As an assistant civil engineer with a large engineering firm, you have prepared a report based on survey and soil sampling for a proposed construction project. The proposal is for a large infrastructure project, in an area of mixed geological conditions.

Submission Format

The submission is in the form of an individual design proposal (drawings and specifications) and written project report.

Drawings should be produced to industry standards for graphic representation, annotation and notation. You may use CAD/BIM software.

Specifications should use an industry standard format, on A4 pages.

Your report should be written in a concise, formal style. The selection of font face, font size and line spacing are left to your discretion, but the report must be readable and clear. You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs and subsections as appropriate.

You are encouraged to use images, graphics, charts and other material to support your work. Any material that is derived from other sources must be suitably referenced using a standard form of citation. Provide a bibliography using an academic standard referencing system.

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO3 Analyse soil properties determined by geotechnical procedures.

LO4 Produce a proposal to address identified geotechnical weaknesses and problems.

Assignment Brief and Guidance

As an assistant civil engineer with a large engineering firm, you have prepared a report based on survey and soil sampling for a proposed construction project. The proposal is for a large infrastructure project, in an area of mixed geological conditions. The survey, site investigation and soil sampling were undertaken by a different firm; so you are relying on their data. This can be found in the soil testing section (Appendix A test’s 1-8).

Following your geotechnical report, your employer has tasked you with developing a design proposal for an existing road bypass including a bridge/overpass. Details are given in Appendix B (Fig’s 1-4)

The bridge surface has shown signs of irregular settlements in the transition zone between bridge deck and embankment. The anticipated design consolidation has been exceeded (Appendix B fig. 4)

You need to justify the approach to a design proposal; in meeting identified geotechnical weaknesses and also report on the integration of testing data to inform the development of design proposals.

Based on the survey data, soil sampling and testing, you are asked to develop drawings and specifications to support your design proposal.

Your design and project report should include calculations and analysis for the following:

• soil moisture content
• specific gravity
• shear strength
• compressibility
• liquid and plasticity indices
• California bearing ratio
• Bulk density
• Dry density
• Water content
• Void ratio and
• Degree of saturation
• Coulomb equation

Your design drawings and specifications could show (as applicable):

• road foundations
• embankments
• bridge foundations.

Further design information

The rectangular bridge abutment foundation for the embankment has the dimensions 15 x 5m and has been found to exert a uniform pressure on the soil of S00kPa. It is supporting the embankment.

It has been found from laboratory testing that the allowable stress at the 4m level is 110kPa

Duration of test

4min

Quantity of water collected

350ml

Head Difference in manometer 

60mm

Head Difference in manometer tappings

100mm

Diameter of test sample

100mm

Initial head of water in standpipe

1450mm

Final head of water in standpipe

623mm

Duration of test

304s

Sample length

150mm

Sample diameter

100mm

Stand-pipe diameter

5mm

Cone Penetration (mm)

15.9

17.1

19.4

20.9

22.8

Moisture Content (%)

32

32.8

34.5

35.7

37

Test no

Mass of Tin (g)

Mass of wet soil + tin (g)

Mass of dry soil +tin (g)

1

8.3

24.8

22.7

2

8.5

22.6

20.8

Sieve Size (mm)

Mass Retained (g)

50 0

0

37.5

15.5

20

17

14

10

10

11

6.3

33

3.35

114.5

1.18

63.3

0.6

18.2

0.15

17

0.063

10.5

Test

Total Normal Stress (kPa)

Total shear stress (kPa)

1

100

101

2

200

141

3

300

182

4

400

224

Cell Pressure (KN/m²)

Additional axial load at failure (N)

200

320

400

364

600

450

Plunger penetration (mm)

0.25

0.5

0.75

1.0

1.25

1.5

1.75

2.0

Plunger load (kN)

1.0

1.6

2.4

3.6

4.5

5.3

6.0

6.8

Plunger penetration (mm)

2.25

2.5

2.75

3.0

3.25

3.5

3.75

4.0

Plunger load (kN)

7.5

8.3

9.0

9.4

10.1

10.7

11.2

11.7

Plunger penetration (mm)

4.25

4.5

4.75

5.0

5.25

5.5

5.75

6.0

Plunger load (kN)

12.2

12.7

13.0

13.5

14.1

14.4

14.6

14.9

Plunger penetration (mm)

2

4

6

8

Plunger load (kN)

9

14.5

19

23