The Swift Singh

Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Ideas : Structural Analysis

Problems related to hinges in the structures

1. Hinges are internal information in the structure and the external summation of forces and bending moment should be done first to satisfy the equilibrium

The solution is obtained by first writing the three equations for the whole system and then breaking using hinges and writing additional equations to solve for the external reactions

....to be continued

Monday, 2 March 2015

Ideas for Indian Engineering Services exam (Civil Engineering)

Although I am still preparing, but still would love to share my mind's eye on how to crack it in one year

Going by the syllabus and what books to follow and topics to study from the books as time is short

Link for made easy notes
http://www.only4engineer.com/2014/10/made-easy-hand-written-notes-for-CE.html

Paper I

1. BUILDING MATERIALS

Timber: Different types and species of structural timber, density-moisture relationship, strength in different directions, defects, influence of defects on permissible stress, preservation, dry and wet rots, codal provisions for design, Plywood.

Bricks: Types, Indian Standard classification, absorption, saturation factor, strength in masonry, influence of morter strength on masonry strength.

Book: Engineering Materials by Rangwala

Cement: Compounds of, different types, setting times, strength.

Cement Mortar: Ingredients, proportions, water demand, mortars for plastering and masonry.

Concrete: Importance of W/C Ratio, Strength, ingredients including admixtures, workability, testing for strength, elasticity, non-destructive testing, mix design methods.

Book: Concrete Technology by ML Gambhir

2. SOLID MECHANICS

Elastic constants, stress, plane stress, Mohr’s circle of stress, strains, plane strain, Mohr’s circle of strain, combined stress; Elastic theories of failure; Simple bending, shear; Torsion of circular and rectangular sections and simple members.

Book: Engineering Mechnics by Shames, followed by Solid Mechanics by Egor P. Popov

3. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Analysis of determinate structures - different methods including graphical methods.

Analysis of indeterminate skeletal frames - moment distribution, slope-deflection, stiffness and force methods, energy methods, Muller-Breslau principle and application.

Plastic analysis of indeterminate beams and simple frames - shape factors.

Book: Ramamrutham and CS Reddy

4. DESIGN OF STEEL STRUCTURES

Principles of working stress method. Design of connections, simple members, Built-up sections and frames, Design of Industrial roofs. Principles of ultimate load design(Actually the ultimate load is found from the strength of steel in plastic range). Design of simple members and frames.

Book: SK Duggal, IS 800, LS Negi

5. DESIGN OF CONCRETE AND MASONRY STRUCTURES

Limit state design for bending, shear, axial compression and combined forces. Codal provisions for slabs, beams, walls and footings. Working stress method of design of R.C. members.

Book: AK Jain, ML Gambhir, IS 456

Principles of prestressed concrete design, materials, methods of prestressing, losses. Design of simple members and determinate structures. Introductions to prestressing of indeterminate structures.

Book: Krishna Raju

Design of brick masonry as per I.S. Codes.

Book: Building Construction by BC Punmia

6. CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE, PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

Concreting Equipment:

Weight Batcher, Mixer, vibrator, batching plant, concrete pump.

Cranes, hoists, lifting equipment.

Earthwork Equipment:

Power shovel, hoe, dozer, dumper, trailers and tractor, rollers, sheep foot rollers, pumps.

Books: Peurifoy, Made Easy Notes

Construction, Planning and Management:

Bar chart, linked bar chart, work-break down structures, Activity - on - arrow diagrams. Critical path, probabilistic Activity durations; Event-based networks.

PERT network: Time-cost study, crashing; Resource allocation.

Book: Project Planning and Control with PERT and CPM by BC Punmia, Made Easy Notes

Paper II

1 A. FLUID MECHANICS, OPEN CHANNEL FLOW, PIPE FLOW

Fluid Properties, Pressure, Thrust, Buoyancy; Flow Kinematics; Integration of flow equations; Flow measurement; Relative motion; Moment of momentum; Viscosity, Boundary layer and Control, Drag, Lift; dimensional Analysis, Modelling; Cavitation; Flow oscillations; Momentum and Energy principles in Open channel flow, Flow controls, Hydraulic jump, Flow sections and properties; Normal flow, Gradually varied flow; Surges; Flow development and losses in pipe flows, Measurements; Siphons; Surges and Water hammer; Delivery of Power Pipe networks.

Book: RK Bansal

1 B. HYDRAULIC MACHINES AND HYDROPOWER

Centrifugal pumps, types, performance parameters, scaling, pumps in parallel; Reciprocating pumps, air vessels, performance parameters; Hydraulic ram; Hydraulic turbines, types, performance parameters, controls, choice; Power house, classification and layout, storage, pondage, control of supply.

Book: RK Bansal, Made Easy Notes

2 A. HYDROLOGY

Hydrological cycle, precipitation and related data analyses, PMP, unit and synthetic hydrographs; Evaporation and transpiration; Floods and their management, PMF; Streams and their gauging; River morphology; Routing of floods; Capacity of Reservoirs.

Book: Subramanya

2 B. WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING

Water resources of the globe: Multipurpose uses of Water: Soil-Plant-Water relationships, irrigation systems, water demand assessment; Storages and their yields, ground water yield and well hydraulics; Waterlogging, drainage design; Irrigation revenue; Design of rigid boundary canals, Lacey’s and Tractive force concepts in canal design, lining of canals; Sediment transport in canals; Non-Overflow and overflow sections of gravity dams and their design, Energy dissipators and tailwater rating; Design of headworks, distribution works, falls, cross-drainage works, outlets; River training.

Book: SK Garg

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

3 A. WATER SUPPLY ENGINEERING

Sources of supply, yields, design of intakes and conductors; Estimation of demand; Water quality standards; Control of Water-borne diseases; Primary and secondary treatment, detailing and maintenance of treatment units; Conveyance and distribution systems of treated water, leakages and control; Rural water supply; Institutional and industrial water supply.

Book: SK Garg

3 B. WASTE WATER ENGINEERING

Urban rain water disposal; Systems of sewage collection and disposal; Design of sewers and sewerage systems; pumping; Characteristics of sewage and its treatment, Disposal of products of sewage treatment, streamflow rejuvenation Institutional and industrial sewage management; Plumbing Systems; Rural and semi-urban sanitation.

Book: SK Garg

3 C. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Sources, classification, collection and disposal; Design and Management of landfills.

Book: SK Garg

3 D. AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION AND ECOLOGY

Sources and effects of air pollution, monitoring of air pollution; Noise pollution and standards; Ecological chain and balance, Environmental assessment.

Book: SK Garg

4 A. SOIL MECHANICS

Properties of soils, classification and interrelationship; Compaction behaviour, methods of compaction and their choice; Permeability and seepage, flow nets, Inverted filters; Compressibility and consolidation; Shearing resistance, stresses and failure; soil testing in laboratory and in-situ; Stress path and applications; Earth pressure theories, stress distribution in soil; soil exploration, samplers, load tests, penetration tests.

Book: Gopal Ranjan

4 B. FOUNDATION ENGINEERING

Types of foundations, Selection criteria, bearing capacity, settlement, laboratory and field tests; Types of piles and their design and layout, Foundations on expansive soils, swelling and its prevention, foundation on swelling soils.

Book: Gopal Ranjan

5 A. SURVEYING

Classification of surveys, scales, accuracy; Measurement of distances - direct and indirect methods; optical and electronic devices; Measurement of directions, prismatic compass, local attraction; Theodolites - types; Measurement of elevations - Spirit and trigonometric levelling; Relief representation; Contours; Digital elevation modelling concept; Establishment of control by triangulations and traversing - measurements and adjustment of observations, computation of coordinates; Field astronomy, Concept of global positioning system; Map preparation by plane tabling and by photogrammetry; Remote sensing concepts, map substitutes.

Book: BC Punmia

5 B. TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

Planning of highway systems, alignment and geometric design, horizontal and vertical curves, grade separation; Materials and construction methods for different surfaces and maintenance: Principles of pavement design; Drainage.

Traffic surveys, Intersections, signalling: Mass transit systems, accessibility, networking.

Tunnelling, alignment, methods of construction, disposal of muck, drainage, lighting and ventilation, traffic control, emergency management.

Book: Highway Engineering by Khanna and Justo

Planning of railway systems, terminology and designs, relating to gauge, track, controls, transits, rolling stock, tractive power and track modernisation; Maintenance; Appurtenant works; Containerisation.

Book: Railway Engineering by Saxena and Arora

Harbours - layouts, shipping lanes, anchoring, location identification; Littoral transport with erosion and deposition; sounding methods; Dry and Wet docks, components and operational Tidal data and analyses.

Book: Docks and Harbours by Rangwala

Airports - layout and orientation; Runway and taxiway design and drainage management; Zoning laws; Visual aids and air traffic control; Helipads, hangers, service equipment.

Book: Airport Engineering by Saxena and Arora

Friday, 10 May 2013

Health Insurance Articles Published

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

I believe "Its Business"

Corporate world is pure business and nothing else. Succeeding in business requires domain knowledge as well as the skills to take decisions which matter in testing times. The importance of an MBA in that respect also becomes very important. Masters of Business, as its full form is, teaches and orients an individual to take complex manoeuvres under high stress conditions. As a research done by Times of India shows, the majority of CEOs of large multinationals are engineers +MBAs reinforcing the importance of quantitative and technical domain specific knowledge in running a business and which can't be contested even by a layman. If you are into bricks and mortar business, the basics of structural engineering and solid mechanics are always an added advantage. Although a property dealer in a small scale work may disapprove of this by using the same designs everywhere he's making a small house, same can't be said of a big contractor engaging in innovative and first time executed projects. This being said, it can't be generalised that a civil engineer cannot work in a firm other than his domain at a managerial post and its not at all compulsory to have technical knowledge beforehand, otherwise all commerce people will not get any jobs and same with others. But regarding the importance of engineering in general, I believe that to do business it's a very valuable advantage. We have been taught programming which is key to technological aspects almost everywhere whereas others if not specifically inclined or coached tend to have it as their Achilles heel. The numerical analysis ,differential equations, calculus in general, higher mathematics including algebra, eigen values and eigen vectors, optimisation techniques are all applications of mathematics and are of immense utility in a consulting firm. Further the knowledge of languages like Java, C++,Mathcad and my personal affinity to MS Excel are the areas I believe engineering has given me the motivation and zeal to explore. Innovative ness is another area redefining businesses in markets throughout the world. Android came and has virtually wiped out Nokias of yesteryear. Engineering teaches the practical applications of science contrasting with the general science courses which focus on experiments which have weak links with the reality at present, though it may become pathbreaking in future. In this aspect I was encouraged by my transportation engineering prof to make a computer application on finding the orientation of a runway which otherwise manually was a very tedious and time consuming work. This I consider as my achievement till date in my life and my paper on the topic was accepted at the Second International Conference on Civil Engineering at Dubai. Dubai in itself was a marvellous experience. It filled in me the desire to one day work in those skyskrapers and be a part of real cosmopolitan, modern and global city of the world. So this was all about why an MBA after engineering. Now why an MBA altogether is a very good thought. Life has taught me that at the end it's "business". It's been a hard and for good learnt lesson that money is the driver of everything and management of capital is the most important task. Howsoever one may be connected to his school, college or profession, the reason they are existing and there on ground is money and on a larger scale everyone is doing business. Exchanging of work for money is business, of money for goods and goods for money is business, of researching for new products in exchange of grants and producing results or faking them to get more grants is business, of teaching for money and studying for money is business, and so can everything as I see it is one or the other way is business going on day and night. And the success of a person depends on how good he does his business and as I have discussed the importance of theoretical or domain knowledge before working, and MBA becomes necessary if one wants to perform well in this world full of business.

Monday, 6 May 2013

Collection of good puzzle links

http://gurmeet.net/puzzles/
http://www.math.toronto.edu/oz/turgor/archives.php
http://ww2.codechef.com/
https://www.placementexpress.com/puzzles.php
http://pratikpoddarcse.blogspot.in/p/booksstudy-material.html

Reflections

As the dawn of my professional career approached closer, I had started to be poised about the importance of management and which led to my decision of doing an MBA in my life. Before this revelation, MBA was just a means of earning good money and trying to get a greater pie of what is known as success. They were 2 events that changed the way I used to think.

Initially I used to be the geek believing what society said was good, following the hard way by doing really good quantity of labor and was pretty successful in my ordeals of getting the maximum marks in exams and that used to be my only goal. Socially dead, culturally morbid I had become the guy who knew hard work but didn't knew how to do it intelligently. Working for more hours with less output, I used to enjoy keeping the book in front whilst thinking something else and effectively working much less. This technique I had developed on my own as a child, coming from modest background with not so highly educated parents, although I have my deepest regards for them, but they were also righteously of the view that a child should learn on his own. So my father never and even today doesn't share the nuances of his work and has always asked me to make my own ways without an ounce of guiding. How I came into science is also a long story I'll share some other day, which reveals how much less career advice I used to get from him. And so I had to carve out my own ways which in the beginning were in true sense rigid and based on the only goal of becoming self sufficient, getting a job and making a living. As the cream of the class went into science, I also came here with no real clue as to what I want or may become. And since I was that geeky hard working guy, it worked in my favour and I got into a decent Engineering college which was one of the turning point of my life. I was going to leave Delhi and live in a hostel, the first inadvertent step towards self sufficiency and independence. Here I learn to manage my finances, make good relations and observe closely the positives these can reap into which I could never do in the closed rooms of my home I used for studying. Adjusting with the room mate was another virtue I learned of. But the mindset didn't change and I used to work the same way and was pretty successful in my university exams.

With time I realised that I have become too lonely and solitary, and to be really successful, one needs to be successful in life as a whole, and financial success follows suit. The importance of academics on one hand can never be contested, I saw people reaching the zenith becoming by just maintaining interpersonal relations. I begun to change.

The first event that led to this was the event I was part of as a major member, the hostel night of Hostel J. Here I learnt how to work efficiently as a group and make a large scale event a success. Everything was pre planned and it went smoothly. This was the point management came into picture. Even with all other resources remaining same, other hostels could not organise an event satisfying the students, teachers and faculty. It was either their management's error in planning or execution but it was management. Today n number of civil engineering projects are jammed due to gross mismanagement of one of the parties. So this was a life learning experience and was a stepping stone in my decision to do an MBA as I now believe, not only is it needed for career growth, but for personal growth as well, management is of utmost importance.

Another event was when I was part of final year organising a three day path in gurdwaras which also was successful and I have started to play the role of taking the call in these events. By repeatedly doing these events, one learns where one can go wrong from past experience and that I believe not only in management, but in life about practice making a man perfect.

So I am ready for my journey towards an MBA which I don't consider as a destination but a starting point to start with in life.

Saturday, 16 February 2013

Osama in Africa

As I was reading about the latest events in Africa, about the terrorism now shifting bases from Pakistan and Afghanistan to safer havens in Africa, offering a protective tenancy in the jungles and the deserts. This is a mind shattering thought. No one really knows where and when this will end. The solipsism of America that created the buzzard named Osama in 1980s to defeat the USSR hit it back on Sep 11, 2001 causing more harm than the accumulated gains US must have made in the two decades. Two of the America's tallest buildings fell like pack of cards, which used to be the American symbols of pride became the graveyards for many who perished in thin air, those who were in the planes, in the towers as along those on the ground. The human, financial and emotional losses of those events and those perpetrated by US in Afghanistan and Iraq were by no means parallel to the profits at the fall of the Soviet Union. One trillion dollars, it has been estimated by an independent research agency was the cost on economic front the tenacious nation had to make for the aggression. Now with unofficial figures of unemployment in the US touching 10%, the highest in recent times, it is an established fact that the wars took away all the money needed to employ all these people and the amount which could bridge gap which was the economic crisis 2008, the worst since Great Depression, was wasted off in shelling mountains in Afghanistan and meddling in affairs which at a time did'nt qualify to be America's own. Same is the situation with India. Here the problem plaguing economy being the colossal red tape. The cases of 2G spectrum have not ended and a new scandal much more high profile than that has surfaced. Here also, all the money which could have been used to fuel the development projects and the staggering amounts which neither one can eat or carry after his life, is blocked. It can't come out because the leaders fearful of IT will not spend and hence infuse cash in the market, neither can they show it. So the blocked wealth hinders growth of the developing nation.

Coming on to the main thought of an Osama in Africa would no doubt numb the one who has at some stage or ever been a victim from either side. The verdict is clear. The stable individual on ground, be he or she in any country wants a peaceful life and nothing else.

Hope the leaders of the world are listening