WELCOME ‘17

'Civil welcome' for the 17’ batch students was organized by the 16’ batch students on 13^th of September, 2018 in the Civil auditorium of University of Moratuwa. This was organized in order to welcome the students from next batch to the Department of Civil Engineering and to make them feel part of our civil family.

The event was commenced at 7 pm after the presence of all students and staff. Prof. J.M.S.J Bandara, Prof. W.K. Mampearachchi, Prof. R.U. Halwatura, Prof. J.M.A. Manatunge, Dr. (Ms.) W.B. Gunawardana, Dr. R.L.H.L. Rajapakse and Dr. C.S.A. Siriwardana were present on the event and made the day special.

Civil welcome commenced with the lighting of oil lamp and the welcome speech was presented by Chathuranga Siriwardena, department representative of 16’ batch and a silence prayer was given for late Prof. Hettiarachchi and late senior Akila Anuruddha from 13’ batch who passed away recently.

Next, our head of the department, Prof J.M.S.J.Bandara addressed the gathering. The next item on the agenda was a song sung by Sanjana from 16’ batch and everybody enjoyed it. Following this item, there was a Tamil song sung by Sharon and Keerththana from 16’ batch.

All were served with refreshment and a video of events organized in the department of civil engineering every year was played to encourage new batch students to get involved in those events more eagerly.

Then two other songs were sung by Tharindu and Dilum from 16’ batch which was followed by another wonderful guitar instrumental medley by Ruwini and Panduka. Then a student from 17’ batch volunteered to sing a song and mesmerized everyone with his voice.  

Then speeches were presented by Thisura Nanjitha, department representative of level 14 and Sasith Karunarathna, the president of Civil Engineering Society. They talked about our department culture, civil family and civil events. They shared about the civil family bond and invited the new batch to join with our civil family.

Then all the students from 17’ batch introduced themselves to others and two games were held for the 17’ batch students to participate and interact with each other which they all enjoyed very well. The interactive session continued in to the night strengthening the bond between the two batches. Vote of thanks was presented by one of the department representatives of 16’ batch, Lakshitha Senavirathne and the civil welcome was successfully concluded around 10 pm.

INSEE-IESL CONCRETE MIX DESIGN COMPETITION 2018 (Final Phase)

The sun dawned on 7^th of September over the horizons of University of Moratuwa while 15 eager finalists of INSEE- IESL concrete mix design competition departed for their final mixing round. The competition was held in the INSEE concrete plant, Galle over 3 days among 6 universities. The first day of the competition was between University of Moratuwa and South Eastern University.

Three competing groups from each university was present at the inauguration ceremony who were warmly welcomed by an engineer of INSEE Cement plant. A safety induction was given for all the participants and personal protective equipment was provided guarantying the safety of the contestants. Soon the mixing arena of Galle INSEE Cement Plant glowed with the white shirts each carrying the proud Eagle of INSEE in the hearts of every contestant.

Three teams, namely two from UOM and one from SEUSL who drew their lots to compete in the morning session rushed to get their mix ready while the colleague members waited at the reception. The session started around 10.30 in the morning and continued until 1 pm for the morning session. Each team was tested for V- funnel, U box and flow every other hour for 3 hours consequently every hour and every minute of the day was full of excitement and inquisitiveness.

The second round for the day, or the evening session commenced around 1.30 pm with the remaining three groups joining the competition. The event was exhausting yet enthusiastic to its extreme. Refreshment was provided all day long for all the participants and at the end of a very long day the evening round concluded around 6.30 pm.

The milky white eagles who departed early morning for the arena returned dusty and muddy but triumphant at the end of the day. The INSEE-IESL Concrete mix design competition will be continued for 2 more days at this arena until the winners mark their triumph over others. 

INSEE-IESL CONCRETE MIX DESIGN COMPETITION 2018

INSEE is one of the leading foremost manufacturers of cement in Sri Lanka.  With this collaboration of Premier engineering professional body, the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) is launching the INSEE-IESL Concrete Challenge 2018. The judging criteria align with the competition is “Self-compacting concrete for sustainable construction”.

The university phase of this innovative competition was held on 25^th and 26^th of July organized with the participation of more than 20 groups from Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa. This university phase was organized by the INSEE company with the collaboration of Civil Engineering Society of the university.

The competition was held under the framework of set of rules and regulations & here the limit of group members in each group was set to five. As the initial step to enter the competition, the groups had to submit a proposal of their mix design components with the quantities required.

Then, the cube casting & testing of the results were conducted as the next step of the competition. Here, the raw materials were provided & the casted concrete of each group was subjected to V funnel test, U cone test and slump test. With the comparison of the results obtained by each group, the best three groups were finalized to represent University of Moratuwa at the Inter university level of the competition which is scheduled to conduct in the near future. (29 th of August) So, it was a great opportunity and an experience for every participant.

Congratulations to the top three teams of the competition who will be representing the university!!!

FIELD VISIT-KALUGANGA

The Kaluganga development project in the central province of Sri Lanka is a multipurpose water resources development scheme. The primary purpose of this project is to increase existing water supplies of drought-prone irrigation areas.

A field visit to Kaluganga was organized by the Civil Engineering society of University of Moratuwa on 14^th July ,2018.   We were guided by Dr.P.K.C.De Silva to get maximum benefits from this project. Thirty five students from level 2 and 4 participated in this visit. We left university around 4.30 a.m. for the project which is situated in Pallegama, Matale.

Initially, we had an introductory lecture done by Eng. G.H.L.Kumarasiri. He said that the Kaluganga project commenced on 2014/04/02 and it was budgeted to cost Rs.13 Billion. The contractor for the project is Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. The main purpose of the project is to transfer 100 Million cubic meters of water annually to MoragahaKanda reservoir to fulfill downstream demand.

Design period of Kaluganga project is 100 years. We were able to visit some of the ongoing project structures such as main dam, spillway, diversion tunnel, canal and saddle dam. Engineers who were working in the project explained us about the structure and what else will go down next.

We were not able to get access to moragahakanda, so we visited the view point and observed the dam and reservoir.

The field visit was really beneficial since we got experience in irrigation and water supply etc. It was very useful for us to gain information about the project from the engineers who were lively involved in it.

PIYAMAN

Lord Buddha once said “The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.” Civil Engineering is felt when we take the construction to our own hands. The Civil Engineering Society of UOM organized ‘Piyaman’ in order to support building a new Aranya in Horana by Isipathana Aranya Senasanaya near Horana Hagallawatta spiritual health care hospital. The project was to help the construction process with our engineering skills and labor. From site clearance, to erecting structural piles we aided the construction process.

Our first step (Phase 01) was on 9th March with the participation of about 25 undergraduates. Our main task was the preliminary site clearance processes. Boulders were dug up and large rocks were broken down. Then the broken rocks and boulders were transported to the site of construction in wheel barrows. Each step of the project brought us closer to buddhism and to ourselves. Wrapping up the phase one of “Piyaman” for the day the undergraduates returned to University both accomplished and exhausted. Sometimes a little effort can get you closer to peace.

Prof. Wasantha Mampearachchi, being our mentor for the program coordinated the second phase for the project. 60 students and 3 of non-academic staffs took part in this day.

The Chief Thero was very cooperative and engaging throughout the day. On that day, concrete piers were installed; pits were excavated; stone borders were built; rafters were brought to the working place; wooden fence were made; the chamber area was cleaned around; boulders were carried; the roof sheets of “Budu Madura” were renewed and   concrete was mixed. With the increased work force, our contribution was very obliging. The experience got interesting with the female undergraduates preparing lunch for the working crowd.

“How blissful it is, for one who has nothing. Attainers-of-wisdom are people with nothing. See him suffering, one who has something, a person bound in mind with people.” The Chief Thero taught us the importance of mindfulness and practiced “Anapanasathi meditation” with us. All the exhaustion of the day vanished in to twilight with the peace in mind we achieved.

Being a 3rd time lucky, in the evening of 26th April we departed toward the 3rd Phase of “Piyaman” with five students from level four and some non-academic staffs members. When we reached the site, nuns and young monks were already working. We joined the labor and worked with them. The villagers provided evening refreshment with tea and biscuits.  

Since Vesak Festival is only a couple of days away, we had to cut down some trees for tents. Then we lifted sand bags up to the place of construction to make their work easier. Dinner and transportation back to the university were provided to us since it was around 10 pm when we wound up for the night.

Buddha once said, “Those which are produced from causes are not produced. They do not have an inherent nature of production. Those which depend on causes are said to be empty; those who know emptiness are aware.”

We believe that “Piyaman” would bring us closer to that awareness. With the guidance of Prof. Wasantha Mampearachchi, and the help of the non-academic staff the 3 phases were an utter success.

CIVIL ENGINEERING RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” The Civil Engineering Research Symposium creates an ideal platform for the undergraduates to grow beyond their scope and widen their horizons. 

The 2018 symposium unfolded in the Civil Engineering auditorium 21 st of June with the participation of the final year undergraduates, Department academic staff with the fresh graduates expounding their final year researches on stage.

As all good things start with a sprinkle of religious blessings, the traditional oil lamp was lighted at the inception of the event followed by the welcome speech by the Head of the Department Prof. J.M.S.J. Bandara. The renowned academic staff of the department, Prof. Dias W.P.S, Prof. Jayasinghe M.T.R, Prof. Kulatilake S.A.S., Prof. Perera A.A.D.A.J, Dr. Jayasinghe C. (Mrs.), Prof. Mampearachchi W. K., Dr. Hettiarachchi M. T. P. ( Mrs. ) , Dr. Nanayakkara D. (Mrs.), Dr. Nawagamuwa U. P. , Dr. Baskaran K., Dr. De Silva L. I. N., Dr.  Halwathura R. U., Dr. Rajapakse R. L. H. L. , Dr. Mallikarachchi H. M. Y. C., Dr. Gunawardana W. B. (Ms.), Dr. Lewangamage C. S. Dr. Ekanayake L. L. , Dr. Kasun De Silva , Dr. De Silva L.I.N. and Industrial training director and senior lecturer Eng. Wijewickrama N.A. were all there eagerly participating the symposium. The event was sponsored by “Lanwa – Sanstha wane”. Ceylon Steel Corporation Limited, with its brand presence as “Lanwa Sanstha Wane”, is the foremost steel manufacturer that has won the trust of a discerning clientele for generation for its quality, standards and affordability.

Next followed a research presentation by Prof. Mampearachchi on Development of non-expensive clay as internal curing concrete aggregate. The knowledge imparted by him was a spot-on example for growing beyond what you have already mastered. The event was boosted through snacks and lunch in between three sessions of research presentations. The first session had 8 presenters coming through with their researches before the mid-day break for lunch. The session was led by Dr. (Mrs.) Hettiarachchi with (Mrs.) Sachithra as the time keeper. Second session with 6 research presentations lead by Prof. Ashoka with Dr. Kasun as the time keeper, Third and final session after evening tea with 4 presenters on stage with Prof Kulathilake at the lead and Dr. (Mrs.) Ashani as time keeper, enlightened the eager final years absorbing every ounce of knowledge with back to back questions after every presentation.

The symposium wrapped up with twilight illuminating the young minds on research possibilities and advancements of current researches of the field of Civil Engineering. Vote of thanks for the day was presented by Amaya Kahaduwa, one of the final year undergraduates. “Knowledge has a beginning but no end.” The Civil Engineering Research Symposium has always been an open platform for new notions and creativity. Though the sun sets for the symposium today, next year it will rise again with a novel set of minds to discover the beyond of what we master. 

Title	Supervised by	Presenter
Session 01: Chair – Dr.(Mrs.) M.T.P. Hettiarachchi, Co-chair – Mrs. Sachithra Imbulana
Development of geo-polymer concrete with coal fired boiler ash	Prof. S.M.A. Nanayakkara	D.M.S.P. Dassanayake
Investigation of properties of cellular light weight concrete blocks	Prof. S.M.A. Nanayakkara	S.U. Hendawitharana
Application of Eurocode to bolted timber joints	Dr.(Mrs.) M.T.P. Hettiarachchi	P. Sakithiyan
Modelling of corrosion induced cover cracking in reinforced concrete	Dr. H.M.Y.C. Mallikarachchi Prof. S.M.A. Nanayakkara Prof. Priyan Dias	J.A.A.Sankalpa
Re construction of 3D surface/model with optic based measurements	Dr. H.M.Y.C. Mallikarachchi	O.P.C. Randil
Design of porous concrete mixtures for drainage cover slabs in pedestrian walkways	Prof. W.K. Mampearachchi	I.M.H. Perera
Framework to integrate multiple economic analysis methods for transportation infrastructure project feasibility assessment	Dr. H.R. Pasindu	C.S. Wijenayake
Investigation of durability of open graded friction courses	Prof. W.K. Mampearachchi	B.P.D.P.P.Bamumuarachchi
Lunch
Session 02: Chair – Prof. A.A.D.A.J. Perera, Co-chair – Dr. Kasun de Silva
Design for accommodating intermediate stops for busses on southern expressway	Dr. G.L.D.I. de Silva	B.H.A. Mendis
Applicability of mackintosh probe test in evaluating the degree of compaction and engineering characteristics of compacted backfills	Dr. L.I.N. de Silva	P.A.M. Gomes
Investigation on the applicability of plate bearing tests in extrapolating the bearing capacity of large raft foundations	Dr. L.I.N. de Silva	O.M. Muthuhewa
Secondary consolidation characteristics of peaty clay	Prof. S.A.S. Kulathilake	J.P.D.C.M. Karunarathne
The cost estimating errors to contractors.	Prof. A.A.D.A.J. Perera	H.M.I. Herath
Assessment of embodied energy in alternative materials manufactured using construction waste	Prof. (Mrs.) C. Jayasinghe	P.P.U. Panamgama
Tea
Session 02: Chair – Prof. S.A.S. Kulathilake, Co-chair – Dr.(Mrs.) A.S. Ranathunga
Soil stabilization using alkaline activation of fly ash/bottom as for self-compacting mud concrete construction	Prof. R.U. Halwathura	A.V.R.D. Lakmini
A study on suitability of the four parameter “abcd” hydrologic model to stimulate rainfall runoff in selected small watersheds in Sri Lanka	Dr. R.L.H.L. Rajapakse	P.W.H. Sasanka
A study on use of daily and monthly lumped parameter hydrologic ,models for surface and ground water resource analysis in small watersheds	Dr. R.L.H.L. Rajapakse	G.M.C.A. Perera
Investigation on Energy losses in pipes	Mr. A.H.R. Rathnasooriya	P.R. Nalaka