Components Of Road Structure And Method Of Construction 

1- Sub-grade

The finished and compacted surface of earthwork on which a road pavement rests is
called subgrade or formation. The subgrade of a road may be provided on an
embankment, in cutting or existing ground level depending upon the topography and
the finalized formation level. It consists of well compacted natural soil brought to the
required camber and gradient. The thickness and type of pavement structure depend
upon the supporting power of the subgrade because the entire load of the pavement,
including the load of traffic transmitted through the pavement, is ultimately taken up
by the subgrade. The load-bearing strength of subgrade is measured by California
Bearing Ratio (CBR) test, falling weight deflectometer back calculations and other
methods.

Function of Sub grade

1- Bears all the load thus acts as a foundation of road.

2- Transfer load through grain to grain contact.

Material

Material should be

1- Strong enough

2- Easily accessible in the surrounding vicinity

3- Cheap

2- Sub-base

A layer of granular material provided in between the subgrade and the base
course in a road pavement is known as sub-base. It is provided as an
additional layer when subgrade is of poor quality. It consists of a layer
comparatively cheaper material like burnt clinker, natural gravel or slag.

Functions of sub base

1- Prevent rise of water or capillary action.

Material

1- Should be better than the material of Sub Grade.

2- The Upper Base Course is made up of sand, gravel, and stone.

3- The Lower Base Course is made up of cheaply available material i-e

rock and stone fragments.

3- Base Course

A layer of boulders or bricks provided over the subbase or immediately

over the subgrade in the absence of sub-base in a road pavement is called
base course or soling or foundation course. This course is considered as
the most important and major component of road structure because this
course is to bear the impact of traffic transferred through the wearing
course. It consists of a stable material like boulders, gravel, one or two
layers of well-burnt bricks etc. In case of rocky subgrade, this course is not
provided.

Construction

Constructed above the Sub Base

Functions of Road Base

1- To avoid the distortion of wearing course due to its sufficient density.

2- Supports the wearing course.

Material

1- In case of Upper Road Base the material is of high quality as the load
intensity is high.

2- In case of Lower Road Base the material is of high quality as the load
intensity decreases.

4- Surface Course
It is the upper most layer of road cross section. It can be provided in one or
two layers

Construction

Constructed usually in two layers

1- Binder Course.

2- Wearing Course (It is the layer which is in direct contact with the tyres of
the vehicle)

Functions of Surfacing of Road

1- Prevent penetration of water in to the pavement.

2- Binder Course binds the Wearing Course with the Road Base.

3- Wearing Course provide a smooth riding.

4- Saves the lower layers from abrasion and weathering effects of the
moving vehicles

Material

1- Made up of bituminous material.

2- For Flexible Pavement asphalt concrete is used.

3- For Rigid Pavements Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) is used.

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Types Of Road Camber, Advantages, Disadvantages And
Methods Of Providing Camber

What is camber

Camber is the transverse slope provided to the road surface for the
drainage of the rainwater for the better performance of the road. Camber
can be written as 1 in n or x%.
Types of camber

1- Composite camber

It consists of two straight slopes from the edges with a parabolic or circular
crown.

2- Sloped or Straight camber

It consists of two straight slopes from the edges joining at the center of the
carriageway. This type of camber is very simple and can be easily
constructed.

3- Two straight line camber

It consists of two straight lines steeper near the edges and flatters near the
crown.

4- Barrel camber

It consists of a continuous curve either elliptical or parabolic. This type of

camber is preferred for roads used by fast-moving vehicles.

 
Road Camber height depends upon

1- Rainfall intensity in the area.

2- Type of the road surface whether it is flexible or rigid.

3- In case of flexible pavement, the recommended height of camber is 2 %.

of the total width of the pavement.

4- For rigid pavement, the maximum recommended width is 1:72 .

Advantages of camber

1- Camber provides quick drainage of rainwater and thus saves the

foundation course of the road structure from weakening by percolation of
rainwater to it through the road surface.

2- This prevents rainwater to accumulate in local shrinkages or depressions

and forming water pool on the road surface, which are disagreeable to the
public as well as to the road structure.

Drawback of providing excessive road camber height

1- It reduces the road width as everyone will try to move on the middle of
the road.

2- Chances of accidens will increase.

3- The passengers feel unbalance and discomfort during journey.

4- The road will wear and tear on the edges.

Method of providing camber

Usually, camber is provided on the straight roads by raising the center of

the carriageway with respect to the edges, forming a crown or highest point
on the center line. At horizontal curves with superelevation, the surface
drainage is effected by raising the outer edge of pavement with respect to
the inner edge while providing the desired superelevation. the rate of
camber or cross slope is usually designed by 1 in ‘n’ which means the
transverse slope is in ratio 1 vertical to “n” horizontal. Camber is also
expressed in percentage. If the camber is x %, the cross slope is x in 100.