Highway Engineering Division
The Highways and Bridges Division primarily focuses on the research and development of pavement materials, the use of locally available marginal materials, bituminous mixes, performance evaluation and emerging/sustainable technologies for flexible as well as rigid pavements, pavement performance under overloading and environmental conditions such as high temperature and monsoon prevalent in Kerala, etc. The research topics selected are more focused on the field challenges and are funded by the government of Kerala. In addition to its research endeavours, the division offers professional consultancy services to various user organizations like PWD, LSGD, PMGSY, KRAIL, KRFB, KIIFB, and others. These services encompass technical assistance and guidance on the design, construction, and maintenance of roads, road management in different terrains, improvement of marginal materials, utilization of industrial waste in road construction, landslide control, ground improvements, performance monitoring/evaluation, service life assessment, and rehabilitation of highway bridges, ensuring the highest level of expertise and professionalism.
The divisional scientists also actively contribute to the development of engineers within the state departments and students from academic institutions by sharing their expertise and knowledge. They also play a pivotal role in organizing workshops aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of the wider community.
Major contributions to the Government in road infrastructure projects related to pavement rehabilitation, access control, alignment options etc.
The Centre is involved in the process of DPR preparation for coastal highway with cycle track, hill highways, waterways in Kerala for Mahe-Valapattanam stretch and Kovalam –Aakkulam stretch, Pavement design and Performance Evaluation of LSGD and PMGSY roads in Kerala, Identification and Mapping of the Forest Area for the Hill Highway. The major contribution is in the area of geometric design of highways, pavement design, land acquisition and cost estimation. The Centre along with KIIFB is involved in the functional assessment of various elements of roadway to determine the performance of the existing road network. The Centre is also involved in the promotion of Full-depth Reclamation Technology in pavement construction to promote the recycling of existing pavements and to reduce the use of virgin aggregates. To promote this technology a workshop was also conducted for the practicing engineers of Kerala. KSCSTE-NATPAC has also been providing technical reports and proposals to national and international agencies in specialized fields of highway engineering for the use of interlock. The major ongoing projects in which KSCSTE-NATPAC is involved are:
Major research projects undertaken by the division in the areas of pavement materials, bituminous mix design, pavement evaluation, sustainable concrete and ground improvement are
The division is instrumental in conducting scientific studies on the use of marginal materials, modifiers for bitumen, mapping of resources, performance evaluation of pavements, use of sustainable technologies such as Reclaimed Asphalt pavement (RAP), Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) and Cold mix asphalt (CMA), developing a sustainable concrete for the various structural elements in highway projects etc. These studies help in deciding the most suitable and sustainable techniques that can be adopted for pavement construction. Research initiatives which collectively contribute to a better understanding of asphalt mixtures and their performance characteristics in the context of Kerala's environment are being carried out which encompass evaluating the structural and functional behavior of porous asphalt mix, including permeability, clogging, and pore characteristics; effect of aggregate properties, filler types, and binders on Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) and Bituminous Concrete (BC), aiming to create climate-resilient surface mixtures; assessing moisture susceptibility using admixtures to identify solutions for enhancing moisture resistance in bituminous mixtures, tailored to Kerala's climate conditions. The Centre is involved in assessing the impact of salinity on the bituminous mix properties to address the challenges posed by increased salinity and rising sea levels in coastal areas. NATPAC is in the process of mapping of available aggregate resources in the selected districts of Kerala subject to the availability and is conducting a qualitative assessment of these materials to ensure their suitability for different pavement layers. A GIS-based database on highway construction materials and their characteristics will be developed which includes the location, engineering properties and their suitability.
Ground improvement using marginal materials available in Kerala is taken up by the Centre to the use of locally available weak soil. This not only promotes sustainability but also helps in disposal of waste generated. The influence of addition of shredded waste plastic covers from municipal waste to stabilize soil was studied and the results highlighted the importance of choosing the right plastic size for different soil types, with fine-sized particles suitable for fine-grained soils and larger particles for other soil types.
In situations where it is difficult to obtain the required properties for the fill material due to the inaccessibility of compacting equipment, flowable fills or Controlled Low Strength Materials (CLSM) can be used as an effective alternative for the fill material. The viability of using industrial by-products as a replacement for fly ash in controlled low-strength materials for urban utility fill is being investigated by the Centre.
Pavement performance evaluation studies using Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), especially for roads constructed using new technologies are being carried out by the division. The study on the investigation of pavement deterioration due to the overloading of vehicles tries to explore the damage caused in pavements due to the overloading of vehicles and to explore the strategies to be adopted in the pavement design. The Centre has carried out axle load surveys for PMGSY roads in Kottayam, Ernakulam and Kannur districts for effective pavement design.
A well-equipped scientific laboratory for tests on soil, aggregate, bitumen, bituminous mixes, and equipment for field pavement evaluation is available at the centre. Major equipment and design software available at the centre pertaining to highway engineering are: Open Road Designer and Concept Station software, Triaxial Shear apparatus, Corelok Device, Wheel rut Tester, Moisture Induced Stress Tester (MIST), Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), Field CBR test apparatus, etc.
The division provides extension services such as Internships or Projects for PhD/M.Tech/B.Tech students, which allows them to use these facilities for their research work. As part of outreach activities, training programs on New methods in pavement construction such as Geotextiles in Pavement, Climate resilient pavement, sustainable pavement construction technologies incorporating RAP, FDR, CTB, CMA, OGFC, etc. and its maintenance including quality assurance are regularly were given to Engineers from various departments, industries and academic institutions. Hands on training for Total station to ITI students, Demonstration of laboratory equipment to PG students of Engineering colleges, etc., are also taken up by the division.