Debre Birhan University

School of Engineering
Civil Engineering Department, 2013

EARTHWORK AND QUANTIFICATION

Highway EngineeringI CENG 3802

Yeserah G.
 Objective
After completing this lesson, you able to

Know the concept of soil volume changes.

Know the area and volume of earthwork calculation

Know the graphical representation of the amount of

earthwork and embankment [Mass Haul Diagram]

2
 Introduction
During the construction of roads there may be considerable quantity of
earth materials removed and placed to achieve the desired earth grade cross
section. --- earth work---
Earthwork operation includes
excavating,
loading,
hauling (transporting),
placing,
compacting,
grading and finishing
The quantity and cost of earthwork are calculated in terms of cubic
meters of excavation in its original position on the basis of cross-section
3 notes from field measurements.
 Earth work operating Machinery

4
 Terms
Excavation (cut): In-place material that is removed to achieve the
desired earth grade cross section.
Embankment (fill): Excavated material that is placed and
compacted to achieve the desired earth grade cross section.
Topsoil: The top layer of nutrient rich soil that is removed, stored,
and eventually placed over the surface of all disturbed areas for re-
vegetation purposes.

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 Classification of Excavated Material
Usually materials excavated classified into three categories:
1. Solid Rock: hard rock and boulders; Volume > 1m3; best
removed by drilling and blasting
2. Loose Rock: detached masses or rock 0.025<V<1m3;
could easily be removed
3. Common/Ordinary Excavation: is largely earth, or earth
with detached boulders
Soft easily penetrated by a reinforcing rod pushed by hand
Dense - penetrated 25 50 cm by a reinforcing rod driven
with a hammer.
Very dense penetrated only a few centimeter by a
reinforcing rod driven with a hammer.
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 Shrinkage & Swell
It is well known that one cubic meter of excavation on amount will
not occupies exactly 1 m3 of space in the fill, so adjusting is required.
This can be done by using the shrinkage or swell factor.
The process of excavation breaks up earth and makes it take up
more space afterwards Swelling (e.g. excavated rock occupies a
larger volume in fill)
After placing the excavated earth in a fill and compacting, volume
will become less than the original. Difference b/n original volume in
cut and final volume in fill Shrinkage
Shrinkage & Swell must be taken into consideration in quantity
estimation
 Shrinkage & Swell Factors
The amount of shrinkage varies with the soil type and the depth of
the fill.
An allowance of 10 to 15 percent is frequently made for high fills
and 20 to 25 percent for shallow fills.
The shrinkage may be as high as 40 or 50 percent for some soils.

Material % of shrinkage

Light excavated soil (on ordinary ground) 10 20%

Light excavated soil (on swampy ground) 20 40%

Heavy Excavated soil Up to 10%

8 Excavated Rock (Swell) 5 25%
 Shrinkage & Swell Factors
Three state of material

Bank (the space originally occupied) - Materials in its natural

state before disturbance (in-place, in-situ)

Loose - Material that has been disturbed or loaded

Compacted - Material after compaction

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 Shrinkage & Swell Factors

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 Typical Soil Volume Conversion Factors
Initial Convrted to:
Soil Type Soil Condition Bank Loose Compacted
Clay Bank 1.00 1.27 0.90
Loose 0.79 1.00 0.71
Compacted 1.11 1.41 1.00
Common earth Bank 1.00 1.25 0.90
Loose 0.80 1.00 0.72
Compacted 1.11 1.39 1.00
Rock (blasted) Bank 1.00 1.50 1.30
Loose 0.67 1.00 0.87
Compacted 0.77 1.15 1.00
Sand Bank 1.00 1.12 0.95
Loose 0.89 1.00 0.85
Compacted 1.05 1.18 1.00
 Shrinkage & Swell Factors
The percent of shrinkage and swell
.

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 Shrinkage & Swell Factors
The load factor
.

The Shrinkage factor

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 Cross-Sections and Templates
Template section - a section outline of the proposed highway, is
placed on the original ground cross-section

Fill Section

Cut Section

Cut & Fill Section

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15
 Side Slope of Road Cross-Section
Side slopes are provided on embankments or fills to provide stability for
earthworks. [Railway formation, highway embankment, earth dams and
canal banks]
They also serve as a safety feature by providing a recovery area for out-of-
control vehicles.
Table: Guide for Earth Slope Design

*Slopes 2:1 or steeper should be subject to a soil stability analysis and

should be reviewed for safety.
 Side Slope of Road Cross-Section
In rock cuts, back slopes of 1:4 [H:V] or vertical faces are commonly
used.
Table 4.3: Slope Ratio Vertical to Horizontal [ERA, 2002]

Material Height of Slope Side Slope Back Slope

Cut Fill
Earth or Soil 0.0 - 1.0m 1:4 1:4 1:3
1.0 - 2.0m 1:3 1:3 1:2
Over 2.0m 1:2 1:2 1:1.5
Rock Any height -
Black Cotton 0.0 - 2.0m - 1:6 -
Soil Over 2.0m 1:4
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 Methods of area calculation
Regular section
For level ground, the area of cross-section in cut (or fill) is merely
that of a trapezoid. [Area Trapezoid]
sd sd

1 d 1
s s
b
Cut A bd sd 2

b
s

sd sd
Fill
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 Area Calculation: Irregular section
Trapezoidal Rule
Assumes the boundaries could be approximated by a straight line,
if the interval L between offset measurements is very small
L L L
O1 A 1 A 2 A An On+1
3

O2 On
O3

A A1 A2 ... An
A L / 2O1 On1 2(O2 O3 ... On )

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 Area Calculation: Irregular section
Simpsons Rule
Assumes, instead, that the boundaries consist of a series of
parabolic arcs
For this rule to apply, N must be an odd number

L L L
O1 A1 A2 A An On+1
3

O2 On
O3

A1 A2 L / 3(O1 4O2 O3 )
A3 A4 L / 3(O3 4O4 O5 )
A L / 3(O1 ON 4 even offsets 2 remaining odd offsets )
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 Volume of Earthwork
Two methods will be discussed here:
1. Average End Area Method
2. Prismodal Formula
Although the former is less exact than the latter, it is generally
accepted as the standard earthwork formula, on account of its
simplicity.

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 Volume of Earthwork
Average End Area Method
Volume of a right prism equals the average area multiplied by
the length
A1 A2
V12 l
2
V l / 2[( A1 An ) 2( A2 A3 ... An 2 An 1 )]

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 Volume of Earthwork
Prismoidal Formula
A prismoid is a solid whose ends are parallel and whose sides are

plane or warped surfaces

The Volume of a prismoid is:

Vab l 6 ( Aa 4 Am Ab )

Aa & Ab are parallel end areas at a distance l apart and Am the area at

the mid-length, found out by interpolating the linear dimensions.

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 Volume of Earthwork
Prismoidal Formula

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 Distribution Analysis of Earthwork :Terminologies
Haul: is the sum of the product of each volume of material and the
distance through which it is moved. On the mass-haul diagram, it is the
area contained b/n the curve and the balance line
Haul Distance: distance from point of excavation to point where the
material is to be tipped
Average Haul Distance is the distance from the centre of gravity of the
excavation to the centre of gravity of the tip, distance range can be used.
Free-haul Distance: is the distance (usually specified in the contract)
over which a charge is paid only for the volume of earth excavated and not
for its movement. The free haul distance is limited to 1.5km [ERA]
Free-haul is part of the haul which is contained within the free haul
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distance.
 Example of Graveling Halage Plan
Quary 4

Quary 1 Prepare a Graveling plan with minimum haulage!!!

.3 km
0.5 km
0+000 2.5+000 5+000 10+000

0.1 km 7.5+000
Quary 2 1 Km

Quary 3

Sec. 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 Section 7 Section 8

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 Distribution Analysis of Earthwork :Terminologies
Over-haul Distance: is the distance in excess of the free-haul distance,
over which it is necessary to transport material. An extra charge will be
paid for transport. Over-haul is part of the haul which remains after
the free haul has been removed.
Waste: is the volume surplus or unsuitable material which must be
exported from a section of the site.
Borrow material: is the material which must be imported in a section
of the site due to deficiency of suitable material
Economic Limit of Haul: - is the distance through which it is more
economical to haul excavated material than to waste and borrow.

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 Economic Overhaul Distance
Limit of Economical Haul Distance [LEH]
For long haul distances, it may be economical to waste and borrow
materials rather than pay for cost of overhauling
Let:
Ce=cost of excavation per unit volume (including free haul) - site
Cb=cost to excavate borrow pit (including free haul) borrow site
Coh=cost of overhaul per m3.m
Le=Economical Length of over-haul
Cost to excavate 1m3 of material from cut and move to fill
= Ce+CohLe (1)
Cost of excavate from cut, make waste; from borrow, place 1m3
3

material in fill = Cb+Ce (2)

Equating (1) & (2): Ce+CohLe= Cb+Ce Le= Cb /Coh

Total Distance, D = Le+ F.H.D

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where: F.H.D = free haul distance
 Mass Haul Diagram
A mass diagram is a graphical representation of the amount of earthwork
and embankment involved in a project and the manner in which the earth
is to be moved.
Its horizontal or x-axis represents distance and is usually expressed in
meters or stations.
The vertical or y-axis represents the cumulative quantity of earthwork
in cubic meters.
The quantity of excavation (cut) on the mass diagram is considered
positive, and embankment (fill) as negative.
Preliminary to drawing the mass curve it is convenient to tabulate the
cumulative volumes of cuts and fills at each station.
The mass diagram allows a highway engineer to determine direction of
29 haul and the quantity of earth taken from or hauled to any location.
30
 Mass Haul Diagram
The mass haul diagram can be used to determine:
Proper distribution of excavated material
Amount and location of waste
Amount and location of borrow
Amount of overhaul in kilometer-cubic meters
Direction of haul.

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 Mass Haul Diagram
Drawing of the Mass-Haul Diagram
1. The cross-sectional areas are calculated at regular intervals along
the project
2. The volume between consecutive areas and the aggregate volume
along the site are calculated. [cut is +ve and fill is ve]
3. Correct the volume calculated by shrinkage and swell factors
4. Tabulate the corrected aggregate volume
5. The average volumes corresponding to each chainage are plotted
with specified scale (for example, 1:2000 H and 1:500 or 1:1000
(cm:m3)V).
6. The points are joined by curves or straight lines to obtain the
finished mass-haul diagrams.
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 Example: calculations of quantities for mass-haul drawing

Chainage Volume(m3) Swell, Corrected Aggregate

Cut Fill shrinkage Volumes (accumulative)
factor Volume
1+000 0
1+040 230 -230 -230
1+100 480 0.9 430 200
1+160 2560 0.9 2300 2500
1+220 4560 0.9 4100 6600
1+280 3990 0.9 3550 10150
1+340 950 0.9 850 11000
1+400 1350 -1350 9650
1+460 4101 -4101 5549
1+520 4600 -4600 949
1+580 Bridge Bridge 949
1+640 430 -430 519
33 1+700 2370 -2370 -1859
 Example:

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 Properties of Mass Haul Diagram
The ordinate at any point on the mass curve represents the
cumulative volume to that point on the profile.

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 Properties .......
Within the limits of a single cut, the curve rises from left to right;

within the limits of a single fill, it falls from left to right

On the curve, the maximum earthworks point (3) occurs at the end

of an excavation and a minimum earthwork point (4) at the end of

an embankment.

Any horizontal line, as xy, cutting a loop of a mass curve, intersects

the curve at two points b/n which the cut is equal to the fill; such a
line is called a BALANCE LINE

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 Properties ......
The length of balancing line intercepted by the mass curve
represents the maximum haul distance in that section. (ac)
The final point on a mass diagram for a given project gives the
overall net amount of earthwork for the entire project.
if positive amount, it indicates a surplus of excavation material
and a need to waste that quantity of material.
If negative amount, it indicates a net shortage of earthwork for
the project and a need to borrow that quantity of earthwork
material.

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 Determination of Overhaul from the Mass Diagram

AC = free-haul distance; HJ AC = overhaul distance; BB = free-

haul volume; AA = CC = overhaul volume; OD = max. length of
38 balance.
Example:
Given the following end areas for cut & fill, complete the earthwork calculation
using a shrinkage of 10%. Then draw the M.H.D. and the longitudinal profile
of the earthworks & find the following:
a) Limit of Economic Haul (L.E.H.).
b) Freehaul volume (F.H.V.).
c) Overhaul volume (O.H.V.).
d) Waste volume.
e) Borrow volume.
f) Total cost of the earthworks.
Given that:
- Cost of overhaul = 30 birr/m3.station.
- Cost of borrow = 120 birr/m3.
- Cost of free haul = 70 birr/m3.
- Freehaul Distance (F.H.D.) = 200m = 2 stations.
- Area, m2 Average Area,m2 Volume, m3
Cumulative Volume, m3
Station Cut Fill Cut Fill Cut Fill Corr. Cut
0 10 0
11 1100 990
1 12 990
13 1300 1170
2 14 2160
15 1500 1350
3 16 3510
15 1500 1350
4 14 4860
7 5 350 250 65
5 10 4925
13 1300 -1300
6 16 3625
15 1500 -1500
7 14 2125
13 1300 -1300
8 12 825
10 1000 -1000
9 8 -175
6 4 300 200 70
10 12 -105
14 1400 1260
11 16 1155

Note Aav = 7 = .5*(14+0) and V = 350 = 7*100/2

Aav = 5 = .5*(10+0) and V = 250 = 5*100/2
Mass haul diagram
MHD
6000
V2
5000 4860 4925
V1
Cumulative volume (m3)

4000
3510 3625

3000 No Borrow Needed

2160 2125
2000
V3
1155
1000 990
825

0 0
-175 -105
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
-1000 FHV2
Station
a) Limit of economic Over haul = Cost of Borrow (Cb)/cost of over haul
(Coh)
Le = Cb/ (Coh
Le = 120/ 30 = 4 station
Total Distance [limit of economic over haul]
D = Le + FHD = 4 + 2 = 6 station
b) Free haul volume cut ends at station approximately at 0+450 and so free
haul distance starts at 0+350 = 0+450 100m and for the second cut-fill it
is clearly in 2 station range
FHV1 = V2 V1 = 5075 4185 = 890 m3
FHV2 = 550 ( 300) = 850 m3
c) Over Haul Volume volume
OHV1 = V1 V3 = 4185 1155 = 3030 m3 and
OHV2 = 1155 550 = 605m3
 d) Waste: Waste volume = 1155 m3
e) Borrow volume = 0 m3
f) Total Cost
Cost Free Haul
FHC = 70 ID/ m3 * (890 + 850) m3 = 121800 ID
Cost of Overhaul
OHC1 = [cost of borrow* OHV1] + [(cost of overhaul*OHV1*(hauling
distance1 - FHD))
OHC1 = 120* 3030+ 30*3030*[7.5-1.5 - 2] = 727200 birr
Similarly
OHC2 = 120*605 + 30 * (11 7.5 2)*605 = 99825 birr
Waste Cost
Cost of Excavation for waste = 1155 m3 *120 ID/m3 = 138600 birr
Total Cost = 121800 + 727200 + 99825 + 138600 = 1087425 birr
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