Questions:
Question 1
a. Describe how the Unified Soil Classification system is used to classify a soil sample as a clay with low plasticity CL. Indicate the suitability of a CL soil for engineering purposes.
b. Use the piston-spring analogy to explain how pore pressure affects the shear strength of soils.
c. Distinguish between peak stress and ultimate stress in soil tests and discuss hich of these stress values obtained from tests should be used in design.
Question 2
a. Sketch, interpret and explain in detail a typical graph of BOTH horizontal force vs horizontal displacement AND vertical displacement vs horizontal displacement obtained from a Direct Shear test of dense packed sand.
b. Explain in detail how soil compaction tests are used to set specifications for soil compaction. Identify and explain the factors that affect soil compaction.