From switching to M-sand (manufactured sand) to use of slag cement in structures in coastal regions and new generation polymer concrete, engineers were taken through emerging construction technologies, materials and building techniques in a one-day national seminar recently.
Spread over 10 sessions, the seminar hosted by the Indian Concrete Institute-Puducherry Centre, virtually ran the gamut of civil engineering practices, from structural designs and methods to challenges and case studies in foundation engineering.
Of particular interest to cities like Puducherry was a presentation by Dr. L.H. Rao, Head Technical JSW Cements Ltd, Hyderabad, who gave the low down on the usage of slag cement in chloride affected area in places near the coastal belt.
Sunny Surlekar, Director, MC-Bauchemie (India) Pvt. Ltd. — a Germany-headquartered company in Mumbai, presented case studies to provide insights into the methods of chemical treatment for enhancing the safety of the concrete structure from environmental aspects and faulty workmanship. Waterproofing treatment process is another technique that is being applied on basement and roof structures of long span buildings said A.A.R. Mahendiran, Director Utracon structural systems Pvt. Ltd., a Singapore based company with a presence in Chennai.
Dr. V. Ramachandra, vice president, UltraTech Cements Bengaluru, explained about the functional aspects of M-sand while B. Murugesan, Head -Technology Centre of L & T (Building & Factories), focused on various types of form works to shape the concrete matrix.
Quake-resistant design was also in focus with Prof. A.R. Santhakumar, former Dean of Anna University, Chennai, outlining the parameters to be factored in while designing earth quake resistant structures.
Earlier, while launching the event, P.P. Srinivasan, Chief Engineer, (South Zone 1) CPWD, Chennai, dwelt on the scope for civil engineers in the construction industry and assured the students of all support for their industrial training programme.
According to S. Suresh, chairman of the city unit of the Indian Concrete Institute, such an event was a first for the region and was particularly useful for practitioners as well as students. In fact, it was an encouraging sign that 400 of the 600 delegates were students, he said.
The Indian Concrete Institute-Puducherry Centre hosted the one-day national conference
