27. Thrust Areas in Research

(a) Structural Engineering
1. Study of cable stayed bridges
2. Utilization of fly ash in blending cement
3. RC frame and brick masonry infill composite for residential buildings
4. Appropriate technology for low cost housing
5. Design of structural concrete using strut and tie model
6. Optimal design of structures
7. Reliability based design of structures
8. Fibre reinforced concrete
9. Plastic analysis of pile shafts and orthotropic plates
10. Yield line analysis of slabs
11. Reinforcement corrosion
12. Non linear dynamic analysis of Tension leg platforms
13. Non linear dynamic analysis of compliant structures under seismic loads
14. Retrofitting techniques for heritage structures
15. Seismic proximity study of high rise structures
16. Polymer concrete
17. Finite element applications in structural analysis an Design
18. Wind effects on structures (Cyclone resistant structures)
19. Bamboo applications in soil/ground improvement
(b) Hydraulic Engineering
1. Energy methods for the design of alluvial channels
2. System approach to water resources planning and management
3. Renewable energy utilization for River pollution management
( c) Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
1. Shear strength of silty soil
2. Settlement and stress around pile foundations
3. Geo environmental studies
4. Bearing capacity of reinforced soil
5. Geo-synthetic applications
6. Pile foundations
(d) Geoinformatics
1. Airborne and space borne remote sensing
2. Geo informatics
3. Renewable energy utilization for River pollution management
(e)TransportationEngineering
1. Analysis and Design of Rigid Pavement
2. Fuzzy System Modeling and Airways
3. Construction Project Management with special focus on
Planning for Fast Track & Concurrent Engineering Projects.

26.Civil engineering back in demand

From being a less fancied branch of study some years ago, civil engineering is back in the spotlight. J. S. BABLU finds out why the tide has turned in favour of this engineering branch.

Civil engineering has staged a vigorous comeback in terms of its popularity as a branch of study at the undergraduate level after being pushed out of the limelight for many years. This gain in popularity in a large measure can be attributed to the boom in construction across the country.

SOUGHT AFTER: At the structures laboratory of the Civil Engineering Department at NIT-C, which is one of the premier institutions offering courses in civil engineering.

Six or seven years back, many students were reluctant to take up civil engineering because the general feeling was that it offered ‘dim prospects’ in career terms.

Also, before liberalisation, the government sector—be it government departments or government engineering colleges—were the only options for the majority of B.Tech. civil engineers. But after liberalisation and with the construction boom, the scenario has changed.

Kuncheria P. Isaac, principal, Wayanad Engineering College, and former professor in civil engineering, College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram, says the better prospects for civil engineering students began three to four years ago. “The salaries of civil engineering students have also increased over the years. I think in five years, civil engineers and engineers in IT field will be drawing almost similar salaries,” he says.

The B.Tech. civil students are much sought after by construction companies during placements. A look at the placement details of the National Institute of Technology Calicut (NIT-C) during the last three years itself points to the rise in demand for civil engineers. While 89 per cent of B.Tech. civil engineering students was placed in 2005-06, the corresponding figure was 100 per cent in 2006-07 and 2007-08. The average salary was Rs.4.35 lakh per annum in 2007-08 with 25 out of the 48 eligible civil engineering students getting offers for more than one job. A total of 48 students got 73 job offers, nearly 1.5 jobs per student. All the students were placed in core jobs—in construction and similar companies. Out of the 102 companies that visited the campus for recruitment, 20 were civil engineering companies.

At the M.Tech. level, there are four programmes, M.Tech in structural engineering; traffic and transportation planning; offshore structures; and environmental geo-technology. For the first three programmes, placements in 2006-07 and 2007-08, have been cent per cent or more than 90 per cent. M.Tech. environmental geo-technology was started in 2006 and nearly 50 per cent of the first batch of students who became eligible for placement in 2007-08 got job offers.

P.N.H. Kumar, who studied M.Tech. offshore structures, got an offer of Rs.11.4 lakh per annum from J.Ray McDermott Middle East International during the placements for 2007-08. He is to be based in Dubai. This was the highest offer for any student of NIT-C that placement season.

Civil engineering students are much in demand now, says T.K. Suresh Babu, professor (training and placement), Department of Training and Placement, NIT-C. “The only difference between a student of civil engineering and another branch will be that the former would not be getting a high salary at the entry level. A two year experience will help them to get good salaries,” he points out.

The companies in the civil engineering area that came for recruitment at NIT-C include Indian Oil, DLF, Maytas, Gammon India, Larson & Toubro, GS Engineering, LEA Associates and IOTL, to name a few. A number of companies, including Chappos and Condur Builders, recruited students from NIT-C for jobs in the Gulf countries.

The students at NIT-C found jobs in diverse areas such as designing, structural analysis, road and town planning, special economic management (SEZ) and real estate construction. They were appointed as structural engineers, construction engineers and site engineers among others.

But salaries have undergone a sea change. “A civil engineering graduate gets a starting salary of Rs.18,000 to Rs.20,000 now,” observes K.V. Leela , principal, Government Engineering College, West Hill, Kozhikode.

Shabin K. Muhammed, CEO of Kozhkode-based Cubix Builders, says that when he passed out of NIT-C in 2003, the remuneration he and his friends got was just Rs.6,000. “Now, it is almost Rs.20,000. Freshers may get up to Rs.80,000 abroad,” he says. Mr. Muhammed points out that a civil engineer with two years’ experience could get up to Rs.1.5 to Rs.2 lakh.

The minimum salary a B.Tech. civil engineering student at NIT-C was offered was Rs.2.2 lakh per annum, while the highest was Rs.7.2 lakh during the placements for 2007-08.

V. Mustafa, professor and head of the Department of Civil Engineering, NIT-C, says that NIT-C has been attracting high ranking students for civil engineering in the last two years.

Shortage

The number of B.Tech. civil engineering students passing out of engineering colleges are not sufficient to meet local demands. The construction companies in the State are feeling the pinch as they are not getting qualified hands. K.P. Noushad, director, Hi-lite Builders, says that there is a shortage of B.Tech. civil engineers. “The situation is so alarming that we recruit freshers and train them. We talk to their family and make them work with us for at least three years. Also, it is very difficult to get people with two to three years experience,” he says. He points out that the problem started with the IT boom and the boom in construction in the Gulf countries.

Several ads are appearing in newspapers offering jobs to civil engineers. R.K. Ramesh, an architect based in Kozhikode, agrees with Mr. Noushad’s views. He says that even B.Tech. fresh pass-outs do no longer stay put and are going to the Gulf and other countries because of the increasing opportunities. “Some years ago, the salary was similar to that of a clerk, but now the salary levels are increasing,” he observes.

K.V. Leela laments that her college finds it difficult to find guest lecturers for civil engineering.

Kuncheria P. Isaac says only a few of the new-generation engineering colleges in the State are offering civil engineering courses. “I think only 20 per cent of these new colleges are starting civil engineering courses, leading to a shortage of B.Tech. pass-out students in civil engineering,” he observed.

Higher studies

Opportunities are aplenty for higher studies also, which also has many takers. Dr. N. Ganesan, professor and former head of the Department of Civil Engineering, NIT-C, says one could go for M.Tech. or MS abroad after B.Tech. Students who have passed both B.Tech. and M.Tech. are appointed as consultants in construction industry. A structural consultant should have higher qualifications.

Entrepreneurship is another area where civil engineers could try their hand. Shabin, a B.Tech. civil engineering holder from NIT-C, says that he along with four others—another civil engineering graduate and three B.Arch. holders, who all passed out in 2003 from NIT-C—started DE Inc under the Technology Business Incubator facility, which got transformed into Cubix Builders later. He however says he and his friends, who all come from families without any business background, faced tough times during their entrepreneurship phase.

How long?

Many in academics and industry think that the U.S. economic meltdown has not affected the domestic construction industry for the time being. The boom would continue at least for a year or so. And the huge investment in infrastructure around the world continues to throw up new opportunities for civil engineers.

CLICK FOR FURTHER READING

http://www.hinduonnet.com/edu/2008/10/21/stories/2008102150020100.htm

25.Definitions of "Civil Engineering"

Definitions of "Civil Engineering"

"...the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man, as the means of production and of traffic in states, both for external and internal trade, as applied in the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river navigation and docks for internal intercourse and exchange, and in the construction of ports, harbours, moles, breakwaters and lighthouses, and in the art of navigation by artificial power for the purposes of commerce, and in the construction and application of machinery, and in the drainage of cities and towns."
Institution of Civil Engineers' original charter, 1828


"Civil engineering is the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and physical sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize, economically, the materials and forces of nature for the progressive well-being of humanity in creating, improving, and protecting the environment, in providing facilities for community living, industry and transportation, and in providing structures for the use of humanity."
American Society of Civil Engineers, 1961

24.Why should civil engineering interest me?

Ever wondered what civil engineering means? Then watch this video which will answer all your questions about what civil engineering is, why it's important, and how civil engineers are helping to build a better world:

23.CUSAT civil engineering syllabus 2006 onwards

hello friends to sownload yhe syllabus plz clik the following link

http://www.4shared.com/file/66858957/f980c153/Civill_B1Tech_syllabus_2006.html

or to open it in browser if u do not have office tools
plz click the following link.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=djbkswq_0f3wv5zgw

22.Kochi Metro Rail project

Rs 3,048-crore Kochi Metro rail project

• Civil work on Rs 3,048-crore Kochi Metro Rail is slated to get cracking next month(April 2008).



• The Elevated Light Rail Kochi Metro PPP would be ready for public use in three years, according to M Vijayakumar, Kerala minister in charge of rail transport.



• “Only about 26 hectares of land (as the rail in elevated) will be required. Of this 16 acres is of private ownership. Within a year, the necessary land acquisition can be completed,” Vijayakumar told the Assembly in reply to a question.



• It is DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) that’s implementing the Kochi public transport PPP through a SPV (special purpose vehicle).



• The Kerala governement had earlier decided to put 15% equity (Rs 450 crore) in the new entity.



• Kochi Metro rail is planned in the 26 km stretch between Tripunithura and Aluva. “We have noticed that the width of National Highway may get affected when the concrete pillars are set up for the elevated light rail.
  

Stations
The 24 stations are at
Aluva, Pulinchuvadu, Companyppady, Ambattukavu, Muttam, Apollo Tyres, Jacobite Church, Kalamassery, Pathadippalam, Edappally Toll Junction, Edappally, Palarivattom, Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, Lisie, Madhava Pharmacy, Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam South, GCDA, Fathima Church, Elamkulam Janatha, Vyttila Junction, Thykkoodam and Pettah
Kochi Metro Rail Route map

Click on the route map for larger image


How Kochi metro rail will look like?



FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK ON BLOG:-
http://kochimetrorail.blogspot.com/

if u want to know more about the project

plz click the following link:-

http://www.atrilab.com/Skybus/Kochicity.pdf

21.CUSAT previous years question paper of civil engineering.

hello friends,
here is the link of our online library where you can find the questions of previous year,
step wise procedure is as follows,

• click on the semester no.
• then search your desired paper or
• browse by title.

here is the link of the library:-
http://dspace.cusat.ac.in/dspace/handle/123456789/85