You are here: Civil Engineering / Our people / Postgraduate students

Ravindra Prathapa

BSc Hons, MEng
Postgraduate Research Student
Centre for Geotechnical Research



Department of Civil Engineering, Room 360
Phone: +61 412 267 965
Fax: +61 2 9351 3343
Email: R.Prathapa@civil.usyd.edu.au





Research project - Shakedown Analysis of Road Pavements

Supervisor: Prof John Small

My project included a detail laboratory experiment at the University of Sydney Pavement Testing Facility in Australia; to examine the application of shakedown theory by means of measuring accumulated plastic deformation, after applying traffic loads below and above the shakedown load. If the shakedown theory is valid, then the measured total plastic deformation after a large number of load cycles should be very small provided the applied traffic load is less than the shakedown load. On the other hand, pavement will experience significant deformation if the applied load exceeds the shakedown load.

To facilitate the data acquisition, storage and analysis requirements to test the above hypothesis a new data acquisition system was developed and installed for the Pavement Test Facility as a part of this experiment.

Selected publications

  • Ravindra P.S., Small J.C., “Shakedown Analysis of Road Pavements-an Experimental Point of View”, 9th Australia New Zealand Conference on Geomechanics”, Auckland, New Zealand – February 2004 Vol.2, pp 902-909.
  • Ravindra P.S., Small J.C., “Shakedown Analysis of Unbound Pavements”, Pavements Unbound, Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Pavements Unbound, July 2004, Nottingham, England, A.A. Balkema Publishers, ISBN 90 5809 699 8, pp79-86.

Professional Background

I am a Charted Professional Engineer with affiliation MIE Aust, MICE London and MIE Sri Lanka.

My employment record as a Pavement Engineer is as follows.

  • Domestic and ADB funded National Highways program , India from 2001 to Date
  • OECF funded Heavy Loaded Road Improvement Project, Indonesia. from August 1994 to January 1996
  • 3rd World Bank Road Project, Sri Lanka from February 1989 to August 1990
  • 2nd World bank Road Project, Sri Lanka from December 1985 to January 1989
  • Asian Development Bank Trunk Roads Maintenance Project from January 1981 to November 1985
  • Australian Commonwealth Government Funded National Highway Development Programme from November 1990 to March 1994
  • Roads and Traffic Authority Pavements Branch from May 1994 To July 1994
  • Randwick City Councils Plan of management Development Programme from March 1996 to April 1999.
Test rig

Test rig

Results

Results