Which of the following is an application for disturbed soil samples?

• A. A) Hydraulic conductivity measurement
• B. B) Geotechnical design
• C. C) Specific gravity determination
• D. D) All of the above

Answer: (C)

The option indicating specific gravity determination is indeed an application for disturbed soil samples; however, it does not encompass the full scope of what disturbed soil samples are typically used for. Disturbed soil samples are often collected as part of various geotechnical investigations and are primarily utilized to gain an understanding of the soil's properties to inform design and analysis.

Hydraulic conductivity measurement and geotechnical design are two other critical applications of disturbed soil samples. When it comes to hydraulic conductivity, even though it's often preferable to use undisturbed samples, disturbed samples can still provide insights into the relative permeability of soils when used in laboratory testing. This is especially true for certain types of soils where the internal structure isn't drastically altered by the sampling process or where general trends can be identified.

Additionally, for geotechnical design, disturbed samples allow engineers to assess various parameters such as grain size distribution, plasticity, and compressibility, which play significant roles in foundation design, slope stability, and other structural considerations.

Overall, disturbed soil samples serve multiple purposes, making the inclusion of all applications an appropriate choice. Therefore, the correct option should encapsulate the broader range of uses, which is represented by the choice that encompasses all of the provided applications.