Earth Construction In Nepal As Alternative To Reconstruction After The 2015 Gorkha Earthquake

On April 25,2015,7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Central Nepal with an epicenter in Gorkha District at 11:56 NST(local time).A major aftershock of magnitude 7.3 on May 12,2015,resulted in enhancement of damages.Almost 800,000 buildings were fully or partially damaged.This paper focuses on the failure of buildings during earthquake,proposing a new innovative block and analysis of a wall using the innovative block.The main contents are:Firstly,the paper highlights the different types of buildings in Nepal and the damage patterns recorded from the earthquake.Different causes of failures are highlighted for different types of building including masonry,wooden,reinforced cement concrete,etc.44.2% of the buildings in Nepal are masonry type which in fact performed the worst during the earthquake.Secondly,analyzing the building failures,as an alternative to the current blocks prevalent in Nepal,we have put forward the idea of new innovative earth block construction which is not only earthquake resilient but lighter,greener sustainable and economical.CMC is introduced as an additive for soil stabilization for the first time.Further,we give an insight on the arrangement of this new innovative earth block for the construction of houses in Nepal according to the Building Code by the Ministry of Urban Development,Nepal.Finally,a wall,using these new innovative earth blocks,is simulated using ABAQUS under Monotonic and Cyclic loading conditions.The results are compared with the varying strength of grout and pressure load on the top of the beam.