Sowmiya Chawla

• Ph.D
• Professor (Associate) at Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad

In this study, an investigation was conducted to assess the performance of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methods with distinct characteristics in various problem scenarios. Reinforcement tensile forces play a significant role in the design and performance of retaining walls (RWs). These are crucial for the stability and str...

This study is focused on the eff ect of vibration induced by moving trains in tunnels on the surrounding ground and structures. A three-dimensional fi nite element model is established for a one-track railway tunnel and an adjacent twelve-storey building frame by using commercial software Midas GTS-NX (2019) and Midas Gen. This study considered the...

Landslides are one of the extensive and destructive natural hazards in the mountainous areas and can cause loss of life and infrastructure. Slope stabilization methods can be adopted to minimize the losses due to landslides. The aim of this study is to investigate the failed slope due to landslides and suggest the site-specific ground improvement s...

Back-to-back Mechanically Stabilized Earth (BBMSE) walls are generally used in approach embankments of flyovers and bridges. The complex geometry of two interactive MSE walls in a single structure makes it a special case for the study. This paper presents the performance evaluation of unconnected, connected and overlapped geogrid reinforced back-to...

Jute geotextile has shown effectiveness in addressing soil-related problems in civil engineering. In this study, locally available soil for subgrade construction was stabilized with fly ash and cement and reinforced with bitumen emulsion treated (BET) jute geotextile in various combinations that were studied for strength in terms of California bear...

Purpose Coal mine overburden is a term typically used to refer to the waste rocks and the soil materials generated from the open cast method of coal extraction. Previous investigations have found that recycled aggregates from coal overburden are suitable as subballast material in railway trackbed. But no study has been reported yet that analyzes th...

Back-to-back mechanically stabilized earth walls (BBMSEWs) have been increasingly used for the bridge approaches where there is an elevation from the ground level to the bridge level. Their usage has been increased because of continuing expansion of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane and railways in urban areas. More precisely, their applications ar...

Railways are an integral part of transportation sector of many countries like USA, China, and India. New tracks are being laid at a fast pace as well as existing tracks are being upgraded to meet the demands of the ever-increasing population. Geosynthetics in the form of geocells can be used as a reinforcement material in railways to reduce settlem...

Intensive urban growth leads the need of rail road tracks to be constructed on marginal soils as well as soils with very low strength. Application of geosynthetic has been shown to be effective in reducing excessive settlement and lateral displacement of tracks over soft subgrade under cyclic loading. Tests were performed on full paneled 1:3 scale...

The devastating Kaliasaur Landslide of Garhwal Himalaya disrupted a significant part of the National route directing to Kedarnath-Badrinath originates from Kaliasaur fault of Srinagar thrust. This landslide event comprising mainly rocks as well as debris got provoked by the monsoonal precipitation overcasting the Himalayan region. The Tropical Rain...

An alarming volume of coal mining by-product in the form of waste rock, referred to as overburden (OB), is being dumped over vast areas of useful ground, leading to an ever-increasing demand for land space worldwide. Reusing this material in the form of industrial applications can provide an effective and environmentally sound solution for disposal...

An image analyser (IMAGEJ) has been successfully employed for a comparative study of morphological characteristics of actual and reduced scale ballast particles. In this paper, a detailed procedure has been outlined. The results of analysis of actual and reduced scale ballast particles have been shown graphically using plots between different morph...

Railways is a very old form of transportation in India with a vast network of railway track. A large majority of the railway network is old and built according to the codes and demands of the times when they were constructed. There is a need to improve the existing set of railway tracks to run heavier trains for present and future demands. This pap...

Railways are a form of regular transport for millions of people in India, which makes it an integral part of transportation sector of our country. The modernization of railways is being carried out extensively in order to meet the ever increasing demands of the population. Geosynthetics are being widely used worldwide as a reinforcement material fo...

Overburden (OB) generated from coal mining industries are a major source of environmental pollution as well as land degradation worldwide. Recycling of such waste products through effective application in the construction industry leading to environmental sustainability is the need of the hour. The present study focuses on the feasibility of recycl...

Identification of failure susceptible slopes through different rock engineering approach is highly valuable in landslide risk management along crucial highway corridors in the high mountainous region. In this study, a critical highway (NH-5) segment in higher Himalaya has been investigated using the various rock mass characterization schemes based...

The ever-increasing urbanization, globalization and population have led to construction of pavement in rural areas. It has been a cause of concern of depletion of natural resources at an alarming rate but also gradually becoming a challenge for sustainability. This paper presents the application of mine overburden (OB) dump material for replacing t...

This paper studies the performance improvement due to the presence of geocell layer at the base of the embankment over soft clay deposit. The experimental study was carried out by conducting tests on model embankments overlying soft clay with reinforcement by geocell mattress at the interface between the earthen embankment and soft clay foundation...

Jute geotextile is considered as one of the vital construction material. It is also considered as an eco-friendly material but exhibits poor resistance against biodegradation. In the present study, bitumen emulsion was selected for the treatment of jute geotextile, as it prolongs the life of jute geotextile. The Sample of compost was prepared by mi...

This article presents an improvement in performance that is due to the inclusion of geocell in the embankment base overlying a soft foundation bed. Firstly, model tests were conducted on embankments over soft clay, in which a mattress of geocell reinforcement was placed at the interface between the embankment and soft foundation bed, which was trim...

Landslides have been one of the most damaging natural hazards in the hilly region, which cause loss of life and infrastructure, and hence, landslide susceptibility zonation (LSZ) maps are inevitable for the pre-identification of vulnerable slopes and for the future planning and mitigation programmes. In this study, an integrated remote sensing and...

The success of a design methodology for railway track depends on its ability to keep the maximum deviator stress induced on the subgrade due to rail traffic below the threshold stress of the subgrade soil. Considering this, the present study proposes a new design methodology using geosynthetic reinforcement in the track layers to adopt a suitable f...

Landslide susceptibility map aids decision makers and planners for the prevention and mitigation of landslide hazard. This study presents a methodology for the generation of landslide susceptibility mapping using remote sensing data and Geographic Information System technique for the part of the Darjeeling district, Eastern Himalaya, in India. Topo...

Railways are an integral part of transportation sector of many countries like USA, China and India, which demands upgradation of existing tracks and laying of new ones. Geocells can be used as track reinforcement material to reduce track deteriorations which can also reduce the maintenance costs involved. In the present study, three dimensional geo...

The presence of many large hydro-power projects in Himachal Pradesh calls for stability analysis in major regions of the state. The construction of the large infrastructures, improper planning of the road widening, rugged topography are the major causes for the slope failure in this region. So this paper deals with a systematic study to analyze the...

The removal of overburden is the first step in coal extraction operation. The primary aim of construction of overburden dump is to provide an effective stable working surface for stacker. Steep slopes are economical but low cohesion and internal friction of rocks lead to slope failures which is the case in Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Singrau...

The slope changes from a stable to an unstable condition are the key factor for the occurrence of landslides. A change in the stability of a slope can be caused by a number of factors, acting together or alone. Natural causes of landslides include: pore water pressure, loss or absence of vertical vegetative structure, earthquakes adding loads and v...

The railroad track is one of the few geosynthetic applications in which a geosynthetic is used for multiple functions, namely, reinforcement, separation, filtration and drainage. In the present study, static and cyclic tests were performed on full-panel railway track models laid on compacted soil subgrades. Tests were performed on model tracks with...

Geosynthetics provide an important option to improve track support stabilization and thereby reduce the track maintenance costs and operation costs due to train delays. In railroad construction, geosynthetics may be installed within or beneath the ballast or subballast layers. In this present study, model tests were performed on model tracks laid a...

Railways form an important part of the transportation infrastructure of a country and play an important role in sustaining a healthy economy. Indian Railways has now geared up to overhaul and upgrade its infrastructure to meet future demand of increasing traffic. Special emphasis has been placed on spreading the railway network by laying new tracks...

Railroad track is one of the few geosynthetic applications where a geosynthetic is used for multiple functions, namely, reinforcement, separation, filtration and drainage. In the present study, static and cyclic tests are performed on full panel railway track models laid on compacted soil subgrades. Tests are performed on model tracks with subballa...

Improvement in the strength characteristics of fly ash has been the main concern of researchers. The problem of disposing pond ash can be reduced by utilizing the pond ash in large quantities in various engineering work. This paper includes the re-utilization and stabilization of pond ash using lime. Apart from this, the effect of Cetyl Trimethyl A...