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GATE 2023 CE (CE2) – Question 28

Geotechnical Engineering · Shallow foundations: bearing capacity, combined footing, raft, settlement · 1 mark · Multiple select

The reason(s) of the nonuniform elastic settlement profile below a flexible footing, resting on a cohesionless soil while subjected to uniform loading, is/are:

  1. Variation of friction angle along the width of the footing
  2. Variation of soil stiffness along the width of the footing
  3. Variation of friction angle along the depth of the footing
  4. Variation of soil stiffness along the depth of the footing

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (B) Variation of soil stiffness along the width of the footing

Explanation

Select B only. The question asks why settlement varies across the width of a flexible footing on cohesionless soil. Confinement and therefore elastic stiffness vary laterally, producing the nonuniform profile. A depth variation of stiffness may affect settlement magnitude, but is not the keyed explanation of variation along the footing width. Friction angle is a strength parameter, not the elastic stiffness.

Official GATE 2023 answer key: https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/doc/download/Answer_keys2023/CE2_ANS_GATE2023.pdf