FACTORS AFFECTING THE FAILURE/S OF ROAD SLIP PROTECTION: A

CASE IN BRGY.MASAGAOSAO, KAWAYAN, BILIRAN

___________

A Thesis Presented to the

College of Engineering
NAVAL STATE UNIVERSITY
Naval, Biliran

___________

In Partial Fulfilment for RES 513

CE Research Thesis

___________

SHARA JANE IGANO ABANGAN

October 2014

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher wishes to extend her profound gratitude to the following

persons for without them this study would not have been realized:
Dr. Rossini B. Romero, Dean COE, her thesis adviser, for scholarly ideas
and support, which resulted in the completion of the manuscript;
Dr. Roland A. Niez, Dean CAS, who extended intellectual support and
encouragement for sloping and enriching the study;
The respondents of the study, for their cooperation and willingness to assist
her in data gathering and for providing much needed information;
Her family and friends for constantly inspiring her to continue with her studies
and for their love and understanding all the time; and most of all
The Lord Almighty, for His continued blessings and Divine Providence to her
and her family which meant a lot for the success in all her undertakings.
SHARA JANE I. ABANGAN

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title page.....i
Acknowledgment...ii
Table of contents......iii
List of tables...v
List of figures.....vi
List of appendices....vii
Abstract.....viii
CHAPTER I- INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study.1
Objectives of the Study...... 4
Framework.5
Theoretical Framework.......5
Conceptual Framework...6
Importance of the Study..8
Scope and Delimitation of the Study.8
Definition of Terms...9
Review of Related Literature.10
CHAPTER II- METHODOLOGY
Research Design.14
Research Locale..14
Research Subject.14
Research Instrument.......14
iii

Data Gathering Procedure..15

CHAPTER III- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results and discussions..16
CHAPTER IV- SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary ......................22
Conclusions...................23
Recommendations.....24
Literature cited.......26
Appendices.....27
Curriculum vitae.....33

iv

LIST OF TABLES

Table

Page

1. Profile of Road Slip Protection...16

2. Test/s Performed In the Road Slip Protection.....18
3. Failures Encountered and Factors that Affects the Failures in Constructed
Road Slip Protection.19
4. Maintenance Conducted.......................................................................20
5. Plans on the Failure/s of Constructed Road Slip Protection.................20

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

Page

1. Conceptual Framework of the Study..7

vi

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix

Page

A. Letter Request to DPWH..28

B. Survey Questionnaire.29

vii

ABSTRACT

ABANGAN, SHARA JANE I., Naval State University, Naval, Biliran, Philippines.
October 2014. FACTORS AFFECTING THE FAILURE/S OF ROAD SLIP
PROTECTION: A CASE IN BRGY. MASAGAOSAO, KAWAYAN, BILIRAN, a
research study.
Adviser: Rossini B. Romero, Ph.D.
The goal of this research was to determine the factors affecting the failure/s
of road slip protection situated at Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran. The
approach of this research has been to address the authorized personnel from the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Biliran Engineering District.
The road slip protection only lasted 3 months after the completion of the
project, foundation lies on unstable soil/strata, and failed to perform all the tests
listed on the questionnare. Failures were encountered on the structure; these were
settlements of the structure happened months after the completion of the project.
However, the contractor was able to repair the said failure. Unfortunately, weeks
after the repair, due to heavy rains brought by typhoon Henry, the structure
collapsed. For now, there was no specific plans on the collapsed road slip
protection in the said station for it was still under investigation of who was
responsible to the failure happened in the structure.
The factor that affect the failure of the road slip protection was the soil where
the foundation of the structure lies.

viii

1
Chapter I
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Road slip protection is a structure that has been used in several decades by
installing it at the roadside slope portion of a highway and is used to ensure the
vehicle drivers safety and reduce the environmental degradation. At times,
materials in cut banks will slip downward onto the road, portions of high fills slide
outward and downward, often carrying portions of the roadway or shoulder along.
Such failures are often spectacular and gain considerable attention. The most
common failures in which slipping occurs is along a seam of wet or weak material. It
is influenced by a number of factors such as soil type, vegetation and landscape,
and it can occur on a specific field installation (Oglesby, 2005).
Road slip protection ensures the vehicles safety and reduce the
environmental degradation. However, if the construction is not well supervised,
materials used is not in good quality, design considerations were not followed
carefully, and inadequate maintenance and inspections were conducted, theres a
possibility that failure/s to the structure will exist. Conditions of a road slip protection
can be easily deteriorated within a certain period of time thus continual observation
and maintenance should be carried out from time to time. Repairing a failed road
slope protection can be a costly business. Traditionally if the failure extends deeper
than superficial surface erosion, the repair involves excavating and removing the
failed fill material, to replace it with imported granular fill. Not only is it time
consuming and expensive (especially if it incurs landfill and aggregate taxation), its
also environmentally damaging (Kathmundo, 2007).

2
Road slip protections were installed to avoid soil erosion and provide safety
to public and vehicles passing on the site. However, there are some factors that
affects the functions of the structure that leads to failures. One of the case was in
Manhattans Castle Village (2005), during inspections the authorities discovered
failures occurred in their road slip, and these were, loose and displacement of
stones, deteriorating of the mortar, cracking and leaks.
A physical condition survey conducted by Antonucci and Lawless Architects
and Engineers (2005), reported twelve to eighteen inches of settlement in the park
area behind the wall. The settlement was caused either by the filling of voids left in
the backfill during the original construction, and/or by new or enlarged voids created
by the walls westward movement.
Four years later, Cutsogeorge & Tooman Architects (2009) indicated that
approximately six cubic feet of stone had spalled from the wall. Due to this failure, it
caused a great public distraction and wasted a lot of money for the constructed
structure that has failed. Another case was in South Pukekohe a town in the
Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand, consists of a steep slope
constructed using an unsuitable fill material which when combined with a build-up of
hydrostatic pressure after a heavy rainfall events resulted in slip failures and the
need for constant repair. The factors that affects the failure are using unsuitable
materials during construction and not enough maintenance for the structure.
Failures may occur during construction or at later date after the road is in service. It
may be better practice to risk some sliding or adjustments of large cut slopes than
to flatten them all and thus increase the pay yardage (Hicks, 2005).
The Philippine government funded different types of construction and
rehabilitation of roads for highway development and part of this is the construction

3
of road slip protections for critical sections along national roads. However, there are
common factors that affects the failures of road slip protection installed and these
were the improper installation, inappropriate materials used, the type of soil where
the structure was built and the weather. It is very important to consider these factors
when designing a roadside protection to prevent failure after the construction (Gue
& Tan, 2010).
The Department of Public Works and Highways focused for the road
improvement of the Biliran circumferential road last 2014. They allocated 420 million
pesos for the different road projects in Biliran Province, and 40 million of this was
allocated to road slip protection construction (2014 DPWH Infrastructure Program,
Based on GAA, Region VIII, 2014).
With this rapid development of highway and road slip construction, it was
very important to make sure that these structures functions well and if failures exist,
immediate actions must be made to ensure the public safety (Augdin, 2010).
In the Province of Biliran, the constructed road slip protections were along
Kawayan-Culaba section and in Cabucgayan-Biliran section (2014 DPWH
Infrastructure Program, Based on GAA, Region VIII, 2014).
Some portion of the constructed road slip protection in Brgy. Masagaosao,
Kawayan, Biliran has encountered failure. This failure caused the structure to settle
down. The road slip protection was just newly constructed but failure has already
occurred after months of completion of the project.
Hence, the study was conducted to determine the factors that affects the
failure of the road slip protection situated in Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran.

4
Objectives of the Study
Generally, the study was conducted to determine the factors affecting the
failures in constructed road slip protection in Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran.
This study was conducted with the following specific objectives:
1. Ascertain the profile of the constructed road slip protection in terms of:
1. location;
2. construction;
3. year/s of service;
4. type of road slip protection installed;
5. height;
6. thickness;
7. foundation depth;
8. length of structure;
9. slope;
10. soil quality in terms of:
1.10.1 type of soil;
1.10.2 soil strength; and
11. materials used;
2. Ascertain the soil and material test/s performed in the road slip protection;
3. Identify the existing failure/s in the constructed road slip protection;
4. Assess the road slip protection maintenance conducted; and
5. Determine the plans of Department of Public works and Highways (DPWH)
with regards to the existing failures in the constructed road slip protection.

5
Framework of the Study
This study took hold on the following theoretical and conceptual frameworks
as its main and solid foundation in the due course of its proceedings.
Theoretical framework. The theoretical framework of the study was anchored
on the theory propounded by different authorities. The theory formulated by Charles
Coulomb and Christian Otto Mohr (19th century) points out that a material fails
because of a critical combination of normal stress and shear stress, and not from
their either maximum normal or shear stress alone.
According to the Mohr-Coulomb theory, understanding shear strength is the
basis to analyse soil stability problems like: lateral pressure on earth retaining
structures, slope stability, and bearing capacity. The safety of any geotechnical
structure is dependent on the strength of the soil, if the soil fails, the structure
founded on it can collapse. The shear strength of a soil is its resistance to shearing
stresses. It is a measure of the soil resistance to deformation by continuous
displacement of its individual soil particles. Shear strength in soils depends primarily
on interactions between particles. Shear failure occurs when the stresses between
the particles are such that they slide or roll past each other. If the forces available to
resist movement are greater than the forces driving movement, the slope is
considered stable.
Another theory that is anchored in the study was formulated by Karl Terzaghi
(a mechanical engineer and geologist) who developed the framework for theories of
bearing capacity of foundations, and the theory for prediction of the rate of
settlement of clay layers due to consolidation. In his 1948 book, Donald Taylor
recognized that interlocking and dilation of densely packed particles contributed to
the peak strength of a soil.

6
The theory of Terzaghi on evaluation of the ultimate bearing capacity of
rough shallow foundations states that a foundation is shallow if its depth is less than
or equal to its width. The bearing capacity of soil is the maximum average contact
pressure between the foundation and the soil which should not produce shear
failure in the soil. Ultimate bearing capacity is the theoretical maximum pressure
which can be supported without failure; allowable bearing capacity is the ultimate
bearing capacity divided by a factor of safety. Sometimes, on soft soil sites, large
settlements may occur under loaded foundations without actual shear failure
occurring; in such cases, the allowable bearing capacity is based on the maximum
allowable settlement.
The theory of Mohr-Coulomb and Terzaghi provide the foundation for this
study that geared towards slope failures theories and have a great impact on the
conduct of the study.
Conceptual framework. Figure 1 shows the schematic diagram of the flow of
the study. As shown on the diagram, the design, soil quality and materials used
might be the factors affecting failure of constructed road slip protection which affects
the year of service and condition of the structure. The factors that affects the failure
of the road slip protection will be the bases for the plans of DPWH for alternative
solution to the problem and for the improvement of the construction of road slip
protections.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE

FAILURE/S IN ROAD SLIP
PROTECTION

Profile of Road Slip Protection

SOIL AND MATERIAL

TEST/S CONDUCTED

Design In Terms Of:

1.

location;

2.

construction;

3.

year/s of service;

4.

type of road slip

protection installed;

5.

height;

6.

thickness;

7.

foundation depth;

8.

length of structure;

9.

slope;

10. soil quality in terms of:

MAINTENANCE
CONDUCTED IN
ROAD SLIP
PROTECTION

THE PLANS OF
DPWH FOR
ALTERNATIVE
SOLUTION TO THE
PROBLEM

1.10.1 type of soil;

1.10.2 soil

strength;

and
11. materials used;

IMPROVED
ROAD SLIP
PROTECTION

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

8
Importance of the Study
This study provides information on the factors that affect the failures of the
road slip protection and identify the plans that should be conducted in the failure/s
of the structure. Thus, the study was addressed to:
Civil Engineering students. This study is important to civil engineering
students for this will give insights on what factors affects the failure/s of road slip
protections.
Contractors. This study is important to contractors because if failure exists to
their constructed road structures, they will be responsible for the renewal of the
failed structure.
Department of Public Works and Highway. This study is important to DPWH
because they are the most responsible agency in public construction. The identified
factors that affects the failure of the constructed road slip protection can be further
studied for the awareness that needs to consider in designing and constructing road
slip protection in the future.
Future researchers. Information obtained from the study will serve as guide
and provide data for other similar future studies. This may serve as a reference for
future researchers in developing their research problems and in conceptualizing
their research paper diagram using the same variables or research locale.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
This study focused mainly on determining the factors affecting the failure/s of
constructed road slip protection in Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran. The profile
of the structure will be limited to its design, the materials used during construction,
the type of soil, year of service and the condition of the constructed road slip

9
protection. A more prcised information of the study will be gathered by identifying
the existing failures in the constructed road slip protection and ascertain the
inspection and maintenance conducted.
Definition of Terms
To have a clear and vivid understanding about the concept of the research,
the following terms were defined operationally and conceptually:
Department of Public Works and Highways. Is the executive department of
the Philippine government responsible for all safety of projects in the field of public
works. It is also responsible for the maintenance of the Philippine road network and
irrigation system.
Failure. Is the load refusal, breakage, or separation of component parts. Load
refusal is the point where the ultimate strength is exceeded. Is the state or condition
of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the
opposite of success in the construction of road slip protection.
Foundation depth. Is the depth of foundation in a structure that must meet
the designed depth to avoid unexpected accidents.
Maintenance. The process of maintaining or preserving the road slip
protection, to determine if the structure is still in good condition and to identify the
existing damage in the structure.
Road slip protection. Is a structure constructed at the roadside of a highway,
its purpose is to ensure the safety of vehicles passing on and decreases
environmental degradation, it usually have a concrete barrier on the upper portion
that also serves as a guardrail for the vehicles.

10
Slope. A surface of which one end or side is at a higher level than another; a
rising or falling surface. The term is used in the study as a slope of soil in a highway
that needs to be protected.
Soil quality. Is a measure of the condition of soil relative to the requirements
of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose and it has a
great impact on the geotechnical works. Soil quality is one of the factor that an incharge engineer should consider when designing a road slip protection and must
perform soil tests to determine whether the soil meet the required strength for the
construction of the structure.
Structure. Is to construct or arrange according to a plan, if failed to perform
the plans, a possible failure of the constructed structure might exist.
Review of Related Literature
This part of the manuscript presents a review of the concepts and principles
that are related to the study. These concepts are condensed from books, articles
and research studies which serve as the guide in the development of the framework
of the study, the methods and the survey instrument that were used. Furthermore,
these concepts were used as the basis for comparison of results, benchmarking
and recommendations.
Good planning for and management of a geotechnical site investigation is the
key to obtaining sufficient and correct site information for designing a structure in a
timely manner and with minimum cost for the effort needed. A geotechnical site
investigation is the process of collecting information and evaluating the conditions of
the site for the purpose of designing and constructing the foundation for a structure.
(I.Holubec Consulting Inc., 2010).

11
The importance of proper selection and investigation of sites and routes in
permafrost areas cannot be overemphasized. Reconnaissance and detailed site
and route studies must be made, and environmental considerations and the
availability of construction materials must be taken into account. Increased costs of
construction, operation and maintenance, as well as unsatisfactory performance of
engineering structures, inevitably result when there is a lack of information on
conditions and other terrain factors (Johnston, 1981).
Civilizations earliest attempts at construction probably involved soil;
however, the understanding of the role of soil as a foundation or building material
developed by trial and error. Since the early 20th century, an improved
understanding of soil behaviour has been achieved by applying the principles of
physics, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, strength of materials, and structural
engineering to define soil behaviour. The body of knowledge developed by
analysing soil behaviour on a theoretically sound basis is called "soil mechanics"
and its application to solution of actual problems is called geotechnical
engineering. Soil is a complex three-phase medium that contains various amounts
of water and/or air surrounding the solid particles. It is not a solid mass, i.e., a
continuum, as many of the theories of solid mechanics require. Therefore, an
entirely theoretical solution of the most commonly encountered soil problems is not
practical (Topolnicki, 2004).
Throughout the 1990s interest in soil quality and understanding its
importance has come to the forefront of environmental sustainability (Wallace &
Terry, 1998).
Many feel that soil quality cannot be defined for a complex system as diverse
and dynamic as soils. "Quality" and "soil quality" are seen by some to have infinite

12
meanings and basically are indefinable (Sojka & Upchurch, 1999). Others, however,
have taken on the challenge of converting asubjective term such as "soil quality"
into an objective characterize able term. The difficulty in establishing a definition
comes from the variety of land uses, locations, environments, types of soils and
general lack of understanding between the interactions of a multitude of processes
occurring within the soil (Kennedy & Papendick, 1995).
Erosion is unavoidable during construction. However, the severity of erosion
can be mitigated by the consistent application of the principles of soil erosion control
(JETTEN et. al., 2003). The natural characteristics of a site should be analysed
during the design of a project. Fitting a project to a site can include aligning roads
along contours and locating building pads on the flatter portions of the site. Roads
running straight up and down a hill have a long slope length and very high flow
velocities, both of which greatly increase the potential for erosion (EuroSoilStab,
2002).
Construction activities should be timed to reduce the exposure of soil to
erosion. This can be accomplished in two ways. First, construction should be staged
so that the size of exposed areas is reduced. This includes the prompt installation of
erosion control measures in disturbed areas. Second, if possible, construction
should be performed during times of the year when the erosion potential is least
(EuroSoilStab, 2002).
Design methods for slope erosion control are not well developed. In the
absence of design procedures, the principles of erosion control are very important.
They provide the designer with rules of thumb for making design decisions. The
design should be based in the philosophy of diverting and controlling runoff:

13
managing concentrated flows, and establishing vegetation on slopes (Topolnicki,
2004).
The success or failure of a geotechnical feature is often decided in the early
stages of a project. Geotechnical engineering is a specialized field. Therefore, to
assure success of a project, the input of a qualified and experienced geotechnical
specialist should begin at project inception and continue until completion of
construction (Maher et al., 2006; Jelisic and Lappen, 1999; Hayward baker Inc,
Garbin et al., 2011, Andersson et al., 2000).
Hence, the study was conducted to determine the factors that affects the
failure of the road slip protection situated in Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran.

14
Chapter II
METHODOLOGY

This chapter elaborates the different processes and methods on how this
research was undertaken. This comprises the description of research design,
locale, respondents, data gathering procedure, data scoring, and statistical
treatment as a mean of developing and evaluating the research.

Research Design
This study used the descriptive-survey method classification of research
which correlates to the suggested plans given by the respondents during the
conduct of the study. This is a descriptive research classified as a cross-sectional
survey type for it involved the collection of data from selected respondents in a
single period of time.
Research Locale
This study was conducted at Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran.

Research Subject
The respondents of this study were the authorized personnel from the
Department of Public Works and Highways, Biliran Engineering District, Naval,
Biliran.
Research Instrument
This study is operationally designed to conduct interviews regarding to the
existing failure/s to the constructed road slip protection situated in Brgy.
Masagaosao, Kawayan,Biliran with the aid of personalized questionnaire that based

15
on the objectives of the study and on the researchers knowledge about the course.
The contents of the questionnaire were divided into five parts. Part I covers the data
of the profile of the constructed road slip protection in terms of its location,
construction, year/s of service, design, type of road slip protection installed, height,
thickness, foundation depth, length, slope, soil quality, and materials used. Part II
covers soil and material test/s conducted in the road slip protection. Part III covers
the identified existing failures of road slip protection. Part IV covers the
maintenance/s conducted to the structure and Part V covers the plans of the DPWH
with regards to the existing failure.
Data Gathering Procedures
Before the implementation of the study, the research secured an approval
letter or permission form the head of the DPWH to conduct a research study on the
road slip protection situated at Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran. After the
approval, a personalized survey questionnaire was distributed to the respondents
personally by the researcher. Instruction and personal interview were all conducted
during the distribution. The researcher noted the corresponding answers to the
questionnaires. Data were collected, analysed and interpreted based on the
variable of the study.

16
Chapter III
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter presents the results of the study conducted. The data derived
from the survey questionnaire responded by the authorized personnel from the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Biliran Engineering District
were arranged and presented into five sections based on arrangement of the
objectives of the study.
Table 1 below shows the tabulated results on the profile of road slip
protection.
Table 1
Profile of Road Slip Protection
Location

Left side of the road.

Construction:
Started
Ended

Year/s of service
Type of Road Slip Protection
installed
Height
Thickness

January 30, 2014

April 25, 2014
3 months
Riprap and stone masonry.

More or less 9 meters

0.30 meter for riprap, and
0.60 - 1 meter for stone masonry

Foundation depth

More or less 1 meter but not less than 0.60

meter

17
Length

16.7 meters

Slope

5:1

Soil quality:
Type of soil
Soil strength

Material/s Used

Clay
Soft
Boulders (6-8 inches)

The profile of the road slip protection was according to the location,
construction, year/s of service, type of road slip protection installed, height,
thickness, foundation depth, length, slope, soil quality in terms of type of soil and
soil strength, and material/s used. The structure was located at the left side of the
road. The construction started on January 30, 2014 and ended on April 25, 2014. It
only lasted for 3 months. There were two types of road slip protection that were
installed, these were, riprap and stone masonry. Its height was more or less 9
meters. Since there were two types of road slip protection installed, the thickness
for riprap was 0.30 meter while 0.60-1.00 meter for the stone masonry. The depth of
road slip protections foundation was more or less 1 meter but not less than 0.60
meter, it was based on the soil. It has a length of 16.7 meters and has a slope of
5:1. The soil quality was classified into two, these were: type of soil and soil
strength; the type of soil the road slip protection has underneath is clay and its soil
strenght is soft. The material used was boulders (6-8 inches).

18
Table 2 below shows the tabulated results of test/s performed in the road slip
protection.
Table 2
Test/s Performed In the Road Slip Protection
Soil Tests

Atterberg limits

California bearing ratio

Compaction test

Water content test

Material Testing

Test for resistance to degradation

of small-size coarse aggregate

Test for soundness of

aggregates

Quality test for Portland cement

Organic impurifier and mortar

strength of fine-aggregates

Specific gravity and absorption of

boulders

There were test/s performed in road slip protection before construction.

These were classified into two: soil test/s (for embankment materials) and material
testing (for FA, cement, and boulders). The DPWH were able to perform four soil
tests, these were: Atterberg limits, California bearing ratio, Compaction test, and
Water content test. There were three material tests listed on the questionnaire of
the researcher, the DPWH was able to perform test for resistance to degradation of
small-size coarse aggregate, and test for soundness of aggregates, however, the
respondent specified other tests such as, quality test for Portland cement, organic
impurifier and mortar strength of fine-aggregates, and specific gravity and
absorption of boulders.

19
Table 3 below shows the tabulated results of the failures encountered and
factors that affect the failures in constructed road slip protection.
Table 3
Failures Encountered and Factors that Affects the Failures in Constructed
Road Slip Protection
Failures Encountered

Settlement of the structure.

The structure collapsed.

Factors that Affect the Failure

Foundation of the structure lies

on unstable soil/strata in which
the project engineer
overlooked.

No coordination of contractors
Project Engineer to DPWH
Materials Engineer during the
excavation and preparation of
road slip protection foundation.

During heavy rains brought by

typhoon Henry, saturated mass
caused the failure of the
structure.

There were failures encountered in the road slip protection such as,
settlement, and the collapsed of the structure. The respondent of the study stated
the factors that affects the failures, such as, foundation of the structure lies on
unstable soil/strata in which the project engineer overlooked, no coordination of
contractors Project Engineer to DPWH Materials Engineer during the excavation
and preparation of road slip protection foundation, and during heavy rains brought
by typhoon Henry, saturated mass caused the failure of the structure

20
Table 4 below shows the tabulated result on the maintenance conducted.
Table 4
Maintenance Conducted
Maintenance Conducted

None

Every national highway structures has maintenance made by DPWH after 1

year of completion of the project. However, since the road slip protection was newly
constructed, it was still on the contractors responsiblities to conduct maintenance
on the structure, while the DPWH only conducted inspection wether the road slip
protection is still in good condition.
Table 5 below shows the tabulated results of plans on the failure/s of
constructed road slip protection.
Table 5
Plans on the Failure/s of Constructed Road Slip Protection
Type of Agency

DPWH- Construction Section

Plans on the Failures

As of now, they dont have specific plans
on the said failure, they were still
investigating of who was responsible for
the collapsed structure. If it failed due to
technical error, the contractor will be the
one
whos
responsible
for
the
reconstruction of the structure. However,
since it collapsed during typhoon Henry,
if the failure was caused by it, the DPWH
will wait for the next budget that will be
allocated for the reconstruction of the
structure.

21
According to the respondent of the study, for now, the DPWH was still
investigating for who was responsible of the collapsed road slip protection situated
in Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran. If it failed due to technical error, the
contractor will be the one whos responsible for the reconstruction of the structure.
However, since it collapsed during typhoon Henry, if the failure was caused by it,
the DPWH will wait for the next budget that will be allocated for the reconstruction of
the structure.

22
Chapter IV
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the summary of findings based on the results and the
objectives being presented, conclusion made by the researcher based on the
summary of findings and the recommendations drawn based on the conclusion.

Summary of Findings
This study generally aimed to determine the factors affecting the failures of
the constructed road slip protection.
The following were the findings of the study:
Profile of the road slip protection. The structure was located at the left side of the
road. The construction started on January 30, 2014 and ended on April 25, 2014. It
only lasted for 3 months. There were two types of road slip protection that were
installed, these were, riprap and stone masonry. Its height was more or less 9
meters. Since there were two types of road slip protection installed, the thickness
for riprap was 0.30 meter while 0.60-1.00 meter for the stone masonry. The depth of
road slip protections foundation was more or less 1 meter but not less than 0.60
meter, it was based on the soil. It has a length of 16.7 meters and has a slope of
5:1. The soil quality was classified into two, these were: type of soil and soil
strength; the type of soil the road slip protection has underneath is clay and its soil
strenght is soft. The material used was boulders (6-8 inches).
Tests performed. There were test/s performed in road slip protection before
construction. These were classified into two: soil test/s (for embankment materials)
and material testing (for FA, cement, and boulders). The DPWH were able to
perform four soil tests, these were: Atterberg limits, California bearing ratio,

23
Compaction test, and Water content test. There were three material tests listed on
the questionnaire of the researcher, the DPWH were able to perform test for
resistance to degradation of small-size coarse aggregate, and test for soundness of
aggregates, however, the respondent specified other tests such as, quality test for
Portland cement, organic impurifier and mortar strength of fine-aggregates, and
specific gravity and absorption of boulders.
Failure/s encountered. The failures encountered in the road slip protection
were settlement, and the collapsed of the structure.
Factors that affects the failures. The factors that affects the failures were: the
foundation of the structure lies on unstable soil/strata in which the project engineer
overlooked, no coordination of contractors Project Engineer to DPWH Materials
Engineer during the excavation and preparation of road slip protection foundation,
and during heavy rains brought by typhoon Henry, saturated mass caused the
failure of the structure.
Maintenance conducted. The DPWH havent conducted maintenance on the
road slip protection yet.
Plans on the failure/s of constructed road slip protection. As of now, no
specific plan was implemented, because the structure was still under investigation.
Conclusions
The following assumptions were the gathered facts taken from the survey
conducted:
1. The road slip protection at Brgy Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran only
served 3 months.
2. The DPWH were able to perform four soil tests, and five material testing.

24
3. The failures encountered in the road slip protection were settlement, and
the collapsed of the structure.
4. The factors that affects the failure of the structure were: the foundation of
the structure lies on unstable soil/strata in which the project engineer
overlooked, no coordination of contractors Project Engineer to DPWH
Materials Engineer during the excavation and preparation of road slip
protection foundation, and during heavy rains brought by typhoon Henry,
saturated mass caused the failure of the structure.
5. The DPWH havent conducted maintenance on the road slip protection
yet.
6. As of now, the structure was still under investigation and no plans were
drawn yet.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusion the following recommendations are highly
forwarded.
1. In constructing a road slip protection, a good design, planning, and
adequate supervision must be consider to achieve a functional structure.
2. Engineers must comply all the tests required in the design of the structure
to avoid failures in the future and contractors must coordinate to
authorized personnel of DPWH when constructing national road
structures.
3. Every project engineers must conduct thorough soil investigation to
determine the designed depth of foundation and the type of structure to
be constructed enough to hold the stiffness of road side slope.

25
4. For a sustainable road slip protection there is a need for adequate
maintenance to make sure that the structure is still in good condition and
functions well.

26
LITERATURE CITED
Reference Books:
1. Clarkson H. Oglesby ang R. Gary Hicks: Highway Engineering p.547
2. C. Donald (2001), Foundation Design, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-5897068
3. Das, Braja (2007). Principles of Foundation Engineering (6 th edition),
p.45
4. Kathmundo, (2007). Road Maintenance and Development Project,
institutional Strengthening Component: Roadside Geotechnical
Problems
Internet:
1. http://www.geotechlinks.com, retrieved on July 20,2014
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slope_stability, retrieved on August 5, 2014
3. http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/pdf/2011_GAA/2014_GAA/Region%20VIII_FY%

202014.pdf, retrieved on August 5, 2014

27

APPENDICES

28
Appendix A
LETTER REQUEST TO DPWH
October 2, 2014
ENGR. SUPREMO VICTOR D. SABITSANA
Engineer II, Construction Section
DPWH, Biliran Engineering District
Naval, Biliran
Sir:
Greetings!
The undersigned is a 5th year Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
(BSCE) student of Naval State University who is presently proposing a research
study entitled FACTORS AFFECTING THE FAILURE/S OF ROAD SLIP
PROTECTION: A CASE IN BRGY. MASAGAOSAO, KAWAYAN, BILIRAN.
In connection with this, I would like to request from your good Office some
necessary data for my study regarding the construction of road slip protection.
Your full assistance and genuine support in this particular research will be
very much appreciated and would help me a lot in my endeavour.
Thank you very much for your help. God bless.
Respectfully yours,
SGD. SHARA JANE I. ABANGAN
Researcher
Noted:

SGD. ROSSINI B. ROMERO, Ph.D.

Ass0. Prof. 4
Approved:
SGD. ENGR. SUPREMO VICTOR D. SABITSANA
Engineer II, Construction Section

29
Appendix B
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
FACTORS AFFECTING THE FAILURE/S OF ROAD SLIP PROTECTION: A
CASE IN BRGY. MASAGAOSAO, KAWAYAN, BILIRAN

Instructions: Please feel free in answering this questionnaire. Never leave any
question unanswered. In accordance with the ethics of research, your answer will
be treated very confidentially.
Please supply the needed data by filling up the line or checking the box provided for
your choice. Thank you!

Date of survey conducted: ______________

Name of Respondent: ______________________________
(Optional)
Rank/Position: ____________________________________
PART I: Profile of the Constructed Road Slip Protection
1. Side of road
Left

Right

2. Construction of road slip protection

Date Started: ______________________
Date Ended: _______________________
3. Year/s of Service: ___________________
4. Type of road slip protection installed
Riprap
Wire enclosed rock
Grouted boulders
Others (kindly specify):__________________________
5. Height of road slip protection

____________m.

6. Thickness of road slip protection

____________m.

30
7. Foundation depth

____________m.

8. Length of road slip protection

____________m.

9. Slope

____________

10. Soil quality

10.1

Type of soil

Clay
Silt
Sand
Loam
Others (kindly specify): ___________________
10.2

Soil Strength

Very soft
Soft
Very Stiff
Stiff
Firm
Hard
11. Materials used
Stones/rocks (kindly specify the size)

__________in.

Rounded
Angular
Boulders (kindly specify the size)

__________in.

RSB (kindly specify the dia.)

__________mm.

Drain pipe (kindly specify the dia.)

__________mm.

Others (kindly specify):

__________________________________________________________

31
PART II: Test/s Performed
1. Soil test/s
Atterberg limits
California bearing ratio
Direct shear test
Compaction test
Hydraulic conductivity test
Water content test
Cone penetration test
Standard penetration test
None
Others (kindly specify): ____________________________________
2. Material testing
Test for specific gravity and
absorption of coarse aggregate
Test for resistance to degradation
of small-size coarse aggregate
Test for soundness of aggregates
None
Others (kindly specify): _____________________________________
PART III: Failure/s Encountered
1. Kindly state the failure/s encountered in the road slip protection.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

32
2. What might be the factors that affects the failure/s of the structure?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
PART IV: Maintenance Conducted
1. Have you conducted maintenance in constructed road slip protection situated
at Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran?
Yes

No

2. How often you conducted maintenance on road slip protection?

Monthly

Bi-annual

Annually

Others kindly specify: _____________

3. In the maintenance conducted, have you encountered failure/s in the road

slip protection situated at Brgy. Masagaosao, Kawayan, Biliran?
Yes

No

PART V: Plans on the Failure/s of Constructed Road Slip Protection

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Thank you!

33

CURRICULUM VITAE

34
SHARA JANE IGANO ABANGAN
Calumpang, Naval ,Biliran
sharajane_abangan@yahoo.com
Mobile No: 0930-852-7709

CURRICULUM VITAE

DATE OF BIRTH

June 5, 1994

PLACE OF BIRTH

Naval, Biliran

AGE

20

RELIGION

Roman Catholic

MOTHERS NAME

Arsenia I. Abangan

OCCUPATION

House wife

FATHERS NAME

Felicisimo A. Abangan (Deceased)

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
College

Naval State University

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Under Graduate

Secondary

Naval National High School

Larrazabal, Naval, Biliran

Elementary

Calumpang Elementary School

Calumpang, Naval, Biliran

ORGANIZATION
Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers Student Chapters