MERU UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
P.O. Box 972-60200 – Meru-Kenya.
Tel: +254(0) 799 529 958, +254(0) 799 529 959, +254 (0)712 524 293
Website: www.must.ac.ke Email:
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS 2021/2022
FOURTH/ YEAR SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
ECT 3451: FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
DATE: JANUARY 2022 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question ONE and any other TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)
a) Differentiate between Elastic settlement and consolidation settlement (4marks)
b) Estimation of the lateral earth pressure is a function of several factors. State these
factors (4marks)
c) Using well labeled diagrams, describe the three categories of earth pressures (9marks)
d) If a retaining wall 5m high is restrained from yielding, what would be the at-rest earth
pressure per meter of the wall? (3marks)
Give the backfill is cohesionless soil having
Ø=300
γ=18KN/m3
Also determine the resultant force for the at-rest condition (2marks)
e) A strip footing of width 3m is founded at a depth of 2m below the ground surface in a
soil having cohesion of 30kN/m2 and angle of shearing resistance of 350.
The water table is at a depth of 5m below ground level.
The moist weight of soil above the water table is 17kN/m3
Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Foundation of Innovations Page 1
, Determine the ;
i. Ultimate bearing capacity of the soil (2marks)
ii. Net bearing capacity (2marks)
iii. Net allowable bearing pressure (2marks)
iv. Load per metre for a factor of safety of 3 (2marks)
Using the general shear failure theory of Terzaghi
QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS)
a) A square foundation is 1.5mx1.5m in plan. The soil supporting the foundation has a
friction angle of 200 and c`=15.2KN/m2. Unit weight of the soil is 17.8 KN/m3.
Assuming that he depth of the foundation is 1 meter. Calculate the allowable gross
load on the foundation with a factor of safety of 4 (10marks)
b) A 3m high wall is shown in the figure below. Determine the Rankine Passive force
per unit length of the wall (10marks)
Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Foundation of Innovations Page 2
P.O. Box 972-60200 – Meru-Kenya.
Tel: +254(0) 799 529 958, +254(0) 799 529 959, +254 (0)712 524 293
Website: www.must.ac.ke Email:
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS 2021/2022
FOURTH/ YEAR SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
ECT 3451: FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
DATE: JANUARY 2022 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question ONE and any other TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)
a) Differentiate between Elastic settlement and consolidation settlement (4marks)
b) Estimation of the lateral earth pressure is a function of several factors. State these
factors (4marks)
c) Using well labeled diagrams, describe the three categories of earth pressures (9marks)
d) If a retaining wall 5m high is restrained from yielding, what would be the at-rest earth
pressure per meter of the wall? (3marks)
Give the backfill is cohesionless soil having
Ø=300
γ=18KN/m3
Also determine the resultant force for the at-rest condition (2marks)
e) A strip footing of width 3m is founded at a depth of 2m below the ground surface in a
soil having cohesion of 30kN/m2 and angle of shearing resistance of 350.
The water table is at a depth of 5m below ground level.
The moist weight of soil above the water table is 17kN/m3
Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Foundation of Innovations Page 1
, Determine the ;
i. Ultimate bearing capacity of the soil (2marks)
ii. Net bearing capacity (2marks)
iii. Net allowable bearing pressure (2marks)
iv. Load per metre for a factor of safety of 3 (2marks)
Using the general shear failure theory of Terzaghi
QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS)
a) A square foundation is 1.5mx1.5m in plan. The soil supporting the foundation has a
friction angle of 200 and c`=15.2KN/m2. Unit weight of the soil is 17.8 KN/m3.
Assuming that he depth of the foundation is 1 meter. Calculate the allowable gross
load on the foundation with a factor of safety of 4 (10marks)
b) A 3m high wall is shown in the figure below. Determine the Rankine Passive force
per unit length of the wall (10marks)
Meru University of Science & Technology is ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Foundation of Innovations Page 2
