This paper presents an investigation of the collapse of a 325-year-old multi-tiered heritage temple during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal. The research comprises a reconnaissance survey followed by a geotechnical investigation and numerical back-analysis carried out to understand the potential causes of the collapse. The assessment of the structural configuration of the temple indicated seismic vulnerability in the design due to the presence of discontinuous columns over the height of the temple and age-weakened bonding in the masonry walls. The geotechnical investigation revealed the presence of competent soil strata at the location, assisting the survey which indicated no differential or excessive settlement in the foundation. A series of cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on samples recovered during the geotechnical investigation to determine dynamic behaviour of the soil. Further, dynamic analysis of the plinth of the temple under the recorded acceleration-time history indicated a maximum drift percentage of 1.4% and residual relative displacement of 32 mm suggesting the potential reason behind the collapse. The output of this research will support seismic rehabilitation of ancient structures within World Heritage sites across Nepal and effective action plans to safeguard them against future earthquake hazard.
The gradation characteristics of soil play an important role in the strength and durability characteristics of soil-based construction material like soil-cement blocks, adobe, rammed earth, mud concrete, and so on. In addition, the water content at which these stabilized soil-cement composites are moulded along with the quantity of stabilizer content also influence their characteristics. The water content at which the adobe is pugged and moulded is also important. The current study attempts to understand the influence of soil gradation, especially the variation of silt and clay content, at a constant stabilizer content on the pugging moisture of the fresh stabilized adobe mixes. The experimental program also attempts to understand and establish the relation between optimum moisture content and optimum pugging moisture, the fresh moulded density etc for stabilized adobe mixes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.