Earthquake Response Analysis of Pond Ash Deposit with Geocell Reinforcement

In the present study, earthquake response of a pond ash deposit with and without geocell reinforcement has been investigated with the help of open system for earthquake engineering simulation software. A two-dimensional domain of the pond ash deposit, i.e., a pond ash column (PAC), has been prepared for this analysis. The experimentally derived layer-wise properties of the ash material are considered as the input parameters for the analysis of unreinforced and geocell-reinforced PACs. Three moderate-magnitude earthquakes generated along the Himalayan frontal thrust have been taken as input motions for the study. The variations of peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground displacement (PGD), and maximum excess pore pressure ratio (EPPR) along the depth have been compared between reinforced and unreinforced PACs. The result of the present analysis shows that, due to provision of geocell-pond ash composite layers, a significant drop is observed in PGA, PGD, and maximum EPPR values of PAC under the excitation of all three earthquakes, which proves the efficacy of geocell reinforcement in improving the earthquake response of pond ash deposit. Further, the results of the present investigation have been compared with the reported results on dynamic response of reinforced and unreinforced pond ash deposits.