GATE CE 2026 Set 2 — Question 58
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Geotechnical Engineering → Effective Stress & Compaction → Boussinesq's Theory
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Question
A building is proposed in an area having thick deposit of silty clay. The water table is at the ground surface. The saturated unit weight of soil is and unit weight of water is . The maximum vertical load () on a column of the proposed building is .Consider for computation of the minimum depth of soil exploration. is the effective vertical overburden stress. is the increase in the vertical stress at depth below load as per the Boussinesq’s stress theory.Based on above, the minimum depth (in m) of soil exploration required for the foundation design is ________ (rounded off to two decimal places).
Correct answer
10 to 11.2
Solution
The minimum depth of soil exploration is determined by the condition .
At depth , .
1.Effective Overburden Stress ():
Since the water table is at the ground surface, the effective unit weight is .At depth , .
2.Vertical Stress Increase ():
According to Boussinesq's theory, the vertical stress increase at depth directly below a point load (where ) is:3.Applying the Condition:
The minimum depth of soil exploration required is .Continue learning with Success Tracker
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