Techniques new, materials too
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There are many readymade materials available for construction
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Photo:K.Ananthan
More options: Manufactured sand (M-Sand) is one of the products turned out by the crusher unit installed by Ultra Ready Mix Concrete (P) Ltd at Chettipalayam near Coimbatore.
As construction techniques evolve with time, the materials used are also changing. The options available in the basic materials used for building any structure are many now.
For instance, the Ultra RMC Plant here makes sand from rock boulders. Explaining the process, S. Sivasamy, its Managing Director says rock boulders are broken and crushed into flakes or spherical pieces of various sizes depending on the purpose. The g ranules are used on the sides of railway tracks and roads and as blue metal. Particles less than five mm, which used to go as waste, are processed and the fine particles are used as sand.
Mr. Sivasamy says sand quarrying is not permitted in some States such as Kerala and Karnataka. Hence, these States use a huge quantity of artificial sand produced this way. Kerala has nearly 100 plants making sand. Apart from conservation of Nature, sand produced from the rock boulders using crushers is economical too. The cost works out to just 30 or 35 per cent of natural sand. However, awareness about this product needs to improve in Tamil Nadu, especially among the common man.
Another readymade product in common use now is fly ash bricks/blocks. These are used even in the construction of the basic structure in several projects. In this, the fly ash waste is converted into construction material. Solid blocks made of cement, sand and chips are used instead of size stones, says builder K. Viswanathan.
Unplasticised Poly Vinyl Chloride (UPVC) material is used even in residential projects to make doors and windows. This can be used instead of wood and is economical in the long run. A large number of projects in Coimbatore have this doors and windows from this material, points out G. Srinivasan, president of the Builders’ Association of India, Coimbatore. Another readily available product is panels/ walls made of a mix of quarry dust, fly ash, etc.
Though acceptance of these products is increasing, it is essential to have the production centres near the consumption areas to save on transportation costs, he adds. Public should also plan and adopt designs so that materials of standard sizes can be used. In the case of customised products, the volume should be higher to save on costs, he adds.
M.SOUNDARIYA PREETHA
Coimbatore.
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