Civil

The highway along Sorchen have been imperiled to various mechanical damages posing tremendous problems to the road users. These damages of road and its sub-grade are contributed by number of factors both manmade and natural. This research focuses on identification of damaged subgrade and its causes to the measurable degree. The greater emphasis has been turned to the Geotechnical site investigation of the affected areas and quantification of the results for the benefit of the policy makers in future. The survey has been carried out to ensure the extend of subsidence of the road and shown in the graphical manner. Wenner’s 4 Spikes method ground resistivity test were also carried out to explore the sub surface of the affected subgrade. The research has also done on the possibilities of rigid slab supported by the pile foundation as the counter measures. The results obtained by the electrical resistivity test will be used to located the depth of pile foundation.

The Kingdom of Bhutan is located in the eastern Himalayas approximately between latitudes 26° 41’52” N to 28° 14’ 52” N and longitudes 88° 44’ 54” E to 92° 41’ 7” E. The 38,686 square kilometers of landlocked and isolated mountain country has elevations ranging from about 160 meters in the southern part to more than 7500 meters in the northern part. People habituating along the steep slope valleys with river flowing at the foot of gorges are the finest epitome of exquisite scenery for outside world. However, such slopes particularly the unstable and loose ones pose greatest threat to the mankind and the development of the country. The complex arrangement of topography, constant tectonic movement and others human induced activities accelerate the landslide which are already active. The landslide problems in Bhutan dates back to 1960s when first road construction took place in the country. Every monsoon season is marked with countless landslide across the country, among which the land...

The vernacular structures in Bhutan attributes to the country’s rich tradition and culture. These structures built during 15th – 16th centuries without any technical guidelines still exist with profound pride as Bhutanese traditional buildings even after experiencing great earthquake in the past. Bhutanese vernacular structures exist in various types; while this research paper focuses only on the structural analysis of a commonly found rammed earth house in Paro, considering the effect due to Rabsel. Rabsel is a Bhutanese ornamental window having significant aesthetic and cultural values. These heavy timber components fixed to the wall has tendency to add weights to the wall. During the seismic activity, this might lead to vertical acceleration and overturning moment, which generates a typical P-delta effect inducing lateral as well as vertical loads on the walls. Hence, it is the primary cause of tilting Rabsel, cracking, and buckling of walls as observed in post-earthquake scenari...