Experimental Investigation and Site-Specific Ground Response Analysis of Soft Clay Stabilized with Eco-Friendly Additives under Dynamic Loading in Seismic Regions
Keywords:
Soft Clay Stabilization, GGBS, Rice Husk Ash, Ground Response Analysis, DEEPSOIL, Seismic Mitigation, Sustainable Geotechnics.Abstract
Infrastructure development in coastal and riverine regions often encounters soft, high-plasticity clay deposits that pose significant risks due to low bearing capacity and high seismic vulnerability. This research presents a comprehensive investigation into the stabilization of soft clay (USCS classification: CH) using a sustainable binary blend of Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) and Rice Husk Ash (RHA). The study integrates laboratory-scale mechanical testing with numerical site-specific ground response analysis (SSGRA) to evaluate performance under dynamic loading representative of high-seismic zones.
The experimental program utilized a blend of 15% GGBS and 5% RHA. Results from Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) tests revealed an 11-fold increase in strength, with the 28-day UCS reaching 540 kPa. Microstructural characterization via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) and Calcium Aluminum Silicate Hydrate (C-A-S-H) gels, which effectively densified the soil matrix. Under dynamic conditions, bender element tests showed a five-fold increase in the small-strain shear modulus (Gmax), rising from 19.1 MPa to 96.0 MPa.
A one-dimensional equivalent linear ground response analysis was conducted using DEEPSOIL V7, simulating a synthetic ground motion of 0.24g. The findings demonstrate that a 5m stabilized soil crust significantly mitigates seismic hazards, reducing the surface Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) from 0.52g to 0.36g (a 30% reduction in amplification). Furthermore, the carbon footprint assessment indicates a 92% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to traditional cement-based stabilization. This study concludes that the GGBS-RHA blend offers a technically superior and environmentally sustainable solution for ground improvement in seismic regions such as the Terai (Nepal) and Gujarat (India).
References
Adger, W. N. (2006). Vulnerability. Global Environmental Change, 16(3), 268–281.
ASCE. (1974). Seismic design of underground structures. American Society of Civil Engineers.
Barton, N., Lien, R., & Lunde, J. (1974). Engineering classification of rock masses for the design of tunnel support. Rock Mechanics, 6(4), 189–236.
Boulanger, R. W., & Idriss, I. M. (2004). Evaluating the potential for liquefaction or cyclic failure of silts and clays. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
Duddeck, H. (1988). Guidelines for the design of tunnels. International Tunnelling Association.
Hashash, Y. M. A., et al. (2020). DEEPSOIL V7.0 User Manual and Tutorial. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Idriss, I. M., & Seed, H. B. (1968). Seismic response of horizontal soil layers. Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division.
Kramer, S. L. (1996). Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering. Prentice Hall.
Peck, R. B. (2021). Deep excavations and tunneling in soft ground. State-of-the-art report.
Seed, H. B., & Idriss, I. M. (1970). Soil moduli and damping factors for dynamic response analyses. Report No. EERC 70-10, University of California, Berkeley.
Vucetic, M., & Dobry, R. (1991). Effect of soil plasticity on cyclic response. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 117(1), 89–107.
II. GGBS & Rice Husk Ash (RHA) Stabilization
Basha, E. A., et al. (2005). Stabilization of residual soil with rice husk ash and cement. Construction and Building Materials.
Behak, L. (2024). Mechanical performance of soil stabilized with GGBS and agricultural waste binders. Journal of Cleaner Production.
Behzad, N., et al. (2025). Microstructural evolution of clay-slag-ash ternary blends. Geotechnique Letters.
Higgins, D. D. (2007). Sustainable construction utilizing GGBS. Concrete.
James, J., & Pandian, P. K. (2016). A study on the early stage strength of GGBS-stabilized soil. Journal of Engineering Science and Technology.
Oyetola, E. B., & Abdullahi, M. (2006). The use of rice husk ash in low-cost sandcrete block production. Leonardo Electronic Journal of Practices and Technologies.
Sarkar, R., et al. (2024). Sustainable ground improvement using GGBS and bio-fillers in seismic regions. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
Sharma, R. S., et al. (2008). Engineering behavior of expansive soils stabilized with fly ash and GGBS. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.
Yadu, L., & Tripathi, R. K. (2013). Stabilization of soft soil with GGBS and fly ash. International Journal of Civil Engineering.III. Dynamic Properties & Cyclic Loading
Amadio, M., et al. (2023). Climate risks and soil exposure: Vulnerability and resilience in South Asia. World Bank Report.
Brennan, A. J., et al. (2005). Damping shift in soils during earthquakes. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Geotechnical Engineering.
Cascante, G., et al. (2025). Bender element testing for stabilized soil characterization. ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal.
Darendeli, M. B. (2001). Development of a new family of normalized modular reduction and damping curves. PhD Dissertation, University of Texas at Austin.
Hardin, B. O., & Drnevich, V. P. (1972). Shear modulus and damping in soils: Measurement and parameter effects. Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division.
Ishihara, K. (1996). Soil Behaviour in Earthquake Geotechnics. Oxford University Press.
Kumar, S., & Rao, B. (2024). Dynamic response of GGBS-stabilized marine clay under cyclic triaxial loading. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering.
Rao, S. N., & Prasad, Y. (2026). Strength and dynamic stiffness of alkali-activated slag soils. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.
Zhang, J., et al. (2005). Evaluation of dynamic properties of stabilized soft clays. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.IV. Ground Response Analysis & Site Effects
Ambraseys, N. N. (1959). A note on the response of an elastic overburden of varying rigidity to an arbitrary ground motion. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.
Choudhury, D., & Srilakshmi, R. (2024). Site-specific ground response analysis for high-rise buildings in coastal cities. Indian Geotechnical Journal.
Das, M. K. (2014). Impacts of climate change on soil stability and agricultural vulnerability. Odisha University Thesis.
Finn, W. D. L. (1991). Geotechnical aspects of seismic design. Proceedings: Second International Conference on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics.
Gautam, D. (2023). Seismic risk and site effects in the Nepal Himalayas. Scientific Reports.
ICIMOD. (2025). Earth observation-based seismic and drought monitoring for Madhesh Province.
Madhesh Disaster Report. (2025). Impact of soil liquefaction and ground amplification in the Terai region. Provincial Government.
Pingale, S. M., et al. (2014). Analysis of trends in environmental variables for Rajasthan. Atmospheric Research.
Regmi, B. R., et al. (2023). Co-development of vulnerability assessment framework for Nepal. Scientific Reports.
Schnabel, P. B., Lysmer, J., & Seed, H. B. (1972). SHAKE: A computer program for earthquake response analysis of horizontally layered sites. University of California, Berkeley.
Stewart, J. P., et al. (2001). Evaluation of site response analysis procedures. PEER Report.
V. Sustainability & Microstructural Analysis
Amirova, A., et al. (2024). Global selection of breeding under abiotic stress. Turkish Journal of Agriculture.
Chaudhary, N. K., et al. (2024). Environmental factors in Madhesh Province. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition.
CGIAR. (2025). Scaling for Impact (S4I) Program for Nepal. IRRI.
Ghavami, K. (1995). Ultimate load behavior of bamboo-reinforced lightweight concrete beams. Cement and Concrete Composites (Early sustainable material context).
MoALD. (2024). Statistical information on Nepalese agriculture and soil resources.
Mishra, B., et al. (2013). Spatial variability of impacts on the Indo-Gangetic Basin.
Nelson, G. C. (2014). Agriculture’s role in the global economy. Agricultural Economics.
Sen, P. K. (1968). Estimates of the regression coefficient based on Kendall's tau. JASA.
UNFCCC. (1992). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Zhang, X., et al. (2008). Trends in climate extreme indices. Journal of Geophysical Research.
Downloads
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
