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GRAPHEME-2009

The Editorial Team is rejoiced to present you the first edition of the
Graphic Era University's Magazine, "GRAPHEME".
Before I write more about the magazine, on behalf of the editorial
team, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Hon.
Prof. Kamal Ghanshala Sir for creating the environment without
which it would not have been possible for us to publish the
magazine and to Respected Prof. (col.) Rakesh Sharma, Director
Engg., for encouraging our idea and continuously boosting us
in the right direction to accomplish the task.


The first question that would strike a reader's mind is why
"Grapheme"? Well, the dictionary defines the word "Grapheme"
as "the fundamental unit in written language", e.g. alphabets, numbers
and punctuation marks in the English language. Just like the
graphemes of a language can collectively form a powerful statement,
in the same manner, we, the individuals, the graphemes of
the Graphic Era University, can do wonders together by uniting
our thoughts by the medium of this magazine.

Download GATE 2012-2013 syllabus for Civil Engineering

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GATE2012-CE

Courtsey: Civil Engineers of GEU

Download full Syllabus for Civil Engineering for GEU..

Click at the link given below to download syllabus for All 4 year of Civil Engineering GEU.

Full Syllabus CE GEU Download


Courtsey: Civil Engineers of GEU

Motorola Scholar Programme 2011-2012

Motorola Scholar Programme : 2011-2012

The objectives of the Motorola Scholar Program are :

• To encourage creativity and innovation amongst the students in polytechnics and engineering institutions across India particularly those in rural and semi-urban areas making them to think and prepare detailed project proposals on areas and topics of relevance.
• To take up problems of relevance related to (a) rural areas (b) rural communications (c) agricultural information systems (d) information flows (e) e-governance (f) resource utilization (g) ecology and rural areas (h) watershed development (i) use of ad hoc networks (j) renewable sources and utilization (h) rural planning etc.
• To award "Scholars" status to meritorious persons based on a rigorous three stage selection process refereed and conducted by experts.

Foundation for Advancement of Education and Research (FAER) announces Motorola Scholar program to select scholars from engineering colleges based on a project in the areas of

• Computer Science and Information Technology
• Communications
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Rural technologies
• Health care Technologies
• Labour saving Technologies for Women
• Ecology and Environment
• Applications

Selections will be done by FOUNDATION for ADVANCEMENT of EDUCATION and RESEARCH (FAER).

 for more detail click link given below:-
Motorola Scholar Programme 2011-2012






 

L&T Build India Scholarship – M.Tech – Construction Technology & Management

L&T Construction, the Engineering Construction and Contracts Division of Larsen and Toubro – will sponsor fresh, deserving engineering graduates interested in pursuing M.Tech in Construction Technology in IIT (Delhi, Madras). The scholarship signifies L&T Construction commitment to enhancing industry-academic interface. The 24-month course will begin in July 2012.
 
Qualification: First-class graduates with minimum aggregate of 65% in Civil /Mechanical /Electrical Engineering graduating in 2012 from a recognized Indian University / Institute.


Age: Not more than 23 years as on 01-07-2012.


Minimum height: 160 cm.


Minimum weight:  50 kg


Vision: If wearing glasses, power should be less than ± 5.0 dioptres.


Selection process: Involves written tests / interview conducted by IIT (Delhi/Madras) in coordination with L&T Construction. Final selection will be subject to medical fitness.


Scholarship: For the 24-month course, L&T will pay candidates average a stipend of Rs.9000/- per month and also pay sponsorships to IITs.


Employment: Those who successfully complete the course will be considered for absorption in regular employment in accordance with the terms and conditions of the company. Total  emoluments on absorption at current rates exceed Rs. 4,00,000 per annum on cost-to-company basis. The company offers excellent career prospects.


Undertaking: Before the course, candidates selected will have t0 execute an undertaking for the value of Rs.3,00,000 t0 complete the course and subsequently, if selected for employment, to serve the company for a minimum of 5 years.


How to apply: Eligible candidates may apply online on the ‘Careers’ page at www.lntecc.com within 10 days. Provide accurate and complete details – full name, mailing address, date of birth, height/weight, examinations passed, year of passing, discipline (Civil/Mechanical/Electrical), aggregate percentage of marks (taking into account all completed semesters, including I & II semesters, college university, location of university (State / Union territory), special merit awards and extra-curricular activities (if any). If applying by post, quote Ref. No. 999/STL/XXX on the application and the envelope, and send to the Manager (HR), Corporate Centre HR, L&T Construction, Mount Poonamallee Road, Manapakkam, P.B.No 979, Chennai 600 089.

Liquid Granite: Building Material Of The Future Unveiled

Scientists have developed a new building material that is fire resistant to temperatures in excess of 1100 degrees Celsius, is made largely from recycled material and is as versatile as concrete.

Liquid Granite offers a real breakthrough in reducing fire risk in buildings as, unlike concrete, it doesn’t explode at high temperatures. It can also withstand high temperatures for longer periods, offering valuable minutes in the case of a fire.

The material is made up of between 30 and 70 per cent recycled material, mainly base products fromindustry. It uses less than one third of the cement used in precast concrete, which also reduces its carbon footprint.

The product was developed at Sheffield Hallam University and is available from Liquid Granite Ltd. The new material is being used by a number of organisations in building projects as it has a four hour fire rating, meaning that it provides the top level of protection in the case of a fire.

Professor Pal Mangat is the Director of the Centre of Infrastructure Management at Sheffield Hallam University and developed Liquid Granite. He explains, “Liquid Granite is a very versatile material that can be used in a similar way to concrete. The fact it has a high level of fire resistance means that it can be used in areas where fire safety is crucial, such as around power stations, and in domestic and commercial buildings can offer added time for evacuation in case of an emergency.

“The product replaces most of the cement in standard concrete with a secret formula of products to change the basic properties of the material. I believe it has great potential for the future.”

Bob Richards from Liquid Granite said, “There has already been a great deal of interest from the building industry about this product, and it has been supplied onto projects such as the Olympic Village and Stratford Shopping Centre in London in the form of fire rated lintels manufactured by King Stone Products’. It will really make a difference to the safety of our buildings and could potentially save lives.”

Light Transmitting Concrete : We can now see through walls!!

Litracon is a combination of optical fibres and fine concrete.  It can be produced as prefabricated building blocks and panels.  Due to the small size of the fibres, they blend into concrete becoming a component of the material like small pieces of aggregate.  In this manner, the result is not only two materials - glass in concrete - mixed, but a third, new material, which is homogeneous in its inner structure and on its main surfaces as well.

We can now see through walls! With Litracon™ you can display the view of the outside world, such as the silhouette of a tree.

LiTraCon is the trademark for is a translucent concrete building material. The name is short for "light-transmitting concrete". The technical data sheet from the manufactures,says the material is made of 96% concrete and 4% by weight of optical fibers. it was developed in 2001 by Hungarian architect Áron Losonczi working with scientists at the Technical University of Budapest.

The concrete comes in precast blocks of different sizes.
The most notable installation of it to date is Europe Gate - a 4 m high sculpture made of LiTraCon blocks, erected in 2004 in observance of the entry of Hungary into the European Union. The product won the German "Red Dot 2005 Design Award" for 'highest design qualities'.

Litracon™ is an exciting new architectural building material now available in .  It is light transmitting concrete made with 96% concrete and 4% optical glass fibres.

Litracon presents the phenomenon of light transmitting concrete in the form of a widely applicable new building material.

The glass fibres lead light by points between the two sides of the blocks.  Because of their parallel position, the light-information on the brighter side of such a wall appears unchanged on the darker side. The most interesting form of this phenomenon is probably the sharp display of shadows on the opposing side of the wall. Moreover, the colour of the light also remains the same.

Thousands of optical glass fibres form a matrix and run parallel to each other between the two main surfaces of each block.  The proportion of the fibres is very small (4%) compared to the total volume of the blocks.

 Moreover, these fibres mingle in the concrete because of their insignificant size, and they become a structural component as a kind of modest aggregate. Therefore, the surface of the blocks remains homogeneous concrete.  In theory, a wall structure built from light-transmitting concrete can be several meters thick, because the fibres work without almost any loss in light up until 20 meters.  Load-bearing structures can be also built of these blocks, since glass fibres do not have a negative effect on the well-known high compressive strength value of concrete.  The blocks can be produced in various sizes and with embedded heat-isolation.

Litracon was invented by Hungarian architect LOSONCZI in 2001.  Litracon is protected by Swedish patent and other patents are also pending in other jurist regions.

Inventor and patent holder  LOSONCZI founded his own company, Litracon Bt., in spring 2004.  The company is located in the Hungarian town Csongrád, 160km away from the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

What is porous concrete?

Porous concrete is concrete which is designed to trap water and allow it to percolate through the concrete to the ground below. There are a number of advantages to porous concrete which have caused it to become a popular option for things like sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. It is especially popular with ecologically sound construction companies, since it helps to manage water runoff in a sustainable way. Many so-called “green” builders promote the use of porous concrete in their projects.

There are a number of alternate names for porous concrete including permeable concrete, porous pavement, and pervious concrete. All of the names basically mean the same thing; porous concrete is a form of concrete which is permeable, rather than solid. Porous concrete is made by mixing large aggregate material with mortar, creating lots of voids in the cast concrete. When water lands on the concrete, it trickles through the voids and into the ground below.

For people who are concerned about the environment, porous concrete is attractive because it traps water, rather than allowing it to drain uselessly into the ocean. Porous concrete can help route storm runoff and rain directly into the soil where it can nourish gardens and trickle down into the water table. It also comes in a range of colors, and it can be made with recycled materials including recycled concrete rubble. This flexibility and potential for recycling makes it an ecologically friendly and aesthetically pleasing building material.

From the point of view of a contractor, porous concrete has some distinct water management advantages. Instead of allowing water to pool, porous concrete sucks up water and wicks it away. This prolongs the life of the concrete, and it also makes it safer for people driving, walking, and biking on the concrete, since they do not have to contend with pools of water. While extremely wet conditions will eventually overwhelm the absorption capacity of porous concrete, it is still a better drainage choice than tightly packed concretes.

Because porous concrete does have a lot of empty space, it is not suitable for all building applications. There are specific requirements for structural concrete, for example, to ensure that it will be safe and sound, and porous concrete may not always meet these specifications. It can be used safely for pathways, concrete patios, driveways, sidewalks, and so forth. Some companies also cast bricks and tiles in porous concrete for people who want to build their own tiled walkways.

Construction firms bag orders worth Rs 3,810 cr from July 1-15

Domestic construction firms inked contracts worth just Rs 3,810 crore in the first 15 days of July, over 72 per cent lower than the order intake in the preceding fortnight, as per data compiled by IDFC Securities.

Construction firms' order intake stood at Rs 13,730 crore between June 16 and June 30, out of which Larsen & Toubro accounted for contracts with a cumulative value of Rs 5,500 crore.

The brokerage firm said of the total order intake in the first fortnight of the current month, the lion's share went to Pratibha Industries , which bagged two orders worth Rs 1,249 crore from the Delhi Jal Board along with joint venture partner Mosinzhstroi Open Joint Stock Company.

Under the contracts, Pratibha will design, construct and lay interceptor sewers along three major drains in the national capital.


Meanwhile, Pune-based wind turbine maker Suzlon Energy received a Rs 650 crore order for supplying 100-MW turbines to Orient Green Power.

Furthermore, KNR Constructions bagged orders worth Rs 580 crore from Sadbhav Engineering for two road projects, while NCC garnered orders worth Rs 820 crore for various projects from the Rail Vikas Nigam and Bangalore Development Authority, among others.

During the fortnight, French power equipment-maker Alstom bagged contracts worth over Rs 270 crore for setting up three hydro-power projects in India.

The first contract was from Shiga Energy for the 97-MW Tashiding hydroelectric project in Sikkim. The second was with NSL Tidong Power Generation for the Tidong I hydro-electric project, consisting of two 50-MW units, in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.

The third contract is from Haridwar Infrastructure for the Dikchu hydro-electric project on the river Dikchu, in Sikkim, for a 96-MW plant.

Types of Construction Contracts

While construction contracts serve as a means of pricing construction, they also structure the allocation of risk to the various parties involved. The owner has the sole power to decide what type of contract should be used for a specific facility to be constructed and to set forth the terms in a contractual agreement. It is important to understand the risks of the contractors associated with different types of construction contracts.

Lump Sum Contract

In a lump sum contract, the owner has essentially assigned all the risk to the contractor, who in turn can be expected to ask for a higher markup in order to take care of unforeseen contingencies. Beside the fixed lump sum price, other commitments are often made by the contractor in the form of submittals such as a specific schedule, the management reporting system or a quality control program. If the actual cost of the project is underestimated, the underestimated cost will reduce the contractor’s profit by that amount. An overestimate has an opposite effect, but may reduce the chance of being a low bidder for the project.

Unit Price Contract

In a unit price contract, the risk of inaccurate estimation of uncertain quantities for some key tasks has been removed from the contractor. However, some contractors may submit an “unbalanced bid” when it discovers large discrepancies between its estimates and the owner’s estimates of these quantities. Depending on the confidence of the contractor on its own estimates and its propensity on risk, a contractor can slightly raise the unit prices on the underestimated tasks while lowering the unit prices on other tasks. If the contractor is correct in its assessment, it can increase its profit substantially since the payment is made on the actual quantities of tasks; and if the reverse is true, it can lose on this basis. Furthermore, the owner may disqualify a contractor if the bid appears to be heavily unbalanced. To the extent that an underestimate or overestimate is caused by changes in the quantities of work, neither error will effect the contractor’s profit beyond the markup in the unit prices.

Cost Plus Fixed Percentage Contract

For certain types of construction involving new technology or extremely pressing needs, the owner is sometimes forced to assume all risks of cost overruns. The contractor will receive the actual direct job cost plus a fixed percentage, and have little incentive to reduce job cost. Furthermore, if there are pressing needs to complete the project, overtime payments to workers are common and will further increase the job cost. Unless there are compelling reasons, such as the urgency in the construction of military installations, the owner should not use this type of contract.

Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contract

Under this type of contract, the contractor will receive the actual direct job cost plus a fixed fee, and will have some incentive to complete the job quickly since its fee is fixed regardless of the duration of the project. However, the owner still assumes the risks of direct job cost overrun while the contractor may risk the erosion of its profits if the project is dragged on beyond the expected time.

Cost Plus Variable Percentage Contract

For this type of contract, the contractor agrees to a penalty if the actual cost exceeds the estimated job cost, or a reward if the actual cost is below the estimated job cost. In return for taking the risk on its own estimate, the contractor is allowed a variable percentage of the direct job-cost for its fee. Furthermore, the project duration is usually specified and the contractor must abide by the deadline for completion. This type of contract allocates considerable risk for cost overruns to the owner, but also provides incentives to contractors to reduce costs as much as possible.

Target Estimate Contract

This is another form of contract which specifies a penalty or reward to a contractor, depending on whether the actual cost is greater than or less than the contractor’s estimated direct job cost. Usually, the percentages of savings or overrun to be shared by the owner and the contractor are predetermined and the project duration is specified in the contract. Bonuses or penalties may be stipulated for different project completion dates.

Guaranteed Maximum Cost Contract

When the project scope is well defined, an owner may choose to ask the contractor to take all the risks, both in terms of actual project cost and project time. Any work change orders from the owner must be extremely minor if at all, since performance specifications are provided to the owner at the outset of construction. The owner and the contractor agree to a project cost guaranteed by the contractor as maximum. There may be or may not be additional provisions to share any savings if any in the contract. This type of contract is particularly suitable for turnkey operation.

Larsen & Toubro to Double Orders From Outside India on Gulf Construction

Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (LT), India’s biggest builder of power networks and refineries, expects to double overseas orders in three years as a new structure helps it challenge South Korean builders for projects in the Middle East.

Contracts from overseas will rise to 25 percent of total orders in the period as the company divides operations into nine units to improve management focus, Chief Financial Officer Y.M. Deosthalee said in a July 4 interview at the company’s Mumbai head office. Foreign deals now account for less than 10 percent of orders, he said.

“Our international strategy has not panned out the way it should have,” he said. That is one reason for the new management setup as “this business has to grow,” he said.

The company will focus its overseas push on the Gulf, as rising oil prices and economic development spur investment in refineries and infrastructure. Countries in the region plan to spend almost $1 trillion on construction over five years, Deloitte Corporate Finance Ltd. said in November.

“Larsen has the wherewithal to win orders overseas,” said Rupesh Kumar, a Mumbai-based analyst with KR Choksey Shares & Securities Pvt. “But, the going won’t be easy for them as they are facing some formidable competitors.”

The company gained 0.8 percent to 1,806.6 rupees at the 3.30 p.m. close of trading in Mumbai. The shares have dropped 8.7 percent this year, matching the decline in the benchmark Sensitive Index of the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Larsen plans to promote work it has done in India, including building four airports, to win overseas contracts, Deosthalee said. India’s lower wages may also help Larsen challenge South Korean builders, including Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., the nation’s biggest, which got 38 percent of sales in the Middle East last year.

‘Tough Job’

“It’s a very tough job to compete against them, but we have some advantages,” Deosthalee said. “Our entire design and engineering team is sitting in India,” which pares costs, he said.

Larsen last month announced 13.7 billion rupee ($310 million) of transmission and power distribution orders from the Middle East, including installing a 225 kilometer-long power line for a Saudi Arabian railway and building five substations for Abu Dhabi Ports Co.

Nine Units

The builder expects its total orderbook to rise as much as 20 percent by March 31 from 1.3 trillion rupees at the end of the last fiscal year, it said earlier this year. The company in January unveiled the new management set-up centered on nine units, focused on areas including construction, shipbuilding, electrical parts, information technology and financial services.

Aside from the Middle East, Larsen is also looking to win business in other South Asian countries and in Africa, Deosthalee said. It has opened an office in South Africa to win contracts there to build electricity transmission lines, he said.

The company also makes heavy-engineering equipment, including parts for fertilizer plants and refineries, which are sold worldwide.

Construction slump may force Britain back into recession

A weak performance by the construction industry in May could force the economy back into recession, say leading economists.

A 0.4% rise in activity last month was far below the estimates of most economic commentators, and follows a 12.4% plunge the previous month. The weak figures for May left the sector down 2.7% year-on-year.

The Office for National Statistics said the sector was dragged down by a 5.9% fall in private industrial work, which offset rises in public housing starts and new infrastructure projects.

Alan Clarke of Scotia Capital warned the economy could be slipping back into recession. "For some time we have seen significant risks that GDP growth will be around zero in [the second quarter]. The incoming monthly data for May have reassured our expectations of near zero growth. In fact, it is looking more and more likely that we might see another negative quarter for GDP growth," he said.

He joined several other economists in saying that figures this month showing a slowdown in manufacturing and severe pressure on the services sector, combined with the poor construction figures, could push the economy into reverse when official second-quarter GDP figures were published on 26 July.

Services sector data for May is due next week and is expected to reflect huge falls in consumer confidence over recent months. Several retailers have issued dire warnings of significant falls in turnover. John Lewis, which had proved immune to the retail slowdown until recently, said on Friday morning that year-on-year sales fell 3.4% to the week ending 2 July.

The figures are expected to put further pressure on the Treasury to explain how the economy will grow over the next few months and avoid slipping back into a second recession in three years.

The chancellor, George Osborne, has faced calls for tax cuts and a boost to spending to jolt the economy back into life after a sharp fall in consumer confidence this year. It takes two consecutive quarters of decline before an economy is considered to be in recession.

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research said on Friday that Britain was suffering a depression that would last longer than that of the 1930s.

The respected thinktank revealed its latest estimate for GDP growth in the three months to June at just 0.1%.
Construction industry expert Tom MacLennan, of accountants RSM Tenon, said the outlook for many building firms was bleak. "Looking at balance sheets, nearly 37,000 construction companies – almost a quarter of the sector – are at high risk of insolvency. By contrast, only 20,800 firms – 13% of the industry – have very healthy cashflow," he said

"Construction companies face a nasty combination of circumstances – materials are costly, the government has cut back on capital spending on infrastructure, and UK businesses remains chastened by the pre-crash building boom.

"Worse, when the industry hears bad news such as today's figures, these problems are amplified; negative publicity can push suppliers to ask for quicker payment terms, causing less working capital being available.

So, the question is whether a resurgent economy can increase demand for building, and save the sector from a downward spiral. As construction accounts for 6% of the UK's GDP, let's hope so," he added

Builders setting up prefabrication units to cut costs

Real estate developers are setting up prefabrication plants to speed up construction and cut project costs as an acute shortage of labour and a rise in raw material prices threaten to wipe out the industry's already wafer-thin margins.

Between 2009 and 2011, labour costs have risen 50% while prices of raw materials-steel, cement and bricks-have grown 25%, but developers are betting on the use of prefabs, which promise to save a third in construction time and 10-15% in costs over the long run. "This (labour shortage) is impacting delivery of projects and escalating costs," says Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej.

According toresearch firm PropEquity, nearly half of the 930,000 under-construction residential units scheduled for delivery between 2011 and 2013 are likely to be delayed by up to 18 months. In the current market, where margins are thin and customer sentiment is low, developers cannot afford project delays. "To improve the situation, we need to bring in more technology like prefab structures," says Godrej.

Prefab technology, now adopted by a number of developers in the south like Janapriya, Supertech, Brigade group and Trigunaas Build-Tech, involves making concrete walls and slabs at a manufacturing facility, transporting them to the construction site and then installing them.

India's construction industry is projected to face a labour shortage of 18-28% if the country grows at a medium rate, according to a recent World Bank report. Moreover, the success of the government's flagship job scheme, the NREGS, has reduced labour supply in large cities.

Janapriya Projects, which was facing labour shortages for quite some time, decided to use prefabricated walls in its latest project, the Lake Front township in Hyderabad. As a result, the project is now almost four months ahead compared to the construction time using the earlier method. "Earlier, we were unable to meet timelines and costs were spiraling due to high labour costs," says K Kranti Kiran Reddy, executive director at Janapriya. In October, it signed a technology deal with Finland-based Elematic for setting up a prefabrication unit, which now produces 5,000 sq ft of wall area a day. "We are using 60% less labour in the Lake Front project now."

Though companies building low-cost housing have been using the technology successfully, now developers like Janapriya are using prefabs to develop affordable and mid-income housing.

"It makes more sense to use prefabricated structures for large developments," says Harleen Oberoi, executive director, project management at Cushman & Wakefield.

Noida-based developer Supertech is investing Rs 200 crore to set up a pre-fab plant in Greater Noida and has raised Rs 50 crore debt from ICICI Bank . "We plan to use pre-fabricated walls and slabs for our mid-income and affordable homes projects," says Supertech managing director RK Arora.

"The reduced construction cost will help us keep our selling price low. Otherwise it is difficult to compete in this price range," says Arora. He and his team had visited a construction site in Malaysia last year to see how the prefab technology works. "Only five people working at the site: one man on the crane, two helping him load the prefabs and two to install them on the building."

Says Trigunaas Built-Tech project manager Bima Rajesh: "We are importing prefab moulds from Malaysia and Germany for our low-income housing projects. Now we are setting up a plant so that we can tap the growing market for affordable housing." Using prefabs, three floors can be built in 45 days as compared to a year taken by the conventional method, says Rajesh. Malaysian firm Plastek Industrial System is partnering Trigunaas in building the plant, which will cost Rs 200 crore,

Bangalore-based Brigade group is currently negotiating with a Singapore-based prefab company to design and manage a plant for it. "We are looking to set up a captive production plant (at a cost of Rs 15 crore) for affordable homes in Bangalore ," says Kailash Advani, CEO, BCV Developers, a subsidiary of Brigade Group.

Research Invitation for graduates in civil engineering by UK

Engineers at the University of Liverpool (UK) are looking for students from India to join an international research team investigating the development of environmental-friendly materials for use in construction industries around the world.

Researchers at the University's Centre for Engineering Sustainability are exploring the use of recycled demolition waste in construction materials, as well as how recycled glass could be used in ultra high-strength concrete pavement flags that are resistant to accidental damage caused by vehicles. The team, which comprises postgraduate students from all over the world, is also aiming to replace cement in concrete construction products with waste materials of high silicon dioxide content.

India has long been recognised as one of the most active in developing innovative solutions to the challenges faced in construction and materials engineering. Marios Soutsos, from the University's School of Engineering, travelled to India in May this year to talk to students about his research and he is now inviting postgraduate applicants to work with his team at Liverpool in September.

Soutsos said: "The Indian Institute of Technology and the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, as well as the American Concrete Institute in India are examples of some of the big organisations that have driven forward rapid developments in the country's construction industry. The research skills of graduates from universities in India have contributed to some of the most successful construction projects in the country , such as the Bandra Worli Sealink and the JJ Hospital Flyover. We are looking to work with graduates from India who are interested in pursuing research in sustainable materials."

Postgraduate research degrees at the university run for three years and to apply for the same, students should have a class 2.1 engineering degree or better. Individual consideration is given to mature engineers with significant experience with professional qualifications. A good standard of English is also required at ELTS 6.0. Alternatively, students should successfully complete the appropriate pre-sessional English language course.

NCC bags fresh orders of Rs 815 cr

Construction firm NCC on Monday said it has secured fresh orders worth Rs 815 crore to be executed over a period of upto 36 months.

In a communique to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Hyderabad-based firm said it has bagged a Rs 215 crore order from Rail Vikas Nigam, Bhubneswar.

The project would be completed over 36 months, NCC said but did not divulge other details.

The company has also received an order worth Rs 159 crore from the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharshtra for construction of an elevated road. The project would be completed over 24 months, it said but did not mention when it bagged the order.

NCC has also got a Rs 119 work from Bangalore Development Authority for construction of flyover and underpass roads. The work would be completed in 15 months.

"Some more orders have been received from various clients totaling to Rs 322 crore," it said.

The company had earlier said that its orderbook, as on April 1, stood at Rs 16,180 crore. During April and May, it secured Rs 716 crore fresh orders.

NCC hopes its consolidated turnover to go up by 15 per cent this fiscal to Rs 7,200 crore over the last fiscal.

Is China's bridge really the the world's longest bridge?

China's latest engineering marvel, the Qingdao bridge, has been hailed as the world's longest bridge over water. But the claim has ruffled feathers in America, previous owners of the title.

The bridge is over 26 miles long and carries its eight lanes of traffic over the Qingdao bay. Motorists will be able to travel from downtown Qingdao to the Huangdao city centre in about 20 minutes, saving themselves a 40-minute journey around the bay's edge.

The fact that it crosses over the bay means that it has been entered into the Guinness World Records as the longest bridge over water, which according to the Guinness World Records team means it is "2.53 miles longer than the former record holder, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana".

However the general manager of the Causeway in Louisiana is not going to relinquish this title without a fight and said that the Chinese bridge team were "a bunch of wannabees".




Causeway General Manager Carlton Dufrechou said his bridge, built in the 1950s and traversing the Lake Pontchartrain in a straight 24-mile line, deserves to hold on to the title.

'We're proud of that record and we think we still hold that' - Carlton Dufrechou, Causeway Commission

Dufrechou told Channel 4 News that while he agreed the Qingdao bridge is a "magnificent bridge", he believes the 54-year-old Causeway bridge still holds the record by eight miles.

Terminology appears to be at the heart of the dispute. Dufrechou maintains that because the Qingdao bridge is curved, it is using part of that curvature over the water to add to its length of 26 miles.

If you were to measure the distance from the start of the bridge to the end of the bridge as the crow flies, it would only measure a distance of 16 miles over the water, he argues. His bridge by comparison is a straight 24 miles from end to end over the water (you can see the Causeway on the map below).

View Larger Map

However the Guinness World Records has come down on the side of the Chinese. Its editor-in-chief Craig Glenday says their title, for the Longest Bridge over Water, "recognises an incredible feat of engineering." and explains how they award it:

"It is calculated by the actual length of the bridge and not the size of the body of water it covers or the distance between two land masses that it spans."

Defrechou seemed undeterred by the Guinness World Records response. "I understand that measurement," he said, "but we believe the open span over the water is the proper measurement - we're proud of that record and we think we still hold that."

Chinese bridge-building has been making waves recently with the sheer speed and scale of its construction.

'The west is competing with China with doing projects in its own back yard' - Alistair Lenczner, Foster + Partners

Alistair Lenczner, partner at Foster and Partners who were behind the Millau Viaduct in France, explained what a force Chinese construction has become.

"You have to be impressed the rate and the magnitude of the projects they're doing," he told Channel 4 News. "It's probably unprecedented in terms of the volume of infrastructure in such a short number of years."
Previously, Lenczner said, western consultants would be invited to Chinese construction projects, while their own engineers stood by and watched and learned. Now they have developed their own industry and have become world leaders, exporting their skills.

"The tide has turned - the west is competing with China with doing projects in its own back yard."
Lenczner knows how well the Chinese have progressed. Among its several world records, the Millau bridge also held the record for the highest road bridge deck in the world. Now he says the Chinese have broken that record "a dozen times over".

But Lenczner points out that in terms of records the real holy grail for the bridge designer is the "longest span" record - that is to say, the part of length of the bridge between any supporting columns.

Both the Qingdao bridge and the Louisiana Causeway may have length on their side, but they have a lot of columns beneath them, creating very small spans. The owner of the longest bridge span title is in Japan.

List of Theory and Practical subject for 7th semester GEU civil engineering

Theory  

TCE 701  Design of Steel Structures  

TCE 702  Environmental Engineering II 

TCE 703  Water Resources Engineering I 

 TCE 704  Earthquake Resistant Design of  Buildings 

   

Labs  

PCE 701  Environmental Engineering Lab. II 

PCE 702  Structural Detailing Lab. II 

PCE 703  Practical Training & Seminar 

CEP 701  Project ( Stage - I ) 

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7th sem.doc

Hindustan Construction, Alstom jointly bag Rs 1,843 crore project in Uttarakhand

The joint venture of construction major Hindustan Construction Company ( HCC )) and Alstom has been awarded a contract worth Rs 1,843 crore to construct Tehri pumped storage plant in Uttarakhand.

"This is an engineering, procurement and construction contract wherein HCC's share is Rs.701 crore," the company said in a regulatory filing. The project for the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation India Ltd is to be completed in 54 months.

Under the project, the company has to construct head race tunnel, surge shaft, penstocks, underground powerhouse, ventilation system gallery, bus bar gallery and cavern, drainage gallery, access adits and tail race tunnel.

The Tehri pump storage project (PSP) comprises of four reversible pump turbine units of 250 MW each. The operation of Tehri PSP is based on the concept of recycling of water discharged between upper reservoir and lower reservoir.

The Tehri Dam reservoir will function as the upper reservoir and Koteshwar reservoir as the lower balancing reservoir.

'Super sand' to help clean up dirty drinking water

The technology could help improve access to clean water in developing countries

Contaminated water can be cleaned much more effectively using a novel, cheap material, say researchers.

Dubbed "super sand", it could become a low-cost way to purify water in the developing world.

The technology involves coating grains of sand in an oxide of a widely available material called graphite - commonly used as lead in pencils.

The team describes the work in the American Chemical Society journal Applied Materials and Interfaces.
In many countries around the world, access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities is still limited.

The World Health Organization states that "just 60% of the population in Sub-Saharan African and 50% of the population in Oceania [islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean] use improved sources of drinking-water."

The graphite-coated sand grains might be a solution - especially as people have already used sand to purify water since ancient times.

Coating the sand
But with ordinary sand, filtering techniques can be tricky.

According to Dr Wei Gao from Rice university in Texas,  that regular coarse sand was a lot less effective than fine sand when water was contaminated with pathogens, organic contaminants and heavy metal ions.

While fine sand is slightly better, water drains through it very slowly.

"Our product combines coarse sand with functional carbon material that could offer higher retention for those pollutants, and at the same time gives good throughput," explained Dr Gao.

She said that the technique the team has developed to make the sand involves dispersing graphite oxide into water and mixing it with regular sand.

"We then heat the whole mixture up to 105C for a couple of hours to evaporate the water, and use the final product - 'coated sand' - to purify polluted water."
Cost-efficient

"Super sand" is made using regular sand - and it could become a low-cost way to purify water

The lead scientist of the study, Professor Pulickel Ajayan, said it was possible to modify the graphite oxide in order to make it more selective and sensitive to certain pollutants - such as organic contaminants or specific metals in dirty water.

Another team member, Dr Mainak Majumder from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, said it had another advantage - it was cheap.

"This material demonstrates comparable performance to some commercially available activated carbon materials," he said.

"But given that this can be synthesized using room temperature processes and also from cheap graphite sources, it is likely to be cost-efficient."

He pointed out that in Australia many mining companies extract graphite and they produce a lot of graphite-rich waste.

"This waste can be harnessed for water purification," he said.

China aiming to be world's civil engineer

With govt's financial power behind them, Chinese companies are winning projects

(SHANGHAI) China, in its continual move up the global economic value chain - from cheap toys to Apple iPads to commercial jetliners - now aims to be the world's civil engineer.

A force to be reckoned with: Showcase projects like the Three Gorges Dam (above) have helped Chinese companies win infrastructure contracts overseas

On the reputation of showcase projects like Beijing's Olympic-size airport terminal and the mammoth hydroelectric Three Gorges Dam, Chinese companies have been hired to build copper mines in the Congo, high-speed rail lines in Brazil and huge apartment complexes in Saudi Arabia.


In New York City alone, Chinese companies have won contracts to help renovate the subway system, refurbish the Alexander Hamilton Bridge over the Harlem River and build a new Metro-North train platform near Yankee Stadium.


As with the Bay Bridge, US union labour would carry out most of the work done on American soil.


American steelworker unions have disparaged the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge contract by accusing the state of California of sending good jobs overseas and settling for what they deride as poor-quality Chinese steel.


Industry groups in the US and other countries have raised questions about the safety and quality of Chinese workmanship on such projects. Indeed, China has had quality control problems ranging from tainted milk to poorly built schools.


But executives and officials who have awarded the various Chinese contracts say their audits have convinced them of the projects' engineering integrity.


And they note that with the full financial force of the Chinese government behind its infrastructure companies, the monumental scale of the work, and the prices bid are hard for private industry elsewhere to beat.


At US$7.2 billion, the Bay Bridge will be one of the most expensive structures ever built. But California officials estimate that they will save at least US$400 million by having so much of the work done in China.
China, the world's biggest steel maker, was the front-runner, particularly because it has dominated bridge building for the last decade. Several years ago, Shanghai opened a 32km sea bridge; the country is now planning a much longer one near Hong Kong.


The selection of the state-owned Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company was a surprise, though, because the company made port cranes and had no bridge building experience.


Zhenhua put 3,000 employees to work on the project: steel-cutters, welders, polishers and engineers. The company built the main bridge tower, which was shipped in mid-2009, and a total of 28 bridge decks - the massive triangular steel structures that will serve as the roadway platform.


Pan Zhongwang, a 55-year-old steel polisher, is a typical Zhenhua worker. He arrives at 7am and leaves at 11pm, often working seven days a week. He lives in a company dormitory and earns about US$12 a day.


'It used to be US$9 a day, now it's US$12,' he said last Wednesday morning, while polishing one of the decks for the new Bay Bridge. 'Everything is getting more expensive. They should raise our pay.'


To ensure the bridge meets safety standards, 250 employees and consultants working for the state of California and American Bridge/Fluor also took up residence in Shanghai.

Top Construction Companies in India

Here is the list of top construction companies in India on the basis of their tie-ups with their international counterparts, technological advancements, generating money from the market to trigger their expansion plans and for establishing an entire township in the wastelands and making it the hottest commercial destination.

·         Larsen & Toubro: It is India's biggest construction organization. Supported by its equally proficient allied sectors, the Engineering, Construction and Contracts Division of L&T provides EPC solutions on concept and expenses which could be incurred while performing engineering and infrastructure projects on large scale. L&T's ECC department carry out large scale projects entailing ground-breaking design and wide-ranging construction services ranging from procurement, furnishing, fitting, testing and commissioning. L&T is known for its excellence and timely deliverance. With an annual turnover of Rs 25,000 crore, L&T has more 12,000 skilled professional working for it.

·         DLF: DLF's chief business is to develop housing, marketable and retail properties. Currently it has undertaken the development of 70 million sq ft of housing projects which it intends to finish in the next three years. DLF has joined hands with Delhi Development Authority to develop townships in Amritsar, Pune, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai and Goa. DLF has been the construction company behind different malls in Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Kochi and Chennai. The company is also developing 50-75 hotels along with Hilton Hotels and infrastructure and SEZ in India in collaboration with Laing O'Rourke (UK). 

·         Tata Projects: Tata Projects registered an annual turnover of Rs 2,300 crore on July 1, 2007. With more than 1,500 professionals the company has emerged as one of the chief player in EPC projects. Over the last four years, it has attained a CAGR of 50 per cent which quadrupled its annual turnover of 2006-07. Tata Projects functions in concentrated divisions like broadcast and distribution, steel, power production, oil, gas and hydrocarbons and industrial infrastructure through its five strategic business units (SBU)

·         Gammon India: With an annual turnover of more than Rs 7,010 crore, Gammon India is famously known as 'Builders to the Nation'. It is the one and only construction firm in India to get an ISO 9001 authorization for its operational sectors in civil engineering and has successfully carried out diverse civil engineering operations some of which include constructing one of the longest river bridge in Asia at Patna across the Ganges and the longest bridge in India across river Jadukata.

·         Hindustan Construction Company: The Company has a reputation of performing large-scale infrastructure projects besides developing hi-tech construction equipments. It has carried out a number of challenging and expensive projects in sectors like oil and gas pipeline, power, urban infrastructure, transportation, irrigation and water supply, etc. HCC has also acquired projects in countries like Iraq, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. It was the first Indian firm to execute and sustain an integrated quality administration structure and has an annual turnover of more than Rs 2,394.50 crore. 

·         Sobha Developers Ltd: With an annual turnover of Rs 1,189 crore, Sobha Developers Ltd was initiated by the now chairman PNC Menon in the year 1995. On June 30, 2007, the company has 3,706 skilled professionals working for it. At present it owns Rs 3,500-acre land in eight Indian cities namely Coimbatore, Bangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Thrissur, Kochi, Pune and Hosur. The company's clientele include some of the top players in IT, hotel and construction sector such as Hewlett Packard, Mico, Infosys, Ramaraju Developers, Dell, Timken, etc.

·         Shapoorji Pallonji & Co: The Company has more than 3,500 professionals working for it and is largely driven by its loyalty to consumer satisfaction. Some of the major projects undertaken by Shapoorji Pallonji & Co are World Trade Centre, Mumbai; TELCO industrial complex, Pune; Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam; HSBC Bank, Mumbai; Hotel Taj Intercontinental, Mumbai; Bank of India, Mumbai; Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, etc. the company has created magnum opus of construction and has been a consistent executer of challenging projects.

·         Unitech: Recently Ramesh Chandra, Unitech's Chairman has declared the investment of $ 720 million by his company in the coming four years to develop 28 hotels along with Marriott International. Its chief activities include construction, expansion of real-estate, consultancy in associated sectors, hotels, electrical broadcast and information technology.

·         Nagarjuna Construction Company: The Company has a track record of more than 28 years and is structured in nine business categories including housing, water and environment, irrigation, transportation, oil and gas, electrical, metals, real estate and power. It has an annual turnover of Rs 7,300 crore and plays an active role in developing BOT road projects, seaports, BOOT hydropower projects, etc.

·         Punj Lloyd: Crowned as 'all-terrain specialists', Punj Lloyd is one of the biggest Indian engineering construction firms. The company performs its operations in Asia Pacific, China, Middle East, Europe, Africa, South Asia and Caspian. It provides services ranging from engineering to project administration, innovative designs to construction, to eminent clients like Petroleum Development Oman, British Petroleum, Pertamina, Shell, ADNOC, Cairn Energy, etc.

List of Theory and Practical subject for 5th semester GEU civil engineering

Theory  

THM 501  Industrial Economics & Principles of Management 

T.N Chabra

TCE 501  Structural Analysis II 

Ramamurthan,Reddy,A.K Jain

TCE 502  Concrete Structure I 

Ramamurthan,A.K.Jain

TCE 503  Transportation Engineering I

Khanna and Justo

 

TCE 504  Geotechnical Engineering I  

B.C.Punamia,Gopal Ranjan

Labs

PCE 501  Structural Analysis Lab. 

PCE 502  Concrete Lab. 

PCE 503  Transportation Engineering Lab.  

SCE 501  SEMINAR* 

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