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Pavement Materials
Soil Classification
Subbase
Foundation
Capping
Subgrade
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Natural Ground
Natural ground surface on which a
pavement is constructed
Consists of unbound materials
Mostly simply classified as subgrade
No binder or similar binding agent
No tensile strength
Resilient modulus/modulus of resilience
Pavement Materials
General Practice
◦ High volume
◦ Low cost
◦ Can be produced easily and cheaply
Mostly Include
◦ Earth, rock, sand and clay
Relatively sparingly used materials
◦ Cement, bitumen, additives, modifiers
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Road Construction
Many kilometers of road construction
Resurfacing and rehabilitation of existing
pavements
Increase in demand because of population
growth and increased use of road
transport vehicles
Natural resources are depleting but the
demand is increasing
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Expensive Materials
Cement
Concrete
Steel/reinforcement
Bitumen
Polymers/bitumen modifiers
Additives for aggregates
Types of Materials
Soil
Aggregate
Bitumen
Cement
Material Modifications
High strength, Artificial Materials
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Soil
Foundation of a Pavement Structure
Underlying soil should be adequately protected from
applied loads
Soils vary from heavy clays, through silts and sands to
high-strength rocky materials.
Soils are not usually consistent along the length of a
road or across any pavement site.
Soils are sensitive to water content to differing
degrees
Water contents vary during the life of a pavement,
sometimes over quite short timescales
Some soils are highly permeable; some clays are
virtually impermeable but porous
Soil
It is necessary to categorize each soil type
encountered
There are two fundamental areas in which
soil behavior affects pavement
performance
These are:
◦ stiffness under moving load;
◦ resistance to deformation under repeated
load, likely to be related to shear strength
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Granular Materials
Unbound Materials
includes natural gravel, crushed rock and
granulated industrial byproducts (slag
from steel production)
Soil is also a granular material but it is
utilized in its available form
Granular materials are however selected
and different sizes are blended together
according to the requirement of the
engineer
Granular Materials
Granular materials are therefore more
predictable in comparison to soils
More controlled material but uncertainty
still lies because they are;
◦ Natural materials
◦ Different aggregate types used in the blend
will have different properties and behavior
However, performance related properties
are still stiffness and shear strength
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Other Materials
Block Paving
◦ Hydraulically bound materials if produced by
using concrete
◦ Can be cut from natural stones or bricks can
also be used directly
Use of steel for reinforced concrete
◦ Reinforcement of hydraulically bound
materials
Other Materials
Grouted Macadam
◦ Combination of hydraulic and bitumen bound
materials
◦ Expensive and only used for specific heavy
duty applications
◦ Examples are;
Bus lanes
Industrial pavements
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Other Materials
Reinforced granular materials
Geosynthetics
◦ Geogrids
Use of specially made grids for stabilization of roads
over soft grounds
◦ Geotextiles
Can have a reinforcing function but their most
common usage is simply as a separator, ensuring
that fine soil particles do not migrate up into the
pavement and that stones from a granular layer do
not lose themselves in the soil.
Soil Classification
Soil Classification according to AASHTO
system
Designation
◦ AASHTO M 145-91(2000)
◦ ASTM D 2487-00
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Broad Classification
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Grading curves
100
80
% Finer
60
40
20
0
0 .0 0 0 1 0 .0 0 1 0 .0 1 0 .1 1 10 100
P a r ti c l e s i ze ( m m )
W Well graded
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Grading curves
100
80
% Finer
60
40
20
0
0 .0 0 0 1 0 .0 0 1 0 .0 1 0 .1 1 10 100
P a r ti c l e s i ze ( m m )
W Well graded
U Uniform
Grading curves
100
80
% Finer
60
40
20
0
0 .0 0 0 1 0 .0 0 1 0 .0 1 0 .1 1 10 100
P a r ti c l e s i ze ( m m )
W Well graded
U Uniform
P Poorly graded
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Grading curves
100
80
% Finer
60
40
20
0
0 .0 0 0 1 0 .0 0 1 0 .0 1 0 .1 1 10 100
P a r ti c l e s i ze ( m m )
W Well graded
U Uniform
P Poorly graded
C Well graded with some clay
Grading curves
100
80
% Finer
60
40
20
0
0 .0 0 0 1 0 .0 0 1 0 .0 1 0 .1 1 10 100
P a r ti c l e s i ze ( m m )
W Well graded
U Uniform
P Poorly graded
C Well graded with some clay
F Well graded with an excess of fines
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Simple Classification
In general soils contain a wide range of particle sizes
Soil Classification
Soil classification involves the following
tests
◦ Sieve Analysis
◦ Determination of Atterberg’s Limits
Liquid limit test
Plastic limit test
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Sieve Analysis
Apparatus:
◦ Weighing Device
◦ Set of sieves
The following sieves are generally used
for the purpose
Sieve size Sieve size Sieve size Sieve No.
in in in
(mm) (in) (mm)
75 3 in. 0.840 No. 20
37.5 1 ½ in. (.420) No. 40
19 ¾ in. 0.250 No. 60
9.5 3/8 in. 0.15 No. 100
4.75 No. 4 0.075 No. 200
2.00 No. 10
Sieve Analysis
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Procedure
Almost 500g of soil is taken.
Sieves are arranged in descending order with
a pan at bottom.
The sieving operation is conducted by lateral
and vertical motion of the sieves so as to
keep the sample moving continuously over
the sieve surface.
The soil particles should not be turned or
manipulated through the sieves by hand.
Sieving is continued until not more than 1
percent by mass of the residue passes any
sieve during 60 seconds
Calculations
Sieve Size Weight Weight Percentage passing
(mm) retained (gm) passed Weight passed
(gm) ( ×100)
Total weight
(75)
(37.5)
(19)
(9.5)
(4.75)
(2.00)
(0.840)
(0.420)
(0.250)
(0.15)
(0.075)
pan
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Procedure
Adjust the height of drop of cup equal to 10 ± 0.2 mm.
Take a sample of about 100g from thoroughly mixed portion
of the material passing the No. 40 sieve i.e., 0.425 mm sieve.
Further additions of water shall be made in increments of 1
to 3 ml.
When sufficient water has been thoroughly mixed with the
soil to form a uniform paste of stiff consistency, a sufficient
quantity of this paste shall be placed in the cup and shall be
squeezed and spread with the spatula to level and at the
same time trimmed to a depth of 10 mm at the point of
maximum thickness.
The excess soil shall be returned to the mixing dish and
covered to retain the moisture in the sample.
The soil in the cup of the device shall be divided by a firm
stroke of the grooving tool along the diameter so that a
clean sharp groove will be formed.
Procedure
The cup containing the sample prepared shall be lifted and
dropped by turning the lever at the rate of approximately
two revolutions per second until the two sides of the sample
come in contact at the bottom of groove along a distance of
13 mm.
The number of shocks (blows) required to close the groove
shall be recorded.
Take a sample to determine the moisture content.
The soil remaining in the cup shall be transferred to the
mixing dish. The cup and the grooving tool shall then be
mashed and dried in preparation for the next trial.
Repeat the procedure for at least four times and record the
number of blows and the corresponding moisture content in
each case.
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Main Steps:
1. Sample as taken from the field 2. Sample after passing sieve No. 40
(About 100-g sample passing #40 Sieve)
12.7mm
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Calculations
A “Flow Curve” representing the relation
between moisture content and corresponding
number of blows shall be plotted on a semi-
logarithmic graph.The flow curve shall be a
straight line drawn as nearly as possible through
the three or more plotted points.
Flow Curve
Liquid Limit
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51
49
Moisture Content %
47
45
43
41
39
37
35
1 10 100
No. of Blows
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No of Blows
Calculations
Test Wt. of wet Wt. of dry M.C No. of
Repetitions Soil (WW) Soil (WD) in (WW –WD)/ Blows (N)
in grams grams WD
………
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Sample
Paste before rolling Rolled thread, & standard needle to compare thread size
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Procedure
Deform 8g test sample into an ellipsoidal- shape mass.
Roll this mass between the fingers or plan on the glass plate with
just sufficient pressure to roll the mass into a thread of uniform
diameter throughout its length.
The rate of rolling shall be between 80 & 90 strokes per minute.
When the diameter of the thread becomes less than 3 mm, break
the thread and squeeze the pieces into a uniform mass of
ellipsoidal shape and re-roll.
Continue this alternate rolling to a thread of 3 mm, in diameter,
gathering together, kneading and re-rolling, until the thread
crumbles under the pressure required for rolling and the soil can
no longer be rolled into a thread.
The crumbling may occur when the thread has a diameter greater
than 3 mm. This shall be considered a satisfactory end point,
provided the soil has been previously rolled into a thread 3 mm in
diameter.
Calculations
Calculate the plastic limit, expressed as moisture
content in percentage of the mass of the oven
dry soil as follows:
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Result Representation
Following details are provided;
◦ AASHTO classification
◦ Material details
◦ Performance rating
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