GATE CE 2026 Set 1 — Question 59
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Geotechnical Engineering → Shallow Foundations → Effect of Water Table
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Question
A shallow strip footing of width 2 m is embedded at a depth of 1.5 m below the ground surface in a homogeneous pure clay with an angle of internal friction zero. Consider unit weight of soil as and undrained cohesion of soil as . Due to rise of ground water table from far below the founding depth to the ground surface in monsoon season, the magnitude of percentage change in the net ultimate bearing capacity as per Terzaghi’s theory is __________________ (rounded off to two decimal places).
Correct answer
0 to 0
Solution
According to Terzaghi's theory, the ultimate bearing capacity () for a strip footing in pure clay () is:
For , , , and .
The net ultimate bearing capacity () is:
Since depends only on cohesion () and the bearing capacity factor (), it is independent of the unit weight of the soil and the position of the water table (assuming remains constant).
Therefore, the percentage change is .
For , , , and .
The net ultimate bearing capacity () is:
Since depends only on cohesion () and the bearing capacity factor (), it is independent of the unit weight of the soil and the position of the water table (assuming remains constant).
Therefore, the percentage change is .
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