Briquettes are compact bricks of saw dust, fodder, dried leaves, agricultural waste, cow dung (binder), sugarcane molasses (self-binding) etc. that may be used as fuel in the chulhas or boilers. These are generally kept cylindrical to increase the overall burning efficiency of the briquettes. The compact nature increases the calorific value of the fuel. When the briquettes are made, the dried leaves/sawdust is mixed with a binder like cow dung in an appropriate proportion. This mixture is subjected to high pressure for some period and finally briquettes are obtained.
One can come up with an affordable and efficient solution for automation of this whole procedure (mixing and pressing) of briquette making, or suggest a better method for briquette making
Efficient Materials for stronger structures :-Houses in the rural areas are built of different materials – mud, straws, wood, bricks etc. Could the binding be done stronger with other commonplace materials, or could the materials themselves be replaced with something more inherently stronger? Apply basic concepts to change the way these dainty houses are built.
Suggest some such methods for using more efficient building materials for building a residential structure and also describe the use of such materials in the construction giving proper financial and technical details.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Efficient building materials
Briquettes are compact bricks of saw dust, fodder, dried leaves, agricultural waste, cow dung (binder), sugarcane molasses (self-binding) etc. that may be used as fuel in the chulhas or boilers. These are generally kept cylindrical to increase the overall burning efficiency of the briquettes. The compact nature increases the calorific value of the fuel. When the briquettes are made, the dried leaves/sawdust is mixed with a binder like cow dung in an appropriate proportion. This mixture is subjected to high pressure for some period and finally briquettes are obtained.
One can come up with an affordable and efficient solution for automation of this whole procedure (mixing and pressing) of briquette making, or suggest a better method for briquette making.
Fly ash, a waste in steel plant is also a very useful material in construction.
Currently, 100 million tones of fly ash is being generated annually in India, with 65 000 acres of land being occupied by ash ponds. By 2015, disposal of coal ash would require almost one square meter of land per person.
The problem with fly ash lies in the fact that, not only, does its disposal require large quantities of land, water, and energy, but its fine particles, if not managed well, by virtue of their weightlessness, can become airborne leading to the environmental hazards. Hence, it was felt that the management of fly ash is the urgent and challenging task. Utmost care has to be taken both in utilization and disposal of fly ash in order to safeguard the interests of human life.
Efficient Materials for stronger structures – Houses in the rural areas are built of different materials – mud, straws, wood, bricks etc. Could the binding be done stronger with other commonplace materials, or could the materials themselves be replaced with something more inherently stronger? Apply basic concepts to change the way these dainty houses are built.
• Building techniques – These structures are usually built in a crude way. The procedure involved has come down from generations of tradition and there is immense scope to improve. Change the ways in which they’re built and prove your way is better!
Suggest some such methods for using more efficient building materials for building a residential structure and also describe the use of such materials in the construction giving proper financial and technical details.
One can come up with an affordable and efficient solution for automation of this whole procedure (mixing and pressing) of briquette making, or suggest a better method for briquette making.
Fly ash, a waste in steel plant is also a very useful material in construction.
Currently, 100 million tones of fly ash is being generated annually in India, with 65 000 acres of land being occupied by ash ponds. By 2015, disposal of coal ash would require almost one square meter of land per person.
The problem with fly ash lies in the fact that, not only, does its disposal require large quantities of land, water, and energy, but its fine particles, if not managed well, by virtue of their weightlessness, can become airborne leading to the environmental hazards. Hence, it was felt that the management of fly ash is the urgent and challenging task. Utmost care has to be taken both in utilization and disposal of fly ash in order to safeguard the interests of human life.
Efficient Materials for stronger structures – Houses in the rural areas are built of different materials – mud, straws, wood, bricks etc. Could the binding be done stronger with other commonplace materials, or could the materials themselves be replaced with something more inherently stronger? Apply basic concepts to change the way these dainty houses are built.
• Building techniques – These structures are usually built in a crude way. The procedure involved has come down from generations of tradition and there is immense scope to improve. Change the ways in which they’re built and prove your way is better!
Suggest some such methods for using more efficient building materials for building a residential structure and also describe the use of such materials in the construction giving proper financial and technical details.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
LOW COST HOUSES FOR SLUM-DWELLERS
Slums are a major cause of worry for urban authorities now a days. Slums in modern cities like Mumbai, Chennai are so widespread that removing the poor people from the slums and demolishing these slums is not a solution of the problem. The main problem faced while rehabilitating the slum dwellers is the amount of money spend by the government, in making a single house.
Try to come up with a suitable solution to this huge problem by suggesting methods to build pucca houses or apartments for the slum dwellers at the lowest cost possible and also one which can accommodate a large no. of people without just jamming them in a single apartment. Give complete technical and financial details of the apartment you are planning to build and also use new methods or technologies to make various foundations and parts of the apartment/house more cost efficient, yet feasible.
Try to come up with a suitable solution to this huge problem by suggesting methods to build pucca houses or apartments for the slum dwellers at the lowest cost possible and also one which can accommodate a large no. of people without just jamming them in a single apartment. Give complete technical and financial details of the apartment you are planning to build and also use new methods or technologies to make various foundations and parts of the apartment/house more cost efficient, yet feasible.
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