Departmental Conferences

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://192.248.9.226/handle/123/10024



Access to full-text papers of this collection is allowed only within the University premises (IP based access).



Browse

Browsing Departmental Conferences by Conference "Civil Engineering Research Symposium - (CERS - 2015)"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Conference-Abstract
    Comparison of different types of pedestrian paving materials
    Galabada, GH; Karunathilaka, KMHC; Halwathura, RU
    The need for selecting correct material for the pedestrian paving is greater than ever before. Due to increasing number of pavements constructed in urban areas the climate conditions of cities are changing into unfriendly levels. With the escalation of prices of the conventional paving materials (asphalt, concrete) and sustainability concepts designers are on the verge of using alternative materials for the road construction which brings sustainable and eco-friendly, more energy efficient living conditions. In this research different types of paving materials are compared through a questionnaire survey, thermal performance test and a cost comparison. The results of the study indicate that the use of clay paving block pavement is more suitable than the conventional pedestrian paving methods. The low cost, the ability of accommodating and maintaining utility services, thermal comfort, aesthetic appearance and environmentally friendly behavior and user satisfaction can be highlighted as the key advantages of clay paving blocks.
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Conference-Abstract
    Investigation of a possible natural or artificial barrier to reduce urban C02 concentration
    Mirihagalla, MKDL; Halwathura, RU
    As the population and C02 level in urban areas are increasing day-by-day, attention should be given to identify sources, sinks and influence of CO? in urban areas. This research focuses on identifying a possible natural or artificial barrier to reduce urban C02 concentration, mainly produced due to the urban trafficThe study was done along byroads in Ratmalana, Dehiwala and Wellawatta urban areas and the C02 variation these roads were compared with the physical features besides these roads. The results of this study rerega 'relationship between physical features and C02 variation along byroads. Vegetation cover, arrangement of the buildings and the building size are very much related with the C02 variation along byroads. Presence offc-vegetation fences rather than walls beside the roads and more space between buildings help to reduce a significant amount of C02 concentration. Existence of high buildings and high walls increase C02 concentration non at those locations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Conference-Abstract
    Reuse of construction waste as coarse aggregate in concrete
    Herath, HMUI; Nanayakkara, DN
    The recycling of construction waste as concrete aggregates is an important way to contribute to sustainable development. However, the use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) instead of natural aggregate influences the properties of concrete since it has high water absorption. Experimental studies were carried out on the improvement of RCA performance, especially to reduce water absorption. In this study, surface of RCA was coated with a mix of cement, rice husk ash (RHA) and water, so that its characteristics were improved. Concrete mixes were prepared using the treated recycled aggregates and physical properties of each concrete mix were studied.
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Conference-Abstract
    Shear strength characteristics of unsaturated residual soils
    Ganeshalingam, C; Kulathilaka, SAS
    The tropical climate conditions cause the residual soils near ground water level to be in an unsaturated state generally. Matric suction enhance the shear strength of the soil. In tropical countries like Sri Lanka where the soil formation is mainly residual, this added shear strength is no longer reliable due to frequent rainfall periods. With rainfall infiltration, the matric suction reduces and the shear strength diminishes making the slopes vulnerable. Therefore, it is necessary to study how the moisture content of soil is affected after the rainfall and how it can be related to shear strength. As an initial step, the variation of apparent cohesion with degree of saturation was investigated in the present study for residual soil obtained from the site of the failed slope at Southern Transport Development Project in Welipenna. Direct shear tests was preferred in the study over triaxial test because of the shorter time taken for the pore water pressure to reach equilibrium.
  • Thumbnail Image
    item: Conference-Abstract
    Use of paddy husk ash as a binder in improvement of soft peaty clay
    Madhuransi, LWI; Kulathilaka, SAS
    Ground improvement in soft soils through pre-consolidation by preloading with or without vertical drains or vacuum consolidation has the main drawback of time consumption. Deep mixing with the cement is an alternative solution that has been studied and it was found that cement percentages of 20-30% are required to obtain a sufficient level of improvement. In view of the high cost involved the study of the use of paddy husk ash (PHA) also known as Rice Husk Ash (RHA)-another pozzolonic material which is a waste product of rice production has been conducted. Improvement through mixing natural peat with different proportions of cement and PHA was studied in this project. Engineering properties of samples comprise with different mix proportion of cement and PHA were compared with samples of untreated peat. Improvement in compressible characteristics and shear strength were evaluated through performing one dimensional consolidation test and undrained triaxial test.