STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Each month, or every other month, a student will provide a 1-page illustrated abstract of the research they are currently conducting. This is a wonderful opportunity for the student, for our International Society for Concrete Pavements (ISCP) Members, and for the transferring and sharing technology/research through our concrete paving industry.
The ISCP “STUDENT RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT” for February 2025 is Saranga Premarathna, a PhD candidate in Structural Engineering at the Technical University of Delft (Delft, The Netherlands).
BIO:
Saranga Premarathna is a Ph.D. candidate in Structural Engineering at the Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands, under the supervision of Prof. Kumar Anupam. Saranga holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. He also earned a Master of Philosophy in Engineering from the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
TITLE:
Load transfer efficiency in JPCP sections
This research addresses the critical issue of load transfer efficiency (LTE) in jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCP), with a specific focus on the role of dowel bars in ensuring optimal load transfer and providing a comfortable ride for vehicles. While experimental studies have investigated factors like joint width, slab thickness, concrete strength, and dowel bar size that influence LTE, they are limited in their ability to accurately replicate real-world conditions and can be time-consuming. To overcome these limitations, finite element modelling (FEM) is employed as a powerful tool for simulating complex loading conditions and analyzing stress and strain distributions in pavements. The primary objective of this research is to develop an advanced FE model that incorporates the forklift tire-pavement interaction, enabling precise analysis of complex loading conditions in industrial pavements and the impact of various rigid pavement parameters on load transfer. By explicitly considering the interaction between the tire and pavement, the proposed model will provide an extensive and robust numerical tool for designers and engineers. Figure 1 presents a comparison of concrete slab deformation and LTP value at different time intervals for the load of 20kN, vehicle speed of 10kmh-1 and friction coefficient of 0.35. The developed methodology holds significant promise in optimizing the design of dowel bar systems in seaports and back-calculating the pavement parameters for rolling weight deflectometers.
ISCP would like to feature a “STUDENT RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT” each month, or every other month. If you would like to nominate a student, or if you are a student and would like to nominate yourself or a colleague, please send ISCP an email to: newsletter@concretepavements.org
ALL SPOTLIGHTS:
DECEMBER 2021—Inaugural: Katelyn Kosar, PhD Student-Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pitt): www.concretepavements.org/2021/12/14/new-at-iscp-student-research-spotlight/
JANUARY 2022: Aniruddha Baral, Ph.D. Candidate-Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign: www.concretepavements.org/2022/01/15/student-research-spotlight-jan-2022/
FEBRUARY 2022: Jordan Ouellet, Tech, BEng, MASc, PhD Candidate, Teaching and Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: www.concretepavements.org/2022/02/26/student-research-spotlight-february-2022/
MARCH 2022: Sampath Kumar Pasupunuri, Ph.D. candidate, Pavement Engineering-School of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK: https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/03/31/student-research-spotlight-march-2022/
APRIL 2022: Anupam B R, Pursuing his doctorate-Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, India: https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/04/15/student-research-spotlight-april-2022
MAY 2022: Andréia Posser Cargnin, Ph.D. Candidate, Polytechnic School, University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/05/09/student-research-spotlight-may-2022/
JUNE 2022: Charles Donnelly, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/06/24/student-research-spotlight-june-2022/
JULY 2022: Amir Malakooti, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/07/30/student-research-spotlight-july-2022/
AUGUST 2022: Haoran Li, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/08/24/student-research-spotlight-august-2022/
SEPTEMBER 2022: Sumit Nandi, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (Roorkee, India): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/09/18/student-research-spotlight-september-2022/
OCTOBER 2022: Eric Ribeiro da Silva, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/10/20/student-research-spotlight-october-2022/
NOVEMBER 2022: Zachary Brody, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/11/18/student-research-spotlight-november-2022/
DECEMBER 2022: Jesús Castro Pérez, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2022/12/17/student-research-spotlight-december-2022/
JANUARY 2023: Dan King, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University (Ames, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/01/26/student-research-spotlight-january-2023/
FEBRUARY 2023: Kathryn Kennebeck, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/02/28/student-research-spotlight-february-2023/
MARCH 2023: Sinan Kefeli, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University (Ames, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/03/13/student-research-spotlight-march-2023/
APRIL 2023: Niwesh Koirala, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University (Lubbock, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/04/07/student-research-spotlight-april-2023/
MAY 2023: Christian A. Sabillon, Ph.D. Candidate, The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/05/05/student-research-spotlight-may-2023/
JUNE 2023: Saima Yaqoob, Ph.D. Candidate, KTH (the Royal Institutes of Technology) (Stockholm, Sweden): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/06/15/student-research-spotlight-june-2023/
JULY 2023: Ricardo Hungria, Ph.D. Candidate, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/07/11/student-research-spotlight-july-2023/
AUGUST 2023: Megan Darnell, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/08/07/student-research-spotlight-august-2023/
SEPTEMBER 2023: Jitendra Patel, Ph.D. Candidate, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna (Italy): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/09/05/student-research-spotlight-september-2023/
OCTOBER 2023: Omar K. Omar, Ph.D. Candidate, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/10/05/student-research-spotlight-october-2023/
NOVEMBER 2023: Mason Smetana, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/11/07/student-research-spotlight-november-2023/
DECEMBER 2023: Avinash Jha, M.Tech Student, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (India): https://www.concretepavements.org/2023/12/10/student-research-spotlight-december-2023/
JANUARY 2024: Matthew Sheffield, Ph.D candidate, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/01/13/student-research-spotlight-january-2024/
FEBRUARY 2024: Chintada Chandrasekhar, Ph.D candidate, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (Roorkee, India): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/02/08/student-research-spotlight-february-2024/
MARCH 2024: Subham Jain, Ph.D candidate, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (Kanpur, India): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/03/08/student-research-spotlight-march-2024/
APRIL 2024: Etienne Beya Nkongolo, Ph.D candidate, University of Missouri Kansas-City (Kansas City, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/04/11/student-research-spotlight-april-2024/
MAY 2024: Shivani Sharma, Ph.D candidate, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (Gandhinagar, India): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/05/14/student-research-spotlight-may-2024/
JUNE 2024: Isaac Oyawoye, Ph.D candidate, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/06/16/student-research-spotlight-june-2024/
JULY 2024: Tianzhen Li, Ph.D candidate, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and the University of Liverpool (Suzhou, China): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/07/04/student-research-spotlight-july-2024/
AUGUST 2024: Andrés Gabriel César Torres, Ph.D candidate, Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/08/06/student-research-spotlight-august-2024/
SEPTEMBER 2024: Bhabya Thakur, Masters student, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (Gandhinagar, India): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/09/21/student-research-spotlight-september-2024/
OCTOBER 2024: Alberto Castillo, PhD student, Purdue University (West Lafayette, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/10/22/student-research-spotlight-october-2024/
NOVEMBER 2024: Salman Amin, MSE student, Youngstown State University (Youngstown, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/11/07/student-research-spotlight-november-2024/
DECEMBER 2024: Lara Guizi Anoni, PhD student, University of São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil): https://www.concretepavements.org/2024/12/05/student-research-spotlight-december-2024/
JANUARY 2025: Nischal Pokhrel, MSE student, Youngstown State University (Youngstown, USA): https://www.concretepavements.org/2025/01/11/student-research-spotlight-january-2025/