Mud Concrete Blocks for Pedestrian Footpath

Mobility and safety of pedestrians should be a paramount consideration while designing the roads. This aspect becomes even more important at certain places of religious significance, since walking by foot around the deity (Parikrama) is also considered as a form of worship. At Goverdhan Parvat, Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, pilgrims walk barefoot, all around the Goverdhan Parvat, covering a distance of about 26 km. The local administration desired to increase the comfort level of the barefooted pilgrims doing the parikrama, and approached CSIR-CRRI to suggest suitable pavement surface for pedestrian footpath. They had also informed that, the pilgrims would like to walk on the local soil rather than any outside material surface like cement concrete or bituminous pavement. Hence, paving the footpath with cement concrete paver blocks or other similar materials was ruled out. CSIRCRRI undertook laboratory studies on the local soil and devised a process, where in local soil was admixed with 20 per cent of ordinary Portland cement to prepare 'Mud concrete paving blocks'. Tests conducted on such blocks in CSIR-CRRI showed that mud concrete blocks possess good resistance to wearing and also they have adequate frictional properties. Since these mud concrete blocks have about 80 per cent of local soil as their main constituent, it is expected to fulfil the faith and desire of the pilgrims to walk on in-situ soil. Local administration was requested to construct a test track footpath using such mud concrete blocks and report their performance, before adopting it on a large scale.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1790571
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from the publisher.
• Authors:
  • Guruvittal, U K
  • Chandra, Satish
  • Shukla, Manoj Kumar
  • Kanaujia, Vijai Kumar
• Publication Date: 2021-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 11-18
• Serial:
  • Indian Highways
  • Volume: 49
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Indian Roads Congress
  • ISSN: 0376-7256

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Comfort; Concrete blocks; Foot; Mud; Pedestrians; Walkways
• Subject Areas: Materials; Pavements; Pedestrians and Bicyclists;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01771870
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 21 2021 10:55AM