DESIGN OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS

Name of
Student

Sr. No.
1.
2.
3.

Roll No.

MD. SHAYAN
KHAN
REVANT
MIGLANI
NANKI
SEKHON

Signature

2K12/CE/075

Sr. No.

Supervisor/Joint
Supervisor

Mr. B.R.G ROBERT

Designation
of The
Supervisor
Assistant
professor

2K12/CE/097
2K12/CE/078

4.

PRAVEER
KUMAR

2K12/CE/089

5.

VIJAY
BISHNOI

2K12/CE/120

Certificate
Approval of
the
Supervisor
Signature of
the
Supervisor/s

Project Work qualifies for submission

Approved/Rejected/Needs Revision

Department of Civil Engineering, Delhi Technological University

ABSTRACT

Introduction

This report is based on the expansion process in progress

on Wazirabad-Mukarba Chowk Corridor. Flexible
pavements are being used in the expansion process.
Highway and pavement design plays an important role in
the DPR projects. The satisfactory performance of the
pavement will result in higher savings in terms of vehicle
operating costs and travel time, which has a bearing on the
overall economic feasibility of the project.

1.1 General:-

Flexible pavement are preferred over cement concrete

roads as they have a great advantage that these can be
strengthened and improved in stages with the growth of
traffic and also their surfaces can be milled and recycled
for rehabilitation. The flexible pavements are less
expensive also with regard to initial investment and
maintenance.
The economic parts are carried out for the design
pavement of a section by using the result obtained by
design method and their corresponding component layer
thickness. It can be done by drawing comparisons with the
standard way and practical way.

Pavements are the durable surface materials laid down on

an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such
as a road or walkway.
Based on the structural behavior, pavement are generally
classified into two categories:
1. Flexible pavement
2. Rigid pavement
Pavement thickness, width and type should vary based on
the intended function of the paved area.
1.2 Flexible pavements:Flexible pavements are those having negligible flexural
strength and are flexible in structural actions under the
loads. The design of flexible pavements is based on load
distributing characteristics of the component layers. A
flexible pavement structure is generally composed of
several layers of materials which can accommodate the
flexing.
1.3 Advantages of Flexible pavements:-

CHAPTER: 1

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Adaptability to stage construction

Availability of low-cost types that can be easily built
Ability to be easily opened and patched
Easy to repair frost heave and settlement
Resistance to the formation of ice

2.1 General
1.4 Project:The project envisaged by PWD is regarding the extra
widening of Wazirabad-Mukarba chowk corridor. The
corridor is to be widened by 45m from the centre line
along a stretch of approximately 9 km.

The California bearing ratio test is penetration test meant

for the evaluation of subgrade strength of roads and
pavements. The results obtained by these tests are used
with the empirical curves to determine the thickness of
pavement and its component layers. It is one of the most
important tests to find out
.
2.2 Definition
It is the ratio of force per unit area required to penetrate a
soil mass with standard circular piston at the rate of 1.25
mm/min. to that required for the corresponding
penetration of a standard material.
C.B.R. = (Test load/Standard load) * 100

2.3 Reason for CBR Test

Fig.1 Extra widened road

The corridor so widened is further divided in bus lane,
cycle track, foot path and utility/green zone on the basis of
its utility.

1.5 Benefits from Extra widening:a)

Extra widening will help decongest the traffic.

b) It will help decrease the travel time.

c)

Green/ Utility zone in the widened corridor increase

the aesthetic beauty of the road

d) Cycle track and the utility zone in the road promote

more environment friendly construction.

CHAPTER: 2

It is helpful in determining the resistance of the subgrade,

(i.e. the layer of naturally occurring material upon which
the road is built), to deformation under the load from
vehicle wheels
The stronger the subgrade (the higher the CBR reading)
the less thick it is necessary to design and construct the
road pavement, this gives a considerable cost saving.

2.4 Procedure of the test

a)

The mould assembly is placed with the surcharge

weights on the penetration test machine.
b) The penetration piston is seated at the center of the
specimen with the smallest possible load, but in no
case in excess of 4 kg so that full contact of the piston
on the sample is established.
c) The stress and strain dial gauge readings are set to
read zero. Load is applied on the piston so that the
penetration rate is about 1.25 mm/min.
d) Readings are recorded at penetrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5,
2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 mm. Maximum
load and is noted for the corresponding penetration if
it occurs for a penetration less than 12.5 mm.
e) Moisture content is determined for 20g to 50g of soil
taken from the top 3cm thick layer

CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO TEST (CBR)

2.5 Observations

25 KN Capacity Proving Ring Correction Factor of

(1Division) = 3.133 kg

Table2. Observed values for Mould 2

Specimens preparation Method:

1. Type of compaction used:

Dynamic

2. Condition of specimens at test:

Soaking

3. Period of Soaking:

96 hours

4. Surcharge weight used:

5 Kg

5. Area of Plunger (cm2):

19.625

Table3. Observed values for Mould 3

2.6 Analysis
a) Analysis for Mould 1

Table1. Observed values for Mould 1

b) Analysis for Mould 2

method is suitable for fine-grained soils free from

aggregations.

3.2 Procedure
1. Measure the height (h) and internal diameter (d) of the
core cutter and apply grease to the inside of the core cutter
2. Weigh the empty core cutter.
3. Clean and level the place where density is to be
determined.
4. Drive the core cutter, with a steel dolly on its top, into
the soil to its full depth with the help of a steel rammer.
c)

Analysis for Mould 3

5. Excavate the soil around the cutter with a crow bar and
gently lift the cutter without disturbing the soil in it.
6. Trim the top and bottom surfaces of the sample and
clean the outside surface of the cutter.
7. Weigh the core cutter with soil.
8. Remove the soil from the core cutter, using a sample
ejector and take representative soil sample from it to
determine the moisture content.

CHAPTER: 3
Core Cutter Method
3.1 General:The Core Cutter method is a field test to determine the dry
density of soil. The in-situ density of soil is required for
stability analysis, for the determination of the degree of
compaction of compacted soil, etc. The core-cutter

Fig.2 Core used in Core cutter method

3.3 Observations

Optimum Moisture Content for soil = 12%

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Weight of core-cutter + Wet Soil (W1) = 3006g

Weight of core-cutter (W2)
=932g
Weight of wet soil (W3=W1-W2)
=2074g
Volume of core-cutter (W4)
=1021cc
Wet Density of Sample (W5 =W3/W4) = 2.031g/cc
Maximum Dry Density (MDD)
=1.94g/cc

Optimum Moisture Content (MC) for the soil must be

maintained at 13%

3.4 Calculations
1) Dry Density of Sample(W6=((W5/100+MC))*100)=
1.79g/cc
2) Compaction(W7=W6/ MDD) =92.6%

down. The sand will freely run down till it fills the
conical portion. When there is no further downward
movement of sand in the SPC, close the slit.
d) Find the weight of the SPC along with the sand
remaining after filling the cone (W2)
e) Place the SPC concentrically on top of the calibrating
can. Open the slit to allow the sand to run down until
the sand flow stops by itself. This operation will fill
the calibrating can and the conical portion of the SPC.
Now close the slit and find the weight of the SPC
with the remaining sand (W3)
f) The values such as deflection etc. Were noted down
in EXCEL one by one and then with the help of the
EXCEL. We were able to make out the graphs and do
a quantitative study.
STAGE2: MEASUREMENT OF SOIL DENSITY
a)

3.5 Analysis
The subgrade must be compacted upto 97% . So, more
compaction is required . Compaction can be done with the
help of rollers.

b)
c)

d)

CHAPTER: 4
Sand Replacement Method

e)
f)

4.1 General:Sand Replacement Method is another test to determine the

in-situ Dry density of the soil. Determination of field
density of cohesion less soil is not possible by core cutter
method, because it is not possible to obtain a core sample.
In such situation, the sand replacement method is
employed to determine the unit weight.

4.2 Procedure
STAGE1: CALIBERATION OF SAND DENSITY
a)

Measure the internal dimensions (diameter, d and

height, h) of the calibrating can and compute its
internal volume, Vc = d2h/4.
b) Fill the sand pouring cylinder (SPC) with sand with 1
cm top clearance (to avoid any spillover during
operation) and find its weight (W1)
c) Place the SPC on a glass plate, open the slit above the
cone by operating the valve and allow the sand to run

g)

h)

Clean and level the ground surface where the

field density is to be determined
Place the tray with a central hole over the portion
of the soil to be tested.
Excavate a pit into the ground, through the hole
in the plate, approximately 12 cm deep (same as
the height of the calibrating can). The hole in the
tray will guide the diameter of the pit to be made
in the ground.
Collect the excavated soil into the tray and weigh
the soil (W)
Determine the moisture content of the excavated
soil.
Place the SPC, with sand having the latest weight
of W3, over the pit so that the base of the
cylinder covers the pit concentrically.
Open the slit of the SPC and allow the sand to
run into the pit freely, till there is no downward
movement of sand level in the SPC and then
close the slit.
Find the weight of the SPC with the remaining
sand (W4)

5) Dry density(W8=W7/(100+MC))100)=2.182g/cc
6)

Compaction (W9=(W8/ MDD)*100)=92.92%

4.5 Analysis
A good subgrade must have a compaction of not less
than 97%. So, for use the sub grade must be compacted
again till a compaction of 97% is achieved. Compaction
can be done with the help of rollers. Vibrating rollers are
more effective for compaction.

CONCLUSION
This paper introduces different methods to find out the dry
density of soil in-situ. The variation in usage of method
depends on the soil present in the subgrade. The amount
of water to be added for making mix for the pavement
should be greater than OMC by 1% to 2% to compensate
the loss in water due to evaporation etc. Highly compacted
subgrade is used in the design of pavements.

Fig3. Sand replacement method

4.3 Observations
1) Optimum Moisture Content for Sand= 6.5%
2) Mass of Pouring Cylinder+
Sand before Pouring (W1)
=15000g
3) Mass of Pouring Cylinder+Sand after Pouring
(W2)

=10920g

4) Mass of Sand Cone (W3)

5) Density of Sand Chosen (D)
6) Moisture Content

(MC)

7) Maximum Dry Density (MDD)

=1208g
= 1.405 g/cc
= 5%
=2.35g/cc

4.4 Calculations
1)
2)
3)
4)

Mass of Sand in hole(W4=W1-W2-W3)= 2872g

Volume of Hole (W5=W4/D)
=2044g/cc
Mass of Wet Sample from Hole (W6)=4688g
Wet Density of Sample (W7=W6/W5)=2.293g/cc

Pavement Use:
Problem Type:
Design Input Summary
Climate:
Design Traffic
(ESAL):
Subgrade Mr (MPa):
Design Traffic Details
Design Life (years):

General Roadway
Pavement Extension
35 C
139,652
51.5
25

Initial Average Annual 1076

Daily Traffic (AADT):
Truck Volume, as a
7.5
percentage of AADT:
Annual Compound
3
Growth Rate (%):
Type of usage:
URBAN
Calculated Equivalent Single Axle Loads (ESAL)
Initial Year Traffic
12,186
(ESAL):
Design Life (ESAL):
139,652
Subgrade Information
Type of Measurement: California Bearing
Ratio(CBR)
Correlation Equation:
Mr (MPa) = [10.3 x
CBR]
Recommended Design 75.0

Strength Percentile
Design Strength
Percentile:
Individual
CBR
CBR Values
10.49

N/A
Mr
52
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are thankful to our mentor, Mr. B.R.G Robert
(Assistant Professor) for guiding us throughout the
project work and for introducing us to the staff of CEC
working on the Extra widening project.
We would also like to thank Mr. Suraj (site engineer)
who helped us to perform the experiments and to gain a
better understanding about the pavement design.
REFERENCES
1) Indian Standard Code 2720 Part-28
2) Indian Standard Code 2720 Part-29
3) HIGHWAY ENGINEERING 9th Edition
by Khanna and Justo
4) Wikipedia.org