Geotechnical Engineering Flashcards
6 cards from real NCEES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Geotechnical Engineering flashcards as text
On the NCEES PE Geotechnical exam, the effective stress in a saturated soil is calculated as:
Answer: σ' = σ − u (total stress minus pore water pressure)
Effective stress σ' = σ − u: the stress carried by the soil skeleton equals total stress minus pore water pressure.
In NCEES PE Geotechnical practice, the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) provides which index value?
Answer: N-value: blow count per 12 inches of penetration
The SPT measures N-value (blow count per foot), used to estimate relative density, friction angle, and bearing capacity.
For the NCEES PE Geotechnical exam, Terzaghi's bearing capacity equation for a strip footing is:
Answer: qu = cNc + qNq + 0.5γBNγ
Terzaghi's bearing capacity for a strip footing: qu = cNc + qNq + 0.5γBNγ, using bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq, and Nγ.
In NCEES PE Geotechnical engineering, the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) classifies soils based primarily on:
Answer: Grain size distribution and Atterberg limits
USCS classifies soils using grain size analysis (gravel, sand, fines percentage) and Atterberg limits (LL, PL) for fine-grained soils.
On the NCEES PE Geotechnical exam, the coefficient of consolidation Cv is used in:
Answer: Predicting the time rate of consolidation settlement
Cv governs the time rate of consolidation; higher Cv means faster drainage and faster settlement completion.
In NCEES PE Geotechnical practice, the Rankine active earth pressure coefficient Ka for a cohesionless soil with friction angle φ is:
Answer: Both B and C are equivalent
Ka = tan²(45° − φ/2) = (1 − sin φ)/(1 + sin φ); both expressions are mathematically equivalent for Rankine active pressure.
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