CBRI ROORKEE

The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) at Roorkee,

Uttarakhand, India, is a constituent establishment of Council of
Scientific and industrial Research, India and has been vested
with the responsibility of generating cultivating and promoting
building science and technology in the service of the country.

The Institute has developed several technologies, used in the

construction of buildings, in the past.
For wider dissemination of these technologies and its performance
evaluation when exposed to different geo-climatic environment,
most of the CSIR-CBRI developed technologies were used in the
construction of an additional room over the existing single storied
class rooms of Bal Vidya Mandir (school building) at CBRI Campus,
Roorkee. The objective was firstly, to provide practical and visual
information about the technologies that support sustainable
human settlements and evaluate its serviceability performance;
secondly, expressing the concern towards the societal benefits.
 CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

Precast components Ribbed slab Piles for foundation &

panels ground

Stone masonry block compaction Lintel-cum-

sunshades.

Waffle units Under-reamed Partially-recast

flooring/roofing
systems

Solid concrete blocks Skirted granular Mini grouted

Brick Under-reamed bored ORC plank

Lintels Channel units Spliced

 A comprehensive range of building technologies and products were implemented in the construction,
including systems that could be regarded as conventional, as well as some alternative approaches. The
exhibits are grouped into three distinct categories viz. Masonry work, Materials & Technology and
Roofing Systems. The highlights of technologies are:

MASONRY WORK

The construction of walls was carried out using Fly-ash Bricks, C-

Bricks, Concrete-Stone Blocks, all developed by CSIR-CBRI and
locally available Burnt Solid Clay Brick units.

CLAY FLY ASH BRICKS –This is an environment friendly

technology, which uses fly ash, water and medium plastic soil as
raw materials for casting the bricks. Their properties like less
breakage, better shape, use of waste material, fuel saving etc.
makes them useful for masonry construction.

Salient Features
▪ Better product quality
▪ Saves up to 20-25% fuel
▪ Reduced drying and firing losses
▪ Environment friendly
C-BRICK

The technology comprises of a simple process for manufacturing

bricks at low cost based on vibro-compaction technique. The
equipment used here is portable C-Brick machine. The raw
materials used for this process are Sand, Fly ash and Cement.
Produced bricks are strong, stable and have a good finishing

Salient Features
C- Brick • C-BRICK size 230 x 110x75 mm
making • Frog on the C-BRICK machine is
possible
machine
• Good dimensional stability
• Wet Compressive strength up to 7 to 12
MPa depending upon mix design
• Water absorption below 20%
• Ease in operation and maintenance
CONCRETE MASONARY BLOCK

Concrete Masonry Blocks are used as a substitute for

bricks in hills and stone abundant areas which make the
building process economical. Manual and machine
techniques are used for casting the blocks. In machine
technique, an egg laying type portable machine capable
of casting six blocks at a time is used.

Salient Features
• Pressure vibration technique used
• Economic substitute of bricks
• Capable of casting 1000 blocks of size 290 x 190 x140 in one
shift of 8 hours
• Included in BIS codes, MES, CPWD and some State PWD
Schedules
• Adopted in mass scale in Rajasthan, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh,
North East, H.P., Uttarakhand and M.P
WOOD WITHOUT TREE RICE HUSK PLASTIC WOOD

Natural wood is replaced by manufacturing rice husk plastic

wood which can be shaped by conventional wood working
tools. The door/window frames were manufactured using this
technology, developed by CSIR CBRI. The material has wood
like surface appearance, having features of replacement to
natural wood, meeting requirements of National Building Code
(NBC 2005, Section 3, Timber). The door frames provided in
the Demonstration Building were manufactured using rice husk
plastic wood.

Salient Features
• Meets safe permissible stress of structural wood as per
NBC 2005, Sec 3.
• Replaces the use of natural wood
• Termite resistant
• Carpenter friendly
FLUOROGYPSUM PLASTER

Fluorogypsum Plaster is a building material used for

plastering (external & internal), masonry work, bricks/blocks,
building boards and tiles. It is manufactured as a dry
powder from waste of Hydrofluoric acid plant. This material
can also be used for making wall panels, tiles etc. Some
parts of walls of Demonstration Building were plastered
using Fluorogypsum Plaster

HEAT REFLECTIVE TREATMENT USING WHITE GLAZED TILE PIECES

It is a solar heat reflective treatment made of white glazed tile pieces used in
roofs and walls of houses. industrial buildings, cold storage buildings, schools
etc. for keeping the buildings cooler and provide good water-proofing layer
on roofs.

Salient Features
• Durable and cost effective when applied as per CSIR-CBRI process
• Reflects about 80% solar radiation. Suitable for air-conditioned buildings
for reducing power cost
• Provides a good water-proofing layer on roof
CONFINED MASONRY

Confined Masonry comprises lightly reinforced concrete

elements embracing masonry panels at periphery and
having thickness same as that of walls. The seismic
performance of this technology was tested on a full-scale
model at CSIR-CBRI. All the load bearing walls of the
Demonstration Building were constructed using this
technique.

Salient Features
• Superior seismic performance with higher strength,
initial stiffness, ductility and energy dissipation
capacity as compared to unreinforced and reinforced
masonry
• Uses locally available material and skills
• Economically viable for low-to-medium rise
construction
ROOFING SYSTEM

Pre cast waffle units

Waffle units are open box type precast RC units, up to 12 m in size. Casting of units is
done in steel/timber molds with steel weld mesh reinforcement. After curing, they
are assembled over the shuttering in a grid pattern leaving a space of 10 to 17 cm
between the units.

Salient Features
• Uses green technology with lower carbon foot-print and lower embodied energy.
• Can be cast and assembled manually or by using machines for larger housing
projects.
• Preferred in construction of two-way slabs of large span (above 90 m)Saves
construction cost and time
• Incorporated in BIS Codes, CPWD and several State Schedules
• Implemented in U.P., M.P., Uttarakhand, A.P., Haryana etc. for the construction of
several halls
• Offers aesthetically pleasing ceiling
• Cost effective, saves up to 30% construction cost with respect to RCC slabs
NEW THERMAL INSULATION TILE USING EXFOLIATED VERMICULITE
WASTE

Vermiculite belongs to a group of hydrated aluminium-iron-magnesium

silicates, which occurs as golden brown to greenish flakes. It is a hydrous
mineral whose waste product is used to manufacture thermal insulation tiles,
which are useful for thermal insulation, partitioning, false ceilings, panelled
doors and shutters.

Substantial amount of exfoliated vermiculite waste is available in India. This

waste is used for making roofing tile for thermal insulation purpose
incorporating cement, water dispersible polymer, additives and pigment.

Salient Features
• Utilizes vermiculite waste
• Adaptable technology for large, medium and small level industries.
• Aesthetic appearance
• Environment friendly
• Thermal Insulation Tile using Vermiculite Waste
 APPLICATION IN OTHER ELEMENTS
FLY ASH BRICK

Fly ash bricks used in multistory structures, factories, house construction, high-rise buildings, power plants,
warehouses. Fly ash bricks are generally used in low and medium-sized structures, load-bearing exterior walls.
On load-bearing structure internal walls. Fly ash bricks can be used in the building industry.
Brick is used in high load-bearing exterior or interior walls in high-rise buildings.
FLUOROGYPSUM
This material can also be used for making wall panels, tiles etc

RICE HUSK ASH (RHA)

It plays two roles in concrete constructions. The first role is using rice husk as a substitute for Portland
cement which leads to the reduction of the cost of concrete, and the other role is as an admixture in
the production of high strength concrete.

There are many applications of rice husk ash in the construction such as high-performance concrete,
insulation, green concrete, bathroom floors, industrial factory floorings, waterproofing and
rehabilitation, and it is also used ceramic glaze and roofing shingles.

CONCRETE BLOCKS

They're good for creating walls that provide protection against the elements, such as strong winds.
They can also be used for projects such as garden walls and planters, retaining walls, foundations,
steps, and firepits.
RCC CBRI ROORKEE CONSTRUCTION
Brick C BLOCK / CONC FLY ASH BRICK CONFINED MASONARY
BLOCK
Heavy Lightweight More stronger Enhances the stability
And integrity
Less tensile strength More tensile Environmental friendly
strength Enhances the strength
Expensive than concrete block Light weight and less
costly
Not environment friendly
PLYWOOD RICE HUSK PLASTIC WOOD

Less durable It has good shrinkage property , which increases the durability
PLASTER FLUOROGYPSUM PLASTER

Cement plaster has the tendency to Gypsum plaster does not shrink as it undergoes very little expansion and
shrink, which results in hairline cracks contraction.
on the plastered surface.