Latest news with #RavindraKumarGoel
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
CSIR-SERC to come up with safeguards for railway bridges
Chennai: City researchers are working to frame guidelines for the railways to monitor and evaluate the structural health of its bridges. Experts from CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC) in Taramani are drafting guidelines after conducting studies on 10 railway bridges across the country. They also installed devices in two bridges to absorb high-impact forces caused by increased speed and axle load, thereby reducing structural stress. The guidelines aim to help railway engineers assess and strengthen both new and existing bridges to handle longitudinal forces generated when high-speed trains with heavier axle loads pass over them. "Our guidelines will help evaluate the longitudinal force on the substructure of railway bridges, both steel and prestressed concrete, and suggest techniques to mitigate them. This can be adopted for new constructions as well as upgrades," said N Anandavalli, director, CSIR-SERC, on the sidelines of a conference on Wednesday. Following the studies, SERC installed shock transmission units (STUs) in a concrete bridge near Chidambaram and a steel bridge near Puttur, Andhra Pradesh. STUs are hydraulic devices that remain flexible under normal conditions but become rigid during sudden forces like braking or seismic activity, absorbing energy and protecting the structure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Earlier, Ravindra Kumar Goel, principal executive director (bridges), ministry of railways, noted that of the 1.6 lakh railway bridges in the country, 34,000 are more than 100 years old. Both the speed of trains and their axle load increased over the years. Since 1903, the axle load alone increased by 33%. He was speaking at CSIR-SERC's Diamond Jubilee conference on Monitoring, Assessment and Predictive Maintenance of Critical Infrastructures (i-MAP 2025). T Archunan, Director (Projects), Chennai Metro Rail Limited, pointed to the disconnect between India's research institutions and field implementation. He stressed the need for institutes such as SERC and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to align theoretical work with practical needs to improve execution and reduce reliance on foreign technology.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
There is a need to ramp up research to cater to the growing demands of infrastructure sector, says Chennai Metro official
CHENNAI There should be a quantum leap in efforts to improve infrastructure, T. Archunan, director (projects), Chennai Metro Rail Limited said here on Wednesday. Speaking at the diamond jubilee conference on 'Monitoring, Assessment and Predictive Maintenance of Critical Infrastructures, i-MAP 2025' organised by CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC), he said, SERC was a great institution and there was a need to have more such institutes in the country. But he noted that institutions like SERC, IITs and the other labs have to ramp up to meet the growing demand in the infrastructure sector. The research institutes are not adequate to meet the demands of infrastructure projects. 'We don't have tunnel codes. We have to improve our theory to suit our execution,' he said. Ravindra Kumar Goel, principal executive director (bridges), Ministry of Railways, Rail Bhavan, said, they were maintaining and sustaining very old structures with care, even as the expansion of the railway network was under way. 'There are nearly 34,000 bridges which are more than 100 years old, and we have to sustain them. It is not easy,' he said. There was a need to integrate with SERC, IITs or other academic institutions which could help with mitigating problems in the maintenance of infrastructure, he said and noted that for the Pamban bridge, the health monitoring system instrumentation was provided by the SERC. Srinivas Voggu, chief scientist, CSIR-SERC and organiser of i-MAP 2025 said, over decades, SERC has been carrying out design and performance assessment of critical infrastructure in the country. N. Anandavalli, director CSIR-SERC also spoke during the occasion.
