INROADS IN NOVATIVE R OADS O PERATED A ND D ESIGNED S PECIFICALLY FOR ALL RURAL AREAS OF THE WORLD By SAI Team IITB 1974 Chemical Engineering DR. AROON

INROADS INNOVATIVE ROADS OPERATED AND DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR ALL RURAL AREAS OF THE

WORLD

By SAI Team

IITB 1974 Chemical Engineering

DR. AROON SHENOY MR. AVINASH SANKHOLKAR

DR. CARMO PEREIRA MR. DILIP VAIDYA

MR. JAGDISH SHAH DR. JOSEPH GONSALVESMR. MILIND PRADHAN

MR. PRASAD GHATE MR. RAJENDRA GADGIL MR. RATHIN BANERJEE

MR. VIJU PARAMESHWAR

ONE GREAT IDEA TO CHANGE THE WORLD IN THE NEXT 50 YEARS

Scientific & Technical Area

INROADS TO GO FROM ANYWHERE TO EVERYWHERE


INROADS

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2.05 inches 2 inches

INROADS will involve inputs from o Chemical Engineeringo Chemistryo Polymer Technology o Materials Science and Engineeringo Electrical Engineeringo Computer Engineering o Civil Engineeringo Project Management

Uniqueness & Novelty



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Ingenuity of INROADS o Preparing road sections as slabso Portable processing plant at paving

siteso Simplified lay down operationo Speedier & inexpensive

construction practiceso Utilization of advanced techniques

Impact on the World



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Significant portion of human population lives in rural areas

Basic needs for a dignified life are deprived in highly inaccessible areas

Efficient road linkages are known to greatly improve quality of life

INROADS for rural areas will radically transform the quality of life

Goal



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To provide INROADS for rural areas of the worldo That are easy to build and rehabilitateo That use the natural recyclable bio-

friendly resourceso That utilize environment-friendly

energy sources, ando Which are designed using state-of-

the-art technology

Incentive



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Most lower than middle-class/poor sections of society lives in rural areas

Need better connectivity through good roads than uneven muddy pathways

Such arteries can equip Government bodies with inflation-fighting-tool

INROADS will have a great economic impact due to better transportation network

Raw Materials



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Major oneso Hard Solids – Naturally available mud

from existing muddy pathwayso Binders – Liquid rubber along with left-

over fractions of bio-diesel or algae fuel

o Other Additives – Chelating agents, catalysts, cross-linking agents, anti-degrading agents, oils, agro-waste, fiber waste, etc.

Process…



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Building INROADS involves o Excavation at site to a depth of 12

inches o Excavated mud to be sieved to

separate 100 microns or less particles o Particles > 100 microns to be mixed

with 10% of recycled rubber particles and placed back at the excavated site to a compacted depth of 6 inches

Process…



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Additionally o Recycled rubber particles will be from

discarded rubber tires of cars and trucks

o Cryogenically ground particles will not be stripped of reinforcing fibers

o Compatibility of the rubber tires with the large particles is not an issue since the idea is to use them only as sub-base

Process…



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Sub-base and Base o The compacted 6 inches of sub-base will

be sprayed with a dilute low-molecular weight epoxy asphalt solution containing small amount of slow-reacting cross-linking agent

o Remainder of the mix would then be put and compacted using a road roller to fill an additional height of 4 inches as base and also sprayed with above solution

Process…



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Epoxy Asphalt Solution o It would help in bonding of the sub-

base with the base and the base with the slabs

o The thinly formed two layers of epoxy asphalt will provide an elastic cushioning effect that will prevent reflective cracking as well as promote healing of minor deformation

Process…



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Surface Layer o The remainder of the 2 inches would

be filled by the INROADS slabso The preparation of the slabs first

involves mixing the fine size particles (<100 microns) with the binder along with all the additives in a continuous internal mixer like that shown schematically in Figure 1

Figure 1 INROADS TO GO FROM ANYWHERE TO EVERYWHERE


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Figure 1o Schematic diagram of the continuous internal mixer

showing how the materials would be mixed and discharged

Process…



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INROADS Slab o Mixed material is extruded as INROADS

slab that is 1½ feet x 1½ feet x 3½ incheso The next step is compression of the

extruded slab to the correct size of 2 feet x 2 feet x 2 inches like that shown in Figure 2



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Figure 2o Operation showing the extruded slab of 1½ feet x 1½

feet x 3½ inches compression molded to give the final dimensions of 2 feet x 2 feet x 2 inches

PRE-COMPRESSION

AFTER COMPRESSION

2 feet 1.5 feet

3.5 inches 2 inches

Process…



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During compression molding o The slab is placed in the mold on

top of a geo-synthetic or bamboo fabric 2 feet x 2 feet

o Thin strips of materials that contain pressure-sensitive sensors of the same dimensions are placed on top of the slab as well

Added Benefit…



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Pressure sensitive sensorso Act as motion detectors o They would respond by

generating an electrical output due to the pressure they experience every time a vehicle passes over them

Added Benefit



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Electrical Outputo Will be stored in batteries alongside

the roadso Will be used for providing automatic

lighting of roads and road signs at no extra cost and no running expenses

o Will be used to provide lighting alongside the roads (Solar cells may also be used for this purpose)

Process



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INROADS slabs placemento Compression-molded slabs have

enough “Green Strength” o Though produced at ambient

temperatures, the higher temperature for cross-linking is got “in-situ” after placement using the sun’s natural heating system

Product…



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Cross-linked producto What is being sought is a slab

that is “hard and elastic” and not “hard and brittle”

o Trick is to have as much mud fines as possible to get the hardness and have them coated with minimum binder in a thin layer to provide elasticity

Product…



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Final product propertyo The final compression-molded

product containing high volume fraction of well-dispersed and distributed mud fines will have high compression strength and will be strong enough to bear the stresses of not only bullock-carts but also of heavy vehicles

Product…



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Lay down operationo The size of the slabs are kept to

1½ feet x 1½ feet x 3½ inches pre-compressed and 2 feet x 2 feet x 2 inches after compression molding to ensure that they can be lifted, carried, and laid by a single person without the need for help from any mechanical device like a crane

Product…



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Slab weighto The slab would have a manageable

weight of about 20-25 kilos which would be in a range that would not pose much difficulty in carrying it a short distance for placement

o The weight of each slab would be heavy enough to carry for long distances so as to discourage pilferage before placement

Product…



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Pilferage safeguard…o A trade mark of INROADS would be

embossed or ingrained in the slab during the compression molding process to confirm & inform ownership

o A slab found at a wrong place such as someone’s driveway or garden would surely be identified as a stolen one

Product…



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Pilferage safeguardo The top surface of the slabs will have a

gradual slope and light horizontal grooves entrenched during compression molding that will also endorse ownership

o The light grooves with a gradual slope will additionally serve the purpose of providing channels for rain-water drainage and creating an anti-skid surface to prevent accidents

Product…



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Pilferage safeguard…o One more option to prevent

theft would be to rely on the integrity of the rural folks who upon realization and conviction that INROADS is an activity for their own good will act as their own security system

Product…



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Pilferage safeguard…o Another option would be to train and

develop a vigilant community that has a sense of pride and ownership of INROADS

o A vigilant community will report any suspicious activity to the police, making it difficult for thieves to operate

o This sense of pride and ownership is further fostered if the community is provided with income-generating opportunities to improve their economic well-being

Product…



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Pilferage safeguardo In addition, there will be

prompt repair and maintenance service because if INROADS falls into disrepair then thieves move in

Product…



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Easy replacement…o There is a need to provide for easy

replacement of defective or worn out slabs

o Generally the area around the wheel-path would need repair due to overuse

Product



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Easy replacemento The idea is to build a modular

system that would allow quick rehabilitation without having to close and rebuild the entire road section

o Special tools will be provided to enable the unlocking of slabs and facilitating easy removal from their placement



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Figure 3o The INROADS slab with light grooves, embossed logo

and final dimensions of 2 feet x 2 feet x 2 inches (on one side) and 2.05 inches (on the other side) to provide the necessary gradual slope of ⅛°

INROADS

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INROADS

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INROADS

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INROADS

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Slab by Slab

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Heavy equipment like

drum mixers and high energy for heating raw materials are used

o INROADS: Small-scale units with low energy requirements will be utilized

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Mixing of aggregates (large

as well as fine sized) with binders is done using drum mixers

o INROADS: Mixing of the fine size particles with the binder along with all the additives will be done in a continuous internal mixer for greater efficiency of dispersion and distribution

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Mixing is done at high

temperature and hence is an energy intensive process

o INROADS: Mixing will be done at ambient temperature, thereby making it a highly energy efficient process

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Uses gas flames to

generate the heat for binder liquefaction and mixing

o INROADS: Will use solar energy to provide the increase in temperature for the cross-linking reaction to complete

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Pavements are built using

road rollers and depend on in-situ compaction for the final properties

o INROADS: Slabs will be prepared as separate entities through compression molding whose final properties can be controlled and tested before lay down

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Cost of 2 inches thick

of asphalt pavement is $ 1.50 - $ 3.00 / square foot. Minimum of 4 inches is conventionally built. Hence, cost is $ 3.00 - $ 6.00 / square foot

o INROADS: Estimated cost for the 2 inches thick slabs is $ 2.50 - $ 5.00 / square foot

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Entire operation of pre-

construction preparation and the construction takes a long time

o INROADS: Pre-construction preparation will be much less and slab laying operation would take much shorter time

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Pavements are built with

certain level of air-voids (~3 to 7% with 4% being considered as an optimum)

o INROADS: Pavements will be built with as minimum air-voids as possible even below 1% so that the surface of the built pavement is impervious to any infiltration of moisture or rainwater

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Life expectancy is 10-15

years and maintenance cost is high because of shorter life span and higher re-construction costs

o INROADS: Life expectancy will be minimal of twice the above and much lower maintenance costs since only defective slabs need to be replaced

New Technology…



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Differences…o Current: Repair and rehabilitation

require entire lanes to be closed for traffic from the beginning to the end of the paving operation

o INROADS: Modular system will allow for the repair and rehabilitation to be done by closing only the sections of the road that are defective or damaged

New Technology



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Differences…o Current: Life cycle cost about

$0.2 - $0.6 / square foot / year o INROADS: Life cycle cost about

$0.1 - $0.25 / square foot / year

Implementation…



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Initial focuso INROADS for rural areas will be

restricted to India so that the feasibility and efficacy of the project can be well demonstrated before full-fledged roads’ revolution is undertaken throughout the entire world

Implementation…



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Simplicity o INROADS will focus on keeping the

entire production of the road slabs and final lay down of the pavement to be as simple a level as possible

o Advantage of simplicity would be that each manufacturing unit could be given the status of a small-scale industry

Implementation…



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Private & not Government o INROADS implementation will

not be done through PWD or Government departments

o INROADS would be amenable for implementation through private companies who could get a franchise

Implementation…



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BOT modelo INROADS would be built by

private companies on a BOT (build operate transfer) model which will provide the necessary incentive for them to build longer-lasting roads that cost less to maintain

Implementation…



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MoRD, PMGSY and NRRDAo We are aware that the Ministry of

Rural Development (MoRD) is the nodal ministry for rural roads in India

o Under the auspices of MoRD, there is the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) from the National Rural Road Development Agency (NRRDA)

Implementation…



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SRRDAo The state governments have State

Rural Road Development Agencies (SRRDA) similar to the PMGSY which also operate under the auspices of the MoRD

o We certainly intend to work with all the relevant bodies to make INROADS a successful reality

o

Implementation…



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Villagers’ inclusiono Villagers will not be just by-standers

who are watching the construction done by an outside body and handed over to them

o INROADS will utilize local laboro Villagers’ inclusion will bring in a

sense of ownership and they would treat INROADS with a receptive attitude

Implementation…



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Villagers’ knowledgeo Besides engaging the villagers in

the actual construction process, their local knowledge will be utilized for selecting road routes / alignments for their optimum convenience

Implementation…



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Network developmento Location of existing highways and

superhighways will be borne in mind, so that the connectivity of the newly-built roads to these existing corridors can be done with ease to complete the network

Implementation…



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Defined time-tableo The roadways will be built in pieces

with a clearly defined time lineo The entire operation will be made

portable so that the small scale unit can be taken from village to village

o The village’s own mud will be used and the finished road will be handed back to the villagers on site

Implementation…



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Franchise-based model…o An alternative to building the roads

in series is to build them in parallel using a franchise-based model

o An entrepreneur from every village will be encouraged to take a franchise of INROADS and then build and maintain the roads in that village

Implementation…



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PPPo There is the India Infrastructure

Report that talks about a Public Private Partnership (PPP) for developing rural roads under PMGSY

o The MoRD and the concerned state government will jointly grant a BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer) concession for development of the project

Implementation…



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Concession Agreement…o The concessionaire would likely be a

local mill owner, manufacturer or entrepreneur whose direct business interests would be furthered by the development of the rural roads

o The arrangement would be formalized by way of a tri-partite concession agreement (CA) between MoRD, the concessionaire, and the state government

Implementation…



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Concession Agreemento The INROADS scheme intends to

make use of such available arrangements to lure entrepreneurs when giving out the franchise.

o There is nothing like getting a concessional grant as an incentive for the development of the INROADS project.

Implementation…



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Franchise-based modelo Building INROADS via a franchise-

based model not only provides the road network but will also generate employment for a bunch of our growing youth population so that they can engage themselves in something useful and remunerative rather than idle their life away or engage in nefarious activities

Implementation…



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Finance…o If finance becomes a constraint, then

certain rich personalities (movie stars, sports legends, philanthropic industrialists, etc.) will be approached to encourage them to make a donation for completion of certain sections of the roadways by giving them an incentive that the sections sponsored by them would bear their name

Implementation



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Financeo Enabled by a proper directional

policy from the Government, alternative financial support that would be explored would be through tie-ups with bodies like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the Japan Bank of International Cooperation

Education and Training…



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Concerted Efforto Proper execution and implementation

of new technology requires proper education and training

o A concerted effort will be undertaken to generate interest, support and sponsorship for INROADS through the use of available media




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Video demonstrationo An animated video will be prepared that would

demonstrate INROADS by showing the excavation, the transport of mud to the processing unit, the mixing within the twin-screw extruder, the extrusion of the slab, the compression molding of the slabs, the transport of the slabs to the paving site, the lay down of the sub-base and base, the lay down of the slabs, and finally the completion of the road followed by traffic

movement




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Audio-Visual Presentation…o An audio-visual presentation

will be built around the animated video and shown to audience at selected forums by team members of INROADS




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Audio-Visual Presentationo It is expected that such

presentations will bring about the much-needed awareness of this new technology and also probably tweak the enthusiasm of some influential people who may then provide the required impetus to propagate the benefits of INROADS




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INROADS website…o A website will be created where

the video demonstration will be made available for viewing along with a write-up of the general concepts of INROADS




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INROADS websiteo A feedback will be requested

from visitors to this websiteo It is hoped that this increased

visibility will draw critical comments from interested readers and effective improvements of this technology will be achieved




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Pre-Venture Preparationo The audio-visual presentation will

also be used for educating and training contractors and franchise owners so that they are able to understand INROADS well before they venture into actually building the road using this technology

Education and Training



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INROADS Training Centerso A series of INROADS training

centers will be set up where young educated personnel will be trained and issued certificates on successful completion of the training program

R and D Programs…



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Finer Refinementso Though conceptual details are

already in place, INROADS still needs certain R & D inputs for finer refinements and guaranteed success

R and D Programs…



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Major Organizations Involvement…o It is hoped that there will be enough

support from various sectors in order to develop and sustain R & D programs at least at a few of the following major organizations

R and D Programs…



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Major Organizations Involvemento IIT Mumbai (Chemical / Electrical /

Computer / Civil Engineering Departments)o Central Roads Research Institute Delhi /

Central Institute for Plastics Engineering and Tools Chennai / National Chemical Laboratory Pune

o Some Private Industry (TELCO, L & T, NOCIL – anyone with an interest in either vehicles, raw materials for the roads or chemicals)

R and D Programs…



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Focus…o Confirming that the proposed

binders are the most appropriate or finding better ones in their place

o Optimization of the chemical reactions between the binder components based on kinetics of reactions during irradiation from solar energy

R and D Programs…



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Focus…o Optimization of the volume fraction

of the mud fines in the binders in order to get peak performance properties

o Demonstration of the mixing process and subsequent compression molding to produce the right size slab with optimal properties

R and D Programs…



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Focus…o Developing computer simulation

programs for quick assessment of the results of any intended changes to the proposed technology

R and D Programs…



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Executiono In-house facilities from the

organizations will be used if they are appropriate

o Alternatively, some new equipment will be bought and used for the purpose

R and D Programs…



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Finance To Be Soughto Government Organizations such as

the Department of Science and Technology & Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

o Private Sectors

R and D Programs



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Timelineo The timeline for completion of the

Research and Development will be five years from the date of initiation after which a prototype field demonstration will be undertaken to recheck the scalability

Field Demonstration…



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Prototypeo A prototype of INROADS will be

built in Phulgaon – a village about 30 km from Pune

o Depending on finances made available from the sponsors, about a mile of road will be built and opened to traffic

Field Demonstration



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Performanceo The performance of the prototype

road will be monitored for a period of six months before the technology is transferred for routine implementation

Cost Estimates / Economics…



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Needo Ideally one would like to see a

cost-benefit analysis and life-cycle cost associated with building INROADS for rural areas




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Moving Targetso The prices of raw materials,

construction and labor are highly fluctuating, and estimates given today are not valid within a month’s time




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Verification Neededo The proposed technology has

conceptual details – some of which need to be verified through research and development before finalization




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Guesstimate…o Even making a guesstimate will not

do justiceo Nevertheless some rough figures are

provided to give a comparison of the roads built using conventional method and INROADS technology




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Guesstimate…o The biggest cost component will be

the cost of binder in the top slab o The price of binder is assumed to be

$2.5/kg (liquid rubber is more like $2/kg) and if the binder consumption is 11% of the mud, the binder in the top slab will cost $1.68/sq. ft.




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Guesstimate…o The cost of binder in the sub-

base and base as well as the cost of the cross-linking agents could bring the total cost of materials to $1.90/sq. ft.




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Guesstimate…o The other costs per sq. ft. could

work out as – labour $0.15, contractor $0.20, contingency $0.15, and SAI Team’s engineering fees $0.05 and SAI Team’s royalty fees $0.05. Thus the total cost should be about $2.50/sq. ft.




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Guesstimateo However, the initial costs of

equipment, processing site, etc. have not been factored in

o One would need to recover those costs as well – at least in the initial stages

o Hence, the estimated cost of INROADS is given as $2.50 - $5.00/sq. ft.




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Paving Cost Comparisono Current: Cost of 2 inches thick

of asphalt pavement is $ 1.50 - $ 3.00 / square foot. Minimum of 4 inches is conventionally built. Hence, cost is $ 3.00 - $ 6.00 / square foot

o INROADS: Estimated cost for the 2 inches thick slabs is $ 2.50 - $ 5.00 / square foot

Cost Estimates / Economics



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Life-cycle Cost Comparisono Current: Life cycle cost about

$0.2 - $0.6 / square foot / year o INROADS: Life cycle cost about

$0.1 - $0.25 / square foot / year




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Competing Technologies…o In terms of cost, there might

be other available competing technologies that could work out to be cheaper than INROADS




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Competing Technologies…o But you get what you pay for

and we firmly believe that when we come up with the optimized product, our life-cycle cost should be lower than any competing road-building product presently known to mankind




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Competing Technologieso While competing products

may have low initial cost, they will have high maintenance cost

o On the other hand, INROADS may have higher initial cost but the maintenance cost will be guaranteed to be lower

DISCLAIMER

The opinions and statements expressed in this document are those of the authors only and not necessarily of the any other person / persons or any other organizations that the authors are associated with or represent



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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT



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The authors are grateful too to Dr. Ashok Misra and Mr. Adi

Godrej for proposing this global initiative without which this idea would not have been born, and

o to the Divine for lending a helping hand without which this idea would not have met with success



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QUESTIONS ?

Documents

INROADS IN NOVATIVE R OADS O PERATED A ND D ESIGNED S PECIFICALLY FOR ALL RURAL AREAS OF THE WORLD By SAI Team IITB 1974 Chemical Engineering DR. AROON