MIT-World Peace University (MIT-WPU) is a top educational institute located in Pune, India. It is recognized within&nbsp;UGC under Government of Maharashtra Act No. XXXV 2017.&nbsp;

It is part of the MIT group of institutions (established in 1983) which covers 10+ campuses across India and has more than 50,000+ students enrolled across various disciplines at a given point of time. The institute houses 15 schools ranging from Engineering &amp; Technology, Design, Pharmacy, Commerce, Governance among others. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programs among different disciplines.&nbsp;

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MIT World Peace University

School of Civil Engineering

The primary goal of the pavement is to provide a safe and smooth riding surface. Few research studies have explored the influence of geopathic stress in road accidents. Still, its effect on the pavement distresses and, as a result, on-road accidents are yet to be explored. This research aims to formulate regression models between the average number of accidents with geopathic stress and Pavement Condition Index (PCI) values. For Pune city, 36 accident black spots on the flexible pavement are considered, and accident data from 2016 to 2020 has been used. On each spot, the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is determined using the traditional, precise manual method as per IRC 82:2015. Geopathic stress is measured using the innovative NAAV meter instrument. In the NAAV meter due to the influence of geopathic stress, the laser beam deviates, which can be visually observed; which is not possible with other devices such as Esmog Spion and magnetometer. Three linear regression models are developed. The first one relates the average number of road accidents (Ā) with the Pavement Condition Index (PCI). In contrast, the second one relates (Ā) with the electric field output on account of the interference of geopathic stress with a laser beam emitted from the source in the NAAV meter, (NR) in microamperes. Equation three relates the pavement condition index (PCI) with (NR) as well. It is found that the number of accidents increases on distressed spots with the increase in geopathic stress. The mathematical models developed would effectively establish a relationship between road accidents, geopathic stress, and pavement surface condition. This would further enable transportation authorities to predict the number of road accidents at specific locations on existing pavement. In addition, transport authorities can economize at the road maintenance cost by identifying critically distressed sections at black spots which are severely impacted by weak electromagnetic fields emanating from the subgrade on account of the geopathic stress. © 2022

Engineering and Technology

World University root node

Materials Today: Proceedings

Effect of geopathic stress on flexible pavement distresses and accidents

The nano materials improve the mechanical properties of a cement concrete is a remarkable achievement in the field of nano composites. Matrix cement has a relatively loosely bonded structure which can be filled with Nano alumina which significantly improves the mechanical properties of cement. The present study discusses the development, manufacture and properties of the concrete made by nano materials. In the present study, the sulphate resistance of concrete is improved by the addition of Nano Alumina by partial replacement of cement. The study is carried out by partial replacement of cement by colloidal nano alumina- Al2O3 (CNA) particles with varying percentage (0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%) in the M55 grade of concrete. The study also evaluates an optimum dose of nano alumina at which maximum compressive strength of concrete is achieved with minimal sulphate attack observed in form of mass reduction in the concrete. It is observed that by an addition of 2.3% of CNA, the maximum sulphate resistance of concrete is achieved after 28 days. It was also observed that by an addition of 2% to 2.5% of Nano Alumina the compressive strength of concrete increases with a decrease in trend observed at 3% addition of Nano Alumina. © 2022

Resistance against sulphate attack in concrete by addition of nano alumina

There has been a pressing need to consider lifelong building costs and spread awareness about the life cycle cost of a building in the construction sector. Before 1970s, most of the clients', contractors' and developers' decisions were solely based on the initial capital cost with no consideration of the entire life cycle cost of the building. If the cost of a building is estimated considering its entire life, approximately 70% portion is required for operational aspects. This approach of focusing only on the initial cost has failed to give the best value for money to the client in the long term. In this research, questionnaire-survey method is utilized to understand the awareness level and importance of different tangible and intangible costs of the construction over its useful life amongst the construction community. List of critical factors affecting life cycle cost of a building was extracted through an extensive literature survey. The questionnaire survey was prepared by incorporating the most significant parameters and circulated amongst the stakeholders consisting of respondents working at various hierarchical positions in the construction industry. The factors were ranked based on weightages obtained through Relative Importance Index (RII) methodology. The data analysis showed that the top 5 costs which should definitely be considered in life cycle costing are construction cost, Land Acquisition and associated cost, Design team fees and associated cost, Operation & Maintenance Cost and Taxes. Respondents also agreed that the life cycle costing methodology would provide a better and comprehensive estimate of the building cost as a whole and would be crucial in decision making. Incorporating life cycle costing in the design and planning phase would significantly help engineers as well as contractors to focus on the most important cost parameters. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that a lower emphasis is still given to cost factors related to environment. It needs to be emphasized that a comprehensive cost estimate for a project can only be obtained by incorporating sustainability aspects. Thus, a LCC framework considering all important cost parameters would further improve the process of selection of the most cost-effective alternative, as well as significantly increase sustainability in construction projects. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science

Life Cycle Costing Methodology for Sustainable Construction

Roads are valuable assets worldwide that must be kept in good condition with minimum maintenance to safeguard against accident. From the literature review and the field observations, it is quite evident that geo-fields are one of the parameters which is responsible for damaging the road surface and hence further increasing the possibility of accidents. Present study is an attempt to provide a detailed insight into the performance of the road segment when subjected to geo-fields. For the same accident data of the Mumbai-Pune expressway, over six years from 2016 to 2021 has been used. Based on this data 46 accident black spots were segregated for investigation. An automated method is used to measure the pavement roughness index (PRI). On these spots, the quality of pavement is determined using the non- destructive test of Ultra Sonic Pulse Velocity (UPV). Geo-fields are measured in terms of electric and magnetic fields at these black spots. Data has been analyzed using Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression models are developed for the average number of road accidents (Ā) with respect to PRI, UPV and Geo-fields. The mathematical models developed may provide a useful link between road accidents, geo-fields, and pavement surface conditions. It will also help transport authorities not only to predict the number of accidents at particular spots envisaged on existing expressway but will also enable them to design pavements appropriately for the detrimental effects of weak electric and magnetic fields. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation for effect of weak electric and magnetic fields at black spots on concrete pavement

Pavement management systems play a vital role in the development of a country as it is a very important part of the economy. Maintaining a good quality of the road is the key duty of the road authorities. They require methods for pavement-related data collection and analysis to evaluate its condition. Machine learning (ML) methods can be utilized for defect classification from an image, defect recognition and segmentation in the assessment of pavement distress. This paper presents an overview of the machine learning techniques used to analyze pavement condition data. Moreover, information collection methods and pavement condition indices are also studied from the point of view of ML algorithms. Future research directions are also presented by highlighting the limitations of using ML techniques for the assessment of pavement conditions. © 2022 IEEE.

Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Cybernetics, Cognition and Machine Learning Applications, ICCCMLA 2022

An Overview of Machine Learning Techniques for Evaluation of Pavement Condition

There is a significant increase in tunneling operations in most of the metropolitan cities of India for developing rapid transit systems. Provision of tunnels proves to be beneficial in densely crowded areas where availability of space is a major concern. Tunneling is a costly affair owing to the high number of uncertainties involved as compared to other infrastructure projects. The delay and cost escalations during construction of tunnel can be mitigated by identifying the uncertainties in the planning stage and taking appropriate steps during execution. This requires a robust model incorporating the most significant risk factors affecting the projects. In the present work, an exhaustive list of risk factors affecting tunnel projects is extracted from comprehensive literature review on tunnel construction. The list is augmented through interaction with stakeholders and collection of field data. This exercise provided an extensive pool of factors, which can't be completely incorporated while formulating the model to reduce delays. This work attempts to identify most critical risk factors from the pool. Prioritization of risk factors from the pool is done with a framework using RII [Relative Importance Index]. The pool is classified in a 3-level hierarchical structure. Expert opinion regarding relative importance of each factor is captured through a questionnaire survey and relative weights are assigned. This work is an attempt to compile and prioritize predictable risk factor database by merging a comprehensive literature review of scientific papers on tunnel construction projects and opinion of experts working in tunnel construction. The identification of critical factors in planning phase, may reduce complexity during execution. The proposed framework is expected to help researchers and decision makers to rank the risk factors and focus only on the most critical ones for minimizing the risks and reducing delays in project completion. © 2022

An integrated approach for identification and prioritization of risk factors in tunnel construction

Energy dissipation capacity and seismic performance of steel moment resisting frame with hybrid damping system along with buckling restrained brace is investigated and an innovative approach of design of energy dissipating system is recommended. The nine storied structure is analyzed by nonlinear time history analyses using seven time histories and scaled to achieve a set of results and then compared the various possibilities. The multi-linear elastic and plastic links are used to model energy dissipating devices with the help of SAP 2000. The various results such as story displacement, story drift, roof drift, base shear and roof acceleration of steel moment resisting frame are compared with the system after installation of energy dissipaters in the same moment resisting frame that means a dual buckling restrained brace with steel moment resisting frame system and a dual hybrid damping system with steel moment resisting frame system. It was expected that the system will work in individual phases as earthquake intensity will go on increasing and in end results, the models have shown the same. It also has got depicted that the energy dissipation of the systems gets improved after installation of hybrid damping systems. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Structural Integrity

Evaluation of Role of Hybrid Damping System in Seismic Assessment

The Indian construction sector is emerging as the third-largest sector to take our country toward a $5 trillion economy. However, all industries, including the construction industry, are facing new challenges in this crisis. Specifically, challenges pertaining to delay in delivery of projects, time, and cost overruns have become prominent. In the real estate sector, there is huge demand for housing in our country i.e. 11.2 million dwelling units in urban areas and 29.5 million dwelling units in rural areas in India by 2022. To deal with such a huge demand where the construction industry is already facing many problems, it is real-time to adopt the new construction technologies. As the conventional method of construction is a time and cost-consuming process, it is mainly labor-intensive where the quality of construction is a crucial issue. So for addressing these problems, the government of India has taken the initiative called Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: housing for all urban and rural by 2022. Under this scheme, 54 new technologies have been approved under 6 different categories by the BMTPC. Consequently, there are several technologies available for low-cost housing but it is challenging to recommend one technology for a countrywide practice. In this paper, the components of the prefabricated sandwich panel system (falling under one of the 6 categories) are discussed in detail further the various opportunities and onsite challenges coming out while implementing this technology are enlisted and possible solutions are provided. © 2022

Analysis of challenges and opportunities of prefabricated sandwich panel system: A solution for affordable housing in India

The use of environmentally friendly materials in construction has become increasingly possible due to advancements in green technology. There are several sustainable materials derived from industrial waste that aid in reducing embodied energy and maximizing the use of renewable resources. Technology is the key to successful projects that advance green building. Various green building technologies with temperature reduction, wastewater systems, energy efficiency, photovoltaic powered cooling system, etc are represented in this paper. In green building, a building information model (BIM) and ontology are used to manage multi-disciplinary activities. SWRL and OWL models based on the Jess rule engine are combined to improve building efficiency. Sustainable materials which are obtained from industrial waste help to reduce the carbon footprint on the environment. The strength, workability, and density of these materials are increased by the usage of various activators. Smart materials operate based on external factors such as sensors, weather conditions, and so on. Smart materials are used in the Electro-Mechanical Impedance (EMI) approach to detect structural flaws in a structure. In smart homes, technology can be used to control energy consumption. Shape Memory Alloys, fiber optics, piezoelectric materials, magnetorheological fluids, and electro-rheological fluids are examples of smart materials used in smart, sustainable urbanization. The Internet of Things (IoT) developed a method for collecting construction data that reduced the structure's cost. The research will recommend appropriate techniques and materials for the Indian scenario to achieve long-term sustainable goals for the country. © 2022

A comprehensive review on emerging trends in smart green building technologies and sustainable materials

Landfill leachate is created via decomposition of landfill waste transported by water percolation through the soil layers. If the landfill sites are not designed properly then the leachate simply passes through the soil layers. This may create an adverse effect on the engineering properties of soil, as well as on the chemical properties viz. adsorption and retention of heavy metals. In the present study, an experimental work was carried out to examine the effects of landfill leachate contamination on the soil properties viz. physiochemical and geotechnical of an active Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) dumping site located near Pune city, India. The soil samples were collected from three different locations (at 150 m spacing) and leachate was collected from the treatment plant, located in the premises of the dumping site. The test result shows that the leachate containing the highest concentration of metals, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). The soil sample in close proximity to the MSW dumpsite is most contaminated as compared to the furthermost soil samples, because of the high contents of organic pollutants and heavy metals. The present study clearly indicates that if the leachate is permitted to drain straightway into the surface water or infiltrates in to the groundwater it can cause adverse effect on human health and environment. © 2022