DESIGN OF GRAVEL ROADS

Introduction
 Required Properties of Gravel surfacing materials

• Stability to support the weight of traffic.

• Resistance to abrasive action of traffic.
• Ability to shed a large proportion of the rain
which falls on the surface
 Stability to Support the Weight of Traffic

Stability is achieved through

• sufficient plasticity,
• proper grading, and
• proper shape and surface of particles
 Sufficient Plasticity
For binding; hold material together
• The clay particles can prevent infiltration, as they
swell during wet weather thus plug soil pores.
Just enough clay content is required so as to
avoid swell and dislocation in granular materials.

• In hot climates, the clay fraction help to retain

moisture content against evaporation which is
necessary for stability. It may also be able to
replace the moisture lost through surface
evaporation thus maintaining the dampness
required to firmly bind the materials together.
 Proper grading (for mechanical stability)
• If too wide or narrow = weak structure.
• If too many large particles:
- The particles will be exposed and knocked off by
traffic resulting in high surface roughness and
traffic hazard. Aggregates larger than 25 mm
should not be used as they will be torn (worn
out) from the surface.
- Riding quality is affected.
- Sufficient reshaping is prevented.
--Can lead to potholes when dislodged during
grading.
 Proper shape and surface of particles

• Angular particles provide best interlock;

• Crushed gravel and sands are preferred
Resistance to abrasive action of traffic
For stability and resistance to abrasion, the
material must consist of hard, tough and
durable fragments of stone or gravel with
sufficient filler for binding.
 Ability to shed a large proportion of the rain from
the surface

• Rainwater must be shed from the surface

quickly; A-type crowns are preferred to
conventional parabolic ones.
• The crossfall of carriageway and shoulders
shall be 4-6%.
AASHTO MATERIALS SPECIFICATION
AASHTO MATERIALS SPECIFICATION…….
TRL MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS (ORN 2)
TRL MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS (ORN 2)
 THICKNESS DESIGN

• Conventional thickness design is not usually

applied to gravel roads and a nominal
thickness of 150 mm of wearing course
material is suggested.
• Alternatively, an estimate thickness can be
calculated using the original US Army Corps of
Engineers relationship or the modified
equation by TRL.
THICKNESS DESIGN
 Maintenance of Gravel Roads
• Gravel wearing course requires regular
shaping and also periodic replacement
throughout the life of the road at a rate
depending on gravel loss.
• An annual loss of 10 - 30 mm of gravel
wearing course material per 100 AADT is
common.