Showing papers in "Journal of The Institution of Engineers : Series A in 2014"
TL;DR: In this article, the use of copper slag, as a partial replacement of sand for use in cement concrete and building construction, was discussed, and three masonry wall panels of dimensions 1 × 1 m were plastered.
Abstract: This work focuses on the use of copper slag, as a partial replacement of sand for use in cement concrete and building construction. Cement mortar mixtures prepared with fine aggregate made up of different proportions of copper slag and sand were tested for use as masonry mortars and plastering. Three masonry wall panels of dimensions 1 × 1 m were plastered. The studies showed that although copper slag based mortar is suitable for plastering, with the increase in copper slag content, the wastage due to material rebounding from the plastered surfaces increases. It is therefore suggested that the copper slag can be used for plastering of floorings and horizontal up to 50 % by mass of the fine aggregate, and for vertical surfaces, such as, brick/block walls it can be used up to 25 %. In this study on concrete mixtures were prepared with two water cement ratios and different proportions of copper slag ranging from 0 % (for the control mix) to 100 % of fine aggregate. The Concrete mixes were evaluated for workability, density, and compressive strength.
58 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a critical review on bottom ash as an adsorbent, light weight aggregate as well as partial replacement of fine aggregate in concrete is presented, where physical and chemical properties, transportation and disposal mechanism and environmental effects are also discussed.
Abstract: India focuses on attention towards “greener and cleaner” environment surrounding us. For that, the engineers and scientists have joined hands together to accept the challenges for recycling wastes from industries. The generation of Bottom Ash (BA) from thermal power plants which are being increased day by day and facing disposal and environmental problems. In spite of that, it is being used as landfills which has no commercial value, but now needs to think on its utilization as useable supplementary materials. But from the literature survey, it was found that a little amount of research have been carried out on BA in the area based on its adsorption capability of dyes; pelletization efficiency of cold bonded aggregate; compressive strength, durability, water absorption characteristics and density variation in concrete and mortar; in order to ensure its usage as adsorption as well as construction material. The present paper deals with a critical review on BA as an adsorbent, light weight aggregate as well as partial replacement of fine aggregate in concrete. In addition, physical and chemical properties, transportation and disposal mechanism and environmental effects are also discussed.
27 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study was undertaken to determine the priority watersheds for conservation of natural resources of the Haharo sub catchment in the Damodar catchment of upper Damodara valley area having an area of 565 km2 involving four watersheds in Jharkhand State in eastern India by morphometric analysis using topographical maps on a scale of 1:50,000.
Abstract: This study was undertaken to determine the priority watersheds for conservation of natural resources of the Haharo sub catchment in the Damodar catchment of upper Damodar valley area having an area of 565 km2 involving four watersheds in Jharkhand State in eastern India by morphometric analysis using topographical maps on a scale of 1:50,000. To define the morphometric features of the watershed, the topographic information of the study area at 1:50,000 scaled are taken for analysis with the help of GIS tools. The topographical information derived from this map is utilized for calculating parameters and fixing of priority of watershed for suggesting conservation measures. The parameters computed include the morphometric parameters like bifurcation ratio, drainage density, stream frequency, texture ratio, and three basin shape parameters i.e., form factor, circularity ratio, and elongation ratio. A rating was done for each of these parameters according to their value. Average of all these parameter for each watershed is calculated to determine the priority. Among the four watersheds 4/4 was the highest priority area where conservation measure has to be taken first then watershed 4/3. Watershed 4/1 was the medium priority area and watershed 4/2 was the low priority area.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors collected historic air temperature data for 37 locations across India and used this database to predict pavement temperature data by an appropriate air temperature-pavement temperature model, and the pavement temperature contours were generated for the first time for India.
Abstract: The stress-strain response of the bituminous pavements is highly sensitive to temperature. To systematically analyze the pavement performance, it is necessary that one understands the variation of pavement temperature spatially and temporally during the life time of a pavement. In this investigation, historic air temperature data for 37 locations across India was collected. Using this database, pavement temperature data was predicted by an appropriate air temperature-pavement temperature model. High and low temperature pavement temperature contours were generated for the first time for India. It was seen that the locations spanning from Srinagar to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to Orissa were extremely critical. The minimum temperature in these locations was $$-$$
10 $$^{\mathrm {\circ }}$$
C and the maximum temperature was around 68 $$^{\mathrm {\circ }}$$
C. Clearly such information is necessary when making choice of binder grade and bituminous layer thickness.
17 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a case study of an educational building located in composite climate is presented, where the application of conventional and geothermal cooling systems is compared in terms of energy consumption.
Abstract: The tropical climate buildings use about 70 % of operating energy for cooling of built environment. In composite climatic zone like Nagpur, Maharashtra, India several electro-mechanical cooling appliances viz., evaporative coolers, air conditioners, etc. are used. Application of geothermal cooling system is a very apt option for saving energy and reducing emission when compared to conventional cooling techniques. In the present work design methodology of geothermal cooling system is broadly elaborated and is applied to a case study of an educational building located in composite climate. The application of conventional and geothermal cooling systems is compared in terms of energy consumption. It is found that geothermal cooling system saves around 90 % of electricity as compared to air conditioner and 100 % of water as compared to evaporative coolers. This approach can further be extended for larger applications that will reduce consumption of energy and water in buildings.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a Multi-input Multi-output (MIMO) ANN model has been developed and applied to predict seven important meteorological parameters, such as maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, sunshine hours, dew point temperature and evaporation concurrently.
Abstract: The meteorological parameters plays a vital role for determining various water demand in the water resource systems, planning, management and operation. Thus, accurate prediction of meteorological variables at different spatial and temporal intervals is the key requirement. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is one of the most widely used data driven modelling techniques with lots of good features like, easy applications, high accuracy in prediction and to predict the multi-output complex non-linear relationships. In this paper, a Multi-input Multi-output (MIMO) ANN model has been developed and applied to predict seven important meteorological parameters, such as maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, sunshine hours, dew point temperature and evaporation concurrently. Several types of ANN, such as multilayer perceptron, generalized feedforward neural network, radial basis function and recurrent neural network with multi hidden layer and varying number of neurons at the hidden layer, has been developed, trained, validated and tested. From the results, it is found that the recurrent MIMO-ANN having 28 neurons in a single hidden layer, trained using hyperbolic tangent transfer function with a learning rate of 0.3 and momentum factor of 0.7 performed well over the other types of MIMO-ANN models. The MIMO ANN model performed well for all parameters with higher correlation and other performance indicators except for sunshine hours. Due to erratic nature, the importance of each of the input over the output through sensitivity analysis indicated that relative humidity has highest influence while others have equal influence over the output.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a semi cylindrical walk-in type natural convection solar tunnel dryer was developed and evaluated for the drying of fish products in comparison with the conventional method of open sun drying.
Abstract: The local practice of drying fish in open sun drying poses problems such as high moisture content, uncontrolled drying and contamination. These problems can be avoided by proper use of improved methods such as the solar tunnel dryer, which results in faster drying of fish. The semi cylindrical walk-in type natural convection solar tunnel dryer, having drying area of 37.5 m2 was developed and evaluated for the drying of fish products in comparison with the conventional method of open sun drying. The experiments were conducted without fish and with fish to evaluate the performance of solar tunnel dryer. The average rise in temperature inside the solar tunnel dryer was found to be 11.24 °C and 18.29 °C over the ambient temperature during no load test in winter and summer respectively. The average 28 % saving in time was observed for selected fish drying using solar tunnel dryer over open sun drying method with average drying efficiency of 19 %. The economics was calculated for drying of prawns (Parapaeneopsis stylifera) by solar tunnel dryer and open sun drying system on the basis of business as a whole. The economics of the solar tunnel dryer is presented in term of Net present worth, Benefit–Cost Ratio, Payback period, Profitability index and Internal rate of return. The pay back period for solar tunnel dryer was found to be 2.84 years.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed various alternative materials which can be used in day-to-day construction in order to mitigate the environmental impact and climate change due to construction activity in India.
Abstract: Building sector is responsible for 40 % of the primary energy use and 24 % of carbon dioxide emissions in India. The main source of green house gas emissions from buildings is due to energy consumption. This paper aims to assess the embodied energy index and environmental impact of a two storied residential building. The study proposes various alternative materials which can be used in day to day construction in order to mitigate the environmental impact and climate change due to construction activity in India. Two types of construction techniques have been considered for the study, namely load bearing and reinforced concrete framed construction. Embodied energy and carbon dioxide emissions of walling and roofing components using conventional and alternative materials has also been analyzed and compared. The comparison is done based on two parameters namely, embodied energy/m2 and CO2 emissions per unit of floor area. The study shows that bricks, cement and steel are the three major contributors to the energy cost of constructing a building by conventional methods. A conventional two storied load bearing structure is 22 % more energy efficient when compared to a reinforced concrete structure. It has also been observed from the study that use of alternative material in the building envelope gives embodied energy savings between 50 and 60 % for a two storey load bearing structure and 30–42 % for a two storey reinforced concrete structure. Hence a load bearing construction is certainly a better alternative to RC framed construction for up to two storied structures in terms of embodied energy and environmental impacts.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an experimental investigation on clear water local scour and horseshoe vortex flow field of cohesionless bed sediment around an equilateral triangular pier (side facing the approaching flow).
Abstract: The present work deals with an experimental investigation on clear water local scour and horseshoe vortex flow field of cohesionless bed sediment around an equilateral triangular pier (side facing the approaching flow). The turbulence field within the equilibrium scour hole is experimentally measured in a laboratory tilting flume using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter. The experiment is conducted for the approaching flow having undisturbed flow depth (=0.125 m) greater than the pier width and the depth-averaged approaching flow velocity (=0.247 m/s) about 68 % of the critical velocity of the uniform bed sand of median diameter of 0.825 m. The triangular pier width is 0.11 m. The outcomes of triangular pier have been compared with the square pier (side facing the approaching flow) and circular pier obtained from previous study. The distribution of time-averaged velocity vectors, contours of the vorticities and turbulent kinetic energies at different azimuthal planes (0° i.e. at the upstream axis of symmetry, 45° and 90°) are presented. Vector plots of the flow field at azimuthal planes reveal the characteristics of the horseshoe vortex flow. The circulation of the horseshoe vortex is determined by using Stokes theorem and forward difference technique. An attempt has also been made to correlate the horseshoe vortex strength with the effective obstruction width of pier for equilibrium scour hole at different azimuthal angles. The presented data would be useful for the development and validation of turbulence field models that can be used to find out the strength of the horseshoe vortex.
8 citations
TL;DR: This work focuses on prioritizing the preventive maintenance for seamless hydro power generation considering (24 × 7) client’s power demand using fuzzy logic using MATLAB Fuzzy Inference System editor.
Abstract: Preventive maintenance prioritization is one of the most important criteria for the electricity generation planners to minimize the down time and production costs. Break down of equipments increases costs and plant down time results in loss of business. This work focuses on prioritizing the preventive maintenance for seamless hydro power generation considering (24 × 7) client’s power demand using fuzzy logic. The main task involves prioritizing the maintenance work considering constraints of varied power demand and hydro turbine plant breakdown. Fuzzy logic is used to optimize the preventive maintenance prioritization under the main constraints. Manual fuzzy arithmetic is used to develop the model and MATLAB Fuzzy Inference System editor used to validate the same. This novel fuzzy logic approach of preventive maintenance prioritizing for hydro power generation is absent in renewable power generation and industrial engineering literatures due to its assessment complexity.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a non-iterative step-by-step design procedure to achieve the target performance level, which is aimed to achieve both in terms of inter-storey drift and plastic hinge rotation.
Abstract: Supplemental energy dissipation is a technique of earthquake resistant design and for improving the seismic performance of existing buildings. In the present study, a comprehensive design methodology for performance based design of frame buildings with metallic and friction dampers has been proposed. In this study, the target performance level is aimed to achieve both in terms of inter-storey drift and plastic hinge rotation. A non-iterative step-by-step design procedure is proposed to achieve the target performance level. The methodology provides the design yield forces in case of metallic dampers, and slip forces in case of friction dampers. A satisfactory distribution of both types of dampers along the height of the building is also provided in the methodology. The efficiency of the proposed design methodology is validated by applying to a ten storey building and performing nonlinear time history analysis. The building, with and without dampers, is subjected to five spectrum compatible time histories with peak ground acceleration of 0.24 g and the relative performance of the building with the two types of dampers is studied.
TL;DR: In this paper, a small scale experiment was conducted to monitor the gas generation and the results were compared and analyzed. But, the results showed that significant energy can be harnessed from the municipal solid waste (MSW) if requisite LFG management systems are installed.
Abstract: Landfills are considered as cornerstone of solid waste management. Landfill gas (LFG) and leachate are principal outputs from landfills. Methane, occupying significant volume of landfill gas, has considerable potential as a source of energy replacing enormous amounts of fossil fuels currently in use. Gas extraction and utilization systems need to be designed and implemented in order to exploit this resource. Assessment of economic viability of these systems necessitates estimation of gas released and its energy potential. Gas quantification and energy estimation for municipal solid waste (MSW) of Bangalore city was carried out using five independent methodologies. A small scale experiment was conducted to monitor the gas generation and the results were compared and analysed. Results show that significant energy can be harnessed from the MSW if requisite LFG management systems are installed. The use of methane as an energy source maximizes the extraction of useful resources from landfills, minimizes the global warming and offsets significant amount of fossil fuels.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated how application of irradiation with heat treatment reduced pathogens in sewage sludge and found that the reduction in irradiation dose from 5 to 3 kGy was observed for pasteurised sludge resulting in saving of radiation energy.
Abstract: In this research work, management of sewage sludge disposal on agricultural soils is addressed. The increasing amount of sewage sludge and more legislative regulation of its disposal have stimulated the need for developing new technologies to recycle sewage sludge efficiently. The research was structured along two main avenues, namely, the efficacy of the irradiation process for removing enteric pathogenic microorganisms and the potential of irradiated sludge as a soil amendment. This study investigated how application of irradiation with heat treatment reduced pathogens in sewage sludge. Raw and pasteurised Sewage sludge was treated at different dose treatment of 1.5, 3 and 5 kilogray (kGy) gamma irradiation individually and for 3 kGy sufficiency was achieved. Decrease in irradiation dose from 5 to 3 kGy was observed for pasteurised sludge resulting in saving of radiation energy. The presence of heavy metals in untreated sewage sludge has raised concerns, which decreases after irradiation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the temporal characteristics of Particulate Matter (PM) mass and number concentrations measured inside a naturally ventilated school building, located close to a busy roadway in Chennai city.
Abstract: This work presents the temporal characteristics of Particulate Matter (PM) mass and number concentrations measured inside a naturally ventilated school building, located close to a busy roadway in Chennai city. Two environmental dust monitor instruments (GRIMM Model 107 and Model 108) were used for measuring PM mass and number concentrations. The 1-h mean values of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 mass concentrations were found to be 262 ± 161, 68 ± 24, 40 ± 15 µg/m3 and 81 ± 26, 56 ± 2, 45 ± 19 µg/m3 during working hours (8am–4pm) and non-working hours (4pm–8am)/holidays, respectively. The PM number concentrations inside the room during working hours were found to be 2.4 × 105, 2.2 × 103 and 8.1 × 102 particles/l in the size range of 0.3–1, 1–3 and 3–10 µm, respectively. The present study reveals that during working hours, indoor PM concentrations of the classroom were influenced by the activities of occupants and during non working hours it was affected by outdoor vehicular emissions.
TL;DR: In this article, a study was conducted to analyze the wind energy potential to assess feasibility of the wind-pump operated irrigation system in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, India, where high ground water table conditions are available.
Abstract: The rapid escalation in the prices of oil and gas as well as increasing demand for energy has attracted the attention of scientists and researchers to explore the possibility of generating and utilizing the alternative and renewable sources of wind energy in the long coastal belt of India with considerable wind energy resources A detailed analysis of wind potential is a prerequisite to harvest the wind energy resources efficiently Keeping this in view, the present study was undertaken to analyze the wind energy potential to assess feasibility of the wind-pump operated irrigation system in the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, India, where high ground water table conditions are available The stochastic analysis of wind speed data were tested to fit a probability distribution, which describes the wind energy potential in the region The normal and Weibull probability distributions were tested; and on the basis of Chi square test, the Weibull distribution gave better results Hence, it was concluded that the Weibull probability distribution may be used to stochastically describe the annual wind speed data of coastal Andhra Pradesh with better accuracy The size as well as the complete irrigation system with mass curve analysis was determined to satisfy various daily irrigation demands at different risk levels
TL;DR: In this article, a morphometric analysis of Upper Bhima Basin (UBB) located in state of Maharahstra, India has been presented, which has a huge socio-economic impact as many towns and metros emerged as important centres for employment, industrial hubs, and Information Technology (IT) parks.
Abstract: This study presents a morphometric analysis of Upper Bhima Basin (UBB), located in state of Maharahstra, India. Study area is in western part of Maharashtra State, which has a huge socio—economic impact as many towns and metros are emerged as important centres for employment, industrial hubs, and Information Technology (IT) parks. The study focuses only on the morphometric analysis of UBB. Analysis done using ArcGIS software, by digitizing the toposheets, georeferencing them and then analyzing in the GIS environment. The analysis revealed that the basin was of seventh order with dendritic type of drainage pattern. Results revealed that the value of bifurcation ratio Rb lies between 3 and 5. Values of drainage density range from 1.60 to 0.01 km/km2, indicating low drainage density. Average value of drainage density is 0.374 km/km2 for entire basin, so classifying the basin as coarse.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the results of an experimental investigation carried out to assess the strength of pre-cast roof slab system comprising of ferrocement slab panels resting over RC beams.
Abstract: The work presents the results of an experimental investigation carried out to assess the strength of pre-cast roof slab system comprising of ferrocement slab panels resting over RC beams. In the ferrocement panels, the cement was replaced by 0 and 20 % fly ash. This roof slab system proves out to be a cost effective and structurally safe and viable alternative for low cost housing, much better than the conventional roofing system comprising of steel girder and brittle sand stone panels commonly used in regions where sand stone panels are easily available. The testing includes three sets of roof system comprising of 12 ferrocement panels placed on two pre-cast RC beams, and an enclosure of brick walls on four sides. A similar set of roof slab system comprising of 12 sand stone panels in place of ferrocement panels were also tested for comparison. The testing was continued till the cracks were pronounced. It was observed that load carrying capacity of RC beam and ferrocement panel system with same thickness is higher as compared to similar arrangement of RC beam and sand stone panels. The crack propagation phenomenon was also studied. The ferrocement roof slab system exhibited ductile failure whereas brittle failure was observed in case of sand stone roof slab system. Cost analysis reveals that two pre-cast systems of RC beams and ferrocement panels with and without fly ash are economical as compared to red sand stone panels or RC slab system. The theoretical calculations have also been carried out to establish the adequacy of the sections to sustain the flexural loading applied in the present investigation.
TL;DR: In this article, a semi impervious subsurface barrier (SSB) is proposed to regulate and control the lateral flow of water in the unconfined aquifer in lateritic formations.
Abstract: The coastal districts of Karnataka in west coast of India experience acute shortage of drinking water during dry season in spite of heavy monsoon rains. Though sufficient recharge of ground water takes place, depletion of water table is very quick, once the rain recedes. It is mainly attributed to the presence of porous and highly permeable laterites and lateritic soils. The hydraulic conductivity of these soils varies in the range of 10−4 to 10−5 cm/s. The conventional water harvesting methods fail to solve the problem. It is necessary to explore innovative method to regulate the lateral subsurface flow and maintain a high water table over a prolonged period of time. The present work is an attempt to explore the possibility of using semi impervious Subsurface Barrier (SSB) to regulate and control the lateral flow of water in the unconfined aquifer in lateritic formations. Appropriate barrier material is arrived at using the locally available soil and the required properties are established. A SSB is built in a suitable location in an identified microwatershed using lateritic soil and the composite soil prepared by mixing requisite percentage of lateritic soil and clay. The hydraulic conductivity of these soils is maintained in the range of 10−6 to 10−7 cm/s so as to behave as semi impervious. The performance analysis is carried out by observing water levels in selected open observation wells before and after the construction of the barrier. The results have shown the successful performance of SSB in maintaining a high water table over a prolonged period of time during summer months, both in u/s and d/s of the barrier.
TL;DR: In this article, an experimental study was conducted on composite beam of repair materials and substrate concrete to investigate the failures of concrete repair due to differences in strength of the repair material and the substrate concrete.
Abstract: An experimental study was conducted on composite beam of repair materials and substrate concrete to investigate the failures of concrete repair due to differences in strength of repair materials and substrate concrete. In this investigation the flexural strength, load–deflection curves and failure patterns of the composite beam specimens are studied for the durability of the concrete repair. Flexure test was conducted to simulate tensile stress in the concrete repair material. Compressive strength and split tensile strength of the repair materials and substrate concrete are investigated to aid in the analysis of the concrete repair. It was observed that the repair materials of higher compressive strength than the substrate concrete are causing an incompatible failure in the concrete repair.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate the significance of phase change material (PCM) in the construction of working sheds and product storage magazines in fireworks industries to maintain less temperature variation by passive cooling.
Abstract: This work demonstrates the significance of Phase Change Material (PCM) in the construction of working sheds and product storage magazines in fireworks industries to maintain less temperature variation by passive cooling. The inorganic PCM, namely Calcium Chloride Hexahydrate (CCH) is selected in this study. First, the performance of two models with inbuilt CCH was analysed, using computational fluid dynamics. A significant change in the variation of inner wall temperature was observed, particularly during the working hours. This is mainly due to passive cooling, where the heat transfer from the surroundings to the room is partially used for the phase change from solid to liquid. The experiment was carried out by constructing two models, one with PCM packed in hollow brick walls and roof, and the other one as a conventional construction. The experimental results show that the temperature of the room got significantly reduced up to 7 °C. The experimental analysis results had good agreement with the numerical analysis results, and this reveals the advantage of the PCM in the fireworks industry construction.
TL;DR: In this article, the compressive and flexural strength of normal retempered concrete with an addition of retarder 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6% at retempering time from 15 to 90
Abstract: Retempering is defined as, “Addition of water and remixing of concrete or mortar which has lost enough workability to become unplaceable”. Retempering inevitably results in some loss of strength compared with the original concrete [1]. Adding water to a plastic mix to increase slump is an extremely common practice, even though it is not recommended because it increases the porosity of concrete. Concrete often arrives on site more than half an hour after initial mixing. Placement operations can take anywhere from 10 to 60 min, depending on the field conditions and the size of the load. When the slump decreases to an unacceptable level during the operations, water is added to the mix [1]. In this work, an attempt is made to study the strength characteristics of retempered concrete made by using manufactured sand. Usually the retempering process is there with normal and ready mixed concrete; hence an attempt is made to check the compressive and flexural strength of normal retempered concrete with an addition of retarder 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 % at retempering time from 15 to 90 min. There is scarcity of natural sand due to various factors, which is replaced by the manufactured sand. The concept of manufactured sand is nothing but breaking stone into smaller and smaller particles in such way that the gradation of particle will match with zone-II of I.S.
TL;DR: In this article, a comparative study was performed to evaluate the vermicomposting efficiency of two earthworm species Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugenia from the garden wastes, vegetable market wastes.
Abstract: Comparative study was performed to evaluate the vermicomposting efficiency of two earthworm species Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugenia from the garden wastes, vegetable market wastes. Three different experimental works were conducted. For each experiment three plastic vermibins were used. Experiment (1) mentioned for control without earthworms. Experiment (2) bedded with Eudrilus eugenia, Experiment (3) comprised of bedding with Eisenia fetida. Pre composting was allowed for 10 days after that Eudrilus eugenia, Eisenia fetida were added in respective vermibins. The multiplication of earthworms in terms of number was calculated at the end of vermicomposting. The N, P, K value of the manure in each vermibin was estimated before and after the completion of the experiment. High N, P, K value was obtained in Experiment (2) and Experiment (3) compared to control. Among the solid wastes, the vegetable wastes were degraded quickly by Eudrilus eugenia and also it has the best quality of manure. Eudrilus eugenia was found to be efficient for quick degradation of both garden wastes and vegetable wastes. After manure production, field trials were conducted using different fertilizers to assess the manure quality in the growth and yield of tomato plants. Six types of experimental trial pots were prepared where one was kept as control and five others were treated with different category of fertilizers. The treatment pots (P3) showed better growth parameters (leaf numbers, stem diameter, plant height) than the rest of the trial.
TL;DR: In this article, an analysis has been made to advance a phenomenological model to arrive at the combinations of the ingredients to produce compressed blocks to meet the strength development desired at specified age, based on carefully planned experimental data generated.
Abstract: Of the several options explored in large scale utilization of fly ash, such as production of blended cements, high volume fly ash cement concretes, fly ash, lime and gypsum (FaL–G) combinations, alkali activated fly ash mortars and concretes are of recent innovations. The last two are non-traditional cementing materials, since no cement is used in processing of these materials. This investigation deals with analysis and assessment of strength development in compressed FaL–G blocks. FaL–G chemistry provides a strong scientific base for understanding the mechanisms of interaction. But an equally strong technological base in the production of FaL–G blocks is the need of the hour. In this investigation, analysis has been made to advance a phenomenological model to arrive at the combinations of the ingredients to produce compressed blocks to meet the strength development desired at specified age, based on carefully planned experimental data generated. The analysis of test results has been done within the framework of Abrams’ law, which is extensively used in concrete technology. The validity has been examined with an independent set of experimental data. With incorporation of more data covering still wider spectrum of materials the phenomenological model can further be reinforced as a viable tool in the production of compressed FaL–G blocks.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the current scenario of architectural education in India and affirms the need for change in this education from generalized study which had been in practice in twentieth century to a more relevant, specialised, and value-based education addressing technical and humanistic challenges more objectively in these vastly changing, socioeconomic and political trends at global and regional levels.
Abstract: The dictionary meaning of education is to develop mentally and morally. A good holistic architectural education, therefore, is a combination of skills, information, as well as values. It is somewhat unique. The evaluation process is continuous in nature and in addition to the traditional means of assessment, the training in architectural education consists of varied interrelated parts-theory, field visit and studio/workshop. To certain extent the subjective nature of the design studio projects provides challenges and opportunities for both students and faculty members, in terms of acquiring necessary skills at the part of the students, and, necessity to update and upgrade continually with the changing pace at the part of the teachers. Technology continues to grow at a rapid pace; equipping the students to meet the complex demands of the profession; the curriculum structure and focus and value system must facilitate the relationship between general education and specialized study. Architects must acquire and understand the required information and find ways to put it in order and apply it to particular settings especially in this era of MNCs and BPOs. The paper discusses the current scenario of architectural education in India and affirms the need for change in this education from generalized study which had been in practice in twentieth century to a more relevant, specialised, and value-based education addressing technical and humanistic challenges more objectively in these vastly changing, socio-economic and political trends at global and regional levels.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented the result of condition assessment of water mains performance by analytical hierarchy process modeling for data collected (2006-2011) from south-west zone of Surat city, India.
Abstract: One of the greatest challenges facing by municipal engineers all over the world is condition assessment of underground water mains performance. As water mains are buried infrastructure, operated under pressure and most important it is inaccessible. In this situation, condition assessment of water mains is challenging as well as become mandatory to employ management strategies for these assets. This work presents the result of condition assessment of water mains performance by analytical hierarchy process modeling. The model was developed for data collected (2006–2011) from south-west zone of Surat city, India. The physical, operational and environmental main factors and 10 sub factors were selected to assess performance of water mains. The pair wise comparison matrices have been generated to make relative weights of each factor and their sub-factors. It represents relative importance of these factors among other factors. The pipe age is found highest relative contributing factor and pipe thickness is least relative contributing factor. The developed model generate results in terms of pipes condition on numeric scale, which is compared with linguistic scale and pipe condition is found like very risky, risky, adequate, good or excellent. The developed model is validated, which shows robust results of 86.4 %, the average validity percentage. Hence, the model is expected to benefit practitioners to prioritize rehabilitation or replacement planning for water mains.
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-objective optimization on roof layer thickness has been carried out through Taguchi based grey relational analysis technique, where the thickness of various roof layers were considered as control parameters and varied through five levels of values.
Abstract: In this work, a multi objective optimization on roof layer thickness has been carried out through Taguchi based grey relational analysis technique. Conventional type of residential building roof was changed by a modified pattern of roof having layers namely concrete, phase change material, wood wool and weathering tile and its performance on heat insulation have been studied. In this study, the optimum thickness of roof layers was determined for minimum heat gain through roof by grey relational analysis technique. The thickness of various roof layers were considered as control parameters and varied through five levels of values. For this objective, Taghuchi’s L25 orthogonal array has been employed and the performance on heat insulation was studied through finite element analysis (FEA) technique. The FEA simulation on heat transfer across the roof has also been validated with the experimental results and found that it is having a good agreement. The optimized roof reduces the heat gain and temperature by 30 % and 3 °C respectively in comparison with the conventional type of roof. Also from this study, it was identified that the wood wool is the most predominant roof layer that controls the heat gain into the room.
TL;DR: A conceptual model is suggested which can be adopted as an integral part of the under ground system to take care of overcrowding in particular and for greater sustainability of the entire transit system.
Abstract: Underground rail network partially solves surface congestion problems in busy cities. Presently it is becoming overcrowded causing inconvenience to passengers at interchanges in the city cores especially during peak hours and at junction points. A conceptual model is suggested which can be adopted as an integral part of the under ground system to take care of this problem in particular and for greater sustainability of the entire transit system. The concept is to facilitate the passengers desiring interchange to avoid major junctions, to move between junctions, to reduce time of journey, to reduce detour according the situations through which a route moves. Primarily the model proposes additional connection between chosen stations mechanized with the help of travellators. The approach to decentralize the crowd can have several advantages. Firstly it allows smooth passenger dispersal. It helps in faster movement of passengers to destination. The model may be adopted in various situations with required modifications. This will result in accommodating more trips, comfortable journey and higher sustainability of the mass transit system. The problem and a feasible method of handling it have only been identified in this paper through review of the plans. An in-depth analysis for practical applicability of the proposed model in different stations has not been conducted. Feasibility study is necessary to be conducted before the implementation of the model at specific junctions. The concept proposed in the paper is different from the existing crowd handling methods and it provides a sustainable long term solution
TL;DR: In this paper, the performance of tall frames, designed by Displacement-based Design (DBD), was verified using non-linear time history analyses, which showed the inefficiency of the design method in accounting for higher mode effect.
Abstract: The behaviour of tall frames is characterized by the influence of higher modes in addition to the fundamental mode and thus the design procedures for Displacement-based Design (DBD) adopt several measures to control higher mode effects. The performances of 4, 9 and 15-storeyed frames, designed by DBD were verified using non-linear time history analyses. Higher values of inter-storey drift and damage index were seen near the top of tall frames, which shows the inefficiency of the design method in accounting for higher mode effect. As the principle of damage-limiting aseismic design is to get uniform damage along the height of the frame, several load distribution patterns were examined and the storey shear distributions were compared to identify the best pattern to get uniform damage. The Chao load distribution was found to give higher storey shear at top and thus the frames were redesigned using this load distribution. The efficiency of Chao load distribution in reducing higher mode effects is demonstrated using non-linear time history analyses.
TL;DR: In this paper, 24 concrete cylinders with a notch at the center were prepared and exposed to wet and dry cycling and acid (3% H2SO4) solution for the period of 120 days.
Abstract: In this study, 24 concrete cylinders with a notch at the centre were prepared. Among them six cylinders were wrapped using single and double layers of fiber reinforced polymer; six cylinders were coated with epoxy resin; the remaining cylinders were used as a control. The cylinders were exposed to wet and dry cycling and acid (3 % H2SO4) solution for the period of 120 days. Two different concrete strengths M30 and M50 were considered for the study. It is found that the strength, ductility and failure mode of wrapped cylinders depend on number of layers and the nature of exposure conditions. It was noticed that the damage due to wet and dry cycling and acid attack was severe in control specimen than the epoxy coated and wrapped cylinders.
TL;DR: In this paper, an adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) based on the concept of fuzzy sets is used to model highly non-linear relationships and are capable of adaptive learning.
Abstract: Water quality models are used to describe the discharge concentration relationships in the river. Number of models exists to simulate the pollutant loads in a river, of which some of them are based on simple cause effect relationships and others on highly sophisticated physical and mathematical approaches that require extensive data inputs. Fuzzy rule based modeling extensively used in other disciplines, is attempted in the present study for modeling water quality with respect of dissolved pollutants in Krishna river flowing in Southern part of India. Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS), a recent development in the area of neuro-computing, based on the concept of fuzzy sets is used to model highly non-linear relationships and are capable of adaptive learning. This paper presents the results of the application of ANFIS for modeling dissolved pollutants in the Krishna River. The application and validation of the models is carried out using water quality and flow data obtained from the monitoring stations on the river. The results indicate that the models are quite successful in simulating the physical processes of the relationships between discharge and concentrations.