GATE CE 2024 Set 2 — Question 53
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Geotechnical Engineering → Seepage → Critical Hydraulic Gradient
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Question
A homogeneous earth dam has a maximum water head difference of between the upstream and downstream sides. A flownet was drawn with the number of potential drops as and the average length of the element as . Specific gravity of the soil is . For a factor of safety of against piping failure, void ratio of the soil is ______________ (rounded off to decimal places).
Correct answer
0.63 to 0.67
Solution
Given:
Maximum water head difference,
Number of potential drops,
Average length of the exit element,
Specific gravity of soil,
Factor of safety against piping, Step 1: Calculate the head drop per potential drop ():Step 2: Calculate the exit gradient ():Step 3: Determine the critical hydraulic gradient () using the factor of safety:Step 4: Calculate the void ratio () using the formula for critical hydraulic gradient:The void ratio of the soil is .
Maximum water head difference,
Number of potential drops,
Average length of the exit element,
Specific gravity of soil,
Factor of safety against piping, Step 1: Calculate the head drop per potential drop ():Step 2: Calculate the exit gradient ():Step 3: Determine the critical hydraulic gradient () using the factor of safety:Step 4: Calculate the void ratio () using the formula for critical hydraulic gradient:The void ratio of the soil is .
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