Browsing by Author "Edussooriya, C"

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Analyze the potential of developing port of Colombo as a cruise hub in South East Asia
(IEEE, 2020-07) Amarathunga, O; Sigera, I; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
This research paper describes a comprehensive study done to identify the cruise port infrastructures and port side supply for improved cruise operation in the port of Colombo, in order to capture the future potential to develop as a cruise hub in south-east Asia. Similarly, it assesses the current situation of the port of Colombo and identifies the global best practices and strategies to identify what are the cruise market demand factors and supply-side capabilities. Based on the objectives of the study, 47 required cruise port evaluation criteria and global strategies were identified by observing previous studies and literature reviews. Under the evaluation of opinions of industry experts, Factor rating was used as primary data analysis tools, to filter out the most significant factors. Main factors, which contributed to cruise port development are port infrastructure, cruise shipping policies, services for cruise passengers and political and regulatory framework.
item: Conference-Full-text
An approach to identify bottlenecks in road networks using travel time variations: a case study in the city of Colombo and suburbs
(IEEE, 2020-07) Thilakshan, T; Rajapaksha, G; Bandara, S; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Bottlenecks in road networks are the main contributing factor in terms of traffic congestion in urban areas and thus, identification of bottlenecks and introduction of relevant remedies are important in easing the traffic congestion especially in the case of developing countries where funding for new transport infrastructure projects is a major factor of concern. This study discusses on identification of bottlenecks using crowdsource real- time travel time data which is more effective in terms of collection and usage in analysis. The usual travel time collection process is thus replaced by using Google Maps API matrix. Shortest travel time and travel distance paths among main origin and destinations are analyzed and the contrast in shortest distance path not being the shortest travel time path brings an important consideration of the reasons associated mainly due to presence of bottlenecks which needs to be identified and rectified for better road user experience. After a macro level approach in the identification process, certain transportation indices such as Congestion Index, Delay Rate Index and Travel Rate Ratio in a meso and micro level analysis perspective are utilized to ensure the identification of critical bottlenecks along minimum distance paths in the road network of main roads.
item: Conference-Full-text
Biodegradable Composite for Temporary Partitioning Materials
(IEEE, 2020-07) Dassanayaka, D; Hedigalla, D; Gunasekera, U; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Building construction can be considered as one of the indispensable industries in the world. Even though the necessity of the industry is evident, its current practices are not environmentally friendly. Some of the main reasons for this is the usage of unsustainable raw materials such as sand and soil, as well as the usage of harmful non-biodegradable materials such as PVC, asbestos. When considering the applications of raw materials used in the construction industry, nearly 40% of them are used for manufacturing non-load bearing constructions such as partitioning materials. In this research, a method for manufacturing a novel biodegradable movable partitioning material has been discussed. This partitioning material is a composite, created with banana yarn as reinforcement, Poly-lactic acid as the matrix, manufactured using compression moulding technique. Furthermore, two different types of composites were manufactured by changing the yarn laying directions, which are unidirectional and bidirectional. Flexural and impact strength of both types of composites have been tested by varying the weight percentage, the pretension of yarns and processing parameters: moulding temperature and moulding pressure. Finally, several weight percentages, pre-tensioning values, moulding temperatures and moulding pressure values have been suggested in order to manufacture a quality partitioning material.
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Design and Implementation of 5-D IIR Depth Velocity Filters for Light Field Video Processing
(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2019) Wijenayake, C; Liyanage, N; Edussooriya, C; Seatang, H; Agathoklis, P; Bruton, L
The design and hardware implementation of a lowcomplexity signal processing algorithm is proposed for real-time depth-velocity filtering in 5-D light field videos (LFVs). The proposed design is based on a stable 5-D infinite impulse response (IIR) digital filter having three cascaded sections, each synthesized using the concept of multidimensional passive network resonance. A novel semi-systolic hardware implementation is proposed. Each section of the filter is implemented and tested on a Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA platform using Matlab based hardware co-simulation with both synthetic and real LFV signals. A realtime processing throughput of 467 LFV frames/s is implied with each section of the filter operating at 204, 164 and 115 MHz for input LFV frames of size 9×9×220×360.
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The development of sustainable alternative to neoprene wetsuit fabric
(IEEE, 2020-07) Navodya, U; Keenawinna, G; Gunasekera, U; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
This research work is done to produce an environmentally friendly alternative to be used in the manufacturing of wetsuit and other similar products and to assess thermal, mechanical and sustainable aspects in comparison with neoprene wetsuit material. The thermal conductivity measurements show that the developed material insulates better than existing wetsuit material. When considering stretchability, the natural rubber based composite has a slightly higher modulus than the neoprene wetsuit material. The tensile assessment revealed that developed material is stronger than the neoprene material. Lowest thermal conductivity has shown by developed material with higher thickness than neoprene wetsuit material indicating the thickness of material influenced the thermal properties. There is a significant environmental gain for the new material in using natural rubber. The natural rubber wetsuit material is cheaper to produce due to lower prices of natural rubber compared to neoprene. The calendaring method used to produce samples in this report can be automated to overcome drawbacks when scaling up production.
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Direct electrospun cellulose-based conductive nanofibres for electronic textiles
(IEEE, 2020-07) Thenuwara, H; Rathanayaka, N; Weerasinghe, V; Wanasekara, N; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
With the rapid growth of wearable electronics, smart textiles and nanotechnology, there has been great interest on research leading to wearer friendly conductive nanofibres. In this study, electrospun cellulose nanofibres with carbon black nanoparticles as a conductive media was investigated. Cellulose with carbon black conductive nanofibrous mat was directly electrospun onto a polyurethane film, which was attached to a cotton woven fabric. The resultant layered structure was heat treated to bond the nanofibrous mesh to the fabric via a polyurethane layer. A considerable conductivity of 0.386 microsiemens per centimeter was achieved. To further enhance the conductivity, gold sputter coating was applied on top of the nanofibrous mat and it enabled to achieve a conductivity of 0.611 millisiemens per centimeter. Other functional properties of the resultant conductive fabric were comprehensively characterized to determine the wearable textile properties.
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Discrete event simulation method to model passenger processing at an international airport
(IEEE, 2020-07) Munasingha, K; Adikariwattage, V; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
The research paper describes a methodology to model departure passenger processing in a terminal at an international airport. This methodology is based on discrete event simulation theory which has the capability to model a network of processors under time varying demand pattern observed in airport terminals and reveal any existing bottlenecks. The discrete event simulation model was developed using Simio 11 software which can be used to do “what-if analysis” of the system. Further, the simulation model was developed based on a case study at Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka.
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Efficiency improvement of solar photovoltaic thermal systems by experimental and numerical analysis
(IEEE, 2020-07) Karunasena, UTRK; Karunarathna, MAP; Kumara, DGAS; Manthilake, MMID; Punchihewa, HKG; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
The power output of solar panels shows an invene relation with increasing its operating temperature and that affects largely for countries tike Sri Lanka, wbich are situated near the equator. Possible cooling techniques, which are aligned with the Sri Lankan context, were studied by referring to past research and available systems. Rear side forced water-cooling with a thermal coUector wbich is known as the hybrid system was identified as the most feasible technique by considering economic and environmental facton. The theoretical model was developed to estimate the design parameters of the thermal collector and cooling performance. The number of ten thermal collector design configurations were modeled and analyzed the cooting performance using ANSYS fluent simulations. The best design configuration was identified based on heat transfer and manofacturiog capability. A prototype of the selected design was manufactured to investigate the cooling performance experimentally. The experimental setup was developed using two 100 Watts solar panels and a smaU scale cooUng tower.Both power and panel temperature variation were analyzed both numerically and experimentally. The numerical model was vatidated using experimental results and design parameters were optimized as it gives a better cooling performance. Both numerical and experimental analysis shows that integrating a rear side cooling system would increase both electrical and thermal efficiency by 65%. The electrical efficiency improvement is 2.5 % and electrical power generation is increased by 28% compared to the panel without cooling. Considering the cost benefits and the environmental conditions of Sri Lanka, using a solar PV hybrid system is a feasible option to enhance both electrical and thermal gains.
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A framework to incorporate safety performance for low volume roads in pavement management systems
(IEEE, 2020-07) Sandamal, RMK; Ranawaka, RKTK; Pasindu, HR; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Low volume roads provide the connectivity between residential, agricultural areas and the national road network. Those are especially critical in rural areas to provide accessibility for the community to fulfill their social and economic needs. Low volume roads account for nearly 61% of the road network length in Sri Lanka while the rapid motorization take place, it is expected the traffic volume on these roads will increase significantly in the future. However, some of these roads have not been constructed and maintained according to the standard design guidelines, and due to that major safety issues are raised on such roads. This study focusses on the main causal factors of low volume road accidents and a methodology developed to evaluate the safety performance based on the roadway characteristics. Further, a framework is proposed to incorporate safety performance in decision criteria especially in the multi-objective optimization process of pavement management systems.
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Identification of the impact on road roughness on speed patterns for different roadway segments
(IEEE, 2020-07) Abeygunawardhana, C; Sandamal, RMK; Pasindu, HR; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Pavement surface condition is one of the factors that affect driver comfort, operation speed, service volume, and traffic safety. Even though several studies have conducted recently to find the effect of different roadway characteristics on traffic stream performance, not many were focused on the impact of road roughness on operating speeds. Therefore, this research will investigate the impact on road roughness on speed patterns for different roadway segments under different flow levels. The unevenness of a road is measured as road roughness and it has been globally accepted as a metric to evaluate the pavement condition and it relates to the conditions perceived by the road users. In addition to the user discomfort, rough roads would result in, speed reduction and an increase in vehicle operating costs. International Roughness Index (IRI) measured by smartphone application is used as the indicator for road roughness in this study. The effect of road roughness is investigated at Free Flow Speed (85th percentile speed) and 50th percentile speed which is determined using the speed distributions that occurred during specific time intervals. Further, the abovementioned behavior is analyzed separately for junctions, mid-block sections, and horizontal curves to represent different roadway conditions.
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Investigating the feasibility of applying spin coating method for textiles
(IEEE, 2020-07) Dissanayake, N; Abeysundara, S; Wanasekara, ND; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Spin coating method is widely used to coat material surfaces with a thin coating in the electronic industry. However, the use of spin coating in textile surfaces is challenging due to high porosity and the hydrophilicity of textile materials. Here, the use of spin coating on textile surfaces was thoroughly investigated. This method is advantageous due to simplicity and relative ease of the process and ability to obtain thin and uniform coating. The experiments are carried using Titanium Dioxide as the coating material and the suitable fabric type is selected from Polyamide/Elastane and Cotton/ Polyester/ Elastane. The effect of an array of spin coating parameters such as rotational velocity, fiber type, concentration of solution and the binding agent was examined. Surface characterization, elemental analysis, air permeability and moisture management experiments were carried out to determine the coverage and effectiveness of the coating. It was found that the spin coating of Titanium Dioxide using Polyurethane as the binding agent onto Cotton/ Polyester/ Elastane blended, knitted fabric exhibits good adhesion and durability. Furthermore, it is recommended to use 3500 revolutions per minute with 0.5% concentration of TiO2 solution to achieve optimum coverage of the coating.
item: Conference-Full-text
Investigating the possibilities to produce alginate filaments with locally available seaweeds
(IEEE, 2020-07) Dharmarathne, A; Thilakasinghe, I; Gunasekera, U; Vijayarajah, V; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Alginate is a natural polymer, extracted from brown seaweeds. The study was carried out to extract alginate from brown seaweed namely, Sargassum collected from the coast of Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka. Extraction of alginate was done using an alkaline solution of sodium carbonate. Calcium alginate filaments were produced through wet spinning. Alginate/Clay, Alginate/Sodium Silicate and Alginate/Graphene Oxide blended filaments were prepared by extruding their solution through a syringe having a diameter of 1/8” to a coagulating bath of aqueous calcium chloride. The highest moisture regain for the filaments was obtained when the sodium alginate solution was mixed with graphene oxide. And also, the best values of the tensile strength and elongation at break were obtained when sodium alginate was blended with graphene oxide. The maximum tensile strength and elongation at break obtained by the addition of graphene oxide is 0.56N and 47% respectively. The addition of sodium silicate to alginate produced filaments with the lowest values for both the tensile strength and elongation at break. The addition of clay shows a maximum tensile strength of 0.52N and 27% elongation at break but when the clay content increased filaments show lower tensile strength and higher elongation at break.
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Machine learning-based approach for modelling elastic modulus of woven fabrics
(IEEE, 2020-07) Kularatne, SDMW; Ranawaka, RAHS; Fernando, EASK; Niles, SN; Jayawardane, TSS; Ranaweera, RKPS; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
There has been a shift of focus from aesthetic properties to mechanical and functional properties of textiles with the recent developments in technical textiles and wearable technology. Therefore, understanding how various fabric parameters influence the mechanical properties of fabrics is paramount. In applications where compression and stretching of fabrics are important, the elastic modulus is a key fabric property that needed to be controlled precisely. Woven fabrics are capable of providing superior elastic properties, but how various fabric parameters affect elastic modulus is not well understood. In this study, two machine learning techniques were implemented to model the elastic modulus of woven fabrics and were compared with multivariable regressions. The two machine learning techniques used are Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Random Forest Regression. As input variables; weave factor (numerical representation of weave structure), warp yarn count and pick density were used. Both ANN and Random Forest Regression were able to generate reasonably accurate results with Random Forest Regression been the better of the two methods. Using Random Forest Regression, feature importance of the input variables was obtained, and it proved that the weave structure has a notable impact on the elastic modulus of woven fabrics.
item: Conference-Full-text
Methodology to incorporate frictional performance in the pavement management system of Sri Lankan expressways
(IEEE, 2020-07) Thenuwara, HV; Pasindu, H; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
In Sri Lankan context, renovations or reconstruction of road overlays are carried out mainly based on visual measurements of the pavement condition such as settlements, potholes and other prominent signs of deterioration. Though the above practice may be acceptable in the point of view of low volume roads, expressways with higher design speed require frequent monitoring rather than unplanned, immediate rehabilitations. Pavement Management System (PMS) becomes important to recommend necessary conservative measures for effective management of the pavement with the use of various decision making/supportive tools and mechanisms. Identification of the critical friction related pavement characteristics and introducing methodologies to interpret such, is a must in order to formulate a method to incorporate Friction Management Programme (FMP) in the PMS. The paper suggests basic threshold values (investigatory and intervention) of friction and texture for Sri Lankan expressways, through an analysis of the deterioration rates of pavement friction. Analysis is carried out comparing the reference graph of pavement friction deterioration curve derived through laboratory experiments involving Accelerated Polishing Machine and the British Pendulum Tester, together with the graph obtained from the survey data of the Southern Expressway.
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Model for measuring the effect of utility interventions on change of consumer behavior on energy savings: a study based on Sri Lankan domestic sector
(IEEE, 2020-07) Jayaratne, W; Dasanayaka, SWSB; Mudalige, D; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) introduces different intervention mechanisms to conserve electricity from time to time. These interventions mainly include financial incentives, technical supports, and regulatory influences etc. But utility's sources reveal that those interventions are ineffective and waste of resources in the long run. Therefore, this paper examines the possible causes of such failures and suitable remedial actions. The proposed new model bridges the existing knowledge gap between the theoretical and empirical implications of energy conservation. Findings show that utilities have failed to match incentives, tariff regimes, regulations, and technology among different levels of consumer segments scientifically. Especially, the consumer groups belong to a monthly average consumption of 31- 90kWh, 91-120kWh, and 121-180 kWh are having a very high potential for energy conservation via various incentive schemes whereas consumers above 181kWh units have to be motivated towards energy conservation through various tariffs and regulatory influences. The consumers below 30kWh units bear no sense of responsibility and not even respond to generic energy conservation aspects or to regulatory regimes. Therefore, specific financial transfers and employment opportunities need to be introduced on this segment which is at the bottom of the pyramid.
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Multi-depth filtering and occlusion suppression in 4-D light fields: Algorithms and architectures
(Elsevier, 2020) Liyanage, N; Wijenayake, C; Edussooriya, C; Madanayake, A; Agathoklis, P; Bruton, LT; Ambikairajah, E
Low-complexity signal processing algorithms and reconfigurable digital hardware architectures are proposed for multi-depth filtering and occlusion suppression in 4-D light fields (LFs). The proposed multi-depth-pass (MDP) and multi-depth-reject (MDR) 4-D filters allow simultaneous enhancement of planar objects at multiple desired depths and attenuation of planar objects at multiple undesired depths, thereby achieving electronically tunable multi-depth focusing. Partial-separability and recursive nature of the proposed MDP and MDR transfer functions ensure ultra-low hardware complexity suitable for real-time processing of large volume of input samples encountered in 4-D LFs. Filter synthesis details and examples with synthetic and real LFs of size 15  ×  15 × 434  ×  625 are presented. A generic framework encapsulating a multitude of possible digital hardware realizations is described, employing J-unfolding and look-ahead pipelining albeit with modifications as applicable to the underlying multi-dimensional signal flow graphs to obtain increased real-time throughput. Proof-of-concept digital designs are provided for the 2-passband case of a MDP filter verifying a real-time throughput of  ≈ 490 LFs of size 9  ×  9 × 434  ×  625 per second for filters operating at 135 MHz on a Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA device.
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Personality traits of techno-entrepreneurial engineers in Sri Lanka
(IEEE, 2020-07) Wijesinghe, P; Jayawardana, T; Dasanayaka, S; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Personality traits of entrepreneurs is a research domain which has been already established in both local and international contexts. Although techno entrepreneurship is emerging as an important sector of entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka, scholars have not yet done systematic academic researches focusing only on techno-entrepreneurial engineers in Sri Lanka. Therefore, this research tries to ascertain the personality traits of techno-entrepreneurial chartered engineers in Sri Lanka. This is based on a preliminary stage of an ongoing qualitative exploratory research. Following an in-depth interview approach, this paper ascertains the personality traits of techno-entrepreneurial engineers which cause their success as perceived by themselves. This research reveals three categories of personality traits as entrepreneurial traits, ethical traits and engineering traits. The outcomes of this research is definitely a guide for engineering academics to disseminate among undergraduate and graduate-level engineers to adopt. That will facilitate the emergence of more and more successful technoentrepreneurial engineers in the Sri Lankan industrial sector.
item: Conference-Full-text
A statistical approach to quantify the reliability of travel time for trip planning purposes
(IEEE, 2020-07) Vidanapathirana, C; Bandara, S; Jayawardana, V; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Decision making associated with effective trip planning depends on the total time taken to complete a trip. Route choice, departure time and travel mode are mainly the critical decisions made based on travel time estimations before the departure. With technological advancements, inventions such as web maps, sensor-based Internet-of-Things and Vehicleto- Everything communication have become emerging traffic data providers for the travellers intending to observe the realtime traffic conditions along with travel time estimation between the desired origin-destination pair for a specific departure time and a route. However, as there is some level of uncertainty due to the changes in traffic and roadside conditions, the estimations tend to deviate from the actual time of arrival. This study is focused on addressing the reliability of travel times and developing a methodology to compute and present the reliability as a quantity to the user to make decisions. As a demonstration study, alternative routes between a fixed origin-destination pair were selected. A dummy database of travel times was obtained through Google Maps for the analysis. A mathematical algorithm was developed to quantify the travel time reliability for user-defined scenarios on a selected route. This quantitative value of reliability assists travellers to plan trips effectively.
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Study of the impact roadside parking has on traffic flow characteristics - a vissim simulation based approach
(IEEE, 2020-07) Madushanka, PHS; Jayaratne, DND; Pasindu, HR; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
With the increase in private vehicle ownership and urban space limitations, roadside parking has become a common sight in urban areas. Even though provision for parking is considered in an economic background, lesser attention has been paid for designing and planning of on-street parking lots. Due to this phenomenon effective lane widths have reduced causing reductions in capacity. Further, due to entry/exit movements of vehicles to and from the traffic stream shockwaves propagate causing additional delays, especially during high flow periods. Studies focused on the effects roadside parking manoeuvres have on traffic flow are sparse. Hence this study attempts to find the effects such movements have. With the evolution of micro simulation software, advanced traffic flow models can be employed for research studies. The PTV-VISSIM micro simulation software which adopts the ‘Wiedemann 74’ car following model was used to simulate heterogeneous traffic conditions observed on local roads. A location along the A3-Colombo Negombo road was selected for the study. Through simulation it was observed that capacity dropped by a value of approximately 17% when there were 250 parking manoeuvres per hour.
item: Conference-Full-text
Technical and environmental feasibility of co-firing torrefied biomass in a coal-fired power plant
(IEEE, 2020-07) Devaraja, UMA; Supunsala, SDS; Gunarathne, DS; Edussooriya, C; Weeraddana, CUS; Abeysooriya, RP
Biomass torrefaction is a thermochemical pretreatment process performed at a temperature range of 200oC- 300oC in an inert environment. Moisture and part of the hemicellulose are released during the process resulting an energy densified solid fuel. In this study, rubberwood chips were torrefied at a temperature of 300 oC for 60 minutes. The results show that the lower heating value of biomass increase from 14.58 MJ/kg to 16.38 MJ/kg after torrefaction. Further, a 300MWe coal-fired power plant was simulated using Aspen Plus software and co-firing possibilities of both raw and torrefied rubber wood were evaluated. The results reveal that up to 10% of thermal input can be substituted by raw rubberwood whereas torrefied rubberwood has the potential to substitute around 20% of thermal input without compromising the electrical efficiency. The total input mass flow rate is a crucial factor when co-firing is to be implemented in an existing plant even though it gives the expected energy output with a further increase of torrefied biomass share. With increasing co-firing ratio, it is observed that the total NOx and SOx emissions are reduced due to low N and S content of biomass. Further, combustion efficiency is increasing with increasing co-firing ratio of torrefied biomass.