Soil Mechanics-Based Geotechnical Mapping of the Rae Bareli Area for Urban Foundation Planning

Soil Mechanics-Based Geotechnical Mapping of the Rae Bareli Area for Urban Foundation Planning | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Soil Mechanics-Based Geotechnical Mapping of the Rae Bareli Area for Urban Foundation Planning Arpita Pankaj This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792437/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 17 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A comprehensive geotechnical map of the Rae Bareilly region in the Middle Ganga Plain was developed through systematic soil mechanics investigations to assess subsurface characteristics and foundation suitability. Soil sampling was conducted yielding a total of 90 samples, including 15 undisturbed and 75 disturbed samples. Laboratory analyses of in situ samples comprised determination of natural moisture content (NMC), bulk density, specific gravity, grain size distribution, sedimentation characteristics, direct shear strength parameters, free swell index, Atterberg limits, shrinkage limit, and pH. Disturbed samples were tested for specific gravity, grain size distribution, sedimentation, free swell index, Atterberg limits, shrinkage limit, and pH. Based on these parameters, twelve thematic geotechnical maps were generated to represent the spatial variability of soil engineering properties. Soil classification was performed using gradation curves for coarse-grained soils and the liquid limit–plasticity index chart for fine-grained soils, supported by triangular textural classification. The results indicate predominantly high natural moisture content and moderate density across the region. Textural analysis reveals dominance of silt and silt loam soils, with minor occurrences of sandy and clayey facies. Plasticity assessments classify most soils as low-plasticity clays and silts (CL, ML, and CL–ML), while clay activity analysis indicates largely inactive soils with localized medium to high activity zones. Shear strength parameters show cohesion values between 0.03 and 0.45 kg/cm² and internal friction angles from 10° to 37°. The study concludes that well-graded sandy soils are favorable for foundation construction, whereas expansive clayey soils require careful engineering consideration due to swelling potential. Geotechnical mapping Soil mechanics Foundation suitability Clay activity Shear strength parameters Middle Ganga Plain Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 22 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 14 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 05 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 31 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 12 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 09 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 05 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 04 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 04 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8792437","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":601019827,"identity":"cef68bc6-1562-48a9-9413-bd0e215da016","order_by":0,"name":"Arpita Pankaj","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA80lEQVRIie3QsQqCQBjA8e84qMVsVRx8hRMhCCpfpRCaKhobhUAXa7apJ2htLlovXIVbeoK4aIlo6BOHprS2oPvDhyfcD+4OQKX6yTScKc4OR+LU6h8RVhCS5IR+Q2i+hipiR8f9STLoLdPN4dq5b22dApGX0XvC+MR3Egb+KjsPrfFSOCEFaq62JcTQWpaGhGW8RcexIEhqtFFC7ORF3Gs7Fl4lgawgPZbGzIKbGFQSxkcu3sXom5k+NBeB8ENK5qV3sSPunOSs4+np8SBvD9FdR/O9vJQdrMgYBAa+KwnzHxJU7s/zoMnx8/hos0qlUv1ZT7qXTqVYghd4AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Geological Survey of India, Southern Region","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arpita","middleName":"","lastName":"Pankaj","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-05 05:23:44","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792437/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792437/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104402690,"identity":"7b955f9e-4c02-4d85-8149-556f34c43601","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:16:07","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1493345,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SoilMechanics.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8792437/v1_covered_17c8ebab-2719-4202-ba1d-ea63d48deba9.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Soil Mechanics-Based Geotechnical Mapping of the Rae Bareli Area for Urban Foundation Planning","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-geoscience","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Geoscience](https://www.springer.com/journal/44288)","snPcode":"44288","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44288","title":"Discover Geoscience","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Geotechnical mapping, Soil mechanics, Foundation suitability, Clay activity, Shear strength parameters, Middle Ganga Plain","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792437/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8792437/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"A comprehensive geotechnical map of the Rae Bareilly region in the Middle Ganga Plain was developed through systematic soil mechanics investigations to assess subsurface characteristics and foundation suitability. 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