Polymer based material are finding an important role in building construction wherein they have proved viable substitutes for wood metal and concrete. With the advent of new developments, polymer product technologies are becoming reliable and their innovative product design concepts are increasingly meeting the present and future challenges of housing needs. Composites bars & prestressed tendons, retrofitting laminates, plastics wood, shuttering and formworks, crack bridging sealants, weather resistance coatings etc. are some of the recent materials that push their applications in the civil infra-structural development. Unlike the conventional materials, plastics and composites are relatively new and there is a need to pursue intensive research and development to generate useful information to help infuse confidence in the minds of the uses.
R & D AREA
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Plastics building products
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Timber substitutes
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Polymers in construction
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Polymer composites based on natural / synthetic fibers
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Polymer modified bitumen• Water proofing compounds
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Sealants and adhesives
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Recycling and reuse of plastics waste
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Weathering of plastics/composites
MATERIALS / PRODUCTS DEVELOPED
- Composite door shutters
- WPC based profiles and frames
- Bituminous based waterproofing & sealing compounds
- Natural fibre based laminates / panels / sheets
- Pine needle composites boards
- Geo-polymer based bricks
- Processed fly ash
- Hydrated flexible waterproofing membrane/ coating
- Bitumen foam
- Hybrid polymer network core for sandwich composites
Products Evaluation Facilities
Routine & Instrumental testing and analysis of:
- Plastic tanks and pipes
- Doors and windows
- Prefabricated panels and shuttering plates
- Natural fibre composite products
- Waterproofing and sealing compounds
- Polymer latexes / fibres
- Polymer modified bitumen
- Timber and timber substitutes
CAPABILITIES
The division is fully equipped to undertake research and development in the area of newer materials including Ph.D programme on composites in building construction, low shrinkage polymer matrices, weatherable epoxy resin, adhesives for particle boards manufacturingalternate materials from local resources, sandwich composites, calcium meta silicate (xenotlite) based inorganic wood etc. Significant contributions are made in the completed Mission Mode Projects such as Thrust area of CSIR, CMM, NATP on alternate building materials. Various products/ processes have been developed and patents on developed innovations are also granted. Some products are commercialized. Facilities are available for characterization of industry developed building products as per relevant codes. Linkage is also established with various S&T departments, users agencies and private industries.