CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee
Research and development in construction started way back in 1947 with the inception of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Central Building Research Institute (CSIR-CBRI). It was set up to carry out R&D on all aspects of building and housing and assist the building industry in solving problems of planning, designing, foundations, materials and construction including disaster mitigation in all kinds of buildings with a view to achieve economy, comfort, functional efficiency, speed, productivity in construction, environment preservation and energy conservation.
Now the initiative of CSIR-CBRI is to work as world class knowledge base for providing solutions to almost all area of Building / Habitat planning and construction including building materials, construction technology, fire engineering and disaster mitigation.
The institute has been vested with the responsibility of generating, cultivating and promoting building science and technology in the service of the country. It has been assisting the building construction and building material industries in finding timely, appropriate and economical solutions to the problems of Building Materials, Health Monitoring and Rehabilitation of Structures, Disaster Mitigation, Fire Safety, Energy Efficient Rural and Urban Housing. Prof. S. K. Bhattacharyya, Director, CSIR-Central Building research Institute, says, "The Institute is committed to serve the people through R&D in the development process and maintains linkages at international and national level. The present requirement of Construction industry is to have energy efficient material and technologies to produce sustainable construction with quality."
The ever growing infrastructure and construction projects demand uninterrupted supply latest methodologies. Recognising the future needs, the institute has involved working in energy efficient sustainable construction, value based new construction materials from agro-industrial waste, fly ash based building materials, technologies with pre-stressing system, fire structural engineering and blast resistant structures.
Housing & Construction - Energy Efficient Sustainable Construction
- Strategies for disaster mitigation including repair, strengthening and reconstruction of damaged buildings.
- Affordable and safe habitats.
- Pre-fabrication technology for fast construction.
- Technology for tall building systems.
- Maintenance - free building system.
- Self-compacting concrete technology.
- Energy saving Buildings.
- Remote Health monitoring of civil structures.
Currently, construction industry's setback centers around lack of quality assurance, non-availability of sustainable materials including coarse and fine aggregates, no proper utilization of construction waste, reduction of time of construction, mechanization and post-construction maintenance. "We have taken initiatives to develop alternative materials for aggregates and cement. Also research is on to develop technologies for reduction of construction time," he adds.
CSIR and CBRI has been successful in developing in:
Innovative Materials and technologies for Next Generation Green Buildings
Performance Enhancement of Materials through Nanotechnology
- Nano-Engineered Concrete for Ultra High Performance and Durability.
- Development of Multifunctional Coatings using Nanotechnology.
- Enhancing the Fire Retardancy of Polymeric Materials using Nano-composites.
- Studies of Phase Change Material for Energy Efficient Buildings.
Next Generation Concrete for Sustainable Construction
- Behaviour of Geo-polymer Concrete.
- Bio Concrete as Self Healing material.
- Development of Pervious Concrete.
Green Building Technologies
- Green Retrofit Strategies for Office Buildings.
- Development of Solar Window System for Cold Climatic region.
- Demolition Wastes as Raw Materials for Sustainable Construction Products.
- Solar Thermal Air Conditioner.
- Solid Industrial Waste - A Resource Geo-material for Civil Construction.
- Technology Packages for Mass Housing in Urban Areas For Different Geo- Climatic Regions of the Country.
- Development of cement free plaster from florogypsum for prefabricated panels and Masonry work.
- Development of Anti-Termite Barrier for New Buildings.
Materials & Technologies for Hazard Reduction
- Indigenous Cathodic Protection System for Steel Reinforced Concrete Structures.
- Development of Fire Safe Polymeric Composite System.
- Improved Ventilation System for Cleaner Built Environment.
Engineering of Disaster Mitigation & Health Monitoring for Safe & Smart Built Environment.
Engineering of Landslide Disaster Mitigation
- Landslide Hazard and Risk Assessment of Chamoli-Joshimath Region, Garhwal Himalaya and development of Early Warning Instrumentation & Decision system
- Comprehensive Geo-Investigation and Control Measures of Landslide in Chamoli-Joshimath Region, Garhwal Himalaya.
Engineering of Earthquake Disaster Mitigation
- Seismic Microzonation of Srinagar, Uttarakhand.
- Seismic Behaviour of Piles under Dynamic Lateral Loading.
Engineering of Fire Disaster Mitigation
- Development of Low Ozone Depletion Potential (0.01-0.5) Innovative Fire Suppression System.
- Fire Performance Evaluation of Structural Elements and Rehabilitation Measures.
Post Disaster Shelter Planning
Post Disaster Shelter Planning for Rural Areas in the Western Himalayan.
Intelligent Building System for Model Residential Unit
- Architectural Planning and Design of a Residential Unit integrating Intelligent Building Features.
- Intelligent HVAC & Lighting Controls in Response to Ambient Environment.
- Glass Facade Cleaning Robotic System.
- Development of Technology for Making Flooring and Wall Tiles Using Kota Stone Waste.
- Demolition Wastes as Raw Materials For Low Cost Construction Products.
- Health Monitoring of Buildings Using Wireless Sensor Networks
S&T Extension Programme
Construction of cost effective housing units using alternative building materials under the programme India has always had an acute housing problem, especially for the poor who can hardly afford the cost of conventional building materials.
At the same time technology was available for the production of alternative building materials, which could be used to build low-cost houses in rural and semi - urban areas. The need was for an effective mechanism of transferring the technology to those who needed it most. It was with this objective that a 5-year Action Plan was launched by Government of India on Innovative Building Materials and Housing in 1990. The nodal responsibility was entrusted to the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee. Several national agencies concerned with low cost building technologies were also involved.
Key features of the action plan as a part of Science & Technology (S&T) Extension Programme included:
- Integrated training programmes for trainers at various locations in the country
- Setting up of demonstration units for local production of innovative building materials, and demonstration - construction of cost effective housing units in semi-urban and rural areas spread throughout the country.
The technologies selected were such that they led to employment generation, especially for the poor and women, decentralization of production, and development of human resource. As far as possible the demonstrations were organized at sites where the beneficiaries could set up their own production units or houses with their own funds, although sites earmarked by other collaborating organizations and agencies were also used.
“It has been planned to create a model building in an adopted village in different states through a project named as ‘TechVil’ , in which the developed technologies of different CSIR laboratories will be demonstrated. This will help the people in the surrounding to adopt the technologies. Also, dissemination in different parts of the country will be carried out through short-term training programmes and live demonstrations. Video films of different technologies have been developed and we are in the process of creating a few more,” adds Prof. Bhattacharya.
Speaking about the future plans, Prof Bhattacharya, says, "We have stated earlier that we have taken up programmes in the areas of ‘Development of Newer alternative Construction materials', 'Disaster mitigation strategies and Disaster - resistant building systems' , 'Health monitoring of building structures using wireless sensors' and 'Energy efficient Building Systems'. Also we have plans to expand our activities in the area of ‘Tall Building Systems’ & like. We are emphasizing on commercialization so that the developed technologies in the laboratory can be taken to the market. We are trying to make people of the country aware about the materials and technologies developed through short programmes, live demonstration, video films etc."
Important R&D initiatives taken up by CSIR-CBRI
Major Areas of R&D
New Building Materials
- Recycling and reuse of plastic wastes
- Timber substitutes
- Polymers in construction
- Polymer composites based on natural /synthetic fibers
- Polymer modified bitumen for roof treatment
- Water proofing compound
- Sealants and adhesives
- Jute-Sisal fibre products
- Lime/Cement based building bricks through pressing and autoclaving/atmospheric steam& curing/ moist curing
- Nanotechnology in the development of durable and ultra high strength concrete
- Design & development of high performance, fiber reinforced high volume fly ash concrete
- Environmental audit of building material industries
- Development of production process for utilization of Industrial Wastes
- Development of plant and machinery for building construction
Disaster Mitigation
Pre and post disaster mitigation & management with reference to cyclones earthquakes landslides and fire hazards in buildings
- Distress diagnosis & strengthening of masonry and RC structures against distress
- Vulnerability assessment of buildings due to earthquake/ wind
- Constitutive modeling & non linear finite element analysis of structures
- Service life prediction & reliability analysis of structures
- Testing of models and prototype structural elements
- Contaminated soil
- Fire resistance of building elements and passive fire protection systems
- Fire retardant coatings
- Use of nanotechnology in the development of fire retardant materials
- Instant, temporary & permanent shelters for disaster (earthquake/cyclone) prone areas
Energy Efficient Building Systems
- Development of guidelines for green and energy efficient buildings
- Development of low cost technologies for economically weaker section
- Development of space norms & standards for human settlements
- Thermal performance of building components and evaluation of thermal properties of building materials
- Solar energy applications in buildings - passive heating and cooling of buildings
- Wind tunnel measurements for estimation of aero dynamic forces
- Energy simulation and energy conservation aspects in buildings to provide comfortable indoor environment
Health Monitoring and Rehabilitation of Structures
- Assessment of physical condition and techno-economic analysis of RC structures
- Non destructive testing of concrete structures
- Assessment of corrosion of reinforcement using half cell potential and resistively measurements
- Stress analysis of structures
- Suitable recommendations for repair & protective measures
Information, Business, Development & Extension
- Dissemination of R&D technologies through exhibitions, seminars, workshops and awareness campaigns
- Building confidence and capacity by live demonstrations
- Training and skill development programmes for engineers, artisans and other professionals
- Counseling for production and use of newer technologies
- Sustainable partnership with all stakeholders
- Support and facilitate states, industries, educational institutions & NGOs in policy and implementation of innovative housing programme under CSIR 800
Profile of Prof. S.K. Bhattacharyya, Director, CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee
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Prof. S.K. Bhattacharyya is the Director of the CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in India. Prior to taking over the position, Prof. Bhattacharyya was Professor and Head of Civil Engineering Department at IIT, Kharagpur. He is presently a Senior Professor in the Civil Engineering Dept., IIT Kharagpur, Adjunct Professor of BITS Pilani and AICTE-INAE Distinguished Visiting Professor of BESU, Shibpur, Kolkata.
Prof. Bhattacharyya is a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering and member of a number of Associations & Society. His areas of research include Structural Health Monitoring and restoration, sustainable materials, computational mechanics amongst others.
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Prof. Bhattacharyya visited Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany and University of Durban, South Africa as guest Professor.
He has more than 180 research publications in the peer reviewed International/National Journals and conferences and guided/guiding 20 research students leading to Ph.D degree.