WHITETOPPING

 –  A  CASE  STUDY  FROM  BANGALORE  

Dr.  V.  Ramachandra,  Zonal  Head  (Tech),  UltraTech  Cement  Ltd.,  Bangalore  

Introduction:  

Concrete   Roads   were   first   built   by   Romans   (300   BC   –   476   AD).     They   were   quite   innovative   in   the  
construction   with   the   use   of   innovative   materials   viz.,   use   of   `Pozzolana’   cement   from   the   village  
Pozzouli  near  Italy,  horse  hairs  as  fibres  in  concrete,  admixtures  in  their  primitive  form  (like  animal  fat,  
milk  &  blood).    These  roads,  scientifically  designed  and  constructed  had  a  long  life  and  thus  lead  to  the  
adage  `  all  (concrete)  roads  lead  to  Rome’.      

Portland   Cement   Concrete   (PCC)   overlay   on   an   existing   bituminous   pavement   is   commonly   known   as  
White  topping.    The  principal  purpose  of  an  overlay  is  either  to  restore  or  to  increase  the  load  carrying  
capacity   or   both,   of   the   existing   pavement.     In   achieving   this   objective,   overlays   also   restore   the   ride-­‐
ability   of   the   existing   pavements   which   have   suffered   rutting   and  deformations,   in   addition   to   rectifying  
other   defects   such   as   loss   of   texture.   In   our   country,   bituminous   overlays   have   been   popularly  
constructed  in  the  past  mainly  due  to  abundant  supply  of  bitumen,  its  amenability  to  stage  construction  
and  manageable  traffic  conditions,  in  terms  of  volume  and  axle  loads  in  addition  to  the  comfort  levels  of  
construction   methods   among   engineers.     It   was   also   making   economic   sense   to   make   bituminous  
pavements   as   it   was   relatively   cheaper.     In   recent   times   all   these   advantages   are   reversed   viz.,  
petroleum   industry   is   using   refined   processing   technology   leading   to   reduction   in   the   production   of  
bitumen   leading   to   increased   imports,   favourable   cost   economics   of   cement   concrete   and   rapidly  
changing  traffic  scenario  (in  terms  of  volume  as  well  as  axle  loads).    In  addition,  rapid  developments  in  
concrete  material  technology  and  mechanization  (both  in  concrete  production  &  its  laying)  are  favouring  
concrete  overlays  as  a  sustainable  option.    In  recent  times  PPP  (Public-­‐Private  Partnership)  models  are  
becoming   popular   in   road   construction   shifting   the   focus   on   selection   of   overlays   based   on   life-­‐cycle  
costs   rather   than   initial   costs.     India   is   currently   producing   about   240   million   tonnes   of   cement   and  
cement   industry   is   quite   matured   and   equipped   to   meet   the   challenges   in   terms   of   various   grades   of  
cements  as  well  as  high  quality  blended  cements  suitable  for  making  Pavement  Quality  Concrete  (PQC).  

Concrete  overlays  have  been  used  to  rehabilitate  bituminous  pavements  since  1918  in  USA.    There  has  
been   a   renewed   interest   in   whitetopping,   particularly   on   Thin   White   Topping   (TWT)   and   Ultra-­‐Thin  
White  Topping  (UTWT)  over  Conventional  White  Topping.    Based  on  the  types  of  interface  provided  and  
the  thickness  of  overlay,  classification  is  as  follows:    

i) Conventional  White  topping  –  which  consists  of  PCC  overlay  of  thickness  200  mm  or  more,  
which   is   designed   &   constructed   without   consideration   of   any   bond   between   existing  
overlay  &  underlying  bituminous  layer  (without  assuming  any  composite  action).    
ii) Thin  White  topping  (TWT)  –  which  has  PCC  overlay  between  100  –  200  mm.    It  is  designed  
either   considering   bond   between   overlay   &   underlying   bituminous   layer   or   without  
consideration   of   bond.     High   strength   concrete   (M   40   or   higher)   is   normally   used   to   take  
care  of  flexure  requirement.    Joints  are  at  shorter  spacing  of  0.6  to  1.25  m.  
 iii) Ultra-­‐Thin   White   topping   (UTWT)   –   which   has   PCC   overlay   of   less   than   100   mm.     Bonding  
between   overlay   &   underlying   bituminous   layer   is   mandatory.     To   ensure   this,   the   existing  
layer  of  bitumen  is  milled  (to  a  depth  of  30  -­‐  40  mm).    Joints  are  provided  at  a  spacing  of  0.6  
to  1.25  m.  

Advantages  of  White  topping:  

Ø Reduced  thickness  –  due  to  thickness  of  overlay  remaining  constant  for  over  2  decades.      

Ø Fast-­‐Track   construction   –   making   use   of   innovations   in   concrete   technology   &   batch   mixing,  
concretes   can   be   designed   to   have   3   –days’   compressive   (&   flexural)   strength,   so   as   to   open   the  
road  for  traffic  within  5  days  of  construction.  

Ø Reduced   maintenance   –   as   the   concrete   overlays   live   for   over   2   decades,   with   least  
maintenance.  

Ø Cost-­‐effective  compared  to  asphalt  overlays  –  when  Life  Cycle  Cost  is  taken  into  consideration.      

Ø Improved  service  life  –  with  better  riding  quality,  improved  fuel  efficiency  of  vehicles.  

Ø Little  pre-­‐overlay  repairs  

Ø Improvement  in  safety  in  view  of  the  increased  reflection  of  light  –  particularly  on  city  roads,  it  
would  save  24  %  less  electricity  compared  to  flexible  pavements.  

Ø Reduction  in  operational  costs  and  lower  absorption  of  solar  energy  

Ø Improving  the  environmental  benefits  –  as  concrete  roads  are  much  greener  and  less  polluting.  

In   this   paper,   the   case   history   of   a   Thin   White   topping   Technology   Demonstration   Project   carried   out   on  
a  stretch  of  road  in  Bangalore  is  presented.      

Details  of  the  Project  

The   trial   stretch   is   located   on   Hosur   Road   in   Bangalore,   India.     The   details   of   the   existing   bituminous  
road  and  the  other  data  are  as  follows:  

1   CBR     8  to  10  

2   Commercial  vehicles  per  day   1000  
3   Temp  differential  at  Bangalore     17.3  deg  C  
4   Thickness  of  bituminous  layer   4  to  7  inches  
5   Base  (40  mm  metal)  thickness   4  to  9  inches  
6   Road  width   100  feet  
7   Length  of  road   350  m  
8   Concrete  grade   M  45  
9   Axle  load   16  T  
 
Design  of  Pavement  and  Concrete  Mix  

Design  of  the  overlay  was  carried  out  using  Westergaard’s  Equation  and  warping  stress  as  per  IRC:58  -­‐
2002  and  IRC:  SP:  76  –  2008.    Total  stress  (including  temperature  stress)  was  obtained  as  30.83  Kg/cm2  
and  corresponding  flexural  strength  requirement  was  4.7  MPa.    Design  was  done  by  M/s  L.R.  Kadiyali  &  
Associates,  New  Delhi.    Thickness  of  white  topping  was  150  mm.  

Concrete   mix   design   was   arrived   at   by   evaluating   trial   mixes   and  the  design  mix  was  arrived  at  with  a  
cement  content  of  430  kgs,  fly  ash  –  30  kgs,  with  a  w/c  ratio  of  0.283,  achieving  a  slump  of  40   –  60  mm  
at  site.      

Details  of  Construction  

In   order   to   achieve   the   desired   advantages   of   concrete   roads,   three   essential   conditions   need   to   be  
satisfied.  

i) Production  of  concrete  in  a  RMC  plant  or  in  a  dedicated  batching  plant.  
ii) Using  either  fixed  form  or  slip  form  mechanical  pavers  
iii) Strict  quality  control  at  site  including  testing  of  fresh,  hardened  and  extracted  specimens  of  
concrete  and  tests  on  pavement  quality.  

In  this  project  design  and  production  of  concrete  was  carried  out  by  UltraTech  RMC;  Fixed  form  paver  
provided   by   M/s   Allen   Buildwell   Pvt   Ltd.,  was   used.     Quality   control   at   site   and   testing   were   jointly   done  
by  the  Technical  Services  team  of  UltraTech  and  M/s  Civil  Aid  Technoclinic  (P)  Ltd.,  Bangalore.      

Salient  features  of  construction    

i) Surface  preparation:  In  case  of  TWT,  bond  between  PCC  overlay  &  existing  bituminous  pavement  
is  atleast  partly  desirable;  in  case  of  UTWT,  effective  bond  is  essential.    To  ensure  this  any  of  the  
following  method  can  be  adopted.  
-­‐ Milling   the   existing   bituminous   surface   to   obtain   a   uniform   surface.     Milling   can   be   used   to  
remove   surface   distortion   like   cracks   in   the   top   portion   and   adjust   cross   slopes.     Thickness   of  
milling  usually  is  in  the  range  of  25  to  50  mm.      
-­‐ Surface  scrapping  is  carried  out  on  bituminous  surfaces  which  are  quite  hard.    This  can  be  for  a  
depth  of  10  mm  and  carried  out  with  tools  which  have  vertical  impact  control,  so  that  the  sub-­‐
grade  is  not  damaged.  
-­‐ Chiselling  of  the  surface  at  regular  intervals,  if  the  existing  surface  is  hard.  

The  minimum  thickness  of  existing  bituminous  pavement  (excluding  the  milled/scrapped  thickness)  
shall  be  75  –  100  mm  to  ensure  a  reliable  &  strong  base.  

ii) Profile  correction  is  carried  out  with  the  objective  of  filling  existing  potholes,  ruts  and  wide  cracks  
and  also  to  ensure  a  level  surface  for  resting  the  pavement.    Profile  correction  and  correction  of  
camber   can   be   carried   out   together   with   a   thin   bituminous   leveling   course   or   with   dry   lean  
concrete  (DLC).      
 a. If  the  existing  road  surface  is  good  &  only  a  few  localized  potholes  /  cracks  e  xist,  they  
can  be  repaired  with  a  bituminous  mix  before  concreting  is  done.  
b.  If   potholes/   cracks   are   wider   than   3   mm,   they   have   to   be   treated   with   bituminous  
emulsion,   slurry   seal   after   trimming   them   to   shape   and   cleaning   out   loose   fragments  
with  compressed  air.  Milling  of  the  existing  surface  also  addresses  this  problem.  
iii) Laying   of   PQC   is   quite   similar   to   the   construction   of   new   concrete   pavement.     As   mentioned  
earlier,   concrete   should   be   made   either   in   an   RMC   or   in   a   weigh   batching   plant.     Use   of   either  
fixed  form  pavers  or  slip  form  paver  machines  is  an  essential  ingredient  for  getting  a  good  quality  
pavement.    In  the  current  project,  a  fixe  form  paver  was  used  with  a  fixed  side  formwork  (steel  
channel  box  section)  with  16mm  diameter  steel  rods  of  1  m  length  as  tie  rods  @  500mm  c/c)   and  
the  paver  had  gang  mounted  vibrators  equally  spaced  with  variable  rpm  and  three  integral  steel  
tubes  with  8  Tonnes  vibratory  rollers  for  screeding,  levelling,  compaction  and  finishing.    
iv) Finishing   of   the   surface   is   mostly   achieved   by   the   paver   itself.     But   to   achieve   uniform   finish,   a  
simple  hand  operated  bull  float  is  used  when  concrete  is  still  in  its  fresh  state.   After   the   bull   float  
operation,  uniform  surface  texture  is  provided  by  using  steel  wire  brush.  
v) To   avoid   evaporation   of   surface   water   from   concrete   surface   (which   leads   to   plastic   shrinkage  
cracks),   wax   based   curing   compound   is   sprayed.     As   an   additional   measure,   plastic   sheets   are  
spread  over  the  pavement  surface  till  normal  curing  process  starts.      
vi) Contraction  joints  are  provided  by  cutting  groves  (for  a  depth  of  one-­‐third  of  the  depth  of  white  
topping,   150   mm   in   this   case)   at   a   spacing   of   1.2   m   in   longitudinal   as   well   as   transverse  
directions.   The   joints   are   cut   using   electrical   grove     machines   within   about   8   to   10   hours   of  
pouring   concrete.     These   joints   are   sealed   with   high   quality   sealant   (either   bitumen   or   poly  
sulphides)  to  prevent  moisture  and  incompressible  infiltration  into  the  overlay  system.  
vii)  To   ensure   effective   load   transfer   across   the   longitudinal   segments   as   well   as   transverse  
construction  joints,  tie  bars  and  dowel  bars  are  provided.  

Surface  preparation  and  alignment  of  rails  for  paver     Paver  machine  in  operation  
  

           Bull  float  operation  to  smoothen  surface       Surface  texturing  with  wire  brush  

 
Test  Results  

Strict  quality  control  not  only  during  mix  design  and  production  of  concrete,  but  also  testing  for  quality  
at  regular  intervals  (for  every  50  cum  of  concrete)  was  carried  out.    These  tests  included:  

-­‐ Tests  conducted  on  fresh  concrete  (slump  test  at  site)  
-­‐ Tests   on   hardened   state   (compressive   strength   of   cube   &   cylinder   specimens   for   1,   3,   7   &   28  
days),  split  tensile  strength,  flexural  strength  of  concrete  beams  
-­‐ Fatigue  and  abrasion  tests  on  pavement  quality  (results  awaited).  
-­‐ Test   on   extracted   specimens   of   concrete   (core   tests)   would   be   conducted   to   assess   the   long  
term  performance  of  concrete.  

All  the  above  tests  are  conducted  by  Civil  Aid  Technoclinic  (P)  Ltd.,  Bangalore  and  the  results  obtained  so  
far  are  tabulated.  The  road  was  opened  for  traffic  after  5  days  of  curing.      

Compressive  Strength  of  Concrete  Cubes  (Total  no.  of  samples  936)  
No.   Sample  size   One-­‐day   3-­‐day  strength   7-­‐day  strength   28  –  day  
strength  (MPa)   (MPa)   (MPa)   strength  (MPa)  
  60   cubes   per   Max:  24.1   Max:  48.2   Max:  55.2   Max:  67.2  
test   Min:    21.1   Min:    38.4   Min:  48.4   Min:  57.4  
Avg:    22.05   Avg:    43.2   Avg:  51.02   Avg:  61.8  
Compressive  Strength  of  Concrete  
Cylinders  (Total  no.  of  samples  60)  
No.   Sample  size   28  –  day  
strength  (MPa)  
  60  per  test   Max:  61.4  
Min:  43.7  
Avg:  52.45  
 

 
 Flexural  strength  of  Concrete     Split  Tensile  strength  of  Concrete  
(Total  no.  of  samples  60)   (Total  no.  of  samples  60)  
No.   Sample  size   28  –  day   No.   Sample  size   28  –  day  
strength  (MPa)   strength  (MPa)  
  60  per  test   Max:  7.35     60  per  test   Max:  4.01  
Min:  6.2   Min:  2.92  
Avg:  6.3   Avg:  3.36  
 

Conclusions:  

Due   to   advances   in   the   area   of   mechanization   and   fast   track   construction,   concrete   roads   and   white  
topping   provide   a   sustainable   as   well   as   cost   effective   option   for   pavement   construction.     This  
technology   demonstration   project   in   Bangalore   has   evoked   positive   response   from   people   across   the  
spectrum   viz.,   technical   consultants,   construction   industry,   academic   &   research   institutions.     The  
Government  of  Karnataka,  BBMP  and  other  civic  agencies  have  come  forward  to  adopt  this  technology.    
On  behalf  of  the  cement  industry,  CMA  (Cement  Manufacturers’  Association)  has  come  forward  to  assist  
all   those   involved   in   the   construction   on   concrete   roads/   white   topping   by   way   of   several   useful  
publications,   user-­‐friendly   software   for   analysis,   design   and   estimation   of   quantities   (and   comparative  
cost),  conducting  training  programs  for  engineers  and  providing  the  necessary  technical  assistance.      

References:  

1. Concrete  Overlays  –  White  topping  of  roads,  Cement  Manufacturers  Association,  2010  
2. Tentative   guidelines   for   conventional,   thin   and   Ultra-­‐thin   white   topping,   IRC:   SP:   76  –   2008,   The  
Indian  Roads  Congress,  New  Delhi,  2008  
3. Handbook  on  Cement  Concrete  Roads,  Cement  Manufacturers  Association,  2010  
4. Michael  E.  Ayers  &  Dale  Harrington,  Selection  and  use  of  concrete  overlays,  The  Indian  Concrete  
Journal,  May  2010  
5. Guide   to   Concrete   Overlays   –   Sustainable   solutions   for   resurfacing   and   rehabilitating   existing  
pavements,  National  Concrete  Pavement  Technology  Centre,  USA,  Sept.  2008.