Richa Industries Ltd. is one of the leading construction and engineering companies operational in PEBs, structural steel, turnkey and textile sectors. It is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company. Enriched with an experience of over two decade, today it is one of the biggest companies functioning in the northern part of the country. The company has presence in more than 120 cities across India with sales offices in more than 8 cities enriched with government as well as private clients. Richa Industries has been able to supply around 300 buildings and is currently working on more than 100 projects.

Introduction
Richa Industries Ltd. has developed a Silica processing plant for Madhu Silica Pvt. Ltd. in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. The project has been designed by ESCOM Consultants Pvt. Ltd. It is one of the tallest PEB structures in India with approximate 36 meters of height. Spread over an area of approximately 19,000 sq. m., the Silica processing plant constitutes of 7 buildings. The tallest, 36 meters, among all other buildings, has ground plus six floors and has been developed with the maximum load bearing capacity of approximate 150 MT each floor. The project started in September 2013 and was successfully completed in 10 months.

Overview of the project
The project has been designed according to the IS design codes, IS 800-1984 with limited provision of IS 800-2007. The challenge in such complex structures comes from various equipment loading, multi-floor mezzanines and crane systems. Also, because of an earthquake-prone zone, the seismic analysis of the multi-storeyed structure was of utmost relevance. The project’s high design complexity, load application, in itself, was a great challenge.

The designers deployed innovative approach and reduced the engineering time of the fabrication and assembly of Silica manufacturing plant. Stability and safety being the paramount responsibility in such projects, all the frames and joints were designed very carefully. Analysis of wind and earthquake forces was done with utmost care and wind/seismic bracings have been designed to provide required stability to the structure.

Because of the machine lay down cutout and equipment placed in steel structure, convenient detailing techniques have been adopted. The complete project life cycle was followed since the initial concept of design through material fabrication and erection at site.  Strict quality control, state-of-the-art technology, innovative concepts and strict delivery schedules have made Richa today one of the promising names in the industry. Richa Industries is committed to design, manufacture and install pre-engineered buildings which are fully customised and designed in accordance with sound principles of engineering using computer-aided designing. It offers hi-tech solutions to its customers by utilising MBS (Metal Building Software), Staad Pro (3D structural analysis and design software) and Tekla (model-based software) with high precision to meet the structural requirements of the pre-engineered steel building systems. In addition to this, the company deputes experienced safety inspectors to ensure complete project safety and provide good after sales service to its customers.

Authored by –Abhay Gupta, Director,Skeleton Consultants Pvt. Ltd./ ESCOM Consultants Pvt. Ltd.