CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Vertical Alignment 2
Design of vertical curves:
Crest/summit curve
Sag/valley curve

CE 416 Lecture 7

Fundamentals of Vertical Curve design

SSD on vertical curves

h1

Height of eye

h2 Height of object
Crest
curve

headlight
sight
distance

The sharper the slope, the shorter the sight distance

the slope needs to be designed based on the
requirement of SSDs of various design speed.

End of
headlight
illumination

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Design of Crest Vertical Curve

Design criterion: Sight Distance
Design Minimum curve length (L) for safe stopping

s
PVI

PVC

H2

PVT

H1
L
Crest curve
S = Sight distance
H1 = height of drivers eye above roadway surface in m.
H2 = height of object above roadway surface in.

Design of Crest Vertical Curve

Design criterion: Sight Distance
Two cases are considered
PVI
PVI

h1
h2

PVC

h2

PVT

PVC

h1

PVT

S
s

S<L

S>L

= 2

200

1 + 2

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Case 1: S<L

Design of Crest Vertical Curve

2
=
2

k
d1

1 = 12

d2
PVI

2 = 22

G1
h1

e = k(L2)2

PVC

= 41+242
1 2
4

1 + 2 =

h2 PVT
S

1 + 2 = (12 +22 )
1 +2

G2

e =
8

2 2
4

Case 1: S<L

Design of Crest Vertical Curve

1 =

1 2
4
d1

and
2 =

d2
PVI

2 2
4

G1
h1

(1 + 2 )2
21 + 22

G2

e
e

PVC

h2 PVT
S

But
=

d1 + d2 = S
2
21 + 22

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Design of Crest Vertical Curve

Same derivation could be done for case 2, S>L , hence
2

for S<L

For S > L

= 2

200

1 + 2
200

1 + 2

Substituting for H1=1.08 m and H2=0.6 m, we get minimum curve length Lm:

for S<L

For S > L

Design of Crest Vertical Curve

In practical, 1) L > SSD is usually warranted, i.e.
2
=
658
applies, the equation is rearranged as:
=
Where,

2
=
658

In practical, 2) G is usually ignored in calculation of SSD

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Design controls of stopping sight distance for Crest Vertical Curve

Rate of vertical curvature, K

Design speed
(km/h)

Stopping sight
distance (m)

20

20

0.6

30

35

1.9

40

50

3.8

50

65

6.4

60

85

11.0

11

70

105

16.8

17

80

130

25.7

26

90

160

38.9

39

100

185

52.0

52

110

220

73.6

74

120

250

95.0

95

130

285

123.4

124

Calculated

Design

Design controls of stopping sight distance for

Crest Vertical Curve

K=51

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Example: Crest curve

A highway is being designed to AASHTO guidelines with a 113-km/h
design speed, and at one section, an equal tangent vertical curve
must be designed to connect grades of +1.0% and -2.0%. Determine
the minimum length of curve necessary to meet SSD requirements.
Solution:
SSD = 229 m
(from table)
A = +1-(-2) = 3%
Assume L > SSD =

3 (229)2
= .
658

239.092 > 229, >

Example: Crest curve

Using Chart: V= 113 km/h A= 3%
Solution:

V= 113 km/h

A= 3%

239 m

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Passing Sight Distance on crest curve:

Using H1 = H2 = 1.08m (AASHTO),

for S<L

For S > L

PSD: Passing Sight Distance

As was the case for stopping sight distance, it is typically assumed
L > PSD
=
2
=
864

Design Controls for Crest Vertical Curves Based on Passing Sight Distance

Design Speed
(km/h)

Passing Sight
Distance (m)

Rate of Vertical Curvature, Ka

Design

30

120

17

40

140

23

50

160

30

60

180

38

70

210

51

80

245

69

90

280

91

100

320

119

110

355

146

120

395

181

130

440

224

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Design of Sag Vertical Curve

Design criteria:
Headlight sight distance
Underpass
Comfort
Drainage

PVC

Sag / Valley Curve

PVT

PVI
L

Design of Sag Vertical Curve

Headlight sight distance
The critical concern for sag vertical curve design is the length of
roadway illuminated by the vehicle Headlights during nighttime,
because in day light, sight
S
distance on a sag vertical
H
curve is unrestricted.

L can be given by properties

of the parabola as follows:

For L > S

For L < S

PVT

PVC
PVI
L

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Design of Sag Vertical Curve

Minimum L is given by taking H =0.6 m and = 1 degree:

For L > SSD

2
=
120 + 3.5

For L < SSD

= 2

120 + 3.5

Design of Sag Vertical Curve

In practical calculation of Lm : (as is the case for crest curves)
1. The assumption that L > SSD, is almost always made in practice;
2. When compute SSD, G is always ignored.
From 1, 2, the simplified Lm calculation can be given by:
=
For Sag curve:

2
=
120 + 3.5

Where, K as defined before, is the horizontal distance in m required to

effect a 1% change in the slope

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

K-value for sag vertical curves

Rate of vertical curvature, K, is
the length of curve (m) per
percent algebraic difference
intersecting grades (A). K= L/A

Design Speed
(km/h)

Stopping Sight Rate of Vertical Curvature, Ka

Distance (m)
Calculated
Design

20

20

2.1

30

35

5.1

40

50

8.5

50

65

12.2

13

60

85

17.3

18

70

105

22.6

23

80

130

29.4

30

90

160

37.6

38

100

185

44.6

45

110

220

54.4

55

120

250

62.8

63

130

285

72.7

73

Design controls for sag vertical curves

10

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Underpass distance on sag vertical curve

Clearance height of overpass Structure above roadway in m

Sight distance (S)

Overpass structure
Line of sight
H1
H2
G1

H1 = height of drivers eye

H2 = height of obstacle
C = clearance height
between overpass and
road surface

G2

C
PVT
PVC

PVI
L/2

L/2
L

Derive formula for Lm in terms of A, S, H1, H2 and C

Underpass distance on sag vertical curve

For L > S:

2
2
800 1 +
2

2
800 1 +
2
= 2

Take H1 = 2.4 m for truck driver, H2 = 0.6 m for the taillight of a vehicle

For L < S:

11

2
800 1.5

For L > S:

For L < S:

= 2

800 1.5

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Passenger comfort
The effect on passenger comfort of the change in vertical direction is greater on
sag than on crest vertical curves because gravitational and centripetal forces are
combining rather than opposing forces.
Affected appreciably by vehicle body suspension, vehicle body weight, tire
flexibility, and other factors.

riding is comfortable on sag vertical curves when the centripetal acceleration does
not exceed 0.3 m/s2 .

The general expression for such a criterion is:

=

L = length of sag vertical curve

A = algebraic difference in grades
V = design speed in km/h
The length of vertical curve needed to satisfy this comfort factor at the various
design speeds is only about 50 percent of that needed to satisfy the headlight
sight distance criterion for the normal range of design conditions.

Drainage on sag vertical curves

Low point
PVT
PVC
PVI

Drainage affects design of vertical curves of Type III where curbed sections are used.
An approximate criterion for sag vertical curves is the same as that expressed for the
crest conditions (i.e., a minimum grade of 0.30 percent should be provided within
15 m of the level point). This criterion corresponds to K of 51 m per percent
change in grade.
The drainage criterion differs from other criteria in that the length of sag vertical
curve determined for it is a maximum, whereas, the length for any other criterion is
a minimum.
The maximum length of the drainage criterion is greater than the minimum length
for other criteria up to 100 km/h.

12

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Appearance of sag vertical curve

For improved appearance of sag vertical curves, previous guidance
used a rule-of-thumb for minimum curve length of 30A or, K = 30
m per percent change in grade.
This approximation is a generalized control for small or
intermediate values of A.
Compared with headlight sight distance, it corresponds to a design
speed of approximately 80 km/h.
On high-type highways, longer curves are appropriate to improve
appearance.

Example: Minimum length of a sag vertical curve

A sag vertical curve is to be designed to join a -3% grade to a +3% grade.
If the design speed is 65 kmph, determine the minimum length of the
curve that will satisfy all criteria. Take a=3.414 m/s2 and tp.r.=2.5 sec.

Solution:
Determine the SSD:

SSD 0.278Vt

V2
a
254 (
G)
9.81

SSD 0.278 65 2.5

13

(65) 2
= 97.48 m
3.414
254 (
0.03)
9.81

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

Solution:

Example: Minimum length of a sag vertical curve

minimum curve length for headlight sight distance:
(120 3.5 S )
(120 3.5 97.48)
Assume S>L L 2S
2 97.48
118.097 m
A
6
(S= 97.48 m is not greater than L=118.097 m), try case S<L
L

AS 2
6 (97.48) 2

123 .627 m
120 3.5 S 120 3.5 97.48

S<L ok.

minimum length for the comfort criterion

AV 2
6 (65) 2
L

64.13 m
400
400
minimum length for general appearance criterion:
L= 30 A

L= 30 x 6 = 180 m

The minimum length to satisfy all criteria is 180 m

Vertical Curves - Examples

It is required to design a crest vertical curve that will connect a highway
segment with a 3% grade to an adjoining segment with a -1% grade.
Assume that the minimum stopping sight distance for the highway is 200
m. If the elevation of the VPC is 750 m, what will the elevation of the
curve be at L/2 ?
E=750 m
PVI
PVT

SSD= 200 m
PVC
3%
L

14

-1%

CE416

Lecture 7: Vertical Alignment 2

E=750 m
PVI

Solution:

PVT

SSD= 165 m

-1%

PVC
3%
L

The first step in the analysis is to find the length of the crest vertical curve.
The grade changes from 3% to -1%, which is a change of -4% or A = |-4%|.
In addition, for the stopping sight distance h1 = 1.08 m and h2 = 0.6 m.
Since we know S = 200 m, we can go ahead and solve for the length of the crest
vertical curve.

Assume S > L

If S < L then

200 1.08 + 0.6

1 + 2 2
= 2(200)
4

L = 235.502 m
(invalid because L > S)

= 2

200

2
200

1 + 2

4(200)2
200

1.08 + 0.6

= 243.163 m

OK

Solution:
Elevation of the curve be at L/2

PVI
E=750 m
PVC
L/2= 121.58 m

y = ax2 + bx + c
3%

( )
(+)
=
=
= 0.000082

(. )
= = +. % = 0.03
y = -0.000082(121.58)2 + 0.03(121.58) + 750
y =752.43 m

15

L= 243.163 m

PVT

-1%