HIGHWAY MATERIALS

Significance of subgrade soil:

Subgrade soil is an integral part of the road pavement structure as it p
rovides the support to the pavement structure from beneath. The subgrade propert
ies are important in the design of pavement structure. The main function of the
subgrade is to give adequate support to the pavement and for this subgrade shoul
d possess sufficient stability under adverse climate and loading conditions.
Desirable properties:
The desirable properties of soil as a highway material are as follows:
i. Stability
ii. Incompressibility
iii. Permanency of strength
iv. Minimum changes in volume and stability under adverse conditions of weat
her and ground water.
v. Good drainage , and
vi. Ease of compaction.
The soil should possess adequate stability or resistance to permanent deformatio
n under loads, and should possess resistance to weathering, thus retaining the d
esired subgrade support. Minimum variation in volume will ensure minimum variati
on in differential expansion and differential strength values. Good drainage is
essential to avoid excessive moisture retention and to reduce the potential fros
t action. Ease of compaction ensures higher dry density and strength under parti
cular type and amount of compaction.
Index properties of soil
Grain size analysis
The grain size distribution is found by mechanical analysis. The components
of soils which are coarse grained may be analysed by sieve analysis and the soi
l fines by sedimentation analysis. The grain size analysis or the mechanical ana
lysis is hence carried out to determine the percentage of individual grain size
present in soil sample.
The sieve analysis is a simple test consisting o