Advance Soil Mechanics

Course Code –GE-501

Contact Hours -2+2

Dr Hassan Mujtaba
 Apparent Cohesion
• Where the soil grains are from about 5 to
0.05mm (coarse to fine sand), the presence of
a small amount of water can alter the
engineering behaviour considerably.
• The surface tension of water at conditions of
degree of saturation less than 100% (S <<
100%) is sufficient to restrict particle
movement in this size range, producing an
“apparent cohesion” which disappears when
the soil dries out.
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 Apparent Cohesion
• Practically, apparent cohesion allows near
vertical sand cuts or greater mobility of rubber
tired vehicles over damp sand.
• Apparent cohesion inhibits soil packing or
produces what is commonly termed
BULKING

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 Problem 1

• Find out total stress, pore pressure and

effective stress for sand in measuring cylinder
having height of sand 0.4m.
– When the sand is dry (unit weight = 15.5 kN/m3)
– When the cylinder is carefully filled with water
upto top level of sand. (unit weight = 19.5 kN/m3)
– When the cylinder is tapped several times, causing
the level of sand to settle down to a new denser
packing, height of sand is 0.37 m (unit weight =
20.5 kN/m3)
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 Pore Pressure, Effective
Discussion Stress and
of Problem 1 Drainage

• Sand is Dry (Total stress = 6.2 kPa, Porewater = 0 ,

effective stress = 6.2 kPa )
• Sand is loose and saturated (Total stress = 7.8 kPa,
Pore water 3.9 kPa= , effective stress = 3.9 kPa )
• Sand is dense and saturated (Total stress = 7.8 kPa,
Porewater = 3.9 kPa, effective stress = 3.9 kPa)
• Densification of sand by tapping of cylinder did not
change the total or effect stress at the base of
cylinder. This is because the weight of soil and water
in the cylinder did not change
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 Problem 2
• The clay deposit has a unit weight, g = 20
kN/m3 and the soil remains saturated even if
the pore pressure becomes negative. For the
ground water conditions, find total, effective
and pore water for the following conditions
• Water table at 6 m below ground level
• With water to a depth of 3 m above ground
level, the vertical stress at a depth of 3.0 m

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Solution

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 Solution
• Water table 6.0 m below ground level
– Total stress = 60 kPa
– Pore water = -30 kPa
– Effective stress = 90 kPa
• Water surface 3 m above ground level
– Total stress = 90 kPa
– Pore water = 60 kPa
– Effective stress = 30 kPa

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 Problem 3
• The concrete bridge pier as shown in the figure
is 4 m tall, it has an area of 10 m2 and carries a
load of 1 MN. (The unit weight of concrete is
20 kN/m3.) The pier is founded on a bed of
tidal river where there is at least 5.0 m of sand
with a unit weight of 20 kN/m3. The river bed
is at low tide level and at high tide there is 3 m
depth of water.

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Solution

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 Solution

• Total contact stress = 180 kPa

• At Low tide
– Total stress = 220 kPa
– Pore pressure = 20 kPa
– Effective stress = 200 kPa
• At high tide
– Total stress = 220 kPa
– Pore pressure = 50 kPa
– Effective stress = 170 kPa 11
 Problem 4
• The soil profile consist of 4 m layer of clay over 2 m
sand over rock. The unit weight of all the natural
materials are 20 kN/m3 and the steady state water
table is at ground level. A wide embankment 4 m
wide is constructed from fill with a unit weight of 15
kN/m3
– Calculate total and effective vertical stress at the center of
clay and at center of sand before the embankment is
constructed
– Immediately after it is completed
– After a long time
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Solution

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 Solution

• Before the construction of embankment

• In clay
– Total stress = 40 kPa
– Pore water = 20 kPa
– Effective stress = 20 kPa
• In sand
– Total stress = 100 kPa
– Pore water = 50 kPa
– Effective stress = 50 kPa 14
 Solution
• Immediately after construction of embankment, the
sand is drained so pore water remains constant where
as clay is undrained and the effective stresses remains
unchanged.
• In Clay
– Total stress = 100 kPa
– Pore water = 80 kPa
– Effective stress = 20 kPa
• In Sand
– Total stress = 160 kPa
– Pore water = 50 kPa
– Effective stress = 110 kPa 15
 Solution
• After long time, the excess pore pressure in the clay will
be dissipated to steady state conditions corresponding to
water table at original ground level
• In clay
– Total stress = 100 kPa
– Pore water = 20 kPa
– Effective stress = 80 kPa
• In sand
– Total stress = 160 kPa
– Pore water = 50 kPa
– Effective stress = 110 kPa 16