Dr. P Pravin Kumar Venkat Rao presented 2 papers at an International Conference on Structural Engineering Convention (SEC), organized by the Civil Engineering Department, NIT-Tiruchirappalli, from 12  to 14 December. 

 

• Quarrying of Soft and Hard Stones for Building the Ancient Egyptian Masonry: An Outline

Here is the summary of the paper as explained by the author Dr. P Pravin Kumar Venkat Rao: The majority of the materials that survive from ancient Egyptian material culture are made of stones that were utilized for construction, jewellery, ornamentation, and practical purposes. These primarily originated from the Eastern and Nile Val-ley Deserts (some from the Western Desert as well), where more than 200 quarries dating from the Late Predynastic to the Late Roman periods have been found. These span around 3500 years. Up until the Late Period, when iron tools took the place of stone tools, the harder stones (almost all volcanic and metamorphic rocks, silicified sandstone, and chert) were mined using stone tools with the help of fire settings and wood levers. During the Dynastic Period, the softer stones (mostly limestone, sandstone, and quartzite) were removed using copper and then bronze picks and chisels; by the end of the Late Period, iron tools had once more taken the place of the earlier ones. The bigger blocks of quarried stone were hauled on sledges, typically over built roads, and possibly pushed by teams of men to the building sites or the Nile River for shipping until the Greco-Roman Period, when appropriate roads and wagons tough enough to carry them appeared. In addition to serving as supplies of stone, old quarries are also important archaeological sites that contain ruins and other cultural artifacts. Their unique viewpoint on life in ancient Egypt makes them worthy of study and preservation. The current study provides a thorough overview of the quarrying techniques used by the ancient Egyptians to differentiate between “soft-stones” (limestone, sandstone, travertine, anhydrite, gypsum, and soapstone) and “hard-stones”, which are essentially igneous and metamorphic rocks plus silicified sandstone and chert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Effect of Corrosion on Structural Retrofitting of Reinforced Concrete Members 

Here is the summary of the paper as explained by the author Dr. P Pravin Kumar Venkat Rao: Effect of Corrosion on Structural Retrofitting of Reinforced Concrete Members  Corrosion creates a significant degradation mechanism in reinforced concrete (RC) structures, which would require a high cost of maintenance and repair in affected buildings. The right methods for structural retrofitting are, therefore, quite pivotal. Modification or rectification for any structure is normally categorized under three major categories: (i) Structural rehabilitation, (ii) Structural refurbishment, and (iii) Structural retrofit. All these activities have a thin but predominant line of differentiation. In contrast, the first two activities relate to enhancing the functional life of a structure that has been damaged under an adverse environment or condition. On the other hand, structural retrofit is an activity where the structure is updated in its basic parameters of sharing the load and supporting the superstructure. It improves the safety and durability of the structure. Further, when corrosion hits the structure, it results in a reduction in many important parameters to the extent that they go below their acceptable limits under national and international standards. It is indeed a perfect blend of structural dynamics or design engineering and functionality of the structure in the right proportion when retrofit action for a corrosion-hit structure is conceptualized and crafted. This paper makes an effort to discuss different methods of the structural retrofitting of reinforced concrete members that are hit by corrosion. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, he also participated in the Pre-Conference Workshop on Sustainable Construction Materials and Management Practices, co-organized by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Technologies for Low Carbon and Lean Construction(TLC2)” IIT Madras on 11 December. 

 

 December 2024