged in a square pattern of 3x3 for
a group efficiency =1 find the spacing between the piles neglect the end bearing.

21. A pre cast concrete pile of diameter 450mm is driven into stiff clay. The
unconfined compression strength of the clay is 200kN/m2. Determine the length
of pile required to carry a safe load of 400kN with factor of safety=2.5 Assume
adhesion factor=0.55
22. Design sheet pile wall for a height of 5.0 m in sandy soil and supporting sandy soil
having γ = 16 kN/m3, c = 0kN/m2 and ɸ = 30°. Also draw the sketch of wall with
design details.
23. Design a cantilever sheet pile which is having following details
i) γ = 18 kN/m3
ii) ɸ = 360
iii) Length of sheet pile 6.0 m
24. Determine depth of embedment for a anchored sheet pile using following data
Height of wall – 7m Soil above and below dredge line granular γ=20 kN /m3
c = 0, kN/m2 and φ=330 Anchor rods are placed at a depth of 1m below ground
level
25. An embankment is inclined at an angle of 35° and its height is 15 m. the unit
weight of soil is 18.0 kN/m3 . if the Taylor’s stability number is 0.06. Find the
factor of safety with respect to cohesion.
26. Determine the factor of safety with respect to cohesion for a submerged
embankment 25m high a slope of 40º. The properties of soils are Φ=10º,
c=40kN/m2
γsat=19kN/m3 Taylor’s stability number Sn=0.097

27. Compute the safe height of the slope at factor of safety of 1.5. A slope is to be
constructed at on inclination of 60º properties of soil are c=15kN/m 2, Φ=22.5º,
γ=18kN/m3.
28. Determine the factor of safety for a cohesive soil(Φ=0) 7m high, if its stability
number is known is to be 0.156. the slope material has cohesion =25kN/m 2, and
unit weight =18.5kN/m3.
29. A cutting is to be made in clay for which the cohesion is 35kN/m2 and Φ=0, the
density of the soil is 20kN/m3. Find the maximum depth for a cutting of side slope
1.5:1 if the factor of safety is to be 1.5 take the stability number for 1.5:1 slope
and Φ=0, as 0.17.
30. A 40° cutting slope is excavated to a depth of 8 m in a deep layer of saturated clay
of unit weight 19 kN/m3: the relevant shear strength parameters are Cu = 65 kPa.
Determine the factor of safety for the trial failure surface specified in Figure.