CEE 301 Prereq.

CEE 210

Highway Engineering

Pavement Material
Engr. Tariq Shah
COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus
Highway Construction Materials
There are four basic layers in the construction
of highway
1.Surface Course or Wearing Surface
2.Base
3.Sub Base
4.Sub Grade
 The material in the wearing surface should
be of better quality because it is directly
connected to the vehicle.
 Base consist of Stone Agg. (crush) and also
sub base but of inferior quality.
 Sub ground and Sub grade is made up of soil
of that area or the borrow soil.
Materials
The Material generally used for highway
construction are as follows:

1.Stone Aggregate
a. Soft Stone Aggregate
b. Hard Stone Aggregate

2.Bitumen
Properties of a good Stone Aggregate
 Strength
 Hardness
 Toughness
 Affinity for Bitumen
 Durability
 Angular shape
 Gradation
Tests for road aggregates
 Los Angeles Abrasion Test
 Stripping Test
 Durability Test (Soundness Test)
 Freezing and Thawing Test
 Shape Test
 Gradation Test
 Specific Gravity Test
 Resistance Test (Polishing Test)
Types of asphalt for highway construction

1. Asphalt Cement
2. Emulsified Asphalt

3. Road Tar
Test for Asphalt cement
 Consistency Test
 Penetration Test
 Softening Point Test
 Viscosity Test
 Ductility Test
 Flash point Test
 Solubility Test
 Homogeneity Test
Soil
 The term Soil has various meanings depending upon
the general field in which it is being considered.

 To a Pedologist (agricultural soil scientist)... Soil is the

substance existing on the earth's surface, which grows
and develops crops (plant life).

 To a Geologist ..... Soil is the material like disintegrated

rock in the thin surface zone on the earth crust, and all
the rest of the earth’s crust is termed ROCK
irrespective of its hardness.
Soil
 To an Engineer ....

Soil is the un-cemented deposits of mineral and/or

organic particles or fragments covering large portion
of the earth's crust.

Soil is also defined as “sedimentation and other

accumulations of solid particles produced by
mechanical and chemical disintegration of rocks” in
USA.

In BS “Any naturally occurring loose or soft deposit

resulting from weathering or breakdown of rock
formation or from decay of vegetation”.
Soil Materials
 Soil material is the product of ROCK

 The geological process that produces soil is called WEATHERING

 Variation in Particle size and shape depends on:

◦ Weathering & Transportation Process

 Transportation and Deposition

Four forces that cause the transportation and deposition of soils :

1- Water ------- Alluvial Soil

2- Ice ---------- Glacial Soils
3- Wind -------- Aeolin Soils
4- Gravity ----- Colluvial Soil
Subgrade Characteristics and Properties
What is a Subgrade?
 Lowest layer in the pavement or track structure
having the lowest quality.
 The success or failure of a pavement is mostly not
dependent upon the underlying subgrade.
 Subgrades can be composed of a wide range of
materials.

Pavement cracking caused by

Subgrade Preparation
sub-grade failure
Subgrade Characteristics and Properties
 Consists of:
◦ Natural fill (in‐situ)
◦ Compacted Fill
 Soil formed from:
◦ Disintegration of rock
◦ Chemical and mechanical
 Weathering
◦ Soil is not a uniform/homogeneous material
 Soil properties vary with location and depth
Soil Investigation
Preliminary investigation
This may include the identification of soil types
from topographical maps, geological maps soil maps,
aerial photos and satellite images, ground water
conditions and examination of existing road cuttings.
The visual investigation coupled with small amount of
sampling and testing
Elements of investigation
◦ Existing topography
◦ Drainage pattern
◦ Erosion and vegetation
 Soil Texture
The texture of a soil is its appearance or
“feel” and it depends on the relative sizes
and shapes of the particles as well as the
range or distribution of those sizes.

Coarse-grained soils: Fine-grained soils:

Gravel Sand Silt Clay
0.075 mm (USCS)

Sieve analysis Hydrometer analysis

Soil Investigation
Detailed investigation ‐ Field and lab investigation
1. Field investigation
◦ It includes geophysical exploration , test pits and boring
sampling of soil and rocks, registration of soil profiles
and ground water conditions
◦ Two geophysical methods used for investigation are the
electric resistivity and seismic refraction method
Electric resistivity mainly depends on clay minerals,
moisture content and type of concentration of electrolytes in
water.
Seismic refraction method mainly relies upon that velocity
of sound is different for different materials.
Soil Investigation
Detailed investigation
2. Lab investigation
 Representative samples
 The depth of test pit and boring should be at least
one meter below the purposed sub grade elevation.
Where soft soil is encountered, go down to denser
strata.
 It is advisable to take a greater no of samples in the
field that can be tested in lab.
Soil Investigation
Lab Testing
 Particle size distribution – important since many
properties such as internal friction, void content, wear
resistant and permeability etc can be ascertained
 Moisture content‐ for strengths and deformation
characteristics
 Specific gravity – is used in the equations expressing
the phase relation of air, water and solids in a given
volume of material
 Plasticity – use to estimate the engineering behavior of
clayey soils
 Free swell
◦ Used to verify swelling tendencies.
◦ Calculated as the increase of volume as a %age of initial volume
Subgrade Characteristics and Properties
Lab Testing – (continued)
 Density ‐ Influence on bearing capacity and potential for
settlement
 Compaction‐ standard and modified compaction test
 California bearing ratio, CBR
 Dynamic cone penetrometer test, DPC(CPT)
 Consolidation test – Employed to estimate the
settlement of soil under embankment or other structures
 Tri‐axial compression test – is used to examine the
structural strength of soil as foundation of structure or in
detail studies of slope stability problems
Sieve size

Rectangular opening
4” (101.6 mm) to # 400
(.038mm)
Below #200 is not practical
 Grain Size Distribution

• Gravels are between # 4 sieve and

3”
• Sands are between # 200 sieve
and
# 4 sieve
• Fines are smaller than # 200 sieve
 Grain Size Distribution
System based only on particles smaller than
3-inches
Cobbles are 3”to 12”
Boulders are > 12”