Special Feature Vanalatha

An ongoing live project Once completed, the Chenab Bridge would be the world’s o highest railway bridge, a title Kn w currently held by the Biepanjiang Woman behind ? u Bridge in China.

o Y

The steel arch portion of the Chenab Bridge is d

i 465 m long, making it the largest single span

a mission D railway arch bridge in the world. is ready to set up world records An estimated cost one after the other whether it is of `1,110 crores, the project involves constructing a space projects or railway projects. number of tunnels and bridges.

n early August 2004, the embarked on one of its ambitious projects: I the construction of a new railway line from How did you get unforeseen weaker strength properties. Tell us the town of Udhampur to Baramulla district in Q involved with the zones within the rock Rock mechanics is the Q something about . The arch-shaped 359-metre tall structured Chenab Bridge’s slopes supporting the study of rocks, their your research railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower, is being construction work? bridge, huge variation in types, understanding on soil and ground properties of rocks below the properties of reinforcement. built across the and is slated to be I am one of the few foundations because of rocks and designing ready by 2019. With an estimated cost of `1,110 experts on rock My interest in soil their large dimensions, structures on rock. In crores, the project involves constructing a number engineering problems mechanics developed open cavities that appear nature, no rock is found of tunnels and bridges. The mammoth structure available in India. during my days of B.Tech as surprises within the without joints or faults cities without the used rubber tires for will be made with the help of over 24,000 tonnes of at JNTU College of Hence the construction ground caving in, building sustainable steel that is blast-proof and can resist extremely rocks, which make the since the formation of Engineering, Kakinada. company AFCONS, who are all examples of roads. low temperatures and high wind speeds. Experts stabilisation of rocks rocks is closely related This led me to choose is executing the project, ground improvement from various fields in India and abroad are involved very difficult. Erection to the tectonic activities geotechnical engineering Your future has contacted me. and reinforcement in this project. Prof. Madhavi Latha, Professor at of arch elements is a of earth plates. For as a specialisation for my plans. What is your role techniques. My research Q the Department of Civil Engineering and working in big challenge because constructions on rock, M.Tech at NIT Warangal. in this project? on ground reinforcement I want to do research on the field of Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering at of the height of the arch studying the type of Ground improvement Q as there is no ground rock and the joints started at IIT Madras, topics that could provide IISc, Bengaluru, has spent the last decade working My role is to assess has been my favourite support for the erection. and faults occurring where I have developed cheaper solutions for on this project as a geotechnical consultant. the stability of subject since it is an For erecting the arch, at the site is very innovative techniques infrastructural needs Brainfeed interacted with slopes under various extremely innovative the world’s largest cable important. Since the to reinforce the soft of the country. I would Prof. Madhavi Latha. Excerpts: critical conditions of area with no boundaries. crane is commissioned Chenab Bridge is a grounds using polymers, love to get involved in earthquakes and design Through the knowledge at the site. very tall structure to facilitate the the country’s dream of rock anchor systems of this subject, one being supported on two constructions over soft bullet trains. In a country to make the slopes What is rock can do wonders in rock slopes, stability soils, which otherwise that is spreading over resistant to earthquake mechanics? In civil engineering of these slopes is very fail. I continued research regions with diverse soil forces. Q what way is its constructions. The important. Knowledge in this direction to properties and difficult study helping you in Palm Island in Dubai What kind of of rock mechanics extend my studies at terrains, preparing the The arch- the construction of the constructed in sea, challenges are helps in understanding support provided to IISc Bangalore. Some ground for high speed shaped Q Chenab Bridge? trains is a real challenge 359-metre you facing during the stability aspects leaning tower of Pisa of my studies in this tall structured the construction of the Rock is a naturally of the bridge and in to stop it from leaning area include earthquake and I would like to railway bridge, bridge? occurring material. providing solutions for more and construction hazard mitigation using work on quicker and Rocks can be of different polymers and use of sustainable solutions for taller than the The challenges are improving the stability of big underground varieties, having different waste materials like this problem. Eiffel Tower. many. They include of the rock slopes. metros below existing

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