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DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Report On:
Site Visit
Repair And Rehabilitation of Structures

Prepared by :
Patel.

Submitted to: Kaushal

Mrs.Niketa panchal
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D12CL067
Semester 7

Associate Proffesor
Civil department
CSPIT
GENERAL DETAILS:

Date of visit

:18th September to 20th September, 2014

Name of site :
1)
B J Wadia Children Hospital, Parel, Mumbai
(Project Site of Structwel Designers and Consultants Pvt. Ltd)
2)
Structwel Designers and Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Turbhe, NaviMumbai(Main
Office and Laboratory)
3)
Ultratech Specialty Chemicals Ltd,Taloja
[Aditya Birla Science and Technology Company (ABSTC)]
4)

Global Vipassana Pagoda, Gevrai, Maharashtra.

Students: 4th Year B. Tech., Department of Civil Engineering

Objectives of Visit :
To explore real concrete investigation methods.
To interact with the practicing engineer and to get the knowledge of repair and
retrofitting techniques/ practice
To visit Pagoda dome - this was retrofitted under Heritage restoration
Guiding Faculties :
1) Mrs. Niketa Panchal
2) Dr. AV Thomas

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DAY 1(SEPTEMBER 18):

VISIT TO BJ WADIA CHILDREN HOSPITAL
On the first day, we visited the Bai Jerbai Wadia Children Hospital which was
built in 1928 and it is a heritage structure under 2-B category and is currently
undergoing extensive repair and retrofitting.
This project is being executed under the consultancy of Structwel Designers and
Consultants Pvt. Ltd. The hospital consists of five blocks A, B, C, D& E.The blocks B,
C & D were undergoing repair work at the time of our visit. The main aim of carrying
out the repair work is to increase the strength of the building while maintaining the same
architectural style and layout.
The building itself is an interesting structure. It is a load bearing structure (G+2).
The buildings looks like it has been made out of Stone Masonry but actually it is
constructed in brick masonry with Ashlar Stone Masonry Cladding. This was done to
give a very appealing architectural view to the building.
The building is made from 400 mm thick brick masonry with 4 inch thick Stone
Cladding. First of all we did External Condition Assessment of the building followed by
Internal Condition Assessment during which we also discussed various tests that were
carried out during the investigation phase and we were also made familiar with the
repair works that were being carried out in the structure.
During the External Condition Assessment, we noticed various distresses in the
structure such as severe cracks due to corrosion of reinforcement, deterioration of RCC
Weathershed (Spalling), CI pipe deterioration, Lintel Cracking (Caused due to corrosion
of Steel Reinforcement), Separation Cracks, Vegetation Growth, Unfinished through
holes for pipes (Potential entry way for water), Discoloration of stone masonry (Caused
due to Weathering).
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During the Internal Condition assessment, we noticed Spalling of concrete,

delamination, corrosion of steel, Dampness in the structure, Structural Cracksand
settlement of flooring.
We discussed the various tests such as Rebound Hammer Test, Ultrasonic Pulse
Velocity, Carbonation Test, Covermeter / Rebar Locator, Core Sampling and Endoscopy
that were carried out.
The whole structure of the hospital is quite interesting.There were no RCC
columns used. Stub columns and floating columns were used where needed. It consists
of a cantilever Open to sky which is supported by steel girders which are encased in
brick masonry.Also the slabs used in rooms are Pressed Coba type Slabs (8m to 10m
length) which consists only of Steel Girders and MB400 I-Sections and are designed as
per British standards. The passage slab is Simply Supported One Way slab.The ISections used and the design is based on British Standards.The structure also features
Roof Truss.
After performing these tests, a detailed report was generated from the analysis of
the test data. The extent of damage in the structure was graphically represented using
color coding, with each color representing a specific extent of damage.Based on the
extent of damage, the immediate actions to be taken and the type of repair works to be
carried out were suggested.
Based on the suggestions, repair works were being carried out in the structure by
B.N. Mistry Contractors. The repair work consisted of improving the strength of the
structure by providing additional girders to support the structure. The girders provided
for strengthening meticulously follow the original design philosophy of the structure.
Along with providing additional girders, the rust on existing girders and I-sections was
removed by extensive grinding on the top, bottom as well as the sides of the steel
members. After removal of rust, rusticide is applied to prevent any further corrosion
followed by 2 coats of paint. The thickness of the existing flooring in the building is
very high which added a lot of extra weight on the structure. Hence, in order to decrease
the weight on the floor, Foam concrete will be adopted in the flooring. Crack Sealing,
Water Proofing, and Epoxy grouting injection was also being carried out. We learnt that
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epoxy grouting should be carried out from bottom to top in the same member in order to
increase the efficiency of grouting. Micro-Concreting was also adopted in the structure
for high strength and durability. During the repair work the main aim of using micro
concreting was to give high strength in short period of time.
Later on we had an extensive Q&A session followed by lunch which was
graciously arranged for us by the Contractors. We then headed to our hotel and retired
for the day.

DAY 2 (SEPTEMBER 19):

VISIT TO STRUCTWEL DESIGNERS AND CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD.
Structwel Designers and Consultants is one of the premier consulting companies
in India in the field of Repair and Rehabilitation of structures.
We were given presentations regarding different type of instruments used during
assessment of structure. Along with the presentation we were also given demo of various
instruments used. Patil Sir gave the presentation of the various instruments and Vinayak
sir discussed the various instruments.
We discussed in depth, the Non-Destructive Tests such as Rebound
Hammer Test, Ultra-Sonic Pulse Velocity test, Core Cutting test, Covermeter test,
Carbonation test and Half-Cell Potential Test. We learned about the application,
interpretation and significance of each test.
Schmidt rebound hammer test:-

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Rebound hammer test is done to find out the compressive strength of concrete by
using rebound hammer as per IS: 13311 (Part 2) 1992. The rebound of an elastic mass
depends on the hardness of the surface against which its mass strikes. When the plunger
of the rebound hammer is pressed against the surface of the concrete, the pringcontrolled mass rebounds and the extent of such a rebound depends upon the surface
hardness of the concrete. The surface hardness and therefore the rebound is taken to be
related to the compressive strength of the concrete. The rebound value is read from a
graduated scale and is designated as the rebound number or rebound index. The
compressive strength can be read directly from the graph provided on the body of the
hammer.

Demonstration of rebound hammer at structwell laboratory

Some important notes:

Minimum number of rebounds for each face = 16

Minimum edge distance
= 25mm
Used only for OPC cement & up to M50 grade concrete.

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Correlation between rebound number and compressive strength is

given by below graph:

Graph to be used for correlation between rebound number and hardness

Ultrasonic pulse velocity test:This test is done to assess the quality of concrete by ultrasonic pulse

velocity

method

as

per

IS:

13311

(Part

1)

1992.

The method consists of measuring the time of travel of an ultrasonic pulse passing
through the concrete being tested. Comparatively higher velocity is obtained when
concrete quality is good in terms of density, uniformity, homogeneity etc.

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Demonstration of USVP
criteria for range of USVP

Covermeter:Page
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This test is done to know the cover provided in the member or the
structure. This instrument is also used to identify the diameter of bar provided in
the member if the design drawings are not available. During the presentation, full
demonstation of how to operate a covermeter was given by vinayak sir.

Thermography:Thermography is used to determine the possible presence of moisture

but the differential thermal temperature when using a thermo graphic instrument
is used.

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Image produced due to thermography

This was followed by a presentation on Advanced Investigation Tools in which we
learned about various new instruments such as Endoscope, Ground Penetrating Radar
(GPR), and Infrared Survey using Thermography Survey.

GPR image & CORE sampling together to understand the structure of the core
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Ground penetrating radar (GPR)

Different diameter of cores by different core cutters

This was followed by snacks and then we visited their Laboratory and got
familiarized with the protocol followed by the company for testing of samples.

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Afterwards we took leave from there and headed to Ultratech Specialty Chemicals
Ltd situated inside Aditya Birla Science and Technology Company Limited, MIDC,
Taloja.

VISIT TO ULTRATECH SPECIALTY CHEMICALS LIMITED

Ultratech Specialty Chemicals Limited is situated inside the Aditya

Birla Science and Technology Company (ABSTC) located at MIDC, Taloja. ABSTC is
the primary R&D facility for the Aditya Birla Group Companies.
Ultratech Specialty Chemicals limited is the R&D Company of Ultratech Cement
Limited.
In the First Session we were given three different presentations.
The First presentation was delivered by Dr. Mohan Medhe. We were familiarized with
the Manufacturing process of Portland cement. We also learned the chemistry of cement
manufacturing. During this presentation a case was discussed that how the Ultratech
Cement Limited lost a tender due to the problem in their own raw material and how the
solved the problem after the detailed study carried out by the available high tech
instruments in their research laboratory.
The Second Presentation familiarized us with the Standards and Specifications in
Cement Manufacturing. We learned how the specifications and standards are met by the
manufacturers and how it relates to the Producer, Seller and Consumer.
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The third presentation was delivered by Dr. Suresh K., which dealt with Problem
Solving in Concrete. We were also familiarized with the research work conducted by the
company regarding the application of Nano technology in the cement industry.
This was followed by a Second Session in which we visited their laboratory and
got acquainted with the state of the art instruments used by the company for their
research work.
Afterwards, we had high tea and snacks after which we headed to our hotel and
retired for the day.

DAY 3 (SEPTEMBER 20)

VISIT TO GLOBAL VIPASSANA PAGODA
On the third and final day of our visit, we checked out from our hotel in the
morning and headed to Global Vipassana Pagoda before leaving for home.
The center of the Global Vipassana Pagoda contains the world's largest stone
dome built without any supporting pillars. The height of the dome is approximately 29
metres. External diameter of the largest section of the dome is 97.46m and the shorter
section is 94.82m. Internal diameter of the dome is 85.15m. The inside of the pagoda is
hollow and serves as a very large meditation hall with an area covering more than 6000
m2 (65,000 ft2). The foundation of the dome consists of basalt, while the dome itself is
made from sandstone imported from Rajasthan. The individual blocks of sandstone
weigh 600700 kg each and are kept in place due to the unique design of the bricks.
Each of the bricks interlock with the ones adjacent to it and lime mortar is used to fill in
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any remaining gaps. The top keystone itself weighs 10 tons.The whole dome is
supported by a ring beam which holds the structure in place.
The spire of the dome is covered in real gold, while the rest of the pagoda is
covered in gold paint. The spire is topped with a special ornamental umbrella piece
donated by the Burmese. The main doors to the pagoda are wooden and hand-carved in
Myanmar. After wards, we spent some leisure time on the beach and then headed
towards our hometown.

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CONCLUSION:
This site visit was an enriching experience and we gained a lot of knowledge
onthe engineering practices and current trends in the field of Repair and Rehabilitation
of Structures. We got a huge amount of exposure to the current industrial practices being
followed in this sector. The involvement and enthusiasm of Mrs. Niketa Panchal and Dr.
AV Thomas was immense and really commendable. I heartily thank Niketa Panchal
mam for arranging such an extraordinary visit.

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