A composition and method of seepage control using fibrous material
NRC Grant No: NRC PPP 18-07
Research Institute:
Amount Funded:
Date of Awarded: 2018
End Date:
Summary
Seepage hazard is an increasing and current issue in Sri Lanka. Seepage takes place when there is a difference in water levels on two sides of a structure. Two major seepage issues the country facing is Samanala Wewa seepage and Uma Oya seepage. The two seepages itself causing a considerable economic loss to the country as it is difficult to control the seepage of the water through the pores. Due to the seepage in Samanala Wewa, the country could not be able to get the full benefit of the project. There are similar seepage issues identified in many water retaining structures such as dams, canals and reservoirs. Although these seepages were fixed using existing conventional methods, the success was very much limited. Being a country that is heavily depending on agriculture and hydroelectricity, the country cannot afford seepage losses that can negatively impact the development. The proposed research expects to use fibrous grout made of natural fibres such as coir and human hair can provide significant advantage economically. Coir has traditionally been used since ancient time to reduce the seepage and hair with its static current characteristics, demonstrate an advantage to clog together and prevent seepage. Since, similar/different natural fibres are successfully implemented in other countries like USA, we strongly feel that this project will become a viable one to fix seepage problem using fibrous grout. Further, the research can open further research opportunities to use other natural fibres abundantly available in the country for industrial applications. Since this project is supported by industry partner who has extensive experience in seepage grouting application, the developed method will be tested in real sites to test the efficiency of the proposed grout. At the completion of the project, the industry partner expects to use this technology to address severe seepage problems noticed around the country to fix seepage loss of water. Therefore, we do not find any significant difficulty in implementing the application of the grout for real engineering projects. The developed grouting technology can be further expanded to local markets and international markets where Sri Lankan companies and overseas companies engaged in search for better seepage controlling grout.
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