Ferrocement Technology & Projects

P.C. Sharma, (Retired) Head - Structural Engineering Research Centre Roorkee & Ghaziabad, and Chief Editor NBM&CW, writes on his more than six decades of working with SERC and the Ferrocement projects undertaken.

Precast FC roof for 10KL tank cast in segments Maram Manipur

After completing my civil engineering from Roorkee in 1958, I have worked in Bhilai Steel project, Central Building Research Institute Roorkee, Structural Engineering Research Centre Roorkee & Ghaziabad, Asian Institute of Technology, International Ferrocement Information Centre Bangkok, in many UNICEF projects, and for the National Drinking Water Mission project from Government of India etc. I am presently with NBM Media as Chief Editor and at Expert AE Solutions where I am doing design and consulting work.

I was very fortunate to work with an international expert like Prof G.S. Ramaswamy, Director of SERC, who exposed me to the latest technologies like prestressed concrete, partial prestressed concrete, lift slab construction, ferrocement, fiber reinforced concrete, repair and rehab of RCC, masonry & steel structures, etc.

Due to my work on FC in SERC and other structural engineering fields, I was invited as a visiting faculty to Bangkok’s Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and International Ferrocement Information Centre four times (4 months every time) from 1978 to 1985. I also wrote many DIY books on ferrocement applications and organized two training programs on FC for Malaysian and Indonesian project heads at AIT.

Our R&D work on many useful applications at SERC (R) and filing of a patent on a semi-mechanised process for producing cylindrical and segmented F C units (during 1968 to 1974) found a mention in the book on ferrocement by Paul & Pama. I also worked for the Journal of Ferrocement from 1978 to 1990.

UNICEF Training programme Maram Khullen Manipur on RWHS & FC Structures

SERC (R&G) was given the responsibility for developing designs, training of field engineers, and conducting field demonstrations of rainwater harvesting, FC structures like water and grains storage, toilets, biogas plants, roofing FC check dams & river Trg structures and walling units etc. in states like Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Andaman, and Lakshadweep etc; by the National Drinking Water Mission, and by the UNICEF in Manipur, UP, MP, Rajasthan, and HP.

A Techno Package on rainwater harvesting system and FC storage and drainage structures was prepared for UNICEF, which came to be considered as a model document in UNICEF. We also helped organizations like CAPART, Cort, Ruchi, Bhagirath Sansthan, Kasar Trust Almora, etc. by demonstrating our knowledge of FC Technology (tanks, toilets, walling and roofing units, manhole and drain covers, water filters, waterproofing, etc., and providing information and demos in production technologies to technicians and engineers. CSIR supported SERC (R&G) in the project activities. The works mentioned do not cover the complete range of activities on this subject.

After retiring in June 2000, I joined Delhi-based publication group NBM Media as chief editor, in which I wrote many articles on Ferrocement Technology for the benefit of the readers of its technical publication NBM&CW. Training and helping NGO's consulting organizations working in this field is still going on by my group on a voluntary basis.

Experimental Investigations

Few of the investigations carried by SERC (R) team are listed here:

• Ferrocement ribbon 1m wide - 10m long - 25mm thick with the ends anchored over a support stand by welding. Load test using bricks to a design load of 150 kg/m2 live load. This was our first trial experiment. No cracking observed.
• Ferrocement Plates-120 numbers-cast using different mixes, reinforcement details for studying flexural behaviour and establishing Ist crack formulae. 1972-74
• Studies on leak proofness of F.C. containers 2500 liters-thickness 12mm finished placed in a water tank for 5 years-units cast using semi mech process patented
• Load tests on 10 numbers of FC Folded plates and shell roofing units up to 6m span.
• Segmented shell roofs 10 numbers with and without diaphragm at ends – 4m and 6m span. This type of roof SERC developed was used for roofing a cycle shed in the parliament campus for a cycle stand for Members of Parliament, spanning 6.5m- segments cast at Vithal Bhai Patel Bhavan at Rafi Marg 2 km away shifted by using two small trolleys at both ends to parliament house.
• Manhole covers – light duty, medium duty and heavy-duty categories- rectangular & circular shapes and development of a commercial production plant design and testing of 30 covers of each type for IS code design loads.
• Three experimental roofs were treated with FC for providing waterproofing- one of them was RCC slab, one with precast segments and the third with old, reinforced brickwork. Slabs were first load tested for a live load of 150 kg/m2 then waterproofed with FC and then tested with water for a period of three months. Water removed dried for one month and again loaded with water equivalent to Design Live Load for six months. Three cycles of loading and unloading were repeated.
• Testing & long-term behaviour studies by CFTRI Mysore on many FC grain bins 1-2 tons underground and above ground models produced using semi-mechanised process. The study continued for 5 years by storing grain in experimental bins and CFTRI declared these safe for storing grains.
• FC walling system- a two-leaf ferrocement walling system was developed and large numbers of wall panels of different types (mid, corner units, load-bearing joint units, half units for below and above door/window positions) were developed cast and tested in the heavy testing lab of SERC(R) - After obtaining satisfactory results a testing machine annexe building was constructed and tested for two years. The structure was in use for the 1966-2000 period and was dismantled by CBRI after SERC campus in Roorkee was finally shifted to Ghaziabad. A fig has been included in this paper showing joint and panel details. We faced many challenges during this development. Many other worth mentioning FC structures can be listed like construction of large E&W domes & Bamboo Ferrocement domes for Sarabhai Group at BM Institute, Ahmedabad (1976-78).

Design of unique and typical ferrocement Shank at Manan Dham Ghaziabad in year 2000 and many more typical well known structures.

• The SERC team concentrated on the development of mechanical methods for production and ensuring that the item was developed for the common man and was accepted by the user departments like CPWD, UPJN, State PWDs and common market due to durability and cost benefit. This resulted in the acceptance of these technologies by NRDC Licensee’s on a large scale throughout the country. We were given govt mandates for the development of bins, water tanks, manhole covers etc. and entered into consultancy and technology release to organisations like UNICEF, Annapara thermal projects, UP Jal Nigam, MP Jal Nigam organised large no of programmes and demos and training programmes on FC and rainwater harvesting structures. Many NGOs like CAPART, CORT, Ruchi and the State Council of Science Tech and Environment, HP, Shimla, granted us projects in which we could demonstrate FC structures developed at SERC in the field in states like UP, MP, Rajasthan, Punjab, HP, Meghalaya, Assam, Andaman, Lakshadweep, Tripura, Goa, Karnataka etc. The items covered tanks, toilets, waterproofing tech, drainage units, roofing units, manhole covers etc. The financial support received, solved our problems related to finance, manpower, materials etc.

We were very lucky to have received collaborative support from the University of Roorkee, the Institute of Engineering Rural Tech Allahabad, National Drinking Water Mission, CPWD, UP Jal Nigam, MES, all of our licensees, CSIR and several NGOs.

Left: Ferrocement Shankh at Mahandham Ghaziabad free-standing structure with surya chakra - Highly complicated shape in Ferrocement- 2000; Right: Ferrocement Leaching Pit for rural sanitation

References

1. GV Surya Kumar PC Sharma “Casting Techniques Ferrocement Cylindrical Units Proceedings of National Seminar on development of Construction Tech Bombay 1975 organised by the institution of Engineers (India), Bombay centre
2. P.C. Sharma, "Ferrocement Domes using Split Bamboos at Ahmedabad, India", News & Notes Journal of Ferrocement, Vol, 10, No. 1, Jan. 1980.
3. P.C. Sharma, "Use of Ferrocement for Water Proofing", Joul. of Ferrocement, April 1980.
4. P.C. Sharma, "Vibrator for Compacting Ferrocement Elements (SERC®) News and Notes", Journal of Ferrocement, April 1978.
5. P.C. Sharma, R.P. Pama, J. Valls, V.S. Gopalaratnam, "State of the Art Review on Ferrocement Grain Storage Bin", Journal of Ferrocement, July 1979 Vol. 9, No. 3.
6. P.C. Sharma, G.V. Surya Kumar, S. Gopalkrishnan, V.P. Narayanaswamy, "Semi Mechanised Process for producing Ferrocement Cylindrical Units", Nervi International symposium on ferrocement, July 1981, at Bergamo (Italy)
7. PC. Sharma, "A Mechanized Process for Producing Ferrocement Roof and Wall Elements, Journal of Ferrocement, Vol. 13, No. 1, January 1983
8. V.P. Narayanaswamy, G.V. Surya Kumar, P.C. Sharma, "Precast Ferrocement Trough Elements for low-cost Roofing", Journal of Ferrocement, Vol. 11, No. 1, January 1981
9. P.C. Sharma, Arun Kumar, "Ferrocement Channels for Small Scale Irrigation", Appropriate Technology (Published from London, U.K) Dec. 1982, issue.
10. P.C. Sharma, K. Shashi Kumar, "Design aids for Precast Ferrocement Roofing and Floor Elements". Asia Pacific Symposium on Ferrocement Applications for Rural Development, Roorkee, April 1984.
11. P.C. Sharma, "Ferrocement Cylindrical Segmental Shell, Multipurpose Unit, Asia Pacific Symposium on Ferrocement Applications for Rural Development, Roorkee, April 1984.
12. "Do it yourself on Ferrocement application" published by International Ferrocement Information Centre, AIT., Post Box 2754, Bangkok (Thailand)
    1. Authors-P. C. Sharma & V.S. Gopalaratnam
       • Ferrocement Grain Storage Bins
       • Ferrocement Water Storage Tanks
       • Ferrocement Biogas Holder
    2. Authors P. C. Sharma, Pichai Nimityongskul, K. Shashi Kumar
       • Ferrocement Canoe
13. Process for producing precast ferrocement cylindrical units (process package with detailed design) Indian Patent no 145250-1974-76 released through NRDC of India for commercial production.
14. Housing schemes using precast FC beam and column elements for rehabilitation of earthquake victims of Latur EQ in Maharashtra- SERC® report-1995
15. Design of RWHS system and structures for low-cost sanitation and field demos for CSTE & Env govt of HP Shimla- including org and TRG courses for field engineers from hp-1984- SERC® report
16. UNICEF report 1994- design of FC structures for Rainwater harvesting schemes for Andaman Nikobar Unicef Calcutta
17. SERC® report- Development of monographs (techno manuals) on FC tanks and roofing units for international labour organisation New Delhi 1993
18. SERC® report check & modification of designs for Janta biogas plants for state planning Institution Lucknow UP and org of two training programmes at Lucknow 1992
19. BIS code on FC water tank – IS-13356-1992
20. Proceedings of Asian Pacific Symposium on FC application for rural development- Roorkee 1984
21. SERC® Roorkee lecture notes for ferrocement technology trg course June 1979
22. Surya Kumar GV and Sharma PC. An investigation of the ultimate and first crack strength of ferrocement in flexure – Indian concrete journal, nov 1976-PP335-340
23. Proceedings int symbol on FC- AIT Bangkok- Jan 1985
24. Lecture notes- second Asian Pacific training course on FC construction-1988-Roorkee
25. S.P. Sharma, P.C Sharma, KP Singh and SS Bhatia, “ferrocement Treatment for repairing a 50000 gallon OH water tank”.
26. K Shashi Kumar, PC Sharma, and L Robles Austriaco, “Review of design considerations and construction techniques for ferrocement water resource structures” Journal of ferrocement, January 1984, vol 14 no. 1
27. PC Sharma “precast ferrocement shell for sentry post”, technical note for SERC® Roorkee, (India)
28. PC Sharma, “spherical ferrocement units for grain & water storage”, II international symposium on ferrocement, Bangkok, Thailand January 1985
29. PC Sharma. "Course Manual & Construction Techniques for Rain Water Harvesting Schemes and Ferrocement Tanks, SERC® Publication for Distribution to Course Participants for UNICEF Course (October & November 1987) and Drinking Water Mission Courses in January 87, March 87, January 88, April 88.
30. P.C. Sharma, Ferrocement Structures for Rain Water Harvesting Schemes", National Seminar on Issues of Drinking Water in Hill Areas, 3-4 September 1988, Nainital (India).
31. P.C. Sharma & Others, "Design and Construction Features of Composite F.C. Shell Roofs of Optimum Shape, II International Symposium on Ferrocement, New Delhi (India), December 1988.
32. PC Sharma & D.N. Trikha, "Rehabilitation of Corroded Steel Tanks with Ferrocement Ill International Symposium on Ferrocement. Delhi, December 1988.
33. P.C. Sharma, D.N. Trikha, "Ferrocement as Repairing cum Strengthening Material for Fire Damaged Structures Walls & Columns III International Symposium on Ferrocement, New Delhi (India), December 1988.

Contact Address for Mr. P.C. Sharma: P.C. Sharma, CEO, Expert A.E. Solutions, 163, Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad UP 201001, Mob: +91-9810285722

Acknowledgement

The guidance and assistance received from Er. N. V Raman, Dr SP Sharma. ER. P.M.A Rehman, Dr V.P. Narayan Swami, and then existing technical and non-technical staff of Structural Engineering Research Centre Roorkee and Ghaziabad is gratefully acknowledged.