Indian Professor From IIT-G Develops A Method To Reduce Traffic Accidents Using Steel-Making Byproducts

Monsoon seasons can cause all kinds of troubles and they are also the main cause of road traffic accidents in India. When there is too much rain, the roads become wet and slippery, making it hard for drivers to keep balance.

To deal with this issue, the IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) has come up with an ingenious idea to reduce the number of accidents during monsoon seasons. The method makes use of the steel industry’s waste so it is also cost-effective.

The man behind this invention is an Associate Professor of the Department of Civil Engineering at the IIT, Dr. Rajan Choudhary. What he uses is industrial waste steel slag, a by-product of the steel-making process.

The slag is added to OGAFC, a thin asphalt layer in pavements and roads. The blend has a small amount of fine aggregate, which creates interconnecting air voids, which in turn, enhances the surface drainage ability in rainfall.

The method that Dr. Rajan Choudhary developed makes use of slag, the by-product of the steel-making industry in the making of asphalt friction courses, which can help to increase the skid resistance level of roads. This invention can help to improve road safety, especially when monsoon seasons strike.

The technology is now undergoing tests to determine its usefulness in real-life situations.

The method can benefit a wide range of government agencies, including the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, the Ministry of Road Transport, and the National Highways Authority of India.

The skid-resistance ability makes the tech suitable to be used in hilly regions and those with a high level of rainfall too.

Dr. Rajan Choudhary is now testing other types of slag to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing accidents by skidding.

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