Performance Prediction Modelling for Flexible Pavement on Low Volume Roads Using Multiple Linear Regression Analysis

Prediction models for low volume village roads in India are developed to evaluate the progression of different types of distress such as roughness, cracking, and potholes. Even though the Government of India is investing huge quantum of money on road construction every year, poor control over the quality of road construction and its subsequent maintenance is leading to the faster road deterioration. In this regard, it is essential that scientific maintenance procedures are to be evolved on the basis of performance of low volume flexible pavements. Considering the above, an attempt has been made in this research endeavor to develop prediction models to understand the progression of roughness, cracking, and potholes in flexible pavements exposed to least or nil routine maintenance. Distress data were collected from the low volume rural roads covering about 173 stretches spread across Tamil Nadu state in India. Based on the above collected data, distress prediction models have been developed using multiple linear regression analysis. Further, the models have been validated using independent field data. It can be concluded that the models developed in this study can serve as useful tools for the practicing engineers maintaining flexible pavements on low volume roads

Laboratory study on partial replacement of conventional construction materials for the construction industry in India

The study focuses on the conservation of natural resources by replacing three vital construction materials: (i) Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) with Marble Dust (MD) (ii) Fine Aggregate (FA) with tile in powdered form and (iii) aggregate with tile chips (TC) for the building construction works. In this present study, the abovementioned materials were used in 10, 20, and 30% as a replacement. As per the current scenario, only limited research papers are available that show what happens when the components are used as individual substitutions for the materials. Due to the lack of supporting evidence for material substitutions in concrete construction, the philosophy of experimenting with the use of mixtures of substitute materials in concrete has emerged. Experiments were conducted with M25 grade concrete, and the best mixes, M24 and M32, are mixes that replace all three traditional components of concrete, achieving strengths of 31.11, 2.76, and 8.0 N/mm2 in compression, 33.33, and 2.76, and 8.25 N/mm2 in flexure, respectively