Department of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

School of Civil Engineering

Major earthquake events may cause severe fatalities and injuries, resulting in catastrophic damage to structures. However, less emphasis is given regarding earthquake hazard in low seismic regions. Malaysia and Singapore are in a region with low seismic risks; therefore, earthquake resistance designs are not yet included in most of the buildings. Located a few hundred kilometres away from the major earthquake sources, both countries are prone to distant earthquakes, as well as local earthquakes due to the slight change in seismological condition (seismically active period and movement of tectonic plates). This review paper provides some insights into the seismic activity in different places. Research regarding the seismic vulnerability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures is reviewed, with emphasis on non-seismically designed RC buildings. Existing seismic retrofitting methods are also presented through the perspective of level of intervention. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

World University root node

Department of Structural and Geotechical Engineering

Vellore Campus

Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering

A Review of Seismic Vulnerability and Rehabilitation of Reinforced Concrete Structures

Nature designs have inspired many architectural works and technological advancements in today’s world. Trees are one of nature’s pattern and share similar mechanics as in civil engineering structures (e.g. buildings). From literature, trees are able to transfer load efficiently. To identify the effectiveness of having a triangular profile similar to nature, a set of cantilever beams with various geometrical projection are analysed under transverse loading. Standard triangle (ST) cantilever beam was the best overall design. However, it was also found that the method of tensile triangles (MTT) cantilever beam was able to improve cantilever designs if the projection remains small. Thus, demonstrating why buttresses do not exist along with its entire tree height. The results obtained do not discard its potential as it may be more suitable in other civil engineering applications. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Performance of Cantilever Structure Inspired by Tree Patterns

Based on the early studies it is evident that fibre reinforced concrete exhibits good results in strength and workability compared to conventional concrete. This research work evaluates the practical corrosion resistance of rebar induced various forms of concrete reinforced with fibre. In this study, three multiple types of concrete reinforced with E-waste copper wire, steel fibre and E-Glass fibre at a constant percentage of 1% were used. To evaluate corrosion characteristics of rebar introduced in fibre reinforced concrete accelerated corrosion test and standard test method as per ASTM G109 were conducted. Test results were compared for all three types of fibre reinforced concrete. Results showed that E-Glass fibre reinforced concrete induced rebar is high corrosion resistivity compared to control concrete, steel fibre reinforced concrete and E-waste copper wire fibre reinforced concrete specimens. © 2021, RILEM.

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Corrosion Characteristics of Rebar Induced in Different Types of Fibre Reinforced Concrete

The main cause of reinforced concrete deterioration is chloride attack. Chloride ions penetrated into the concrete can destroy the passive layer around steel reinforcement provided by the high alkalinity and low pH of cement paste, activating electrochemical corrosion. Durable concrete gives more corrosion resistance of embedded steel that continuously ensures a stronger long life of the reinforced concrete structure. The concrete structures within the seashore areas allow chloride ions to easily penetrate into the concrete and reduce the life span of the structure. In this paper, the rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT) as per ASTM C1202 is presented to determine the chloride profile, concrete chloride resistivity and rate of corrosion. The specimens were prepared with concrete incorporating three different type fibres including steel, E-waste copper wire and E-glass fibres of 1.0% by volume of concrete. The RCPT was conducted for time period of 28 days, 56 days and 90 days. The final RCPT results of fibre-reinforced concrete mix with control mix concrete were compared. The test result shows that the E-glass fibre-reinforced concrete was more durable than the other concrete mixes. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Evaluation of Rapid Chloride Permeability Test on Concrete Containing Steel, E-Waste Copper Wire and E-Glass Fibres

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most dangerous pollutants in urban environments, and studies have linked it to many adverse health effects. Resuspended road dust makes up a large portion of PM. Therefore, monitoring and estimating the contribution of resuspended dust to PM is vital. In this study, emission rates of fine and coarse PM from different roads of Vellore City in Tamil Nadu, India, is estimated using silt loading protocol adapted by U.S. EPA. Silt load samples are collected from 8 different roads in the study region. The emission rates estimated using silt loading and fleet weight are then used to model the dispersion of PM throughout the study region using AERMOD. Hotspots of high PM concentration are identified at various locations frequented by commuters in the study region. Areas around educational institutions and hospitals in the region show highly elevated levels of PM. This study illustrates that resuspension of road dust can contribute significantly to PM in urban centers. Fine PM concentration exceeding 500 μg/m3 raises concerns about the health of commuters in the study region. This justifies the need for more regulations aiming at reducing the contribution of PM from resuspended road dust to overall urban PM. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health

Effect of silt loading on particle concentration in the atmosphere from resuspended road dust through particulate matter dispersion modeling

Considering the global energy consumption, it is imperative to focus on energy-efficient buildings. For a multi-storey factory building case study, the base case and design case energy consumption were compared with the actual one. The simulation proved that the design case values were less than that of the base case, and 18.9 % of energy saving could be achieved. The design case value was compared with the actual value and the simulation accuracy was assessed in terms of mean base error and cumulative root mean square error. A comparison was done for two conventional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems with evaporative cooling pad system, which was found to be both energy- and cost-efficient. A model for integrating the key factors during the construction of an energy-efficient building is suggested. © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH

Chemical Engineering and Technology

Simulation and Analysis of a Factory Building's Energy Consumption Using eQuest Software

Geomechanics and Geoengineering

Influence of wetting–drying cycles on swell–shrink behaviour of GPA-reinforced expansive clay beds

This paper presents the use of sawdust (SD), an industrial waste blended with bentonite and Portland cement (PC) mixtures as a liner in a landfill, to minimize the migration of leachate contaminating the subsurface environment. An experimental programme has been evaluated to study the effect of SD content on the liquid limit (LL), free swell index (FSI), compaction, hydraulic conductivity and strength characteristics of blending with bentonite and PC mixtures. The deionized water (DIW) and diesel oil contaminant (DOC) were used as permeating fluids in the study. The LL, FSI, maximum dry density and strength of the mix blends decreased; on the other hand, the optimum moisture content and hydraulic conductivity increased with increase in SD content, respectively. On permeation of DOC for all the mix blends, lower hydraulic conductivity is obtained as compared to DIW. In addition to it, the UCS tests samples were examined for quantitative energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer at 0-, 14- and 28-day curing period. It reveals the increase in Ca/Si ratio and decrease in Al/Ca ratio resulted in the strength improvement with an increase in the curing period. Powdered X-ray diffraction analysis suggested the formation of the hydrated cementitious product in the mix blends. Based on the results obtained from the study, the optimum percentage of sawdust to be effectively used as liner to prevent groundwater contamination was found to be less than or equal to 20%.

VIT Unitversity

Indian Geotechnical Journal

Use of Sawdust Blended with Bentonite and Cement Mixtures to Retain Diesel Oil Contaminants as a Liner in a Landfill

For the exploration of an effective and economical method to treat composite raw tannery effluent, the integrated approach of Ozonation and phycoremediation was followed. In a lab-scale Ozone reactor, the highest performance index was attained, when it was operated at a low O3 flowrate (2 g/h) condition. The tannery effluent partially treated by Ozonation (≈60% COD removed in 90 min) with the ozone consumption of 1.5 g of O3/g of COD, at pH 7.6, coupled with phycoremediation had improved the tannery effluent characteristics to a considerable extent. Overall, the maximum reduction in pollutant concentration attained with the combined treatment was 84% for COD, 60% for colour, 100% for odour, 90% for inorganic carbon, 82% for NH4+- N, 100% for PO4–P, 97% for chromium and 10% for TDS. In phycoremediation, microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata had shown an enhanced growth (μ = 0.255 day−1) with a maximum cell density of 5.2 × 107 cells/mL, dry biomass of 0.86 g L−1 and cell division rate of 0.369 day−1. Elemental analysis of biomass validated the chromium remediation along with other elements such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, and iron from the tannery effluent. Therefore, the phycoremediation integrated ozone process can be considered as a feasible treatment method for tannery effluent along with value-added biomass production. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.

Environmental Research

An integrated approach for tannery effluent treatment with ozonation and phycoremediation: A feasibility study

Recent researchers are giving more importance to cut the practice of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) by replacing the cementitious properties with industrial by-products in construction materials as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM). Many researchers are using Sugarcane Bagasse Ash (SCBA) as SCM which is an industrial by-product. Generally, SCM are pozzolanic materials which are rich in alumina and silicate. Naturally these pozzolanic materials may not be cementitious, but had tendency to react with calcium hydroxide and water in order to form cementitious compounds. The present paper reviews the processing adopted on sugarcane bagasse ash in order to transform it into supplementary cementitious material. The procedure to develop the sugarcane bagasse ash as a pozzolanic material is planned through a structure. The chemical compositions and physical properties of SCBA from the various sources are has been discussed. Furthermore, the influence of grinding and calcination on the characterisation of sugarcane bagasse ash has been discussed. Basically, the characterisation of sugarcane bagasse ash were studied on the basis of physical properties, chemical properties and microstructural studies. This review paper focuses on micro analytical studies of SCBA samples with respect to X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The micro analytical investigation reveals that grinding made SCBA finer and calcination process had reduced the carbon the content in SCBA along with there is an increase in the amorphous reactivity as due to the increment in pozzolanic oxides, observed in X-ray fluorescence (XRF).