Ropar: IIT Ropar and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) joined hands for 2 research projects; First Project on Slope Monitoring and Landslide Hazard Quantification for Hilly Roads and second is on Utilization of Rice Husk Ash, Bagasse Ash and Bottom Ash as Backfill Materials for Highway Embankment.
Landslides are recognized as one of the major natural hazards in terms of its worldwide importance. As per National Disaster Management Authority, about 15 percent of the total land area of India is affected by the landslide hazard. One of such location is the Himalayan region, where several devastating landslides have been reported in the past. Landslides pose a serious threat to infrastructure especially hilly roads. The present study aims to quantify the landslide hazard for a highway stretch in the Himalayan region. The study area will be decided in consultation with the NHAI. In the present study, a comprehensive landslide hazard analysis will be carried out based on the Remote sensing and geotechnical test data. Based on the analysis, appropriate landslide mitigation measures will also be recommended through this project. Further, this study also proposes to set up a monitoring system consisting of sensors and data loggers to assess the performance of the recommended landslide mitigation scheme.
The investigators for this project are Dr. Naveen James, Dr. Reet Kamal Tiwari, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Ropar and Dr. CK Narayanan, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, IIT Ropar.
The project, ‘utilization of rice husk ash, bagasse ash and bottom ash as backfill materials for highway embankment’ investigates the possibility of utilization of the agricultural and industrial wastes, such as rice husk ash, bagasse ash and bottom ash, as backfill materials for a stable embankment, in the road construction. A stable embankment should be capable of supporting the traffic loads without excessive deformation during the service life of the pavement. The compacted soil is widely used for the embankment construction these days.
Rice husk is abundantly available in rice producing regions, especially in Punjab, whereas bagasse ash is the byproduct of sugar factories. The bottom ash is the byproduct of coal combustion that is collected from the bottom of furnaces. The performances of rice husk ash, bagasse ash and bottom ash will be analysed, and an optimum ash mix proportion will be proposed. The response of these materials as an embankment material, under traffic loads and seismic loads will also be analysed. An environmental impact study will also be conducted to investigate the influence of these materials in ground water pollution and in ground pollution. The project is for four years and in the last year, the proposed mix will be used in the construction of a highway stretch and the performance of the road will be assessed for one year.
The investigators for this project are Dr. Resmi Sebastian (PI) and Dr. Raheena M (Co-PI), Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Ropar.
