Biography
Prof. R. Kumutha
Prof. R. Kumutha
Department of Civil Engineering, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, India
Title: FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMERS FOR R.C COLUMNS – APPLICATIONS AND CHALLENGES
Abstract: 
Existing reinforced concrete (R.C) structures may require strengthening for a variety of reasons. For example, it is often likely that the loading on a structure might increase over and above the design load, as when a bridge must handle increased traffic or when a building must be used for a purpose other than those for which it was originally designed. In such cases, it may be necessary to strengthen old R.C structures as per new code requirements. Strengthening may also be needed because of damage to a structure as a result of environmental degradation. The continuing deterioration of infrastructure worldwide highlights the need for effective means of rehabilitating structures such as bridges, buildings, and parking facilities. Within the framework of the general problem of strengthening R.C structures, there exists the issue of strengthening R.C columns. Strengthening of R.C columns represents an engineering problem, which, like all engineering problems, involves several solutions, each having their own advantages and disadvantages and their own limits to applicability and practicality. For instance, it is possible to remove deficient columns and construct new ones in their place. Another solution is to place reinforcing steel and form work around a column and pour additional concrete. Yet another solution is to use a jacketing scheme wherein the column is encased by some reinforcing material. Traditionally, steel has been used to jacket R.C columns, but recently fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has become a viable alternative to steel in some applications. Jacketing with GFRP wraps is an innovative and effective way of upgrading existing structurally deficient columns. The use of FRP as a rehabilitating and retrofitting technique can present real advantages with regards to durability, maintenance costs, serviceability, and ultimate strength. The issues and challenges with respect to practical applicability of this material are to be addressed in order to accept the application of FRPs for construction projects in future.
Biography: 
Dr.R.Kumutha is presently Professor & Head, Department of Civil Engineering , Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Sriperumbudur which is one of the Prestigious Higher Education Institutions in Chennai, India. Her research area is Geopolymer composites, Fibre reinforced Polymer Composites and Sustainability in Construction. Dr.R.Kumutha has published papers in 57 International / National Journals out of which 25 Journal Publications are Scopus Indexed with 345 Citations and H index of 8 and 707 Citations in Google Scholar and H index of 10. Dr.R.Kumutha had received funded projects from Department of Science & Technology, University Grants Commission and AICTE, New Delhi. In total, she has fetched a grant of about Rs.40 lakhs from various funding agencies. In recognition of her outstanding research contributions, her Biographical profile has been included in Marquis who’s who in the World 2009. Dr.R.Kumutha is the recipient of many Prestigious awards like Shayesta Akhtar Memorial National Award for Best Women Engineering College Teacher for the year 2018 from Indian Society for Technical Education, New Delhi, Prof. K Arumugam National Award for Innovative research in Engineering & Technology for the year 2014 from ISTE, New Delhi , State Award for Best Engineering College Teacher for the year 2016 from ISTE, Tamilnadu & Pondicherry Section and Best Guide Award from Entrepreneurs Council of India in National level Paper Presentation contest. She played the role of Scientific Committee member, Keynote Speaker and Session Chair in several International Conferences held in Singapore, China, Dubai and Czech Republic and she has also delivered Expert lectures for many Technical Institutions in India.