Chapter 7:

CONSTRUCTING THE
ROADBED

7-1 Soil as Structure

Roadway has three major structural parts:

1. The Sub-grade or Sub-base

2. The Base Course
3. The Pavement

The Sub-grade or Sub-base

It is the earth beneath the road, properly
arranged and graded, compacted and stabilized.
It is defined as the Supporting structure on
which the pavement surface and its special
under-courses rest.
In a cut section of a road, it is the original soil
lying below the layers designated as the base
and sub base materials.
On fill road sections, it consists of the imported
materials taken from nearby roadway cuts or
from borrow pit.

The Base Course

It is the material laid on top of the
sub-grade consisting of crushed stone
or gravel, sometimes mixed with
asphalt binders.

The Pavement
It is the material laid over the base
course consisting of Asphalt Concrete
or Portland Cement Concrete.

7-2 Types of Base Course

Two Types of Base Course
Granular Base Course
untreated soil mixture
Treated Base Course

Granular Base Course

- road surface of untreated soil mixture
called GRAVEL ROAD

Gravel Road
Consists:
*Stone Pebbles or Crushed Rock
Particles
Combined with either:
*Clay
*Lime
*Iron Oxide or other Fine Materials

CONSTRUCTION and MAINTENANCE

REQUIREMENTS of UNTREATED
GRAVEL ROAD SURFACE

Road must be stable to support the super imposed

loads without detrimental deformation.
It must shed the large portion of rain that falls on
the surface.
It must be free from large rocks or stones over one
inch in diameter.
Gravel road must possess capillarity properties.
The road must maintain the desired damp
condition that is required to bind the particles
together.

 On dry weather, moisture film on clay

particles must bind the entire mass
together. In wet weather, it should
expand the clay and close the pores
Excessive amount of highly expansive
clay materials should be avoided.
Gravel road must be low cost.
Use local materials.

7-3 Treated Base Course

Asphalt
Lime
Portland Cement
Other materials as binders mixed
with the aggregate base course.

When the treated base course is

adopted?
If it is in the study or analysis of the
highway agency
A better road can be produced at a
minimal over all cost
When the politician order the highway
office to construct the road with or
without the study because it was a
commitment during the campaign
period

Asphalt or bituminous
treatment is employed to
waterproof and bind the
granular aggregate to the
sand and clay. Thus,
waterproofing is asphalts
primary function.

Factors Affecting the Type of Asphalt

Binders for Based Coursed Aggregate
The mixing procedure is either by plant or
field mixing.
If mixing is processed in the plant, the
aggregate is heated to specified
temperature and mixed with either; Asphalt
Cement Cutback or Emulsion asphalt.
The quality of asphalt is classified as either
for stabilizing or for water proofing
purposes only

Factors Affecting the Type of Asphalt

Binders for Based Coursed Aggregate
If the purpose if for stability, mixtures are
measured in the laboratory by Marshall or
HVEEM Stabilometer procedures. The weight
of asphalt in percentage would probably in
the range of 5% to 7%.
If the purpose is for waterproofing only, 2%
to 3% of the asphalt binder is added.
If Emulsion asphalt is used, enough water is
included in the mixture to allow compaction
at near optimum moisture content

Sand and Asphalt Base Course

The sand and asphalt base course
is composed of either, loose beach
sand, dune pit or river sand
cemented with asphalt materials.
sand and clay mixture on early
road construction.

Cutback asphalt,
Emulsified asphalt or
Tars have been introduce
as substitute for the clay
binders to produce quality
base courses for roads and
highways.

Sand for mixing asphalt should

be clean and strong, because the
surface properties and grain
shape must have the quality to
resist displacement under load.

Asphalt binders with the grade of

asphalt cement for hot plant
mixing should be:
Medium viscosity, rapid or medium
curing asphalts
Slow setting emulsified asphalt or
Tars of grade RT-6 to RT-10

The content of asphalt binder is in

percent by weight ranging from 4% to
10%.

Fine Grain Asphalt Base

An asphalt base and sub-grade
constructed with fine grained has a
controlled Plastic Index of 6 to 10
respectively. Aggregates with
Plasticity Index up to 30 are
processed with lime. Those up to
50% passing the No. 200 sieve and
Plastic Index up to 18 can be
stabilized even without pretreatment.

Soil and Base Course Stabilized

with Cement
The use of Portland cement in
stabilizing soils and aggregates was
initially practiced after WW1 in 1914.
1. Cement stabilization by mixing natural
materials and Portland cement
compacted at optimum moisture content
and cured to hydrate the cement is
considerably strong and stable base. It is
less susceptible to deformation caused by
moisture and temperature changes.

2.

Comparatively, this is less rigid

than Portland cement concrete
because its modulus of elasticity
ranges from 100, 000 for clay soils
with little cement up to 1,000,000
for the strong mixture. Its
compressive strength ranges from
300 psi to 600 psi with flexural
strength of about 20 % of the
compressive value.

3.Portland cement concrete

modulus of elasticity ranges
from 3 million to 6 million
with compressive strength of
about 3,000 to 5,000 psi.

Stabilized cement mixture is called

Soil Cement produced by using
abundant native local materials
subdivided into three types:
1. Sandy and gravelly soils containing
less than 25% silt and clay
2. Sand with lesser amount of fines like
beach sand, glacial and windblown
sand.
3. Silty and Clayey Soils

AASHTO standard methods

Ranges from 135 pcf for a well down
graded gravel down to 85 pcf for silty
or clayey soils.
95% recommended density
Quality of aggregate cement mixture
is measured by its ability to resist
abrasion and disintegration.

7-4 Grading and Maintenance

of Untreated Surface
Cross Slope

It must be sufficient enough to drain water to

prevent potholes and softening of roadway.

1. If the road materials are sufficiently

stable and water tight, one inch per slope
is considered satisfactory although 3/8''
to 1/2'' fee foot slope is referred.
2.If the road is steep grade, substantial
cross slope is needed to direct the water
into the roadsides.

Untreated

surface

road

is

seldom

constructed in less than 20 cm loose depth.

When compacted, will be compressed of
about

15cm

thick.

Road

development

sometimes adopted the stage construction

methods

which

means,

steps

by

step

improvement of the roadway, depending

upon the availability of funds and demand of
increased traffic.

Sequence of improvement could be as

follows:
1.It might be an earth road surface
2.Untreated gravel road
3.Application of asphalt over the gravel
4.The use of stone type pavement with
gravel as part of the base course

Maintenance
1. By cutting off a thin layer of the
road surface using road grader
distributing the scraped layer
uniformly over the roadway surface.
The cut is deep enough to remove
the corrudations of the road
surface.

2. The blading sequence is once or

twice a year or sometimes monthly,
depending upon the finances, traffic
and equipment availability. After
blading, the road is compacted by
road roller to maintain the cross
section slope and the crown of the
roadway.

3. The most effective routine

maintenance is done immediately
after rainfall where the surface is soft
for the blade to drag.

4. Losses of materials caused by

grading and traffic wear generally
ranges from to 1 inch of the
thickness per year although it varies
due to traffic volume, rainfall, wind
intensity, frequency and maintenance
practice or habit.

5. Compaction is effectively done by

using pneumatic tired or steel wheeled
rollers. Where surface is tight and
non-variable, sealing may be ommited.