Department of Civil Engineering

Research Project Titles-E/15 Batch

Research Topic Supervisor

1 Developing a low cost mapping and digitalizing technology for historical buildings in Sri Lanka
This research project is aimed to map and digitalize the features of some of the selected historical Principal:
structures in Sri Lanka using laser scanning technology using drones. Through this research project, a Dr. J.A. Thamboo
low cost and easy surveying technology will be developed to map the complex historical building in Sri Co-supervisor
Lanka. The selected students will be able to learn MATLAB coding as well as 3D drawing Dr. Chinthaka Kumara
technologies using AUTOCAD.
2 Characterizing the monotonic and cyclic confined behaviour of masonry and concrete under axial
compression
Confinement technique is widely used to enhance the compressive strength and ductility of masonry and
concrete columns. However limited studies have been carried out to develop suitable theoretical models
for confined masonry and concrete under axial compression. Thus, this project is aimed to address this Dr. J.A. Thamboo
gap in the knowledge by developing a suitable theoretical model for masonry and concrete under axial
confinement. The selected students will be able to learn MATLAB coding to develop appropriate
theoretical formulations and computations.
3 Investigating the Creep behaviour of thin layered concrete masonry
The creep effect of masonry walls causes continuous redistribution of internal stresses and strain in the
loaded walls; consequently an increase in a stress resultant may in turn lead to failure, especially when
combined with a secondary reduction in strength. Mainly the mortar joint contribute to the major creep
shortening of the masonry. Therefore in order to reduce the creep shortening a recessed thin joint Dr. J.A. Thamboo
masonry will be investigated in this research. This project involves extensive experimental testing in the
laboratory, so selected students have to work in the laboratory as well as learn MATLAB coding to
develop appropriate creep models.

4 Use of native Sri Lankan shrubs to stabilize unstable slopes.

Slopes can be suddenly failed due to erosion, rainfall, changes of topography, earthquakes, external
loading, Increment of pore water pressure etc.. Native vegetation has been generally recognized as an
environmentally friendly alternative to stabilize unstable natural slopes. Technical investigations need to
be carried out to characterize the potential contribution of native shrubs on slope stabilization,
Dr. J.A.S.P. Jayakody
consequently, develop a mechanism to introduce technical guidelines to use native shrubs on natural
slope stabilization. In this study, several Sri Lankan shrubs will be selected and assess their
performances over natural slope stabilization.
Interested students will have to develop a physical model of a slope for the analysis of stability and to
work with geotechnical software Slope/W or Seep/W.
5 Investigation of load bearing capacity and failure mechanism of loose soil at unsaturated
condition.
Shear strength parameters of soil are the major engineering properties which indicate load bearing
capacity at different conditions. This study focuses on determination of shear strength parameters of
loose soils by laboratory tests at different moisture contents and investigation of load bearing capacity Dr. J.A.S.P. Jayakody
by a physical model test. Consequently, develop a numerical model to estimate load bearing capacity of
loose soils at unsaturated condition by finite element method program; PLAXIS.
Interested students will have to work with laboratory tests and, learn and work PLAXIS geotechnical
FEM software.

6 Investigation of settlement characteristics of clay soils of Eastern region.

Primary and secondary consolidation characteristics of clay soils directly effect on the settlement of the
structures built on ground. This study focuses on the clay soils of Eastern province to estimate the
consolidation characteristics by conducting the Oedometer test. The study can be further extended for Dr. J.A.S.P. Jayakody
Mohr–Coulomb stress analysis at undrained and drained triaxial test. The results will be analysed to
develop correlation for settlement characteristics with consolidation properties of the clay soils.
Interested students will have to work with laboratory tests and, MATLAB software.

7 Estimating settlement of piles using SPT values

In many instances SPT values are the only data available for geotechnical engineers to design end
bearing or friction piles. Traditional method of pile design is not based on settlement but on failure
conditions with the skin friction and end bearing resistance estimated using empirical formulas. It is
proposed here to use SPT values to calculate elastic parameters of the soil and then to estimate the pile Prof. H.N. Seneviratne
settlement using theory of elasticity. The effectiveness of the method is examined by analyzing pile
load tests conducted in proximity to the pile location.

8. Effect of socketing depth on the load capacity of end bearing piles

The traditional method of estimating the effect of socketing depth of end bearing piles is by using the
skin friction of pile/rock(soil) which is often estimated from skin friction at failure conditions. It is
proposed here to investigate the effect of socketing of piles by using the elastic properties of rock mass Prof. H.N. Seneviratne
and rock-pile interface. The analyses will be carried out using finite element package PLAXIS with
different conditions at rock-pile interface considered.
9. Variation of cost of gravity and RC retaining walls with height
The construction of gravity or RC retaining walls to support soil slopes involve several steps such as,
ground excavation, construction of the wall and backfilling. Gravity retaining walls are normally
considered to be economical at small heights. Using a computer program gravity and RC retaining walls Prof. H.N. Seneviratne
are designed for different fill/cut heights. Cost of the walls are calculated and compared to find the
optimum method and its variation with height.
10 Investigating the influence of embedment depths on the deformation and failure behavior of
cantilever type retaining walls in soft rock
Unlike the requirement of large embedment depths in soft grounds, a relatively small increment of
socket depth in hard mediums can significantly influence on the deformation and failure behavior of
cantilever type retaining walls. Even though the wall behavior highly depends on the real field
conditions of rock type materials, this study mainly aims to investigate the behavior of cantilever type
walls in a uniform soft rock ground based on theoretical stability analysis and numerical simulation. Dr. K.Vijayakanthan
The selected students will be able to learn simple MATLAB coding for theoretical analysis and
Plaxis-2D or other potential software for the numerical simulation.
11 Numerical simulation of laterally loaded large diameter steel tubular piles socketed in soft rocks
and overlain by a soft medium
Large-diameter steel tubular piles can be applied for various massive geotechnical structures, which are
subjected to high lateral loads and overturning moments. Such as an offshore mono-pile foundation for
wind turbines and large height cantilever type retaining wall in the infrastructure development projects
nearby mountain sites. In such applications, a relatively hard rock embedment medium is often
encountered either at the ground surface or few pile diameters below the overlain layer. Lateral
resistance of such massive geotechnical structures is mainly controlled, solely by the rock in the former
embedment condition. Meanwhile, a substantial thickness of the overlying soil controls the deformation Dr. K.Vijayakanthan
characteristics of piles in the latter, which yields relatively small pile displacements at the underlying
rock surface. This study mainly aims to investigate the influence of socket depth and the overlain
medium on the lateral resistance, deformation and failure mechanism of rock socketed piles.
The selected students will be able to carry out the numerical simulation of laterally loaded tubular
pile and conduct simple theoretical analysis based on assumed earth pressure distributions.
12 Fly ash reinforced clay bricks for Sri Lankan construction industry
The annual generation of coal ash from the Norochcholai coal power plant is about 250,000 metric tons.
The potential use of this waste material in brick manufacturing could reduce the annual brick demand as
well as the environmental issues related to coal ash. The main aim of this research is to determine the
engineering properties of fly ash amended clay bricks and propose the optimum mixing conditions with
the maximum usage of fly ash for Sri Lankan industry. Dr. K.Vijayakanthan
The selected students have to model the standard size of fly ash amended clay bricks with different
mixing combinations for the laboratory tests.
13 Water Treatment Residuals: Study of Geotechnical Properties and Reuse Options
The production of the water treatment residuals (waterworks sludges) is bound to increase as there is an
ever-increasing demand for safe drinking water to meet the requirements of growing population.
Managing this rapidly increasing ‘waste’ in an economic and environmentally sustainable manner has Dr. S.M. Junaideen
become a challenge. This research project aims at collating the existing data on quantity and quality of Eng. M.C. Riyas
sludges produced and disposal practices adopted in the country, and studying the geotechnical properties
of sludges generated by the water treatment plants in Ampara region with a view to identifying their
reuse options.

14 Investigation of Climate Change Hazards and Its Impacts on Agricultural Infrastructure

Facilities: A Case of Small and Medium Scale Irrigation Schemes in Sri Lanka
Climate change is the greatest challenge being faced in wide-reaching parts of the world causing adverse
Principal:
impacts on just about all the sectors of the world economies, in particular agricultural sector. At the
Eng. A.L.M. Risath
same time, Climate change adverse impacts distress the various stages of agricultural production.
According to recent studies, the adverse impacts of climate change events are not only on agricultural
Co-supervisor
production but also on infrastructure facilities that are key components of supporting agricultural
Dr. Aslam Saja
production and the process thereof. Hence, this study will focus on climate change hazards and its
impacts on agricultural infrastructure systems in Sri Lanka with a special reference to small and medium
scale irrigation schemes.
15 Assessment of the Capacity of Farming Communities in Adapting to the Failure of Infrastructure
Facilities in the Face of Adverse Climate Change Events : A Special Reference to Small and
Medium Scale Irrigation Schemes in Sri Lanka
Climate change is the greatest challenge being faced in wide-reaching parts of the world causing adverse
impacts on just about all the sectors of the world economies, in particular agricultural sector. At the Principal:
same time, Climate change adverse impacts distress the various stages of agricultural production. Eng. A.L.M. Risath
According to recent studies, the adverse impacts of climate change events are not only on agricultural
production but also on infrastructure facilities that are key components of supporting agricultural Co-supervisor
production and the process thereof. Hence, assessing the capacity of farming communities, in adapting Dr. Aslam Saja
to the failure of agricultural infrastructure facilities in the face of adverse climate change events, is very
significant to build resilience against climate change impacts. This study will focus on assessing the
resilient level of farming communities in the events of agricultural infrastructure failure due to adverse
climate change events.
16 Assessment of the Impact of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems on Groundwater
Onsite wastewater disposal is commonly practiced in many places in Sri Lanka, thus, contaminating the Supervisor:
soil and groundwater due to lack of appropriate treatment systems. The level of contamination of Eng. M.C. Riyas
groundwater is assumed to be high in densely populated urban areas. This study aims at assessing the
impact of onsite wastewater treatment systems on groundwater in the selected areas of Ampara district. Co-supervisor
(The interested students are expected to collect field data, collect groundwater samples and engage in Dr. Tushara Chaminda
laboratory experiments)
17 Spatial-Temporal Assessment of Air Quality and Development of Air Quality Maps and Indices
Air pollution is widely increasing in the urban areas causing considerable damage to human health.
Particle pollution or Particulate Matter (PM) contributes to respiratory illnesses such as asthma and Supervisor:
bronchitis. This research aims at monitoring the air quality at selected highly congested urban areas by Eng. M.C. Riyas
installing sensor based devices. In addition, secondary data shall be collected from relevant institutions.
Air quality indices and GIS based air quality maps shall be developed for the selected urban areas. Co-supervisor:
Dr. Aslam Saja
(The interested students are expected to collect field data, analyze the data using appropriate
statistical analysis techniques, and should work with a GIS based software package)
18 Investigation of fate of pollutants in greywater under different application rates and soil types
Land application of greywater likely causes adverse impact on the environment and groundwater. High Supervisor:
levels of surfactants, oils, grease, sodium and potentially pathogenic organisms found in greywater may Eng. M.C. Riyas
negatively impact on environment and human health. This research aims at investigating the fate of
microorganisms, organic and inorganic pollutants found in greywater using column experiments. Co-supervisor:
Dr. Tushara Chaminda
(The interested student must engage in laboratory experiments)
19 Identification of the most effective traffic control system at the key intersections of Class A
highways in Sri Lanka

This research will explore different traffic control systems that already exist in different intersections of Supervisor:
Class A highways in Sri Lanka. The A4 highway stretch from 360km to 383km will be used for the pilot Eng. M.I.Ilham Jazeel
study to assess the traffic flow and existing traffic control measures in the key intersections. The key
traffic flow parameters will be collected on site and will be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of
the existing traffic control measures and propose recommendations to improve the effectiveness of
existing traffic control system at the key intersections.
20 Travel pattern analysis of urban population for work

This study aims to analyze the forecast travel demand (using Four-step modeling process: Trip
Generation, Trip Distribution, Mode/Modal Split and Traffic Assignment) of urban population in Sri Supervisor:
Lanka using an urban area as case study in the Coastal belt of Amparai district. A number of key offices Eng. M.I.Ilham Jazeel
will be sampled for conducting survey to identify travel characteristics and methods to correlate them
with the key socio economic data such as income groups, gender, purpose of trip, vehicle ownership and
access to transport facilities.

21 Developing a correlation index between road safety design features and vehicle to vehicle traffic
accidents

This research aims to collect traffic accident data that are vehicle to vehicle from the primary data Supervisor:
sources and initially will identify the explanatory factors for the traffic accidents in Sri Lanka by Eng. M.I.Ilham Jazeel
sampling the accidents in a A4 highway stretch. The existing global and South Asian traffic and road
Co-supervisor:
safety literature will be studied and compared with the Sri Lankan context. Further this research aims to
Dr. A.M.Aslam Saja
develop a correlation index between road safety design features and vehicle to vehicle traffic accidents.

22 Identifying flood risk areas at the downstream of Kalu river basin, Kalutara

Kalu river basin is one of the flood prone basins in Sri Lanka and get flooded during the Southwest
monsoon (May to September). Flooding due to the overflow of Kalu river causes several impacts on the
Eng. A. C. A. Suja
society, namely economic losses, social problems and human causalities. Those impacts underscore the
requirement of identifying the flood risk areas in order to reduce the flood impacts by giving
prioritization for evacuation during flooding. The GIS is a powerful tool which can be used to identify
the flood risk areas. The selected students will be able to learn Arc-GIS (ESRI) software and its
different tools’ functions.
23 An approach to identify the locations for establishing emergency shelters during a flood event

In case of severe flooding, it is necessary to establish the emergency shelters for people whose houses
are damaged. Therefore, the suitable locations need to be identified to establish the emergency shelters. Eng. A. C. A. Suja
This study is primarily aimed to find out a conceptual model in order to identify the suitable locations
for establishing emergency shelters to settle the people temporarily in case of flooding in Ampara
district. The selected students will be able to learn Arc-GIS (ESRI) software and its different tools’
functions.

24 Catchment safety plans for Weeragoda Tank, Sammanthurai.

Weeragoda tank is an intake of Bangalawady water treatment plant, Sammanthurai, located 9 km away
from treatment plant and receives water from Himudurawa tank, Ampara. Catchment safety plan is a Eng. A. C. A. Suja
part of “Water Safety Plans” which ensures the reduction of risk within catchment to assure the drinking
water quality at the point of absorption. The main aim of this research to develop a risk matrix to assess
the potential risk prevailing at the Weeragoda tank.

Male undergraduates are preferred since this research is associated with number of field visits.

25 Development of a quality of service index for public transportations busses with special attention
to local conditions

The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) provides a well-defined and standardized method for pedestrian Dr. Terrance M.
analysis. However, in Sri Lanka large portion of the trips are walking trips. These trips often encounter Rengarasu
vendor activity, beggars etc. Although the HCM’s methodology may be perfectly adequate for
measuring pedestrian LOS in much of the world; it appears to be underdeveloped for the analysis of Sri
Lanka’s sidewalks, as it does not accurately reflect the complex pedestrian experience in the country.

26 Modeling pollution levels near highways in rural eastern Sri Lanka

Pollution due to transportation is a hot topic in Sri Lanka. This has been a common problem in urban Sri Dr. Terrance M.
Lanka for some time. However, with the development taking place slowly transportation induced Rengarasu
pollution is taking root in rural Sri Lanka too. This study aims to model noise pollution levels in rural
areas of eastern Sri Lanka and compare it with the values in the urban area.
27 Evaluation of moisture susceptibility of waste modified hot mix asphalt

Several natural and manmade materials will be investigated as the alternatives for the conventional hot
mix asphalt materials. Moisture sensitivity of HMA mixes causes a major form of distress in asphalt
pavement. Presence of moisture into HMA forms moisture damages in the forms of stripping and Dr. Terrance M.
softening of asphalt binder, which eventually result in loss of stability, rutting resistance and durability Rengarasu
of asphalt pavement. Therefore, moisture susceptibility of modified HMA with suitable material/s,
should be investigated to ensure the performance and durability of the asphalt pavement, which will be
performed through the following objectives.

28 Assessment of Sustainability and Occupants' Perceived Comfort and Health in Sri Lankan
Houses: A Comparative Study between Single Unit and Terraced Houses Principal:
This study will look into indoor thermal and visual performances as the means of sustainability and its Eng. A.L.M. Risath
occupants’ perceived comfort level and health in Sri Lankan typical houses. A comparative study will
be carried out between single unit and terraced houses. Co-supervisor

Eng. M.C.Riyas