Rahul V. Ralegaonkar

Development and Feasibility Analysis of Bagasse Ash Bricks

AbstractSugarcane bagasse ash (SBA), which is otherwise landfilled, was utilized to develop construction material that serves a purpose of disposal of solid waste management and energy efficient alternate construction material. SBA was characterized using particle size distribution, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM monographs show the rough surface with plenty of fine pores. XRF, XRD, and physicochemical properties of the SBA prove its suitability as a pozzolanic or cementitious material. TGA confirms thermal stability till 650°C. On the suitability of principal raw material, SBA–quarry dust (QD)–lime (L) bricks were developed with a constant composition of lime (20% by weight) and tested for physicomechanical (weight, dry density, water absorption, efflorescence, and compressive strength), functional (thermal conductivity, k), durability (chloride, sulfate, and carbonation), and environmental [toxicity charact...

Thermal Performance Assessment of Recycled Paper Mill Waste–Cement Bricks Using the Small-Scale Model Technique

AbstractSmall-scale model houses were built with different masonry products in order to investigate the environmental performance of sustainable construction materials. Three model houses were designed and developed as per the standards one with recycled paper mill waste (RPMW)-cement bricks, another with fly ash bricks and the third with ferrocement wall panels. In order to assess the indoor temperature for these particular sustainable building materials, the temperature inside the model houses was monitored over the study location for the period of a year. The economic viability for the developed model houses was also analyzed. Wall surface temperature readings on the exposed south facade were used to estimate thermal conduction of the wall assembly. Detailed analysis revealed that the developed RPMW-cement brick model house was more thermally resistant and economical than the fly ash brick and ferrocement wall panel model houses. Energy efficient building minimizes energy consumption through the reduct...

Development of sustainable retrofitting material for energy conservation of existing buildings

Energy conservation in buildings plays a vital role for sustainable development of societies and nations. Although, newer buildings in developing nations are being constructed using energy conservation approach, existing buildings have higher energy demand to meet the desired comfort. Excessive energy demand for cooling the built environment is a major problem over most of the arid climatic zones. The problem is predominant in all the top storied buildings which are directly under exposed roof condition. In order to reduce the overheating of the roof surface a composite combination of reflecting-cuminsulating (R-I) material was developed. The sustainable materials viz., expanded polystyrene (construction waste), saw dust (industrial waste), and the false ceiling panels prepared from industrial waste were used for the development of sustainable RI material. The R-I material was retrofitted over the existing roof of a model room in an educational building over composite climate (Nagpur, India) and was analyzed experimentally for the period of a year. The thermal resistance of the overall roof assembly was increased from 0.28 to 0.55 m² K/W, which in turn helped to achieve 16% of the duration of the year under thermal comfort. The developed R-I material has also an advantage of low cost (INR 900 per sq. m.) of installation as well as light weight (50 kg/m²) retrofitting solution. The R-I product can further be applied on larger roof areas by the designers to reduce the cooling load of the built environment as well as increase the occupants comfort over the local climatic zone.

Development of multi-parametric functional index model for evaluating the indoor comfort in built environment

Due to rapid urbanization of developing cities, the planners have a major challenge in designing climate responsive built environment for modern urban dwellers. In order to maintain a good built environmental quality, the various key design parameters of existing built form would need to be reviewed and analyzed to seek appropriate improvement. The present paper highlights the case study of a test room model in an educational campus. The experimentation was carried out in composite climatic zone of Nagpur in India. The desired built environment parameters viz., indoor light intensity, temperature and humidity was recorded and analyzed during experiments under controlled conditions of room openings. A functional index model was developed by this study using the multi-parametric regression analysis of the results. The qualitative assessment of the aforesaid parameters in terms of indoor comfort in the built environment was carried out. The developed mathematical index model for various functional parameters over the given geographic location can suitably be used by the designers for evaluating and enhancing the indoor comfort of a built environment suitable for the climate of Nagpur, India.

Analyzing the Strength Behavior of Cement Composites with Waste Glass Fibers

Cement composites fail due to tensile strains exceeding their limiting strain capacity. This results into development of cracks and gradual loss of strength. The controlling of cracks is vital for better fatigue performance of concrete construction. The paper presents a study of the suitability of waste glass fibers for utilization in cement mortar and concrete specimens in order to promote sustainable construction. These fibers were added to the composites by weight fraction, and relevant tests were performed on them. Test results indicate that cement mortar showed an increase in strength and a pseudo-ductile behavior due to addition of fibers. while concrete specimens showed loss in compressive and flexural strength.

Redevelopment of Urban Slum Dwellings: Issues and Challenges

Urbanization has created a large housing demand of urban poor. Although different stakeholders are involved, there is a challenge to meet the redevelopment of urban slum dwelling projects in an effective manner. The concept is discussed with a case study of a slum in Nagpur City. Physical data was collected from stakeholders (construction material choices and cost incurred) and site monitoring (indoor temperature and light). The study revealed the possible issues and challenges related to project execution, i.e. resource and time management. The outcome of the study is to suggest a suitable strategy for improving the functionality of the project to increase the speed and conserve the resources that ultimately benefit government as well as end user.

Strategy to control indoor temperature for redevelopment of slum dwellings

The present paper focuses on developing a strategy to control the indoor temperature in slum dwellings under redevelopment. The proposed framework aims at improving the building planning and appropriate selection of construction materials along with controlled cost with respect to currently adopted practices. The proposed strategy is elaborated with a case study in Nagpur, India. A single storey, four-room model was planned as per the National Building Code of India. The performance of the model building was evaluated by using energy simulation software TRNSYS. The cellular light-weight bricks used in the construction were made with bio briquette ash (BBA), which is a locally available waste material. Instead of using the conventional reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roof, aluminium and sawdust were suggested as a reflecting-cum-insulating material. To improve the temperature control in model homes, installation of a reflecting-cum-insulating material was conducted, consisting of aluminium and sawdust, over the conventional RCC roof. The model building constructed with these new materials was compared with that built with conventional fly ash bricks and RCC roof. Results show that the proposed model building improved the efficiency of indoor temperature control by 23% and, at the same time, reduced the cost by 13%. The present concept will contribute to the redevelopment of slum dwellings to deliver cost-effective dwelling units that provide occupants with acceptable thermal comfort.

Application of AV-ERP system for on-site project monitoring

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a techno-economic feasibility study on the application of Audio Visual Enterprise Resource Planning (AV-ERP). Due to rapid urbanisation and economic growth in developing countries (DCs) like India, there has been tremendous development in infrastructural projects. To maintain the quality and competitive commercial pricing of the projects, stakeholders are working together from different geographic locations. Due to lack of culture in adopting the technological advancements, the on-site construction activities lack coordination among the stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – In the present case, it is observed that the site and various stakeholders like consultants are physically monitoring and controlling the ongoing construction activity from different geographic locations. To manage the effective communication and information exchanges, an integrated tool for surveillance and AV-ERP is proposed in the present paper. These equipment an...