DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Department of Civil Engineering

ECE 4205: Highway Engineering II
CAT 2: 2019/2020 Academic Year
Date: 15th November, 2019
Question One (1)

Briefly describe how the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of a granular material is determined in
the laboratory. How are the results from this test typically used in pavement design? What are
the main disadvantages of this approach? (10 Marks)

Question Two (2)

(i) Briefly describe (with aid of diagrams) the operation of the Benkelman Beam. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of using this form of surface deflection measurement?
(7 ½ Marks)
(ii) Explain how Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) data can be interpreted in terms of the
stiffness moduli of different pavement layers. List the advantages of this method of pavement
deflection evaluation (7 ½ Marks)

Question Three (3)

A one-day axle weight survey yielded the following data:

Axle Weight (Tones) Number

0-2 24,480
2-4 8,235
4-6 5,949
6-8 3,722
8-10 1,481
10-12 511
12-14 39

Assuming the fourth power law, convert the data given above into the number of equivalent
standard axle loads for a period of 20 years (5 Marks)

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