CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 4
SOLUTION:
Results of Liquid Limit Test Using Fall Cone
45.00 41.50
38.50
40.00
35.50
35.00 29.50
MOISTURE CONTENT (%)
30.00
25.00
20.00 LIQUID LIMIT = 32.50
%
15.00
10.00
5.00
0.00
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
CONE PENETRATION , d (mm)
A. LIQUID LIMIT = 32.50
B. According to the book of Braja M. Das and Khaled Obhan, specifically, the Principles of Geotechnical
Engineering (Ninth Edition) at Chapter 4 – Plasticity and Structure of Soil, for routine laboratory tests,
it may be used to determine the liquid limit when only one test is run for a soil. This procedure is
generally referred to as the one-point method and was also adopted by ASTM under the designation
D-4318. This book emphasizes that the main reason that the one-point method yields fairly good
results is that a small range of moisture content is involved when N = 20 to N = 30.
Furthermore, according to S.K. Haigh and P.J. Vardanega on their research paper with a title of
“Fundamental Basis of Single-Point Liquid Limit Measurement Approaches”, in order to speed up the
determination of the liquid limit, a single-point method is defined in ASTM D4318. The single point
method for percussive liquid limit was first proposed by the US Army Waterways Experiment Station
(1949).
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 5
SOLUTION:
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 6
SOLUTION:
SUMMARY OF ANSWERS:
SOIL NAME ANSWERS
SOIL B CLAY
SOIL B SANDY CLAY
SOIL C LOAM
SOIL D SANDY CLAY AND SANDY CLAY LOAM
SOIL E SANDY LOAM
SOIL A:
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 6
SOIL B:
SOIL C:
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 6
SOIL D:
SOIL E:
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 7
SOLUTION:
Utilize this table in answering the soil classification: AASHTO Classification Systems
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 7
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 7
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 8
SOLUTION:
Utilize the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 10
SOLUTION:
A.
Moisture Moist Unit Dry Unit Degree of
Specimen Mass Void Ratio
Content Weight Weight Saturation
5 1776 18.4561 17.5772 0.4957 0.2703086
7 1890 19.6408 18.3559 0.4323 0.4339752
9.5 2006 20.8463 19.0377 0.3810 0.6682621
11.8 2024 21.0333 18.8133 0.3975 0.7956608
14.1 2005 20.8359 18.2611 0.4397 0.8593649
17 1977 20.5449 17.5597 0.4972 0.9162923
COMPACTION CURVE
19.2000
19.0000 19.0377
DRY UNIT WEIGHT (kN/cu. m.)
18.8000 18.8133
18.6000
18.4000
18.3559
18.2611
18.2000
18.0000
17.8000
17.6000 17.5772 17.5597
17.4000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
MOISTURE CONTENT (%)
Answers: Optimum Moisture Content : 10%
Maximum Dry Unit Weight : 19.10 kN/m3
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
B. Plot the Zero Air Void Curve on the Compaction Curve
Moisture Content Unit Weight
14 19.12
15 18.75
16 18.40
17 18.06
18 17.74
COMPACTION CURVE AND THE ZERO AIR VOID CURVE
19.2000
19.0000 19.0377
DRY UNIT WEIGHT (kN/cu. m.)
18.8000 18.8133
18.6000
18.4000
18.3559
18.2611
18.2000
18.0000
17.8000
17.6000 17.5772 17.5597
17.4000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
MOISTURE CONTENT (%)
As shown on the graph above, the zero-air void curve was plotted along with the compaction curve,
and it is visible that the two data set do not intersect from each other. All of the six (6) test points
plot at the left side on the zero-air void curve.
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
C. Void Ratio and Degree of Saturation Against the Moisture Content
VOID RATIO AND DEGREE OF SATURATION AGAINST THE
MOISTURE CONTENT
VOID RATIO DEGREE OF SATURATION
1.0000 0.9162923
0.9000 0.8593649
0.7956608
0.8000
0.6682621
0.7000
0.6000
0.4957 0.4972
0.5000 0.4323 0.4397
0.4339752 0.3810 0.3975
0.4000
0.2703086
0.3000
0.2000
0.1000
0.0000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
D. Void Ratio and Degree of Saturation at the Optimum Moisture Content
VOID RATIO AND DEGREE OF SATURATION AGAINST THE
MOISTURE CONTENT
VOID RATIO DEGREE OF SATURATION
1.0000 0.9162923
0.9000 0.8593649
0.7956608
0.8000
0.6682621
0.7000
0.6000
0.4957 0.4972
0.5000 0.4323 0.4397
0.3810 0.3975
0.4000 0.4339752
0.2703086
0.3000
0.2000
0.1000
0.0000
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
VOID RATIO = 0.381
DEGREE OF SATURATION = wG / e
DEGREE OF SATURATION = [0.10 (2.68) / 0.381] * 100
DEGREE OF SATURATION = 70.34 %
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 12
SOLUTION:
CE 707 - ADVANCED GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
PROBLEM SET NO. 1
Submitted by: LESTER G. PADILLA, CE, EnP
PROBLEM SET NO. 1 - ITEM NO. 13
SOLUTION:
