GATE CE 2020 Set 2 — Question 58
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Geotechnical Engineering → Earth Pressure → Active Earth Pressure
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Question
A high vertical wall has a saturated clay backfill. The saturated unit weight and cohesion of clay are and , respectively. The angle of internal friction of clay is zero. In order to prevent development of tension zone, the height of the wall is required to be increased. Dry sand is used as backfill above the clay for the increased portion of the wall. The unit weight and angle of internal friction of sand are and , respectively. Assume that the back of the wall is smooth and top of the backfill is horizontal. To prevent the development of tension zone, the minimum height (in m, round off to one decimal place) by which the wall has to be raised, is ___________
Correct answer
2.4 to 2.6
Solution
1.Active Earth Pressure in Clay:
For clay, .Active pressure .
2.Condition to prevent tension zone:
Tension zone is prevented if everywhere in the clay layer. The critical point is the top of the clay layer where is minimum.Let be the height of the sand surcharge. The vertical stress at the top of the clay is .
3.Calculate minimum height :
At the top of the clay: .
Thus, the minimum height by which the wall has to be raised is .
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