FIELD SURVEY ON DAMAGES OF GABION STRUCTURES CAUSED BY THE 2015 NEPAL GORKHA EARTHQUAKE AND EXAMINATION OF SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE IMPROVEMENT

Abstract

 Though human losses due to collapses of buildings and damages related to roads and river facilities were observed during the 2015 Nepal Gorkha Earthquake, the functions of many gabion structures were found to be maintained because of their high flexibility against earthquake in mountainous areas. In order to evaluate the earthquake resistance of gabion structures, the authors conducted field surveys along the Araniko Highway where a lot of slope-related disasters occurred during the earthquake. It was found that due to the advantage of low cost and easy construction, as well as the readily available construction materials, gabion structures were widely used in roads, rivers and erosion control works in Nepal. Based on the surveys, we analyzed the current status of gabion applications and structural features of gabion structures, and suggested issues and specific methods for the design and construction of earthquake resistant gabion walls.