Dr Anand Sreeram

Research Interests

My main research interest is in the application of material science and chemical to mechanical (chemo- mechanic) perspectives to solve fundamental and applied engineering problems in the pavement engineering field. I have a wide range of expertise and experience in this domain including the advanced material characterization of pavement materials, multiscale modeling, pavement design, value added upcycling of wastes into pavement infrastructure and life cycle assessment.

Strategic Themes

Smart Materials

Design of smart and sustainable pavement materials of the future; use of data science and sensor technology for pavement design and health monitoring

Sustainability

Maximize the use of the most pertinent recycled materials into the pavement infrastructure.

Research Project

Project Title: Maximizing Recycled Materials for Sustainable Pavement Construction

Abstract: The construction of pavements utilizes a significant amount of non-renewable natural resources that generate substantial amount of greenhouse gases. One way to mitigate this issue would be using waste materials for new construction which will lower its overall carbon footprint, and in turn provide secondary benefits by diverting material from overburdened landfills and other processing facilities. However, the maximum utilization of the most relevant and compatible national waste streams into the pavement infrastructure with appropriate design methods is still missing. The goal of this research is to maximize the use of the most pertinent recyclable materials for new pavement construction through evaluating its potential to be incorporated into the roadway infrastructure from multi-scale perspectives. Based on an extensive review of literature, assessment of local construction practices and discussions with stakeholders, the maximum usage scenario and most compatible waste streams will be firstly identified. Following this, the structural performance of pavements incorporated with these materials will be comprehensively evaluated, and its design optimized using machine learning (ML) approaches. To prepare for field evaluation, the use of low-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors will be explored in order to integrate it into the modified pavement for its structural health monitoring. The outcomes of the study are expected to advance the understanding of this highly relevant and critical infrastructural issue and provide a field ready technology for potential large-scale adoption. 

Biography

Prior to joining the DRF initiative, Anand was a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his PhD in Civil and Environmental engineering from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2020. Previously, he received his B.Eng in Chemical Engineering and M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His research interests include sustainable infrastructural materials and technologies, advanced material characterization, smart and resilient infrastructure, high performance materials for pavements and multiscale modeling. In particular, his past research has heavily focused on applying material science and chemical to mechanical (chemo-mechanic) perspectives to solve fundamental and applied engineering problems in the road engineering sector. To date, he has published over 25 SCI journal papers related to various topics in the pavement engineering field and has received several research awards, such as the 2018 Outstanding Young Researcher Award by Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (HKIE), First Runner-up of the HKIE Environmental Paper Award in 2017, Excellent Paper Award in the 2019 World Transport Convention (WTC) in Beijing, China and the Best Presentation Award in the 8th International Transportation PhD Student Symposium in Aachen, Germany in 2019. Google Scholar : https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9Az6UVUAAAAJ&hl=en Research Gate : https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anand-Sreeram