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Small strain stiffness and site-specific Seismic response of nano-silica stabilised soft clay in Kochi, India: a case study

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Abstract

The present work deals with a series of bender-element tests to determine the small-strain shear modulus (Gmax) of the soft soil selected for the study and its 1-D ground response analysis using ProShake 2.0 software. The site chosen to procure the soft clay is located in Kochi, Kerala, a fast-growing city in Kerala, even though most of the areas are surrounded by water bodies and low bearing capacity sites. The present study assesses the seismic response of a subsurface soft clay layer and the effect on the ground surface. The treatment with nano-silica can reduce the ground amplification caused by the presence of a soft clay layer. The efficiency of nano-silica in strength improvement has been already investigated and implemented in several in situ stabilisation projects. The shear wave velocity (Vs) of the soft clay has been enhanced to a certain level corresponding to a stiff soil’s wave velocities when the nanoparticles are included. The effect of nano-silica has been perceptible during the ground shaking from the ground response analysis results from ProShake 2.0 software. The need for site-specific ground response analysis and the stabilisation effect on the dynamic soil properties are discussed in this paper. In general, the stabilisation using nano-silica can be successfully implemented in in-situ soil conditions under static and dynamic loading conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Calicut, India

    Geethu Thomas & Kodi Rangaswamy

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  1. Geethu Thomas
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  2. Kodi Rangaswamy
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Correspondence to Geethu Thomas.

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Responsible Editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler

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Thomas, G., Rangaswamy, K. Small strain stiffness and site-specific Seismic response of nano-silica stabilised soft clay in Kochi, India: a case study. Arab J Geosci 15, 106 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-09315-1

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