Events by Annamalai University

Geopolymer cement and concrete

The Annamali University is organising  an international workshop on ‘Geopolymer cement and Concrete’ on December 7, 2010 at its campus, Annamalainagar, Tamil Nadu.

Construction activities contribute significantly to national economy and development. Concrete, in its various forms, is the most widely-used construction material. The advent of micro-fillers, micro-reinforcements and polymers has triggered a revolutionary change in concrete technology.

Geopolymer is a class of alumino-silicate materials that has emerged as a new-generation inorganic polymeric material, well suited for numerous engineering applications. Since the majority of the earth’s crust is made up of silicon-aluminium compounds, Prof. J. Davidovits proposed that alumina and silica in a source material could react with alkaline solutions such as sodium or potassium to form geopolymers. The economical and sustainable production of such geopolymers can be used to produce high-strength concrete with minimal carbon dioxide emissions and, hence, reduce greenhouse gas effects that cause global warming. Geopolymer has attracted researchers and the industries alike, as it offers a viable alternative to Portland cement. Extensive research has focused on the usage of so-called industrial wastes such as fly ash, blast furnace slag and the like, that contain alumina and silica compounds in the production of geopolymer concrete.

The world over, coal-burning power stations generate huge volumes of fly ash. As the need for power increases, the volume of fly ash would increase. On the other hand, concrete usage around the globe is second only to water. An important ingredient in conventional concrete is Portland cement. The production of one tonne of cement emits approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The sessions planned for the event are as follows:

Session I - Geopolymer Cements

01. Roadmap for the development of user-friendly systems: the manufacture of geopolymeric chemical ingredients (hardeners)

• Geological route
• Agricultural route (plant ashes)

02. Geopolymer cement raw materials from coal mining

• Coal mine tailing (rock-based geopolymer cement)
• Coal fired power plants: fly ash-based geopolymer cement
• Ideal target: zero CO2 emission in coal power plants

03. Other Geopolymer cement raw materials

• Metakaolin-based
• Rock-based: granitic and basaltic geological formations
• Iron and steel slag

Session II - Fly ash-based Geopolymer Concrete

• Geopolymer Concrete versus Portland Cement Concrete
• Factors influencing Mix Design process . Mix design method
• Short-term properties
• Long-term properties
• Special properties
• Structural members and application of current codes and standards
• Some applications

Session III - Low-energy Manufacture of Building Bricks

01. Principles governing the manufacture of LTGS bricks, from lateritic / kaolinitic soils
02. Manufacture of fly ash-based bricks

SEC 2010

The seventh structural engineering convention (SEC 2010) will be held during December 8 to 10, 2010 at the Annamalai University campus, Tamil Nadu.

The suggested themes are as follows:

• Advances in concrete structures
• Advances in steel structures
• Advances in Computational
• Structural Mechanics
• Testing and evaluation of structures/structural components
• New and sustainable materials of construction
• Housing and habitat
• Analysis and design of structures against natural hazards
• Forensic analysis and health monitoring of structures
• Repair, retrofit and rehabilitation of structures
• Advances in construction techniques/practices
• Behaviour of structures under blast/impact loading
• Risk and reliability
• Fatigue and fracture
• Soil-structure interaction
• Earthquake-resistant analysis and design
• Pre-engineered buildings
• FRP in infrastructure applications . Performance-based design
• Guidelines and codal recommendations

For more details, please contact:

Prof. C. Antony Jeyasehar
Chairman, Organising Committee
Professor & Head
Department of Civil and Structural Engineering
Annamalai University, Annamalainagar 608 002,
Tamil Nadu, INDIA.
Telefax: +914144 239732.
Mobile: +91 9443128028, 9443046146.
Email: sec2010au@gmail.com;
Website: www.annamalaiuniversity.ac.in

Mr. Kuldip K. Kaura is new MD of ACC

ACC Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Kuldip K. Kaura as its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.

Mr. Kaura is a B.E. (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani. Mr. Kaura who prior to this appointment was an Independent Director on Board of ACC, brings with him rich experience in the metals/mining and engineering sectors. Mr. Kaura, worked with Vedanta resources for 7 years; initially as the Managing Director of Hindustan Zinc Limited and thereafter as Chief Executive Officer of Vedanta Resources Plc till 2008 and played a significant role in transformation and rapid growth of its group companies. Prior to this, Mr. Kaura had 18 years long stint With ABB, India, an engineering company with a strong presence in India. During this period Mr Kaura grew through various key positions and was Managing Director from 1998 to 2001

Mr. Kaura brings with him rich experience and a deep appreciation of the national & international business environment and has benefit of management education from reputed business institutions like London Business School and Swedish Institute of Management.

Technological advances in construction Industry

The Indian Buildings Congress  is organising their mid-term seminar  on the theme on  ‘Technological advances in construction Industry - Focus - Faster Speed & Better Quality'  during November 2010 at Bhopal.

The traditional construction methods have not proved to be effective in meeting out the huge demand of construction industry. High expectations of community for providing facilities in a short time has forced professionals engaged in design and construction of building and infrastructure development, to revamp their roles and look for new processes for faster and better quality construction. Similarly, professionals have to look for newer technologies in preference to older and polluting technologies to reduce gestation period maintaining quality standards.

Construction Industry has taken a great leap forward in the new millennium with the country poised for huge investment into creation of world class infrastructure facilities. We have entered a new phase in the era of globalization and liberalization with new techniques, new concepts, new materials, computer aided designs, highly sophisticated construction equipment and machinery, various grades of cement, steel and other materials, which are revolutionizing the construction scenario in the country. It is only due to this reason we have been able to create world class infrastructure in shorter period. Examples are the recently completed T 3 Airport Terminal, Delhi Metro, sports stadia for Commonwealth Games etc.

We have an opportunity to realise our true potential by bringing in professionalism and global expertise in all areas of construction activities. This is the right time to make this industry modernized, technologically upgraded and globally competitive through effective project design, planning and implementation. Studies show that cost associated with new technologies can be very well offset by lower costs of maintenance of buildings in the form of energy savings. Another aspect which should not be forgotten is that better buildings with new technology are providing increased comfort, happiness and eventually improved efficiency of its users. There is revolution in building technology with innovative materials and processes. This has prompted us to collate the knowledge and disseminate the same amongst the professionals engaged in creation of the built environment by holding a Seminar on “Technological Advances in Construction Industry, Focus - Faster Speed & Better Quality” with the following sub themes:

• Advancement in Design Concepts
• Materials, Techniques & Technologies like high performance concrete, fibre reinforced concrete, prefabricated construction, water proofing, tunnelling, segmental approach, precision instruments etc
• Innovative Building Services-Building Automation, Fire Fighting, Air Conditioning, Treatment Plants, Lifts etc
• Copstruction Machinery & Equipment
• Case Studies

For more details, please contact:

P.S. Chadha, Consultant
Indian Buildings Congress
Sector VI, R.K. Puram,
New Delhi 110 022.
Tel: 011-26169531, 26170197
Fax: 011-26196391
Email: info@ibc.org.in           
Website: www.ibc.org.in

Holcim Global Awards for Sustainable Construction

Global contest Open for entries till March 23, 2011

Holcim Awards is a unique and prestigious international competition organized by the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. The competition celebrates designs of innovative, future-oriented and tangible sustainable construction projects and visions from around the globe and provides prize money of USD 2 million per three-year competition cycle. The competition is organized on regional and global levels with two categories within the competition.

Two categories for entry

There are two categories within the competition, a main general category and a second one for student projects. The main category is open to architects, planners, engineers, project owners, builders and construction firms that showcase sustainable responses to technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affective contemporary building and construction. Projects are eligible for the competition if they have reached an advanced stage of design and construction (or commercial production in the case of materials, products and construction technologies) had not started before July 1, 2010. The second category called “Next Generation” category is open to student projects created within university programs at final year bachelor level or above (including masters and PhD). Subject to these two categories as above, the contest is widely inclusive and open to all individuals and groups regardless of material to be used in construction and the background of the applicant.

Recognition of forward-looking projects

The competition seeks projects that demonstrate an ability to stretch conventional notions about sustainable building and also balance environmental, social and economic performance – while exemplifying architectural excellence and a high degree of transferability. These are the target issues used as criteria for evaluating each entry. Projects and concepts related to: buildings and civil engineering works; landscape, urban design and infrastructure; and materials, products and construction technologies are eligible for entry in the competition.

Two-stage global competition

The award cycle begins with a regional competition in each of the five world regions: Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa Middle East and Asia Pacific. Independent juries supported by the Holcim Foundation’s partner universities evaluate submissions on the basis of the “target issues” for sustainable construction. The projects that receive Holcim Awards Gold, Silver or Bronze in these five regions are then qualified for the competition for the Global Holcim Awards.

Competition open till March 23, 2011

The third cycle of the Holcim Awards competition opened for entries on July 1, 2010 and remains open for submission till March 23, 2011. Submissions may be made via a user-friendly web-based entry form and in English only. Full conditions of entry and a “Step-by-step” guide to completing the entry form are available on the Holcim Foundation’s website at www.holcimawards.org

In India the Holcim Global Awards competition is promoted on behalf of the Holcim Foundation jointly by ACC Limited and Ambuja Cements Limited.

For more details, please contact:

R. Nand Kumar,
Head Corporate Communications,
ACC Limited, Cement House,
121 Maharshi Karve Road, Mumbai 400020
Tel: 91 22 33024253/524/582
Email: nand.kumar@acclimited.com 

Software for Steel Design as per IS 800 : 2007 released

Mr. N. Prabhakar, Chartered Structural Engineer, has developed a software for Steel Design by Limit-State method as per IS 800 : 2007.  The software contains 14  Excel spreadsheets for various structural elements commonly encountered in a design office, viz. Beams and Compound Beams, Compression members, Tension members, members subjected to Axial Force and Bending Moments, Effective Length of Column, Welded Plate Girder, Crane Girder, Purlins and Side Rails with or without sag roads, Bolted connections, Welded connections, Elastic Analysis of pin-jointed Truss / Continuous Beam / Single span Beams, and Section Property of any shape. The special features of the software are:  several elements can be designed at a time for most cases, hundreds of Indian steel sections are there to choose from by press of a button.  The spreadsheets are presented in a tabular form, and the print-outs are in suitable format for record/submission purpose. It is  fast, practical, and a useful tool for the design of structural steel elements in any design office.

For details, please contact Mr. N. Prabhakar
Tel: (0250) 2463447,    Mobile: 09322199254
Email: nprabhakar@bsnl.in
website www.steeldesignspreadsheets.com 

Sustainable Technologies for Concrete Constructions

The India Chapter of American Concrete Institute (ACI) is organising an international conference on ‘Sustainable Technologies for Concrete Constructions’ during September 3 & 4, 2010 at Hotel ITC, The Maratha, Near Sahar International Airport, Andheri (E), Mumbai.

It is proposed to have deliberations on the following during the conference:

• Engineering Design for Sustainable Concrete by way of optimization and controlled consumption of natural resources judiciously for concrete structures, use of constituent ingredients, recycled/manufactured aggregates, PFA, GGBS etc.,
• Methods and Tools for Sustainable Concrete Practice covering technological developments, advanced mix design, standards & specifications, use of microscopy and microanalysis techniques, environment versus economic studies, etc.,
• Environmental friendly durable Concrete covering engineering and structural performance, influence of environment friendly constituents based on both durability and structural integrity etc.,
• Economising on consumption of Re-bar, manufacture of which substantially draws large quantum of natural resources, as also impacting the environment through pollution and heat loads during manufacture.
• Devising and popularizing “Formwork” which otherwise traditionally draws upon timber, resulting in diminishing forests and green cover.
• Effective management of waste & exploring alternative resources, covering waste minimization, recycling for reuse and opportunities thereof, etc.,  With above in view, the conference will be broadly structured into sessions dealing with Cementitious materials, Admixtures, Coarse and fine aggregates, Building structures, Bridges, Viaducts, Tunnels, etc.,  Pavements, Steel, RMC, Formwork etc.,

For more details, please contact:

India Chapter of ACI
2-3, Nagree Terraces, Soonawala Agiary Road,
Mahim (West), Mumbai: 400 016.
Tel: 91-22-24469175 / 32957023.
Fax: 91-22-24460760
E-mail: infoicaci@gmail.com
Web: www.icaci.com

BridgeTech 2010

The second annual Bridge Tech summit will be held during November 29-30 & December 1-2, 2010 at the InterContinental Pudong Shanghai, China.

Every successful construction of a bridge has the fruits of the technological innovation in design, construction and management, which goes beyond geographical boundaries. The world bridge industry is still booming, particularly in the current ‘bridge land’- China. In addition to RMB 4 trillion ledged by China’s central government to invest and develop the infrastructure sector in 2009, China will undertake 245 new bridge construction projects in 2010, with a total investment of up to RMB 150 billion.

Based on these fast changing environment and the success of Bridge Tech 2009, the 2nd annual Bridge Tech Summit i.e. Bridge Tech 2010 emerges as one of the most exciting and significant annual events for bridge industry. It will bring together decision makers and top-flight speakers to discuss hottest issues in bridge industry nowadays. It is designed for those who seek to explore the latest industry developments, to find the most efficient modes of cooperation, to experience the amazing technological innovation nowadays, to gain the real business opportunities and benefits, and to seek the brightest spot against the current economic backdrop. 

The key issues for the events are

• The status quo and development trend of bridges industry
• Current investment policy and new bridge projects in China
• Bridge safety consideration under technological innovation
• Bridge life-cycle cost design and applications
• Bridge health monitoring and maintenance
• Advanced bridge construction materials and equipment
• Case sharing of world class bridges

For more details, please contact:

Frank Chen
Global Leaders Institute
25/F, HeChuang Building, No. 450
Caoyang Road, Shanghai,
China 200063
Tel: 86 21 5236 0030 ext 6055
E-Mail: frank.chen@globaleaders.com