Tokyo Cement Group is a longstanding industry partner of the Society of Structural Engineers of Sri Lanka (SSE-SL). The affiliation, between the two stalwart supporters of the construction industry is aimed at facilitating experience sharing and knowledge transfer. The partnership crossed yet another milestone last May, with Tokyo Cement becoming the principal sponsor of the Question Time Sessions organized by The Society. At the first session sponsored for this year by Tokyo Cement, Eng. Janaka Perera, General Manager – RMC Sales & Marketing shared his expertise in Mass Concreting, using firsthand experience gained through the involvement of Tokyo Supermix in a number of high-rise buildings and highway projects.
The presentation, which discussed an immensely pertinent topic in today’s context, focused mainly on controlling peak temperature in mass concerting, as a key measure to avoid thermal cracking of concrete structures. Eng. Perera drew from a wealth of experiences from various types of projects, citing both local and international examples, while shedding the limelight on how the issue of peak temperature was resolved successfully during the construction of the thickest (5.6metres) concrete structure in Sri Lanka to date.
Eng. Janaka Perera, giving an overview of the presentation and its objectives, stated, “After the much publicized 2008 pile cap cracking experience during construction of the Southern Highway Kumagai Section, lot of attention was paid on Delayed Etringite Formation (DEF) in Mass Concreting, associated with high peak temperature at the core. Mock-up tests became mandatory for all large-scale projects that commenced since 2010 in Colombo. University academia played an active role in providing recommendations to such Mass Concrete pours. The presentation, attempts to share the experience of Tokyo Supermix on Mass Concreting in number of projects in Sri Lanka, and shed light on evolution of the measures adopted to control peak temperature. The discussion includes some of the best practices, adopted after thorough research on the subject. The accepted norms followed by countries like Japan, UK, France and USA to control DEF is also shared. The real-life case study of Havelock City Commercial Development, the thickest concrete structural member to date in Sri Lanka, in December 2018, which also set a new record on the highest total volume supplied by a single supplier for one mass concrete pour, is a key highlight of the presentation that revealed many learning points for the undergraduate student participants”.
Following the presentation, the participants aimed many questions at the panel, comprising of Eng. Shiromal Fernando, Eng. Janaka Perera and Dr. M.G.M.U. Ismail, moderated by Eng. Samitha Jayakody of the SSE-SL, who elaborated in detail the crucial role played by the supplier, who is expected to work in tandem with the consultants to achieve a successful project completion.
Question Time is one of the foremost capacity development events of the Society of Structural Engineers of Sri Lanka to encourage member engagement. Tokyo Cement made this an opportunity to stimulate dialogue and permeate new ideas among the engineering fraternity. Tokyo Cement came forward as the sponsor of the series, having understood the importance of facilitating world-class knowledge sharing as the key to inspire our professionals who add impetus to the industry.