SLIIT International Conference On Engineering and Technology Vol. 02 [SICET] 2023
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://rda.sliit.lk/handle/123456789/3551
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Publication Open Access Microplastic Content in Non-Point Source And Point Sources of Colombo And Suburbs – Experimental Study on the Impact of Seasonal Variation(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Ariyawansha, R.B.V.K.; Gomes, P.I.A.Microplastics, which can enter aquatic environments through various sources, are small plastic pieces that are less than 5 mm in length. There are two types: primary and secondary microplastics. Sri Lanka has limited studies on microplastics in inland water bodies, so this research aims to quantify the levels of microplastic pollution in Colombo's surface waters in a spatiotemporal manner. Samples were taken from Beira Lake, Dutch canal network, Talangama canal, in wet and dry seasons. Microplastic concentrations were determined using NOAA guidelines and an optical microscope. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 21, including One-way Anova and Pearson correlations to identify significant differences and correlations. The study found that Dutch Canal had the highest average microplastic concentration of 12.7 mg/L during the wet season, and the lowest of 4.2 mg/L during the dry season. Both Dutch Canal and Talangama canal showed significantly higher microplastic concentrations during the wet season than the dry season, while the opposite was found in Beira Lake. The statistical analysis showed significant differences between microplastic concentrations in wet and dry seasons in all three water bodies. The microplastic levels in Beira Lake were higher on the surface water during the dry season (4.32 mg/L) and wet season (13.77 mg/L) compared to point sources (4.05 mg/L and 11.68 mg/L, respectively). Furthermore, Dutch canal's point sources showed higher during the dry season (8.47 mg/L) than the wet season (11.51 mg/L) and concentration of microplastics on the surface water was higher during the wet season (5.73 mg/L) than the dry season (7.16 mg/L). Talangama canal had similar patterns to Beira Lake. The study found microplastic contamination in urban and semi-urban surface waters at levels comparable to some industrialized countries, highlighting a concerning issue.Publication Open Access Health, safety, and environmental impacts of road infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka; Impact analysis on ongoing and temporarily suspended road works(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Kariyawasam, D.D.S.A.; Gomes, P.I.A.Road networks are considered to be the primary mode of transport in Sri Lanka. Road infrastructure plays an important role in the country’s economy. The work environment of construction projects is generally considered one of the most dangerous places for work. The current economic recession faced by Sri Lanka has led to the temporary suspension of road works. The aim of this study is to identify the main types of health, safety, and environmental issues that occur in the construction of different ongoing and suspended road infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. Questionnaire surveys, discussions, and site observations were carried out to collect data from road projects of different classes. Data analysis was done using the SPSS (Version 28) statistical software. The findings of the research indicated that vehicle collisions were the most common type of occupational accident faced in road construction in Sri Lanka. The fatality rate caused due to poor health and safety management of road construction works was compared with the construction of buildings and other developing countries. The results obtained from the study also identified that negligence was the main factor that influenced low safety standards on-site, which in turn impacted the performance of the construction project. Measures taken by construction companies of different grades to improve health and safety standards were also studied in the research. It was also evident that suspended road projects had an adverse effect on the environment, as it was seen that these sites possessed a loss in diversity, high chances of sediment erosion, and a rise in mosquito breeding locations. The findings of this research highlight the need of prioritizing health and safety in road projects and also enable construction companies to handle construction work in a way that minimizes environmental damage occurs.Publication Open Access Effect on Time Management Due to Variations in Road Construction Projects in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Atapattu, A.L.S.O.; Bandara, R.P.H.S.Variations are reoccurring and inevitable incidents in construction projects. It alludes to any adjustment in project scope at any instance of construction process. There are numerous causes of variation depending upon different parties involved, complexity of project and the type of project. These variations are acknowledged to affect different viewpoints of the projects. The thesis evaluated the effect of time management due to variations in road projects in Sri Lanka to diminish them. In order to achieve the study objectives, a basic survey of literature review was done accompanied with a quantitative survey with industry experts were carried out to gather data on impact of time management due to variations in construction projects. Through the writing study, 50 causes of variation orders were recognized but, they were shortlisted since there were so many similar causes. Out of them design faults were identified as the major cause of variations. When it comes to the impact on time overrun, it was discovered that variations affect on time of a project adversely. Finally, mitigation strategies for variations have been proposed in the study. The recognized results from literature overview were moreover subjected to a test by the 33 specialists in the industry including contractors, consultants, and clients to be more precise. The results were analyzed using SPSS. The study's final recommendation is that to all parties to get involved, to reduce variation orders beginning with the initial design phase, manage variation orders during the construction phase using an efficient change management system, and adopt various technologies to speed up the variation management procedure.Publication Open Access Strength Gain of Organic Soil Deposits Subjected to Increase in the Effective Stress(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Nanayakkara, D.A.S.; Thilakarathne, T.M.D.; Thilakasiri, H.S.Organic soil has weak shear strength properties in its natural texture. However, a significant gain in strength can be achieved in such soils by increasing the effective stresses using preloading techniques. This research focuses on the organic soil deposits in Sri Lanka by analyzing the data from Colombo- Katunayake Expressway (CKE) project and Elevated Highway (EH) project spanning from New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya. As a developing country, Sri Lanka is facing a huge challenge due to its limited land available towards the infrastructure development. Therefore, construction should also be directed on organic soils despite of considering its weak shear strength properties as the soil can be modified to enhance its properties. To predict the strength gain of organic soils subjected to effective stresses, empirical correlations are used such as Skempton and Bjerrum equation (1957). As depicted in such correlations, the ratio of undrained shear strength and effective overburden pressure is observed against the Plasticity Index (PI) using field data. From the results of the analysis, it is discovered that using empirical correlations is very conservative for organic soils within the Sri Lankan context. Particularly, use of empirical correlations is very safe but beyond the economic considerations. In the extension of the research, an argument is generated to validate the use of PI to predict normalized shear ratio. To validate the argument, SPSS statistical software was used to perform the multiple regression analysis having PI, natural void ratio and organic content as the independent variables. From the statistical analysis, it was found that using only PI to predict the strength gain is not conservative for Sri Lankan organic soils subjected to effective stresses. These generated results are identical to conclusions drawn governing the inorganic soils in the state of Missouri (2011).Publication Open Access Impact to the Quantity Surveyors Due to the Current Economic Crisis in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Manawasinghe, S.I; Gunarathna, N; Perera, SThis research focuses on the impact to the Quantity Surveyors due to the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The Easter bomb attack, covid 19 pandemic, and political instability can be seen as the proximate causes of the current economic crisis, while there were many structural issues of the local economy which had paved way for the same. As a developing country, the crisis had a stronger impact on the construction industry than other industries of the economy. The main reasons for the collapse of the construction industry are the suspension of construction projects by the government, the increase in the price of construction materials, the lack of investors to invest in new projects, and bottlenecks in terms of wrong policy directives. The professionals in the construction industry were severely impacted by the downfall. Among the professionals in the construction industry, this study focusses on QSs- (Quantity Surveyors). Thirty (30) semi-structured interviews were carried out in terms of data gathering. The survey findings demonstrated the type of organization and working experience of QSs. The collected data were analyzed using techniques of thematic analysis. Moreover, the findings identified factors which were the challenges due to current economic crisis and proposed strategies to help overcome those challengesPublication Open Access Critical Driving Factors Influencing Awareness and Application of Industrialized Building System (IBS) Technology Among the Building Contractors in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Chandrasena, S; Mallawaarachchi, HAs the commonly applied approach in building construction, conventional construction approach is linked to low quality and productivity, higher danger to employee safety, high reliance on labour and cost and time overruns. Hence, Industrialised Building System (IBS) has been emerged as an alternative for conventional construction by overcoming its shortfalls. Previous studies identified the lack of awareness and application can be taken as most critical factor influencing the application of IBS. Also, there are some of other critical factors which directly influence for this regard. Since a few studies has been focused on evaluating the significance of such driving factors, the purpose of this research was to assess the criticality of driving factors influencing awareness and application of IBS technology among the building contractors in Sri Lanka. In order to fulfil aim and objectives of the research, deductive approach under quantitative phenomenon was used. The Survey strategy was adopted as the most ideal research strategy as this research focused on evaluating the criticality of driving factors. Questionnaire survey was used as the primary data collection technique. Accordingly, the questionnaire was distributed to 50 randomly selected practitioners from the building contracting organisations, such as Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers to collect the data. Data were analyzed by using Weighted Mean Average (WMA) and Relative Importance Index (RII) techniques. As derived through analysis, 13 factors affecting the level of awareness and application of IBS, which were identified through literature review were assessed to determine the significant factors. Results revealed that cost of construction is the most significant factor while small contractors’ involvement is the least significant factor. As the main implication this research provides a basis to further improve the use of IBS technology in Sri Lanka and introduce different methods to reduce the initial cost of the construction.Publication Open Access The Impact of Labour Motivation on Project Performance with an Insight into the Sri Lankan Construction Industry(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Lakshan, H.G.S; Wijesinghe, T; Perera, B.K.CConstruction labour is a vital resource in the construction industry as they mostly reshape the raw materials into skyscrapers and other living enclosures. In Sri Lanka, the construction industry has been constantly exposed to many uncertainties and challenges. Being a developing country that lead to many socio-economic issues and constant changes in the living standards caused demotivational impacts on the Sri Lankan labour force. Thus, optimizing labour productivity through labour motivation is a significant challenge due to the various category and type of labours. This study aims to identify and evaluate different labour motivational factors in improving the building construction project performances. In accomplishing the aim, the mixed method approach was used and 5 number of interviews, 39 questionnaire responses were taken into the analysis. After the analysis there were 14 most significant labour motivation factors which applicable for Sri Lankan building construction industry. Cost centers for those were collected from the expert interviews and their cost on motivation factors were analyzed the data collected from the questionnaire. After the analysis financial and time cost centers have been identifies as the major cost centers that have been incurred when implementing labour motivational factors. Moreover, checked the association between labour motivational factors and project performance in terms of time saving, cost saving and quality improvement. As a result, they were associated with them. A framework was developed to aid in the selection of best motivational factors in optimizing project performance. As the last part of this study, the motivational recommendations were made to increase the labour productivity. Furthermore, these findings will be useful in optimizing building project performance.Publication Open Access Negotiation as an ADR Technique in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry(Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, 2023-03-25) Deshabhi, K.A.G; Edirisinghe, V; Dahanayaka, G; Siriwardana, MThe construction industry is complex, and disputes are common in this industry. One primary method used in dispute resolution in the Sri Lankan construction industry is negation. Negotiation is considered a cost and time-effective alternative dispute resolution method. However, the contracts formed based on Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) do not include negotiation as a dispute resolution (DR) method. Therefore, this study aims to find the reasons for the failures in dispute negotiation and develop a framework to improve dispute negotiation in the Sri Lankan construction industry. There were two methods applied in this research. Because to avoid being based on a limited set of construction industry-related disputes. Five interviews were conducted by construction industry professionals to organize the data collection through documentaries and selected construction industry professionals are one projects director, one Chartered quantity surveyor, one engineer, one project manager, and one quantity surveyor to cover management level, chief level, and senior level. Then 250 claims were collected relevant to design changes, payment-related issues, time-related issues, documentation, and work quality. Out of those five types of claims, the majority of payment and timerelated disputes were resolved unsuccessfully through negotiation. Reasons for those disputes to fail in resolving through negation are negotiation outcome do not have statutory powers, the attitude of disputing parties, lack of negotiation skills, lack of trust towards negotiation, and less documentary information. The study recommends CIDA improve negotiation practices in the Sri Lankan construction industry by providing proper training, including negotiation as a compulsory DR, provide awareness programs to the industry stakeholders on dispute negotiation and its benefits.