Geomechanics/Geotechnical Research Group

Surya Sarat Chandra Congress, Ph.D., A.M. ASCE

 

 

Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing

 

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Current Affiliations

 

 

Assistant Professor (August 2022 – Current)

Senior Research Engineer (April 2021 – August 2022)

Associate Research Scientist (September 2019 – March 2021)

Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, 2018

Visiting Scholar, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 2014

M.Tech., Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, 2014

B.Tech., Civil Engineering, JNTU, 2012

Dr. Surya Sarat Chandra Congress is a Senior Research Engineer in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Texas A&M Transportation Institute, at Texas A&M University, College Station (TAMU). He is the managing director of the NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) Site at TAMU. He is also an FAA Certified Drone Pilot and has flown many unmanned aerial missions to collect infrastructure condition data. His areas of research interests include sustainable and resilient infrastructure design, ground improvement techniques, and smart city concepts using innovative sensors and smart monitoring technologies.  He worked on Federal and State-funded research projects on designing and monitoring various infrastructure assets. As part of these projects, he focused on monitoring and evaluating the civil infrastructure health conditions by inspecting pavements, railways, airports, bridges, embankments, slopes, towers, and dam assets using unmanned aerial vehicles coupled with close-range photogrammetry techniques. He uses image processing techniques to build the digital models of various infrastructure assets and leverages Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Techniques to automate the infrastructure condition assessments. He is also a member of two national academy’s Transportation Research Board committees and also serves as TRB Committee Communications Coordinator (CCC) for one of those committees. He is part of the ASCE Committee on Innovative Technologies and Tools in Geotechnical Engineering (INNC) task force. He published his research in many peer-reviewed publications including 4 book chapters, 32 journals, and many conference papers.  He delivered several invited lectures on national and international platforms including Transportation Research Board, UAV Commercial Expo, DJI Airworks, and the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering’s (ISSMGE’s) Bright Spark Keynote Lecture at Cairo, Egypt.

Chi Epsilon, Lifetime Member
American Society of Civil Engineers, Member
ASCE GI Institute, Member

  1. Puppala, A.J., Banerjee, A., Congress, S.S.C. (2020) “Geosynthetics in Geo-Infrastructure Applications.” Durability of Composite Systems, Woodhead Publishing Series in Composites Science and Engineering, 2020, Pages 289-312, org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818260-4.00007-7.

 

  1. Puppala, A.J., and Congress, S.S.C. (2020). “A Holistic Approach for Visualization of Transportation Infrastructure Assets Using UAV-CRP Technology.” In: Correia A., Tinoco J., Cortez P., Lamas L. (eds) Information Technology in Geo-Engineering. ICITG 2019. Springer Series in Geomechanics and Geoengineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32029-4_1

 

  1. Banerjee, A., Puppala, A.J., Congress, S.S.C., Chakraborty, S., Pedarla, A. (2020). “Recent Advancements in Predicting the Behavior of Unsaturated and Expansive Soils.” Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Springer Publishers, Springer Nature, Singapore, 2020

 

  1. Puppala, A.J., Congress, S.S.C., Banerjee, A. (2019) “Research Advancements in Expansive Soil Characterization, Stabilization and Geoinfrastructure Monitoring.” Frontiers in Geotechnical Engineering, Developments in Geotechnical Engineering, Springer Nature, Singapore, 2019, Chapter 2, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-5871-5_2.
  1. Congress, S.S.C., Puppala, A. J., Clayton, T., Gurganus, C., and Halley, J. (2022). “Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Monitoring Airport Asset Surfaces.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. (Accepted)

 

  1. Congress, S.S.C., Puppala, A. J., Khan, M. A., Biswas, N., and Kumar, P. (2022). “Application of Unmanned Aerial Technologies for Inspecting Pavement and Bridge Infrastructure Assets Conditions.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981221105273

 

  1. Duan, W., Congress, S. S. C., Cai, G., Zhao, Z., Liu, S., Dong, X., Chen, R., & Qiao, H. (2022). “Prediction of in situ state parameter of sandy deposits from CPT measurements using optimized GMDH-type neural networks.” Acta Geotechnica, 1-21.

 

  1. Jang, J., Biswas, N., Puppala, A.J., Congress, S. S. C., Radovic, M., and Huang, O., (2022). “Evaluation of Geopolymer for Stabilization of Sulfate-Rich Expansive Soils for Supporting Pavement Infrastructure.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. (Accepted)

 

  1. Kumar, P., Puppala, A. J., Tingle, J. S., Chakraborty, S., and Congress, S. S. C. (2022). “Resilient Characteristics of Polymer Emulsion Treated Sandy Soil.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. (Accepted)

 

  1. Congress, S.S.C., Puppala, A. J., Kumar, P., Banerjee, A., and Patil, U. D. (2021). “Methodology for Resloping of Rock Slope Using 3D Models from UAV-CRP Technology.” ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002591

 

  1. Congress, S.S.C., and Puppala, A.J. (2021). “Geotechnical Slope Stability and Rockfall Debris Related Safety Assessments of Rock Cuts Adjacent to a Rail Track Using Aerial Photogrammetry Data Analysis” Transportation Geotechnics, Elsevier Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2021.100595

 

  1. Congress, S.S.C., and Puppala, A. J. (2021). “A Road Map for Geotechnical Monitoring of Transportation Infrastructure Assets using Three-Dimensional Models Developed from Unmanned Aerial Data.” Indian Geotechnical Journal, 1-13.

 

  1. Liu, X., Congress, S.S.C., Cai, G., Liu, L., Liu, S., Puppala, A. J., & Zhang, W. (2021). “Development and validation of a method to predict the soil thermal conductivity using thermal piezocone penetration testing (T-CPTU).” Canadian Geotechnical Journal, (ja).

 

  1. Zhao, Z., Congress, S.S.C., Cai, G., Duan, W. 2021. “Bayesian Probabilistic Characterization of Consolidation Behavior of Clays Using CPTU Data.”. Acta Geotechnica.

 

  1. Duan, W., Congress, S.S.C., Cai, G., Puppala, A. J., Dong, X., & Du, Y. (2021). Empirical Correlations of Soil Parameters based on Piezocone Penetration Tests (CPTU) for Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) Project. Transportation Geotechnics, 100605.

 

  1. Chen, R., Congress, S.S.C., Cai, G., Duan, W., and Liu, S. (2021). “Sustainable Utilization of Biomass Waste-Rice Husk Ash as a New Solidified Material of Soil in Geotechnical Engineering: A review.” Construction and Building Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.123219

 

  1. Duan, W., Congress, S.S.C., Cai, G., Liu, S., Dong, X., Chen, R., & Liu, X. (2021). “A hybrid GMDH neural network and logistic regression framework for state parameter-based liquefaction evaluation.” Canadian Geotechnical Journal, (ja).

 

  1. Liu, L., Wu, R., Congress, S.S.C., Du, Q., Cai, G. and Li, Z., (2021). “Design optimization of the soil nail wall-retaining pile-anchor cable supporting system in a large-scale deep foundation pit”. Acta Geotechnica, pp.1-24.

 

  1. Wu, M., Congress, S.S.C., Liu, L., Cai, G., Duan, W., & Chen, R. (2021). “Prediction of limit pressure and pressuremeter modulus using artificial neural network analysis based on CPTU data.” Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 14(1), 1-18.

 

  1. Biswas, N., Puppala, A.J., Khan, M.A., Congress, S.S.C., Banerjee, A. and Chakraborty, S., (2021). “Evaluating the Performance of Wicking Geotextile in Providing Drainage for Flexible Pavements Built over Expansive Soils”. Transportation Research Record, p.03611981211001381.

 

  1. Liu, X., Cai, G., Congress, S.S.C., & Liu, L. (2021). “Thermomechanical Analysis of Fiber–Bentonite-Based Mixtures as Buffer Material in an Engineered Nuclear Barrier.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 33(2), 04020464.

 

  1. Chen, R., Cai, G., Congress, S.S.C., Dong, X., & Duan, W. (2021). “Dynamic properties and environmental impact of waste red mud-treated loess under adverse conditions.” Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 80(1), 93-113.

 

  1. Congress, S.S.C., Puppala, A. J., Banerjee, A., and Patil, U. D. (2020). “Identifying Hazardous Obstructions within an Intersection Using Unmanned Aerial Data Analysis.” International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Elsevier Publishers, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijtst.2020.05.004.

 

  1. Banerjee, A., Puppala, A.J., Congress, S.S.C., Chakraborty, S., Likos, W. L., Hoyos, L.R. (2020), “Variation of Resilient Modulus of Subgrade Soils Over a Wide Range of Suction States.” ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, October 2020, DOI: 1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002332.

 

  1. Talluri, N., Puppala, A., Congress, S.S.C., & Banerjee, A. (2020). “Experimental Studies and Modeling of High-Sulfate Soil Stabilization.” ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 146(5), 12. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002240

 

  1. Liu, X., Congress, S.S.C., Cai, G. and Liu, S., (2020). Performance evaluation of soil mixtures treated with graphite and used as barrier fill material for high-level radioactive waste repository. Acta Geotechnica, pp.1-21.

 

  1. Liu, L., Li, Z., Cai, G., Congress, S.S.C., Liu, X., & Dai, B. (2020). “Evaluating the influence of moisture on settling velocity of road embankment constructed with recycled construction wastes.” Construction and Building Materials, 241, 117988.

 

  1. Liu, X., Guojun, C., Congress, S.S.C., Lulu, L., and Songyu, L. (2020). “Investigation of Thermal Conductivity and Prediction Model of Mucky Silty Clay.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, 32(8), 4020221. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0003294 (Featured on ASCE SmartBrief 2020)

 

  1. Patil, U.D., Hoyos, L.R., Puppala, A.J., and Congress, S.S.C. (2020). “Suction Stress Characteristic Curves of Cohesive-frictional Soils from Multiple Suction-controlled Testing Methods.” ASCE International Journal of Geomechanics, 2020, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001698.

 

  1. Cai, G., Liu, L, Liu. X., Li, X., Liu, S., Puppala, A.J., and Congress, S.S.C. (2020). “Prediction of Coefficient of Consolidation of Soil Using the Hyperbolic Fitting Method Based on Piezocone Penetration Test.” ASCE International Journal of Geomechanics, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001813.

 

  1. Talluri, N., Congress, S.S.C., Bheemasetti, T. V., Puppala, A. J., & Yu, X. (2020). “Assessment of Sulfate-Induced Heave in Chemically Treated Soils Using a Novel Hybrid Sensor.” ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal, 44(1), DOI 1520/GTJ20190196.

 

  1. Congress, S.S.C., and Puppala, A.J. (2020). “Evaluation of UAV-CRP Data for Monitoring Transportation Infrastructure Constructed over Expansive Soils.” Indian Geotechnical Journal, Springer Publishers, April, 2020, 50 (2), pp. 159-171, org/10.1007/s40098-019-00384-4.

 

  1. Chen, R., Cai, G., Congress, S.S.C., Dong, X., & Duan, W. (2020). “Dynamic properties and environmental impact of waste red mud-treated loess under adverse conditions.” Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 1-21.

 

  1. Yu, Q., Liu, J., Patil, U.D., Congress, S.S.C., Puppala, A.J. (2019). “Two-Dimensional Fractal Model for Ultimate Crushing State of Coarse Aggregates.” Fractals, World Scientific Publishing Company, July 2019, DOI: 1142/S0218348X19501093 (in Press).

 

  1. Puppala, A.J., Ruttanaporamakul, P., and Congress, S.S.C., (2019). “Design and Construction of Lightweight EPS Geofoam Embedded Geomaterial Embankment System for Control of Settlements.” Geotextiles and Geomembranes, Elsevier Publishers, DOI: 10.1016/j.geotexmem.2019.01.015.

 

  1. Puppala, A.J., Congress, S.S.C., Talluri, N., and Wattanasanticharoen, E., (2019). “Sulfate Heaving Studies on Chemically Treated Sulfate Rich Geomaterials.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE) MT.1943-5533.0002729, Online Publication, March, 2019.

 

  1. Congress, S.S.C., Puppala, A.J., and Lundberg, C.L. (2018). “Total System Error Analysis of UAV-CRP Technology for Monitoring Transportation Infrastructure Assets.” Engineering Geology, Elsevier Publishers, December, 2018, doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2018.11.002.

 

  1. Puppala, A.J., Talluri, N., Congress, S.S.C., Gaily, A. (2018). “Ettringite Induced Heaving in Stabilized High Sulfate Soils.” Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, Springer Publishers, 3:72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-018-0179-7.

 

  1. Puppala, A.J., Congress, S.S.C., Bheemasetti, T., Caballero, S. R. (2018). “Visualization of Civil Infrastructure Emphasizing Geomaterial Characterization and Performance.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, Volume 30, Issue 10, org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002434.
  1. “Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles-based Close-Range Photogrammetry (UAV-CRP) Technology for Rail Safety,” Presentation, Technical Session: UAS (Drones): Practical Applications for Railroad Safety Assurance, April 5-7, 2022, Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA’s) Track & Railroad Workplace Safety Symposium, St. Louis, MO.

 

  1. “Resilient Characteristics of Polymer Emulsion Treated Sandy Soil,” Presentation, Technical Session: Resiliency and Sustainability in Stabilization, Jan 8-13, 2022, Transportation Research Board, 101 Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Application of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for monitoring slopes,” Poster Session: Young Researchers’ Work in Geology and Geotechnical Engineering, Jan 8-13, 2022, Transportation Research Board, 101 Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Transforming Aerial Reconnaissance Data of Pavement Infrastructure into Knowledge for Better Response to Natural Disasters,” Presentation, Technical Session: Instrumentation and Remote Sensing of Extreme Events and Their Impacts, November 8-10, ASCE Geo-Extreme 2021, Savannah, Georgia.

 

  1. “Digital Twinning for Transportation Infrastructure Asset Management using UAV Data,” Presentation, Technical Session: UAVs, June 8-10, ASCE International Conference on Transportation & Development (ICTD) 2021, Austin, Texas.

 

  1. “Assessment of Pavement Geometric Characteristics using UAV-CRP Data,” Presentation, Technical Session: UAVs, June 8-10, ASCE International Conference on Transportation & Development (ICTD) 2021, Austin, Texas.

 

  1. “Unmanned Aerial Inspection of Pavement Infrastructure Assets,” Invited Lecture, Short-term Course on Advances in Pavement Engineering, May 24, 2021, Organized by School of Infrastructure, IIT Bhubaneswar.

 

  1. “Using Two- and Three-Dimensional Stability Analyses in Tandem to Evaluate the Safe Slope Angle of Rock Cut using Aerial Photogrammetry Data,” Presentation, Technical Session: Case Studies, May10-14, Geo-Congress, IFCEE 2021, Dallas, Texas.

 

  1. “Evaluating the Influence of Dynamic Compaction on Soft Soil Foundations Based on CPTu Testing,” Presentation, Technical Session: Ground Improvement for Seismic Reinforcement, May10-14, Geo-Congress, IFCEE 2021, Dallas, Texas.

 

  1. “Case Studies: Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Monitoring Geotechnical Assets,” Invited presentation in a Webinar on The Ubiquitous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – UAVs for Infrastructure Monitoring, Sponsored by Standing Committee on Geotechnical Instrumentation and Modeling (AKG60), March 16th, TRB-2021, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Aerial Inspection of Low-Volume Road Conditions,” Invited presentation in a Workshop on New Developments in Safety on Low Volume Roads, Sponsored by Standing Committee on Low-Volume Roads (AKD30), January 22, TRB-2021, Washington, DC.
  2. “Novel Approach for Monitoring Transportation Infrastructure Assets Using UAV-CRP Technology,” Invited Presentation, DJI AirWorks 2020, August 28.

 

  1. “Transportation Infrastructure Asset Monitoring Using UAV-CRP Technology,” Invited Presentation, Commercial UAV Expo Americas 2020, September 16.

 

  1. “Rock Slope Stability Analysis Using 3-Dimensional Data,” 2020 Tran-SET Conference, September 2.

 

  1. “Comprehensive Slope Stability Analysis of a Failed Roadway Embankment,” 2020 Tran-SET Conference, September 2.

 

  1. “Three-Dimensional Stability Analysis of Rock Slope Using Aerial Photogrammetry Data,” Podium Presentation, Technical Session: Rock Mechanics, February 27, Geocongress 2020, Minnesota, Minneapolis.

 

  1. “Infrastructure Inspection: Complimenting Traditional Methods with Aerial Remote Sensing,” Invited Presentation, Integration of Remote Sensing Techniques and Classical Instrumentation, January 12th – 16th, TRB-2020, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “A Novel Approach of Monitoring Infrastructure Asset Condition using Aerial Sensors,” Invited presentation, Young Geotechnical Professionals in Transportation, January 12th – 16th, TRB-2020, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Novel Infrastructure Monitoring Using Multifaceted Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems -Close Range Photogrammetry (UAV -CRP) Data Analysis,” Congresode Suelos Dispersivos y Sulfatados 2019, Asuncion, Paraguay.

 

  1. “Monitoring Stabilized pavements using novel sensors to validate the performance improvement,” International Conference on Transport Infrastructure and Sustainable Development (TISDIC 2019), Da Nang, Vietnam, Aug 31 – Sept 1, 2019.

 

  1. “Sustainable Design and Monitoring of Transportation Infrastructure using Proactive Data Collection,” International Conference on Geotechnics for High Speed Corridors (GHC 2019), July 24-27, 2019, Trivandrum, India.

 

  1. “Infrastructure Monitoring Using Multifaceted UAV-CRP Data Analysis,” Invited presentation, Eye in Sky: Transportation Infrastructure Monitoring Using Unmanned Aerial Technologies, January 13th – 17th, TRB-2019, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Innovative Monitoring of Pavements on Expansive Soils Using Aerially Collected Data from UAV-CRP Technology,” paper presentation, Recent Advances in Geospatial Data Acquisition, January 13th – 17th, TRB-2019, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology with Photogrammetry in Several Application Areas,” Bright Spark Lecture, GeoMEast 2018, Cairo, Egypt.

 

  1. “UAV and Close Range Photogrammetry (CRP) Studies for Transportation Infrastructure Surveys and Condition Assessment,” MnDOT Research Pays Off webinar series, Sept 18, 2018, Minnesota.

 

  1. “Analysis and interpretation of inclinometer and pressure cell data on a soil-geofoam embankment,” GeoShanghai, Shanghai, China, May 27-30, 2018.

 

  1. “Evaluation of Initial Applications of UAVs for Monitoring TxDOT Infrastructure,” TxDOT Surveyors’ Conference, April 24-25, 2018, Austin, Texas.

 

  1. “Implementation of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Texas,” State Transportation Innovation Council, March 5th 2018, Austin, Texas.

 

  1. “UAV Studies in Transportation and Geotechnical Applications,” AFS 20 Committee Presentation, January 7th – 11th, TRB-2018, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Applications of UAVs in Transportation Geotechnics,” Invited Presentation, January 7th – 11th, TRB-2018, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “UAV Studies: Texas DOT Experience: Safety Protocols and Applications in Transportation, Pavement, and Bridge Infrastructure,” Invited Presentation, January 7th – 11th, TRB-2018, Washington, DC.

 

  1. “Drone data collection to monitor the health of civil infrastructure in Texas including post recent hurricanes,” Invited Talk, CityAge: The New American City, November 29th – 30th, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Outstanding Graduate Student, University of Texas at Arlington, 2018
Young Geotechnical Engineer’s Bright Spark Lecture 2018 Awardee
Vidya and A. Kumar Palaniappan/Terradyne Endowed Fellowship 2017 Awardee
DAAD IIT-Master Sandwich Scholarship 2013 Awardee

Room: 801A, Dwight Look Engineering Building (DLEB)
College Station, TX 77843-3136
Email: congress@tamu.edu