Research Projects

Roads and transportation infrastructure are vital for promoting economic development in any nation. In India, the roadway network is expanding at a 4.2% annual growth rate to improve connectivity between remote regions and major business hubs. This enhanced connectivity is expected to result in a 35% reduction in logistics costs and nearly a 50% decrease in carbon emissions from goods transportation (NITI Aayog, 2021). The Government of India has allocated over US$21 billion to enhance the highway infrastructure of the nation. However, a significant challenge in this initiative is the extensive demand for pavement materials, which inevitably leads to the depletion of natural aggregate resources. It is imperative to identify alternative materials that can minimize the reliance on natural resources without compromising pavement performance. Concurrently, the disposal of construction and demolition (C&D) waste materials has become a significant environmental issue. India, for instance, generates an estimated 150 million tonnes of C&D waste annually, with a mere 1% currently being reused (Centre for Science and Environment, 2020). The extensive use of this C&D waste in road construction would safeguard rapidly depleting natural aggregates and preserve valuable land from becoming extensive waste dumps. This project aims to investigate the use of C&D waste material as a sustainable and eco-friendly base material for geosynthetic-reinforced pavement constructed over soft subgrades. The performance of pavement systems over soft subgrades is generally inadequate due to excessive settlement, reduced bearing capacity, and instability under repetitive loading. Reinforcement with geosynthetics like geocells or geogrids has been recognised as an effective technique to improve the performance of pavement. However, very limited literature is available related to the comparison of the performance of geogrids and geocell-reinforced pavement under repetitive loading. Also, the use of waste-derived infill materials in such systems is relatively unexplored and lacks comprehensive performance data, design guidelines, and environmental assessments. The proposed study aims to address this gap by systematically evaluating the structural performance and sustainability of geosynthetic-reinforced pavement systems that incorporate C&D waste material as a base material. Laboratory-scale and numerical studies will be performed to determine the improvement in pavement response parameters such as settlement response, stress at different pavement layers, and modulus value at the base. Moreover, life cycle cost analysis and environmental impact assessments will be undertaken to validate the economic and ecological benefits of replacing natural aggregates with waste materials. The results from this study will lead to the development of a practical, sustainable, and cost-effective pavement construction approach suitable for weak soil conditions prevalent in many parts of India.