Geotechnics & Soil Mechanics

GEOTECHNICS & SOIL
MECHANICS
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TAKS 1
(a)
There are three main classes of rocks:
Igneous rock: These types of rocks are formed through cooling and solidification of magma
which is also known as magma (Stoops, Marcelino and Mees, 2018).
 Sedimentary rock: These types of rocks are formed when sediments are deposited out of ice,
air, gravity, wind or water flows carrying various particles in suspension.
 Metamorphic rock: These types of rocks are formed by chemical and physical alteration of
pressure and heat of existing sedimentary or igneous material into their denser form.
(b)
Igneous rock
 Granite: It is used in architectural construction, monuments.
 Pumice: It is used as an additive in cements or for plaster like concrete.
 Gabbro: It is used as a crushed stone for road metal, railroad ballast.
 Basalt: it is mostly used as an aggregate in construction projects.
Sedimentary rock
 Coal: It is mainly used in powerplant in order to make electricity.
 Shale: it is used to make bricks or any other construction material such as cement.
 Conglomerate: it is mainly used to as a fill material for roads and construction.
 Sandstone: Used in pre historic construction and was popular in ancient time building
materials.
Metamorphic rock
 Schist: In construction it is used as a building stone or decorative stone.
 Gneiss: In construction it is used for flooring, facing stones etc.
 Quartzite: In construction it is used as decorative stone for cover walls etc.
 Marble: In construction it is also used as building stones (Borrelli and et.al., 2016).
(c)
Bowen Series of rock classification is also known as Bowen reaction series. It helps in
describing way in which magma minerals changes when they cool down. It helps in
classification of igneous rocks (Zagórski and Kisiel, 2018). It can help in explaining weathering
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characteristics of igneous rock. It helps in explaining the way in which magma minerals changes
when they cool down.
Figure 1 Bowen reaction series
(d)
i) As foundations for roads: Stones used in this situation are required to have high abrasive
resistance, should be uniform and composition.
ii) As facings for structures: For this mostly sedimentary rock are used whose strength and
stiffness reduces slowly. Strengths and weakens of these kinds of rocks can be conforming
pressure on them.
iii) As aggregate for concrete: stones used in this situation should be highly durable, strength of
these stones should be high
iv) As building stone: Rocks used in building stones should have high compressive strength,
transverse strength should also be high and porosity should be low.
(e)
Soil is used for building materials like bricks, cement. Other than this it can also be used
for building materials such as wood boards, insulation fibres (Chertov and Nadporozhskaya,
2018). Many times, soils are caked and dried to make bricks. Alternative that can be used instead
of soil are granular filters, rockfill materials etc.
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