Declaration:

‘All statements of fact in this report are true and correct and I have made claims of acquired
competencies in good faith. The report is my own work and is a true representation of my
personal competence in written English. I confirm that I understand that members of the
engineering team in Australia are required to display a commitment to exercising professional
and ethical responsibility in all aspects of their work’

Printed Name:

Signature: ________________

Date: _____________

1
Contents

1. Curriculum Vitae........................................................................................................ 3
1.1 Personal Details....................................................................................................3
1.2 Academic and Professional Qualifications..........................................................3
1.3 Working Experience.............................................................................................3
1.4 Industrial Training................................................................................................4
1.5 University Final Year Projects..............................................................................4
1.6 Memberships........................................................................................................4
1.7 Computer Literacy................................................................................................5
1.8 Extra Curricular Activities...................................................................................5
2. Continuing Professional Development................................................................... 6
2.1 Training Courses..................................................................................................6
2.2 Conferences..........................................................................................................6
3. Carrier Episode 1..................................................................................................... 7
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................7
3.2 Background..........................................................................................................7
3.3 Personal Workplace Activity................................................................................8
3.4 Summary............................................................................................................10
4. Carrier Episode 2....................................................................................................11
4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................11
4.2 Background........................................................................................................11
4.3 Personal Workplace Activity..............................................................................13
4.4 Summary............................................................................................................15
5. Carrier Episode 3...................................................................................................16
5.1 Introduction........................................................................................................16
5.2 Background........................................................................................................16
5.3 Personal Workplace Activity..............................................................................18
5.4 Summary............................................................................................................19
6. Summary Statement.................................................................................................21

2
1. Curriculum Vitae

1.1 Personal Details

 Name in Full :
 Sex :
 Date of Birth :
 Nationality :
 Civil Status :
 N. I. C. Number :
 Secondary Education :

1.2 Academic and Professional Qualifications

B. Sc. Honours Degree in Civil Engineering

Institute : University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Degree : B.Sc. Civil Engineering Honours Degree
Date of Graduation : 1st November 2006
Academic Standing : Second Upper Class
Overall GPA : 3.30
Field of Specialization : Structural Engineering

GCE (A/L) Examination August 2001

Subject Results
Physics A
Chemistry B
Combined Mathematics B
Z-Score 1.9017

GCE (O/L) Examination December 1997

Seven Distinctions and One Credit

1.3 Working Experience

Presently work as a Civil Engineer in the ###### of ########## attached to the
##### Division from 01.12.2006.
Projects involved:
 Feasibility Study and Detailed Engineering Design of National Highways
The project covered 1500 kilometers of class A and B roads with loan
assistance from the Asian Development Bank. The work was carried out by
3
 Canadian firms of Golder Associates Ltd. and LEA International Ltd. together
with Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB).

 Proposed Tea Factory for Bearwell Estate-Lindula

Design of internal road network and storm water disposal system for the
factory premises

 Improvements & Extension of Anuradhapura Airport Runway

The client was Sri Lanka Air Force and the Central Engineering Consultancy
Bureau (CECB) provided detailed engineering design and connected
consultancy services.

 Feasibility Study on Proposed Kurunegala-Habarana Railroad Project

The project examined and reviewed all available data pertaining to the project
areas and includes engineering and economic analyses together with
environmental and social impact assessments.

1.4 Industrial Training

Training Organization: International Construction Consortium Ltd
Duration : 6 Months (from 22/02/2005 to 05/08/2005)
Worksite : Nivasie Housing Project at Ekala, Ja-Ela
Familiarized Area : House construction, road development, drainage,
Sewage disposal & treatment, water supply, pre-
stressed and pre-cast products etc

1.5 University Final Year Projects

 Final Year Research Project
Project Title : Prediction of Flexural Bond Strength in Reinforced Concrete
Beams
Supervised by :

 Comprehensive Design Project

Project Detail : Comprehensive Design of a 30 Storey Building
Specialized Area : Building Services & Detailed Drawings

1.6 Memberships
 Associate Member of The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL)
Membership No. :

 Student Member of Society of Structural Engineers, Sri Lanka

Membership No. :
4
1.7 Computer Literacy
 Latest Version of AutoCAD
 Highway Design Software Packages: AutoCivil Plus, Softdesk and Civil 3D
 Structural Analysis Software Packages: Prokon and SAP
 Project Planning Software Package: MS Project
 Microsoft Office 2007 Package and Windows XP/Vista
 PC Assembling and Hardware

1.8 Extra Curricular Activities

 Student of Daham Pasala from 1992 to 1998 and passed Daham Pasal final
year examination 1998.
 Member of Cricket team of Mayura Sport Club and won the 2nd place in
provincial inter-sports club games in 2001.
 Successfully completed the Mentoring Programme 2003/2004 conducted by
Civil Engineering Department of University of Moratuwa.

5
2. Continuing Professional Development
2.1 Training Courses
2.1.1 Following a course in computer aided highway design with Civil 3D 2008
software package
Institute : OST Training Centre
(Authorized Training Centre for Autodesk products in Sri Lanka)

Course : Autodesk Civil 3D 2008

Duration : 40 Hours

2.1.2 Followed a course in Structural Design

Institute : The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka
Course : Structural Steel and Reinforced Concrete Design based on BS
5950 and BS 8110
Duration : 30 Hours

2.2 Conferences
2.2.1 101st Annual Session of Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka
Venue : IESL Wimalasurendra Auditorium
Subject : Technical Session (Technical papers covering a wide
range of

subjects of topical interests)

Duration : 22nd October 2007 to 24th October 2007

6
3. Carrier Episode 1
Proposed Tea Factory for Bearwell Estate-Lindula

3.1 Introduction
CE 1.1
After graduation I joined to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) as a
Civil Engineer and this is one of the projects I worked in CECB from November 2007
to April 2008. The proposed tea factory is located 120 km away from Colombo at
Talawakele. The design work was mainly carried out at the CECB design office at
Colombo and during the design phase I visited to the proposed site at several
occasions.

3.2 Background
3.2.1 Nature of the Overall Project and Objectives
CE 1.2
The client was Talawakele Plantation (Pvt.) Ltd and they wanted a new tea factory in
their Bearwell and Logie Estate. The land extent is about 4.5 hectares and it has
several mountain peaks. They wanted to locate the factory on one of the hill top in
the estate. The floor area of the factory building is about 5,500 m 2 and the road
network has a total length of 800 meters. The project cost of the road work is 2.5
million Sri Lankan Rupees. As the consultant of the project Central Engineering
Consultancy Bureau (CECB) provided detailed engineering design of factory building
and internal road network with connected consultancy services.

3.2.2 Nature of My Particular Work Area

CE 1.3
Design of the internal road network was carried out by the highway design unit of the
CECB. I work as a civil engineer attached to the highway design unit. Our unit has a
team of engineers (three civil engineers) under the deputy general manager. Therefore
it is our responsibility to do the detailed engineering design of the internal road
network. My particular work part was design of the main access road to the factory
building including drainage system.

7
3.2.3 Organizational Structure

Chairman

General Manager

Deputy General Manager Additional General Manager

(Highway Design Unit) (Structural Design Unit)

Civil Engineer

3.2.4 Duty Statement

i. Geometric Design of the road network

ii. Pavement design of the road network
iii. Design of storm water disposal system
iv. Preparation of detailed drawings for construction
v. Visiting site to clarify problems during design phase
vi. Communication with building design unit to comply with their design
requirements

3.3 Personal Workplace Activity

CE 1.4
The task assigned to the road design unit was design of internal road network of the
factory premises including storm water disposal system. Since the road use only by
the medium trucks transport tea leaves and light vehicles come to the factory
manager’s office, the basic design parameters were based on that requirement.
Considering all these factors the following design parameters were decided by the
design team under the supervision of deputy general manager.
Carriageway width 4m
Shoulder width 0.5m on either side
8
Pavement material DBST (Double Bitumen Surface Treatment)
Design Speed 50 km/h
Then the design work was distributed among the team members of the design team.
My part of the work was design of the main access road to the factory including
drainage system. The proposed factory situated at a hill top about 300m away from
the main road. The elevation difference between these two points is about 30m.
Connecting these two points by a road while keeping low gradient and minimizing
cut/fill soil volumes, was a big challenge to me.
CE 1.5
The first thing I should do was the geometric design of the road. For the design I used
AutoCivil Plus highway design software package. First I imported survey points to
the software. In that time a survey had been carried out on the land, thus survey data
was available in digital format. This survey data includes coordinates and elevation
of each survey points. So I imported these points to the software and create the
Digital Terrain Model. Digital Terrain Model is the surface builds by the software
using triangulation method. On that digital terrain model I drew the proposed road
centre line. In this process I tried to follow the direction of contours as much as
possible to keep the longitudinal gradient low. The next step was, providing
horizontal curves at intersection points. The type of curves I used was circular curves
and the minimum radius of curves was decided based on the design speed.

CE 1.6
After finishing the horizontal alignment, vertical profile was created using software.
Based on the existing ground level along the alignment, finish ground level of the
road was decided. This process should be done with special attention because the
longitudinal gradient of the road depends on the finish ground level. To minimize
excavations and embankment fillings involved in construction phase, I had to change
the horizontal alignment again and see it how affect on the vertical profile of the road.
This was a trial and error process and I was able to find out best road layout which
minimize construction cost while satisfying design standards after considering several
alternatives. Another important factor was the end point of the road. The road ends
at loading unloading area near to the building and the place and elevation of road end
point depends on building layout. In this phase, building design is also in progress
and I had to communicate continuously with professionals of building design unit to
comply my road design with their requirements.

CE 1.7
The next part was the pavement design and the design was done according to the Sri
Lankan design standards published by the Road Development Authority of Sri Lanka.
Since this an internal road, proper traffic data was not available. So we have to
consider a rough estimation of expected traffic on the proposed road. Using the traffic
estimation and CBR value, minimum thickness of each material layer were calculated.
Then I input this section to the software and used software to provide road cross
sections at each 10m intervals. At the bends cross sections were adjusted to provide
superelevation. After providing cross sections, calculation of material quantities were
done using the software. At this time I had several opportunities to visit the site.
Therefore some problems encountered during the design can be solved through the
observations during the site visits.

9
 CE 1.8
After finalizing the road alignment, drain design was started. Since the road is on a
hilly terrain, a proper drainage system was essential. Because the gradient of the road
is fairly high, concrete lined drains were proposed. First I identified at what road
sections and which side of the road drains to be provided. This depends on the road
side slopes. At the road sections having one side fill slope and the other side cut
slope, the drain was provided at side of cut slope. When there are double cut sections,
drains were provided at either side of the road. Because the road has about 15%
maximum gradient at some sections, the velocity of water in the drains can be very
high. This may cause erosion in the drain bed. To overcome this issue I proposed a
cascade drain (step drain) arrangement. By providing steps at certain intervals of the
drain I was able to reduce water flow velocity significantly. To reduce flow velocity
furthermore, baffles were introduced along the drain bed. Then the size of the drain
section was calculated. In order to do this first I identified the total land area that
contribute storm water to the drain and used Rational Method (Q=2.78CiA) to find
out the surface runoff. Since this is an open channel flow Manning’s equation was
used to calculate the section dimensions of the drain.

CE 1.9
Finally AutoCAD drawings were prepared containing all the details for construction.
All the drawings were set on A3 sheets according to proper scales. One set of
drawings was prepared including road horizontal alignment and the vertical profile in
a same sheet. This includes all the detail about horizontal and vertical curves,
superelevation data, existing and finished road levels, culvert locations etc. Other set
of drawings were prepared with typical cross section details. Separate drawing sets
were prepared for drainage details.

3.4 Summary
CE 1.10
Although the proposed road network of the project was quite small, by the side of
engineering design, it was a challenging task to me because the proposed site was in a
hilly terrain. Therefore lot of soil excavations and embankment filling were involved
with the design which affect on project cost. Several alternatives were considered to
find out the best route that compromise cost and driving comfort of the road. On the
other hand road design should be conformed to the building layout thus I had to
communicate continuously with building design staff and meet goals in limited time
frame.

10
4. Carrier Episode 2

Prediction of Flexural Bond Strength in Reinforced Concrete Beams

4.1 Introduction
CE 2.1
In the final year of my B.Sc. Engineering degree program we were supposed to do a
research project about a selected scope of civil engineering. The project was a group
activity and there were two other final year undergraduates with me in the project
group and it was supervised by a senior lecturer of the faculty. The project was
carried out from August 2006 to October 2006 at the Department of Civil
Engineering, University of Moratuwa.

4.2 Background
4.2.1 Nature of the Overall Project
CE 2.2
Reinforced Concrete is a composite construction material of tensioned steel and
concrete combine together to the over come the main deficiency of concrete it’s tend
to generate internal cracks around the reinforced bar. At present it is not possible to
estimate bond parameters accurately due to the complex nature of the bond
phenomenon and inadequacy of knowledge on bond. This research pays attention to
cracks along radial direction in reinforced concrete beams and their influence on the
bond action.
CE 2.3
In the elastic stage the ultimate load on a concrete ring around the reinforcing bar is
reached very quickly because of the high tensile stress peak in concrete near the bar. If
the plastic behavior of the concrete is disregarded and it is assumed that concrete is
completely elastic material, an internal crack start when the peak tensile stress
exceeds the ultimate tensile stress of the concrete. The longitudinal crack starting at
this point will not penetrate through the concrete cover if the load carrying capacity of
the concrete ring has not yet bean reached at this moment. Even though latest design
codes are written without considering cracks generated from the reinforcement bar, it
is necessary to analysis the crack stress related to bond action of Reinforced concrete
beams. Under this Research Project I tried to theoretically analyze the above Bond
Stress.

4.2.2 Objectives of the Project

CE 2.4

11
The main aim of this research is to study the bond phenomenon in the Reinforced
Concrete with view to;
i. Developing a Theory of Bond Action in Reinforced Concrete Beam.

ii. Investigating the influence of steel and concrete material properties on

bond strength.

iii.Developing simple model for design purpose (Design criteria for Bond
Strength) with the intent of recommending code clauses.

In this way it is envisaged that the most significant factors will be identified and
reasonable bond parameters suggested.

4.2.3 Organizational Structure

Vice Chancellor

Dean of Engineering Faculty

Head of the Department of Civil Engineering

Project Supervisor

Final Year Undergraduate

4.2.4 Duty Statement

i. Collecting information using libraries and internet about the studies have been
already done up to date related to the project topic.
ii. Finding a analytical solution for un-cracked stage/isotropic analysis.
iii. Finding a numerical solution for fully cracked and partially cracked
stage/anisotropic analysis.
iv. Developing a C++ computer program to obtain the numerical solution of
anisotropic analysis.
v. Preparing and presenting the Power point presentation of the project to the
assessment panel.
12
 vi. Documentary work of the draft and final project reports.

4.3 Personal Workplace Activity

CE 2.5
First step of the project was the literature survey. In the literature survey we found
information about previous studies people have done regarding the flexural bond
strength. We expected to achieve two purposes by a literature review. First one is that
improving our knowledge about the particular subject area and the historical
background. The second one is we can identify from what point we should continue
our research. For collecting information I used two main sources libraries and the
internet. In the library I searched through engineering books, journals and research
papers and gathered lot of valuable information about the subject. In the internet also
there was lots of up to date information about the subject. All of the selected
important information found, were taken to the printed format and filed. By carefully
reading that information I had a sound knowledge about the previous studies of the
topic. First time, a research about bond forces at the bonding surface between
concrete and steel has been done by Lutz and Gargely in 1967. After then number of
studies both theoretical and experimental have been done by various researchers. In
1979, Tepfers developed a model of bond action for three cases of un-cracked elastic
stage, un-cracked plastic stage and partly cracked elastic stage. He has published his
studies by a research paper and from that point there were no proper investigations
carried out related to the topic by anybody. Therefore we started continue our
research from that point onwards.

CE 2.6
After the literature survey, the study phase of the research was started. For analyzing
flexural bonding stress, a concrete circular cylindrical model (theoretical model) was
considered under certain assumptions. Then stresses, strains and displacements
developed under the bond mechanism were carefully studied. In the bond mechanism
three main circumstances were identified as un-cracked, partially cracked and fully
cracked. The solution used to determine the stress, strains and displacements for the
three cases were identified and it can be summarized as follows.

Case Concrete Cylinder Type of Analysis

I Un-cracked Isotropic

Outer Cylinder-Isotropic
II Partially Cracked
Inner Cylinder- Anisotropic

III Fully Cracked Anisotropic

CE 2.7
13
Then Isotropic Analysis was considered to find out tangential and radial stress
components of the un-cracked case. Isotropic Elastic Analysis is the one of major
case of analyzing flexural bonding strength in reinforced concrete beams. It is a
theoretical approach and highly related to the ideal condition because concrete is
weak in tension and tend to crack in tension region. Young’s modulus (E) and passion
ratio (υ) in tangential, radial and z directions are same through out the concrete
section. If some parts of the concrete yield or cracks occur those assumptions are
violated. It should be used plastic theories for analysis yield behavior of concrete. In
the case (I) Isotropic Elastic Analysis is used by depend on above assumptions.
CE 2.8
In order to obtain the solution for un-cracked case first equilibrium of forces for a
single element was considered. Then strain-displacement equations were obtained for
radial and tangential directions. Then stress –strain relationship was derived by the
stress-strain matrix. Using all the above equations, second order differential equation
of displacement (u) can be derived and the general solution of this equation was
found. Then displacement can be substituted by stress components of radial and
tangential directions. After applying the boundary conditions for above relationship
final solutions were obtained for radial and tangential stress components.
CE 2.9
In cracked region of concrete circular ring model, properties such as elastic modulus,
concrete strength, Poission’s ratios, strains and stresses are changed. Since
circumferential, radial and axial directional properties are different and anisotropic
condition is occur. Using generalized Hook’s law for the element in cracked region,
expressions for the stresses in the term of strains were arranged in the form of matrix
considering prevailing anisotropic behavior. After proceeding number solution steps a
differential equation of displacement (u) was derived.

d 2u du
rEc ( Ec - Eqn ) 2
c- Ec ( Eqn 2
c - Ec - rEq
'
n 2
c ).
dr 2 dr
u
-�
E (
�q cE - E n
q c
2
) - rE E n
c q c� = 0
'
�
.
r
r - Radius
u - Displacement
Ec - Modulus of elasticity of concrete
Eθ - Modulus of elasticity in circumferential direction
Eθ’ - First Derivative of Eθ with respect to r
νc - Possion’s ratio of concrete

CE 2.10
Above Equation is a second order non linear homogeneous equation. But analytical
solution could not be obtained even from modern mathematical computer software
programs due to complex nature of the formula. Since to obtained numerical solution,
fourth order Runge-Kutta method was used. Since the solution of Runge-Kutta
14
method is a repeated numerical process, I suggested that a computer program can be
used to obtain solutions. I developed a computer program to obtain fully cracked and
partially cracked stage stresses using Turbo C++ computer software package. The
computer program was used successfully to obtain the solutions and then boundary
conditions were applied to the solutions. When adopting boundary conditions, there
are two possible situations that need to be considered.
1. Partially cracked concrete cylinder
2. Fully cracked concrete cylinder

For the two cases, boundary conditions were applied separately and obtained final
solutions.

CE 2.11
The next part of the research project was results and analysis part. In this part I
investigated the behavior of bond stress both for fully cracked and partially cracked
cases. When considering bond action at the interface of concrete and steel, radial
stress is the most important factor. Therefore variations of radial stress at the interface
for both partially and fully cracked events were obtained with respect to several
variables. Addition to that, variation of circumferential stress was also considered
with respect to same variables to ensure the accuracy of results. Variables of steel bar
diameter, concrete strength, cover and numbers of cracks were changed to observe
their influences on bond stress. By considering the results, above mentioned variables
were identified as important parameters affect on bond stress. A comparison between
the results of this research and same results derived based on British code of practice
BS 8110 was also done to illustrate opportunities that can be adopted for later
developments in current standards. Finally a project report and a PowerPoint
slideshow were prepared including all the work of the research including the results
and conclusions. The Powerpoint presentation was carried out in front of the project
assessment panel and university colleagues at the project assessment test.

4.4 Summary
CE 2.12
This project is very different from a typical civil engineering project because it is a
research project which always deals with untouched subject area and it gives me an
opportunity to discover new concepts. The results from the project were compared
with the present design codes and recommendations were presented and this can be
used to further developments of the subject. Apart from the common tasks of the
project my computer knowledge was very useful and vital to the project for the
development of the computer program which facilitates us to obtain the numerical
solutions.

15
5. Carrier Episode 3
Feasibility Study on Proposed Kurunegala-Habarana Railroad Project

5.1 Introduction
CE 3.1
Presently I work as a civil engineer in Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau
(CECB). This particular project was awarded to the CECB in March 2008 and from
that date I was appointed to the project and work on this project up to date. The
proposed railway track starts from Kurunegala which is 93 kilometers away from
Colombo and it runs through 80 kilometers to Habarana.

5.2 Background
5.2.1 Nature of the Overall Project
CE 3.2
The client of the project is Railway Department of Sri Lanka and it operates over 300
passenger and 30 goods trains per day, on a network that comprises 1,447 kilometers
of track and 306 stations, with a staff of 18,200 employees. The proposed new track
will be branching off from the Northern Railway Line at Kurunegala runs north
eastwards via Dambulla and it is connected to the Trincomalee Line at Habarana.
Total length of the track will be 80 kilometers and it runs through four administrative
districts of Sri Lanka. The estimated total project cost is 16,000 million Sri Lankan
Rupees and the feasibility study costs 15 million Sri Lankan Rupees.

5.2.2 Objectives of the Project

CE 3.3
Trincomalee is the capital of Eastern Province and it has a geographical and economic
importance. One of a major harbor of Sri Lanka is also situated in Trincomalee.
Therefore Trincomalee railway line has an importance in freight and passenger
transportation. In the existing network Trincomalee Line branches off from Northern
Line at Maho Junction. But in this project the proposed track branches off from
Northern Line at Kurunegala and runs through 80 kilometers and connects to the
existing Trincomalee Line at Habarana. This will cut down the distance by 35
kilometers and saves the travel time by 1 ½ hours.

5.2.3 Nature of My Particular Work Area

CE 3.4

16
The project was handled by the two sub divisions of CECB, Highway Design Unit
and the Research & Development Unit. I work in the Highway Design Unit and my
particular work area of the project was engineering design part. I was mainly
supposed to do the geometric design of the proposed track. Also I have to identify the
difficulties of the terrain by the side of engineering and proposed solutions and
alternatives. At the same time I should assure my engineering solutions can be
implemented complying with environmental and social aspects. Therefore I have to
communicate with other people like environmentalists, sociologists, and geologists
etc. who involved with the feasibility study.

5.2.4 Organizational Structure

Chairman

General Manager

Deputy General Manager Consultant

(Highway Design Unit) (Research & Development Unit)

Civil Engineer Geologist Environmental Social Scientist

Scientist

5.2.5 Duty Statement

i. Geometric design of the proposed railway

ii. Physical survey along the proposed trace
iii. Identifying the places having proposed infrastructures (bridges, culverts,
tunnels, level crossings, stations etc.)
iv. Proposing alternative routes where it’s necessary

v. Preparation of drawings including horizontal alignment and vertical profile of

the railway line

17
5.3 Personal Workplace Activity
CE 3.5
The first step of the project was, studying the available data related to the project.
The client has decided some initial corridor using maps of the area. The main task
assigned to the design unit was finding the most appropriate trace by the side of
engineering and proposing alternatives where it necessary. First I marked the initial
trace on a 1:50,000 maps and have some basic understand about the trace. Google
Earth software was also used to mark the proposed trace on satellite images. The
software was very useful to understanding the geographical information along the
terrain.
CE 3.6
Then the trace was transferred to 1:10,000 maps which have more precise information
than the 1:50,000. These maps are available in both printed and electronic versions.
An electronic copy was used to mark the trace and it can be used with the AutoCAD
software. The software facilitated to do the adjustment in the trace more accurately
and efficiently. The trace of the proposed railway was marked on this map
considering the client’s initial proposal and the contour pattern of the terrain. The
land use along the corridor was also taken to consideration even at this stage to
minimize the resettlement issues.
CE 3.7
Before starting the design, the most important thing that to be clarified was, what
should be the design standard and specifications going to be used for the design. In
highway design, Sri Lanka has our own design standards and specifications but not in
the case of railway design. The solution was, going for an international standards
used in other countries. Among international standards AREMA (American Railway
Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association) standard was identified as a
widely used standard all over the world. But there were few incompatible aspects in
the AREMA standards related to the gauge (distance between two rails) of the
proposed rail track that can not be applicable to the Sri Lankan criteria. This because
in Sri Lanka we have broad gauge railways but most countries including America has
standard gauge. As the solution Indian Standards for broad gauge railways was also
used with AREMA standards for the design. Based on these two design standards, I
prepared a design intent including all the specifications used for the track design.
CE 3.8
Considering relevant design standards, geometric design of the track was started.
When set the alignment of the proposed route, following the contour pattern was very
important in order to maintain the gradient of the track within the allowable limit.
Gradient of a rail track is a very important factor in railway design because it has very
limited values compared to a highway. In a highway design longitudinal gradient can
take higher values like 10% or even 15% compared to terrain. But in a rail track even
2.5% is a very critical value because friction between track and wheel is very low in
18
steep gradients. On the other hand steep gradients directly affect to reduce the design
speed on the track. The client had asked in their requirements to keep the allowable
maximum gradient as 1% because they wanted to have a design speed of 100 km/h
through out the track. This set up a huge challenge on the geometric design because
the proposed trace goes along a hilly terrain at the middle portion of the 80 km length.
CE 3.9
Considering above requirements and conditions an initial alignment was designed
along the corridor which asked by the client. The longitudinal section of the existing
ground and the finished ground level along the alignment was also prepared. Then
the sections that required high embankments, soil excavations and tunneling were
identified. Minimizing those excavations, embankments and tunnels were very
important on the project cost. Especially at the hilly area known as Omaragolla there
is a tunnel which has 2 kilometers length in the proposed trace. Tunneling such
distance causes to increase the construction cost of the project by a significant
amount. This can not be avoided with the track gradient, because 1% was the
maximum allowable gradient which client required. As a solution I proposed an
alternative trace by changing horizontal alignment in this section and reduce the
tunnel length up to 800 meters.
CE 3.10
The next step of the project was carrying out a physical survey along the proposed
trace including alternative traces. The objective of a physical survey was having a
clear view about the whole 80 kilometers length of the proposed trace with respect to
engineering, geological, social and environmental aspects. I was engaged for a three
week field visit in order to carrying out the physical survey with a team of members in
other professions like geologists, sociologists, and environmentalists. In the physical
survey, points along the proposed centre line of the track were found at the site using
GPS (Ground Positioning System) device. The important features related to the
terrain condition, land use, hydrology, geology, environment etc. were noted at each
point. Photographs were also taken at each point along the trace for later
clarifications about the route at particular points. Likewise points at the centre line
containing about data were recorded along the 80 kilometers trace and alternative
sections, about at 100m intervals. In addition to technical activities, during the survey
I have to communicate and make aware the affected people about the project.
CE 3.11
The data collected in the survey was carefully categorized in to an order. By
analyzing these data, I had a clear idea about the trace with site conditions.
Considering these conditions further adjustments were made in the proposed trace at
several locations. Especially land use data was very useful to minimize the number of
affecting buildings by adjusting the trace at some locations. By avoiding populated
areas I was able to minimize the land acquisition and resettlement issues related to the
project. Identifying more suitable locations for level crossings, bridges, and proposed
railway stations was also considered with help of the survey data. After finalizing the
trace AutoCAD drawings of horizontal alignment and vertical alignment of the
proposed rail track were prepared. A report including all information about the
engineering design was built up to include in the final feasibility report.

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5.4 Summary
CE 3.12
This project was a significant one to the CECB as well as the Railway Department
because this is the first major development in railway sector of Sri Lanka after the
British colonial period. Although I had highway design experience in CECB, railway
design was a completely new experience to me because it has significant difference
compared to highway design. Apart from the design part this project had lot of site
activities like the physical survey. On the other hand I had an opportunity to work in
a team with other professionals like geologists, environmentalists, social experts etc.
This helped me to develop team work skills and also I was able to gather basic
knowledge about other fields related to the project.

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6. Summary Statement

Summary Statement of Competencies Claimed

Competency How and where demonstrated Paragraph
element reference in
Career Episode

PE 1.1  Successfully completion of B.Sc. Civil CV 1.2

Engineering Degree.

PE 1.2  Design of internal road network for the CE 1.3

proposed tea factory premises.
CE 2.1, CE 2.3
 Carrying out a research project on flexural
bond strength in reinforced concrete beams. CE 3.4
 Engineering design of the feasibility study of
Kurunegala-Dambulla-Habarana proposed
railway.

PE 1.3  Hands on experience in AutoCivil Plus CE 1.5

highway design software package.
CE 2.10
 Developing a computer program with C++
software package and use the program to
obtain solutions of the numerical analysis.

PE 1.4  Clarifying problems at design stage by field CE 1.7

inspections and observations.
CE 3.10
 Use of GPS (Ground Positioning System)
device for locating centre line of the CE 3.12
proposed rail track at the site.

 Having a basic knowledge about fields like

geology, environmental science, social
impacts related to an engineering project.

PE 2.1  Identifying the main stages of bond CE 2.6

mechanism in reinforced concrete and the
appropriate analysis method.
CE 2.7, CE 2.8
 Defining variables and make necessary
assumptions for the isotropic analysis and CE 2.9
deriving solutions.

 Deriving second order non linear

homogeneous differential equation for the
anisotropic analysis.
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PE 2.2  Carrying out a physical survey along the CE 3.10
trace of proposed railway to identifying the
environmental, social, geological and
engineering context of the project. CE 3.10

 Working together with geologists, CE 3.11

environmentalists, sociologists in field visits.

 Find out most suitable places to locate

proposed railway stations, rail crossings,
bridges and other structures with the help of
survey data to ensure a sustainable
development.

PE 2.3  Comparing number of alternative road CE 1.6

alignments in order to select the best road
layout.
CE 3.9
 Introducing an alternative trace for the
proposed rail track to cut down tunneling
length.

PE 2.4  Design of horizontal alignment and vertical CE 1.5, CE 1.6

profile of the access road in proposed tea
factory premises.
CE 1.7
 Pavement design for the proposed road
layout according to the Sri Lankan design CE 3.8, CE 3.9
standards. CE 1.8
 Geometric design of the proposed
Kurunegala-Dambulla-Habarana railway.

 Design of drainage system for the proposed

access road.

PE 2.5  Providing a key contribution for the design CE 1.3

of internal road network of proposed tea
factory premises as a member of the design
team. CE 2.1, CE 2.12

 Successfully completion of the research CE 2.11

project on flexural bond strength in
reinforced concrete beams. CE 3.11
 Producing final project report and a
PowerPoint slideshow including all work
with results and conclusions of the research.

 Compiling a report on engineering design of

the proposed railway.

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PE 2.6  Changing the road layout at the design phase CE 1.6
to minimize construction cost of the
proposed road.
CE 3.11
 Adjusting the trace of proposed rail track to
avoid highly populated areas at the feasibility CE 3.9
stage of the project thus minimizing the land
acquisition cost.

 Introducing an alternative trace which

reduces construction cost of tunneling for the
proposed rail track.

PE 3.1  Communication with professionals of CE 1.6

structural design unit for clarifying design
requirements.
CE 3.4
 Communication with people in other
professions during the feasibility study of CE 3.10
proposed railway.
CE 2.11
 Making aware affected people of the
proposed railway project during physical
survey.

 Carrying out a PowerPoint presentation on

research project in the project assessment
test.

PE 3.2  Carrying out a literature survey on previous CE 2.5

studies of bond stress in reinforced concrete
using engineering books, journals, research
papers and internet. CE 3.5, CE 3.6

 Use of 1:50,000 and 1:10,000 maps and CE 1.9, CE 3.11

Google Earth satellite images to mark the
initial trace of proposed railway.

 Preparation of design drawings using

AutoCAD 2006 software package.

PE 3.3  Proposing a cascade drain arrangement with CE 1.8

baffles to preventing erosion of proposed
drainage system.
CE 2.10
 Pointing out that computer program can be
used to obtain numerical solutions of Runge-
Kutta method.

PE 3.4  Use of Sri Lankan road design standards CE 1.7

published by Road Development Authority
of Sri Lanka for Highway designs.

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  Use of AREMA (American Railway CE 3.7
Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way
Association) and Indian design standards for CPD 2.1
rail track design.

 Use of BS 8110 and BS 5950 (British code

of practice) for structural designs.

PE 3.5  Working in a team of engineers for design of CE 1.3

internal road network of the proposed tea
factory premises.
CE 2.1
 Working in the project group with other
undergraduates in order to carrying out the
final year research project.

PE 3.6  Following a course in computer aided CPD 2.1

highway design.
CPD 2.1
 Following a course in structural steel and
reinforced concrete design. CPD 2.2
 Attending to technical session conducted by
the Institution of Engineers.

PE 3.7  Interacting with other professionals during CE 3.4, CE 3.10

feasibility study.
CE 3.10
 Communication with the community in
professional manner during the physical CE 2.11, CE 2.12
survey.

 Proposing opportunities for later

developments of current standards with
recommendations through the results
obtained from the research.

24