Concrete Mix Design

Concrete mix design involves a trial and error process of preparation of concrete in which a mix of ingredients (Cement, Coarse aggregates, Fine aggregates, Water and Admixture if required) creates the required strength and durability for the concrete structure. The object of mix design is to decide the proportions of materials which will produce concrete of required properties.The Construction Materials division is doing the concrete mix design for many years for the department works and private works.

Non Destructive Testing (NDT)

Non destructive testing of concrete is done to evaluate the strength and durability of existing concrete structures without applying load and destructing structures. NDT testing requires skilled and experienced persons having some special knowledge to interpret and analyze test results. The Construction Materials division is giving necessary technical information on request and conducting rebound hammer test, concrete core test and Pile Integrity test.

Soil Investigation

Soil investigation services help to gain insight into the ground conditions and provide understanding of the nature and variability of soil conditions by determining specific engineering properties of the soil and rock beneath a site. It is also useful in assessing ground risks and to understand the behaviour of the ground. Instrumentation Division is the field unit of Soil Mechanics Division and provides services related to soil exploration for the Irrigation Department and other Government bodies. The range of field services includes drilling, coring and sampling of soils and rock and in-situ tests. The soil mechanics and foundations division has laboratory facilities to test and determine the index and engineering properties of soil.

 Seismic Refraction Survey

Seismic refraction survey is a reconnaissance survey used to determine wave propagation velocities through various soil layers in the field and to obtain the thickness of each layer. This method is based on the fact that seismic waves have different velocities in different types of soils (or rock). In this method, seismic waves are produced by mechanical blow with a sledge hammer at ground surface. These waves travel deep into the ground and get refracted at the interface of two different materials and to the ground surface. The time of arrival of these waves at different locations on the ground surface are recorded by geophones, which pick up the refracted waves. The geophones convert the ground vibrations into electrical impulses and transmit them to a recording apparatus (seismograph). It is a widely used method for the determination of bedrock depth. Soil Mechanics & Foundations Division is equipped with MAE – X610S – 24-bit Seismograph to conduct Seismic Refraction Survey for geotechnical site characterization.

Topographical Survey

Topographical investigations for various works of Kerala Irrigation Department and other departments are carried Coastal Engineering Division. The surveying is done using latest system called Smart Station from Leica Geosystems in which a high performance Total Station (TS11) and a powerful Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver are perfectly integrated.

Bathymetric Survey

Bathymetric surveys are conducted to compute the present capacity of reservoirs and other water bodies. These studies are conducted to prepare the present stage-capacity curve of the reservoir for regulating the outflow and for thedesiltation work of reservoirs for capacity improvement. The Sedimentation division is equipped with Integrated Bathymetric system to conduct surveys and the division has conducted numerous studies in reservoirs and other water bodies.

Model Studies of Hydraulic Structures

Physical Model studies are conducted for hydraulic structures such as spillways, canal system, sluices, energy dissipation systems etc to investigate various hydraulic parameters during the operation of the prototype. By conducting model studies the efficiency of the prototype and problems in the operation phase can be ascertained and suitable solutions can be deduced. The Hydraulics Division is engaged in model studies of hydraulic structures for different projects.