GATE CE 2024 Set 1 — Question 18
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Geotechnical Engineering → Shallow Foundations → Effect of Water Table
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Question
A wide strip footing is founded at a depth of below the ground level in a homogeneous pure clay bed. The clay bed has unit cohesion of . Due to seasonal fluctuations of water table from peak summer to peak monsoon period, the net ultimate bearing capacity of the footing, as per Terzaghi’s theory, will
Correct answer
(A) remain the same
Solution
According to Terzaghi's bearing capacity theory for a strip footing, the ultimate bearing capacity is given by:The net ultimate bearing capacity is:For pure clay, the angle of internal friction . For , Terzaghi's bearing capacity factors are , , and . Substituting these values:Since depends only on the cohesion and is independent of the surcharge (and thus the unit weight or water table position), the net ultimate bearing capacity remains the same regardless of water table fluctuations.
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