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GTE2601/101/0/2014

Tutorial letter 101/0/2014

Geotechnical Engineering II

GTE2601

Year Module

Department of Civil and Chemical Engineering

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This tutorial letter contains important informationabout your module.

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CONTENTS

Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3

2

PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE............................................................... 3

2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 3

2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 3

3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 4

3.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 4

3.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 4

3.3

University ...................................................................................................................................... 4

4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 4

4.1 Prescribed books .......................................................................................................................... 4

4.2 Recommended books ................................................................................................................... 5

4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves) ................................................................................................. 5

5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ............................................................... 5

6 MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................. 5

7

MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING .................................... 5

8 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 5

8.1 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 5

8.2 General assignment numbers ....................................................................................................... 6

8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers ........................................................................................................ 6

8.2.2 Due dates for assignments ........................................................................................................... 6

8.3

Submission of assignments .......................................................................................................... 6

8.4

Assignments ................................................................................................................................. 8

9 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................................... 12

10 EXAMINATION ........................................................................................................................... 12

11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 12

12 SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 12

13

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ 12

14

ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 12

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1 INTRODUCTION

Dear Student

Some of this tutorial matter may not be available when you register. Tutorial matter that is notavailable when you register will be posted to you as soon as possible, but is also available on

myUnisa.

2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

2.1 Purpose

The aim is to introduce students to a global view of the earth, its position in space relative to the

other planets in the solar system, its internal structure and crustal formation.

A knowledge of the more common and abundant minerals that make up the majority of rocks

forming the crust of the earth is fundamental the identification of rock types and understanding

of how these weather to form soils on which structures are founded.

2.2 Outcomes

The outcomes for this module are:

To direct the attention to, and appraise the learner of the basic origin, composition and

identification of igneous rocks.

To provide an understanding of how igneous rocks are formed their composition,

properties and characteristics.

To provide an understanding of structures that have resulted is important as they have a

significant influence on the design of structures on which they are situated.

To familiarise students with the third major group of rocks i.e. metamorphic rocks.

To have an understanding of how strata can be dated and the timescale of occurrence of

the various era, series, and systems in the South African Stratigraphic column.

To instruct students in the occurrence and location of the groups, formations and the

rocks types that occurs within the various errata in South Africa.

To enlighten students of the processes involved in the weathering of rocks to soils.

To instruct students in the methods employed in field investigations, the profiling of the

various soil horizons and the taking of samples for submission to a laboratory for testing.

To demonstrate some of the more commonly used soil classification systems.

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3 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

3.1 Lecturer(s)

Your Lecturer is: Mr. K. MABUSELA

Tel no.: 016 950 9422

CEL no.: 073 590 0503

E-mail:khutlang@vut.ac.za

Contact Times:Saturdays (8:00 to 15:00)

3.2 Department

Department of Civil and Chemical Engineering

Unisa (Florida Campus)

Private Bag x6

Florida

1710

Phone: 011 471 2048/3132

Use the general E-mail address:civil&chemical@unisa.ac.za

3.3 University

www.http://unisa.ac.za

4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES

4.1 Prescribed books

South African Geology for Mining, Metallurgical and Civil Engineering.

By: Lurir, J

Lupin Publishing

ISBN: 0620277971

Standard Methods of Testing Road Construction Materials: TMH1

By: Comm State Road Authorities

Dept of Transport

ISBN: 0798836539

mailto:khutlang@vut.ac.zamailto:khutlang@vut.ac.zamailto:khutlang@vut.ac.zamailto:civil&chemical@unisa.ac.zamailto:civil&chemical@unisa.ac.zahttp://www.http/unisa.ac.zahttp://www.http/unisa.ac.zamailto:civil&chemical@unisa.ac.zamailto:khutlang@vut.ac.za

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4.2 Recommended books

There are no recommended books for this module

4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

All course materials are available on myUnisa https://my.unisa.ac.za under the module coursecode under Materials. Discussion forums are set up by your lecturer and available for

discussions with your peers https://my.unisa.ac.za some additional electronic resources are

available from the Library site (via www.unisa.ac.za).You may electronically post or upload your

assignments in line with the guidelines explained in the booklet:

5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE

Important information appears in your my Studies @ Unisa brochure.

6 MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN

Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.

7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

GTE2601 is the theory aspect of this module, the practical aspect is GTE2PRA.

8 ASSESSMENT

8.1 Assessment plan

The assessment of this course is based on both formative and summative assessment. The

final mark for this module is calculated as follows:

The examination mark contributes 80% towards the final mark

The year mark contributes 20 % towards the final mark

The year mark is calculated based on the two assignments:

o Assignment 1 is compulsory. By submitting assignment 1, you will automatically

be granted examination admission.

Assignment 1 will contribute 50% to your year mark.

Assignment 2 contributes 50% to your year mark.

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8.2 General assignment numbers

Assignments are numbered consecutively per module, starting from 01

8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers

Assignment 1 373200

Assignment 2 373298

8.2.2 Due dates for assig nments

Assignment 1 28 May 2014

Assignment 2 03 July 2014

8.3 Submission of assignments

Note: The cutoff dates given here are the official, last dates on which a given assignment may

be submitted. Students must adhere to these dates only. All other dates referring to cut-off

submission dates for assignments, as may be posted on myUnisa or elsewhere, refers to

administrative dates as managed by the Assignments Department and does NOT influence or

change the above dates.

Website

Please note that the department has a web site where additional information on the department

and the modules are available.

The address is: http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=19740

Tutorial Letters are available from the myUnisa website. (See my Studies @ Unisa)

Should you encounter any problems in submitting an assignment on myUnisa, you may contactthe help line at myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za

Plagiarism

An assignment is designed to be a product of your own study and your own thought. It is not

intended to be a piece of work which merely reproduces details, information or ideas from a

study guide, from books or articles, or from the Internet.

If you do this, you commit plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of copying word for word with or

without acknowledgment from study sources (e.g. books, articles, the Internet). In other words,

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you must submit your own ideas in your own words, sometimes interspersing relevant short

quotations thatare properly referenced.

Yes, simply copying a few pages from the prescribed book is plagiarism. Pasting paragraphs

from

Wikipedia into your assignment is plagiarism. And it does not stop being plagiarism if you

mention the source.

Skilled scientific writers can use direct block quotations to make a specific point. They know

what they are doing. You still need to develop your own voice, your own style of arguing the

point. Do not plagiarise.

Note that you also commit plagiarism if you copy the assignment of another student. We do

encourage you to work together and form study groups, but you are expected to prepare and

submit your own assignments.

When we receive two or more identical assignments, we are not able to work out who copied

from whom. We will therefore penalize both students.

If you commit plagiarism you will be penalized and given no marks for your assignment.

This will have a serious effect on your chances to succeed in your studies because you

will have no semester mark.

Furthermore, you may be penalised or subjected to disciplinary proceedings by the University.

Plagiarism is also an offence in terms of the law.

A Signed Declaration

Every essay-type assignment we receive must include the following declaration along with your

name and the date:

I declare that this assignment is my own work and that all sources quoted have been

acknowledged by appropriate references.

We will subtract marks if this declaration is absent from your assignment, just as we willsubtract marks if your assignment does not have a Table of contents, List of references cited,and so on.

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8.4 Assignments

Please submit all two assignments, duly completed, to UNISA before the closing dates stated inthis section.

ASSIGNMENT 1

SECTION A - SOIL MECHANICS

QUESTION 1

a) The material which has to be used for CBR test has a mass of 21 kg and a moisture

content of 2%. How much water in terms of mass and volume should be added to this

material to increase the moisture content from 2% to 9 %? (6)

b) After increasing the moisture from 2% to 9%, the material is split into three equal

masses, each which has to be compacted into a 2190 ml mould. If the first mould is

compacted to a bulk density of 1850 kg/m3, calculate the following given that the Gs is

2.65

Dry density (2)

Void ratio (5)

Porosity (1)

Air voids (3)

Degree of saturation (1)

Saturated density (4)

Bulk density @ 80% degree of saturation (3)

QUESTION 2

You have to mix X grams of dry soil and Y grams of water and then compact it in a suitable

container to obtain a cylindrical sample of 150mm in diameter and 150mm high. The compacted

sample has to have a dry density of 1903kg/m3and a moisture content of 14.6%. GS of soil

grains is 2.75.

a) Calculate X and Y. (7)

b) Calculate wet density, void ratio, porosity, air voids percentage, degree of

saturation, and lastly the bulk density at 95% degree of saturation (16)

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SECTION B - SOIL TESTS

Use TMH 1 as reference document to answer this section.

1. The table below contains the information for sieve analysis of soil

A1(a)

Initial Sample Size = 800 g

Sieve Size in mm Mass retained in grames

53 0

37.5 21.6

26.5 49.5

19.0 102.6

13.2 89.1

4.75 95.6

2.00 60.4

0.425 31.2

A5

Mass washed through

0.075mm sieve

100

Mass after washing & drying 42

Atterberg Limits

LL 32

PL 18

a) Do necessary calculations to determine the percentage passing each sieve. (10)

b) Classify the material according to AASHTO and Unified classification systems.(25)

2. Complete the following table by stating the particle size ranges for gravel, sand ,silt or

clay in accordance with ASTM and AASHTO systems (6)

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ASTM/Unified

Classification

Methods

AASHTO

Soil

portion

Particle size (range

sometimes)

Particle size (range

sometimes)

Source/reference

book

Gravel 75mm to 4.75mm

(example)

Sand

Fines

3. Explain riffling and quartering of soil sample (4)

4. Discuss fully the procedure of method A 6 (15)

5. Identify differences and similarities between method A5 and A6 (10)

[100 Marks]

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GTE 2601 (THEORY) ASSIGNMENT 2-GEOLOGY PART

THE EARTH

1. Identify and describe the terms that relate to internal structure of the earth. (10)

2. Explain very briefly the following terms

o focus (2)

o epicentre (2)

MINERALS

3. Discuss the rock forming minerals (15)

4. In order to identify minerals, would you prefer streak or colour? Justify your answer. (5)

5. Mention the six crystallographic systems (6)

ROCK TYPES

6. Mention the four agents of erosion (2)

7. How would you distinguish material transported by wind from material transported by

gravity (land slide)? (2)

8. Define and make examples of the following :

Argillaceous rocks (3)

Arenaceous rocks (2)

Rudaceous rocks (3)

9. Explain the following terms

Foliation (1)

Gneissic banding (2)

Protolith (2)

10. Heat is an important urgent/cause of metamorphism. What are the possible sources of

this heat? (3)

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HISTORICAL GEOLOGY AND SOUTH AFRICAN STRATIGRAPHY

11. State the law of superposition and explain how this concept is used to establish relative

ages of rock strata. (5)

12. On what basis can the stratigraphic classification be done? (6)

13. In what respect is the SA stratigraphy different from that of Great Britain? (5)

ALL TOPICS

14. Reflect on the relevance of this subject in Civil Engineering (24)

[TOTAL MARKS 100]

9 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS

N/A

10 EXAMINATION

EXAMINATION INFORMATION FOR GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING II(THEORY) (GTE2601)

Type of examination Closed book

Examination Language English

Calculators allowed - Memories of programmablecalculators must be cleared in the presence in invigilatorprior to start of the examination

Yes

11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

TheStudies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study information.

12 SOURCES CONSULTED

N/A

13 CONCLUSION

N/A

14 ADDENDUMN/A