"UTWT"
A Successful story
please watch on youtube "UTWT India"

“UTWT” A successful technology designed for pavement in Thane.

A story of team work of people ,burocrates,engineer,scientist

Dr.V.V.Deshmukh

It was first june 2007  I first mate Mr K.D Lala City Engineer Thane Municipal Corporation in Mayor Mrs Smita Indulkar’s office. It was possible that because of her  I could meet TMC official  and discuss with them UTWT(Ultra Thin White Topping)a technology suitable for rehabilitation of bituminous macadam roads. Mr K.D.Lala called me again and asked  to present new development to his technical staff. Though he  and mayor were ready to try the technology in Thane city there was a major resistance  from the standing committee on the pretext that it is a new technology not tested earlier .we should not venture the  risk and waste money and time. The proposal of UTWT technology was rejected in standing committee of TMC

At that time I was just retired from ACCLTD.I could have got the support of ACC but it has been purchased by worlds one of the largest cement manufacturer M/S HOLCIM LTD. It is a Swiss company having business across the world. They were  not ready at that time to support new technology Though the proposal of UTWT was rejected in standing committee Mr K.D.Lala who is a technocrat and mayor being my sister had faith on me and technology

During that period Thane being industrial town there was a spurt in vehicular traffic and human population both were increasing rapidly. Because of heavy rain and more axle load of vehicle than the design value the BM roads were cracking. Very bad situation of roads with big potholes

In the mean time though the proposal got rejected  in the standing committee of TMC there was a public pressure  expressing anger. The issue has been seriously taken  by Mr Vilas Samant a Shiv-Sena Corporatar from Ghantali  

He raised a voice in the municipality saying a local person who with confidence is advocating the UTWT Technology why not giving a chance. This was as per the shiv sena policy to give chance to local person. There was a pressure from residence of the locality. There was also a pressure from media news paper.

The matter was referred to the next standing committee .where the committee has agreed the proposal but not ready for sanctioning the funds for the project. Here again Mr Vilas Samant offered the project money from his funds and finally the project got the nod from the Standing Committee.

The city engineer   immediately assigned two engineers and we started working on the project

During the year 2007 Indian economy was growing at 8-9% of GDP This development to sustain need better infrastructure. In our country the roads are in bad shape. Increase in axle load than the design of the road the condition of the road remain very poor.

All the Govt Institute and Organization like ACC started working on alternate cheaper concrete technology which is comparative to cost of bituminous macadam road and have a life of twenty years.

I started working on high strength material at reduced cost.During this stage there was significant development in admixture the poly carboxyl ether based admixture Glenium molecule have changed the concrete technology that we were getting M-25-M-35 grade concrete  we can get M50-M60 grade concrete. In order to cut down the cost additives like  flyash, ggbs were used.The optimum mix was prepared and used in laying UTWT in Thane. by using  small dosages of the admixture

In the year 2007 it was difficult to even pronounce the word UTWT. Today after six years even the peon of TMC knows of UTWT.

Generally people in the office do not venture in to new things because nobody like  failure in the record book during office tenure. The engineers were also not keen to complete the job.

The responsibility was on my shoulder . I have selected the initial trial patch , one was  in front of Vilas Sawant's office near Ghantali Mandir . It was a good omen for me . I was to try my first adventure with Goddess Ghantali.

Mr Lala and his team helped me in arranging the concrete mix which I have designed and developed in R & D division of ACC which is also situated in Thane.

The road was full of pot holes . It was monsoon days and the potholes were full of monsoon water, besides it was nightmare for the people who were walking on such a road. The vehicular traffic was more though was not of heavy vehicles or trucks  but   cars and auto rickshaws.

It was decided to carry out the laying job during night when traffic is less . It was Sept 2007 I lay my first patch of UTWT. I owe and appreciate Mr K.D. Lala who was supportive till the end . I also got support from Mr Vilas Sawant because the road was in his constituency . I could not sleep for three days due to anxiety of the outcome of the laying .When I went the next morning to inspect the road, I went alone but when I saw the road condition it was the same as I had expected to be. Nothing had happened to the road in terms of its damage or cracks.. It was the same what I saw during laying .

The days passed,  the years have passed, the road is still in good condition which I have seen in 2007.

Mr Lala also judged the merits of the technology and offer me more roads to try. He was aware that though I have developed the technology I have no infrastructure to carry out the laying work He suggested me to meet Mr Suhas Mehta of M/s SMC Infra Ltd. He being a professional business man said yes to me and we started laying many roads in Thane. We have experimented this technology at different traffic conditions and different subbase conditions.

We laid the roads in all conditions by modification in mix design. He has also tried other technologies and judged the UTWT is the best for Thane city . He has declared the UTWT technology as successful technology which was published in Times of India ,Thane edition of 1^st October 2013 and decided that Thane city Inner roads be completed with UTWT technology.

Significance of mix design in pavement

Some people may find the concept revolutionary but that is what it is

Significance of mix design to achieve higher flexural strength required for pavement.

There is a tendency of the Engineer fraternity to increase the compressive and flexural strength of concrete by addition of more cement in the concrete mix. Therefore further calculations like grade of concrete is based on the quantity of cement in the concrete mix. It is generally assumed that   M-40 grade concrete means 400kg of cement.

But because of the advances in admixture the M-40 grade concrete can be achieved by adding 300-350 kg of cement.

Role of flyash in the mix to achieve higher flexural strength

 There is a misconception that addition of flyash deteriorate the concrete properties.That may be true to some extent in construction industry but in pavement addition of 40-50% of flyash in concrete mix help in improvement of flexural strength of the concrete.

What happens to concrete mix   by adding flyash

There is an interfacial zone  exist in between aggregate and cement which controls the properties of concrete .By adding fine and pozzolonic material like flyash it helps concrete to become impervious.

Addition of  flyash and high water reducing admixture  SCC concrete

is achieved

Advantages of flyash addition in concrete mix for pavement

·         Improvement in flexural strength

·         The interfacial zone is impervious

·         The hydration mechanism is modified

Ideal design to achieve M-40 grade pavement quality concrete

Material	Quantity kg per M3
Cement	350-380
Flyash	150-200
Microsilica	10-30
Admixture	4-5
Water	150-180

The result of the above mix

Pothole free road tested for last seven years. No cracks

DEMO TRIAL USING TATA POWER FLYASH IN UTWT FOR RURAL ROADS–A Case study

The Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yogna, an India govt scheme is doing good progress in all the Indian states. The scheme gives preference to new roads where there is no access to particular village to the main roads. The bituminous macadam roads are preferred over concrete roads because of higher initial laying cost and more time required for concrete roads although the extreme climatic condition in our country, bituminous macadam roads do not last.

 Dr Vilas Deshmukh, Material Scientist under the guidance of Mr. P. Bongirwar retired secretary PWD Maharashtra state developed a concrete mix design which is marginally higher in cost than cost of the bituminous road. The PWD of Thane under the scheme of PMGSY laid UTWT of 150mm thick on GSB. The road was laid in the year 2010. Though the white topping cost was reduced significantly it was still costly than DSR rates of Thane PWD  for bituminous roads

TATA Power produces around 350 tons per day flyash in the Mumbai and Mundra plants. Huge production creates waste material causing disposal problem .TATA Power flyash has unique problem since they are using Indonesian coal for burning, the flyash colour is red which is not acceptable to Indian concrete industry. Mean while Mr. Rajendra Bhonsale of CTTL subsidiary of Tata power approached Dr. Deshmukh who has further reduced the cost of concrete by judicially using more Tata flyash and cheaper admixture polyheed of BASF.

PMGSY units of Nasik and Amrawati are currently using this technology.

The demo trial of 100 mm thick white topping is carried at CTTL on 12^th April 2013.

The highlights are

·        Use of fly ash 45%+in the mix

·        Thickness of topping is 100mm

·        The SCC with slump flow 500 mm is used

·        The cost of UTWT  100mm thick is same 50mmBM+20mmAC

·        Admixture  polyheed of BASF is used

The strength data of various compositions is studied and the results are given below:

	cost/RS	3-DAYS	7DAY	28DAYS	56DAYS	w/b	exp.conducted
original mix	2665.8	16.96	20.47	37.63	46.91	0.38	BASF
260+100pfa	2546.75	12.99	18.79	29.96	42.28	0.38	BASF
250opc+100pfa	2511.65	13.28	17.81	32.38	38.78	0.38	BASF
250opc+90pfa	2519.2	12.9	38.19	33.06	36.97	0.38	BASF
240opc+90pfa	2501.1	12.77	18.76	38.19	39.01	0.38	BASF
240opc+100pfa+20alcofine	2809.75	12.79	20.3	33.63	43.01	0.38	BASF
230opc+100pfa+20alcofine	2711.65	11.24	16	29.26	41.44	0.38	BASF
210opc+90pfa+30alcofine	2842.2	14	19.53	35.18	39.13	0.38	BASF
290opc+200pfa	2445	18	25	38		0.34	PUNE ENGINEERING COLLEGE
290opc+200pfa from tata power	3265	25	35	51		0.35	BASF

Chemical analysis of typical Indian coal flyash and tata power Indonesian coal flyash is given below

Element	INDONESIA	INDIA
·                    SiO2	·                    33.9	·                    57.5
·                    Al2O3	·                    20.4	·                    29.8
·                    Fe2O3	·                    19.8	·                    5.8
·                    CaO	·                    14.9	·                    0.4
·                    MgO	·                    5.8	·                    1.0
·                    Na2O	·                    0.54	·                    0.07
·                    K2O	·                    0.93	·                    1.55
·                    TiO2	·                    0.70	·                    1.3
·                    SO3	·                    0.8	·                    0.08
·                    Carbon	·                    1.6	·                    2.2
·                    LOI	·                    2.2	·                    2.4
·                    IR	·                    40.8	·                    92.9

·        Benefits of using TATA POWER Fly ash.

·        More replacement of cement by flyash

·        The early day strength is not reduced

·        Production of green concrete.

Cost comparison:

Ball park comparison between both the technologies – bituminous macadam roads are 1-2% expensive compared to concrete and  the benefits are already given in this document

Few photographs of the trail conducted at CTTL is given below

.

Conclusion:

TATA Power in collaboration with  any reputed cement manufacturer produce green concrete which can be used in pavement of Indian rural roads