Risk assessment of constructing high rise buildings in lateritic soil for selected zones of Udupi district

The current study done is based on the geotechnical and micro structural analysis of lateritic soil samples collected from eight different places in and around Udupi district located in Karnataka state, India. The main aim of the study is to understand the strength characteristics of lateritic soil for the purpose of construction. Microstructure of soil is very important for studying both mechanical and physical properties of soil. An effort was made to identify and to form a link between geotechnical and microstructure behaviour of lateritic soil. Geotechnical tests include natural water content, specific gravity test, sieve analysis, Atterberg limit, standard compaction tests, unconfined compression test (UCC). To evaluate the micro structural uniqueness which follows mineral composition, distribution of minerals and oxides present, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were carried out. On the other hand, effective Risk Management is also an important task to be taken care, hence the formation of risk matrix is done and the ranges of risks are decided using a five point Likert scale. As the safe bearing capacity of soil (SBC) plays a vital role in construction phase, the risk matrix is formed by considering the SBC of soil.