Lecture 7: Super-elevation Design

TR 320 Highway Geometric Design

Objective of the Lecture

Lecturer: To introduce super-elevation design The learner should be able to: To drawn super-elevation diagram and provide details for the critical points
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 2

Key points Design super-elevation Super-elevation Transition Criteria for superelevation runoff length Methods for attainment of super elevation
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 3

Super elevation (re-cap)

Refers to banking of curves to counteract the centripetal force experienced by a vehicle negotiating a curve Super-elevation is expressed as a slope (% or in the minimum radius equation as a decimal) Design values: 8% (sometimes up to 12%) is adopted as a maximum value for rural roads and 4% or 6% for urban roads
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 4

Design super-elevation
Max. super-elevation rates are limited by:
The need to prevent slow moving vehicles from sliding to the inside of the curve Keeping parking lanes relatively level in urban areas The need to keep differences in slope between road and streets intersecting with it within reasonable bounds
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 5

Super-elevation transition
Involves the modification of roadway cross section from normal crown to full superelevation E.g. for a normal crown of 2% to full superelevation of 6% (Please make a sketch!!) Terms: Tangent run-out, super-elevation runoff; normal crown, adverse camber removed
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 6

Interpretation of Super-elevation diagram

Computation of levels
Reference: the centre line Levels of other parts are computed in reference to the centre line To get final elevation add to the centre line elevation See figure below

TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design

Super-elevation diagram for twolane road with 3.6 m wide lanes

 Super elevation transition is normally linear, i.e. the rate of rotation of the pavement is constant with respect to distance through the transition Spiral transitions are used in conjuction with superelevation transitions Normally coincide with super elevation runoff

TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design

10

Methods for attainment of superelevation

For highways superelevation is attained most commonly by rotating the cross section about the profile grade line This means the centre line for two lane roadways and undivided multilane highways For divided highways with wide medians the rotation is about the inside travelled way edge (For railways it is the top of lower rail)
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 11

Criteria for Length of superelevation runoff

Vehicle dynamics, or Appearance criteria

Vehicle dynamics criterion is associated with the use of transition curves and is based on the need to limit the rate of increase of centripetal force as one traverses the transition curve (comfort)
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 12

The minimum length is determined from the formula:

L = 0.0702

3 V /RC

L = minimum length of spiral V = design speed, km/hr R = curve radius, m C rate of increase of centripetal acceleration, m/s3 C value from 1.0 to 3 are used
TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design 13

AASHTO Recommends:

L = 0.0214 V3/RC
For minimum length of spiral for highways (comfort) Provide minimum shift

Maximum radius for use of a spiral for safety reasons is also recommended, see Exhibit 3-36

TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design

14

Appearance criteria
Based on rate of rotation of pavement during the development of superelevation so that the relative slope of the outside edge is 1:200 or more for V greater than 80 km/hr otherwise 1:100

TR 320 Lecture 6: Horizontal Alignment Design

15