Induction Training Report – Naa Koshie lamptey

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My humble appreciation goes to the Almighty God for the wonderful opportunity given me to
undertake my training successfully in the Materials Division. I also thank the Director of
Materials, Mr. BonneyAcquah,and his Managers; Mr. Odai, Mr. Klu, Mr. Matrevi and Nana for
the various lectures they took me through my training period at the Materials’ Division. Further
thanks and appreciation goes to Mr. Atsu,, Mr Mensah and Mr Ofotsu for their help in taking me
through the lab works in the various sections under the materials Division.

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TABLE OF CONTENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................................................i

TABLE OF CONTENT...............................................................................................................ii

CHAPTER 1....................................................................................................................................1

1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................1

1.1 Organisational Structure.....................................................................................................2

CHAPTER 2....................................................................................................................................4

2. BITUMINOUS PRODUCTS...............................................................................................4

2.1 Types and Grades of Bitumen............................................................................................4

2.2 Physical Tests on Bitumen.................................................................................................4

2.3 Mix Design of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)............................................................................5

2.4 Mix Design Methods.........................................................................................................6

3. SOILS AND AGGREGATES..............................................................................................7

3.1 Sample Preparation.............................................................................................................7

3.2 Laboratory Tests on sample...............................................................................................7

3.3 Properties of Concrete and Concrete Mix Design..............................................................8

3.4 Laboratory test on Concrete Constituents..........................................................................8

3.5 Properties of Concrete........................................................................................................9

3.6 Relevance of Tests to MRT Standard Specifications.......................................................10

CHAPTER 4..................................................................................................................................11

4. FOUNDATION..................................................................................................................11

4.1. Types of Foundations..................................................................................................11

4.2 Tests conducted at the Foundation Laboratory................................................................12

4.3 Soil Description................................................................................................................13

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CHAPTER 5..................................................................................................................................14

5. PAVEMENT.......................................................................................................................14

5.1 Types of Highway Pavement...........................................................................................14

5.2 Structural Component of a Flexible Pavement.................................................................14

5.3 Pavement Design Considerations.........................................................................................14

5.4 Pavement Design Procedure.............................................................................................16

5.5 Introduction to Pavement Evaluation and Monitoring.....................................................17

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CHAPTER 1

1. INTRODUCTION
The Materials division is one of the Divisions under the Ghana Highway with
responsibilities including;:.

 Develops specifications and inspection methods for use in construction and

maintenance of roads.
 Mapping out Ghana soils and rocks and performing tests to determine their
suitability as base and sub-base materials.
 Carrying out sub- surface investigation for the design of structural foundation for
bridges, culverts and buildings.
 Provision of technical advice to other Divisions within GHA, Consultants,
Contractors, Ministries, Departments and agencies in infrastructural development.
 Advices on airport runway pavement construction and maintenance.

All tests conducted in this division is in accordance with the standard specifications defined
in the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) Standard Specification for road and bridge works,
ASTM / AASHTO and the British (BS) standards.

As part of my training at the GHA, I was attached to the Materials Division for 4months
This report gives a brief account of my training period with the division.

1.1 Organisational Structure

The materials Division is headed by a Director who is responsible for the smooth
administration and operation of the Division. The Director is supported by four (4)
Managers who are responsible for the sections listed below;

 Soils and Aggregates

 Foundations
 Pavement
 Bituminous Products

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The mangers are assisted by other engineers, technicians and other staff.

Fig.1.1 shows the organisational structure of the Materials division.

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Director of
Materials

Secretary

Soils and Aggt.

Manager Bituminous Foundations Pavement
Manager Research
Product Manager Manager and Dev.
Manager
Soils & Soils & (Vacant)
Aggt. Eng. Aggt. Eng.
(I) (II) Bituminous Foundations Pavement
Bituminous Engineer Pavement Eng.
Products Eng. Products Eng. Eng.
(II) (Monitoring & Research &
(I) Evaluation) Dev. Eng.
(Vacant)
Soils & Aggt. Soils &
Aggt. Tech. Foundations
Lab. Lab.
Supervisor Eng. Bitumen Lab. Bitumen
Supervisor Tech. Eng. Supervisor.
Pavement
Technician
Eng.

Technical Technical Foundations

Officers Officers Tech. Eng.
Technical
Officers

Fig.1.1Organisational Structure

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CHAPTER 2

2. BITUMINOUS PRODUCTS
Bitumen is the by product obtained after the fractional distillation of crude oil. It is employed
in the construction of roads worldwide. Sampled bitumen which reflects the true nature and
conditions of the whole stock are presented to GHA’s material’s laboratory for testing.

2.1 Types and Grades of Bitumen

Bitumen is available in a variety of types and grades.

 Types:
› Straight Run Bitumen
› Emulsion Bitumen
› Cut-back Bitumen
 Grades of Bitumen:
› Penetration Grade:Examples include 40/50, 60/70, 80/100 etc.
› Viscosity Grade. Examples include AC 10, AC 20 etc.
› Performance Grade. Examples include PG 64-10, PG 70-10, PG 72-
10, etc.

2.2 Physical Tests on Bitumen

The physical tests conducted on bitumen includes::

 Consistency Tests (degree of fluidity at any particular temperature)

› Penetration Test
To examine the consistency of a sample of bitumen by
determining the distance a standard needle vertically penetrates
the bitumen specimen under known conditions of loading, time
and temperature.
› Viscosity Test
Viscosity defines the fluid property of the bitumen. The degree
of fluidity at the application temperature greatly affects the ability

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of the bituminous material to spread, penetrate into the voids and

also coat the aggregates.
› Softening Point Test
The test determines the temperature at which the bitumen sample
cannot support the weight off a steel ball and starts flowing.
› Ductility
The distance in centimeters (cm) that a standard briquette of
asphalt concrete will stretch before breaking at a specified
temperature of 25oC.

 Safety Tests

› Flash Point Test

This test determines the temperature to which a bitumen sample
can be safely heated in the presence of an open flame

 Stabiliy and Flow

› This test checks for the stability and flexibility of the mix. A
graph is plotted by the machine which shows this result
.
Other Tests
› Specific Gravity
› Distillation – to check if the right constituent of bitumen has been
used

2.3 Mix Design of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA)

The process involves the combination of aggregates and bitumen

which are heated, proportioned, and mixed to produce the desired
paving mixture.
Some of the reasons for the design are:

 Determine an economical blend and gradation of aggregate.

 Provide sufficient asphalt to ensure a durable pavement.

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 Provide sufficient mix stability to satisfy the demands of traffic without

distortion or displacement.
 Provide sufficient voids in compacted mix to allow slight amount of
additional compaction under traffic loading without flushing, bleeding
and loss of stability.

2.4 Mix Design Methods

Asphalt mix design methods include:

 Marshall Method
 Super Pave Method
 Hveem Method

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CHAPTER 3

3. SOILS AND AGGREGATES

Soil can be defined as the loose mass of mineral and organic materials that cover the
solid geology of the earth. Soil is mainly formed by weathering of solid rock at or near the
surface of the earth.

Aggregates are defined as inert, granular, and inorganic materials that normally
consist of stone or stone-like solids. Aggregates can be used alone (in road bases and
various types of fill) or can be used with cementing materials (such as Portland
cement or asphalt cement) to form composite materials or concrete.

Various tests are performed on soils and aggregates to determine their Engineering
properties which in effect determine its suitability for a specified work. As part my
training with the Soils and Aggregates section of the Materials Division, I sampled
material (lateritic) from a stockpile of the Dizengoff yard in Accra.

3.1 Sample Preparation

Drying and Riffling

The sample was air-dried to obtain the natural moisture content, (NMC). Samples to
be tested should be representative, i.e. they should be similar in characteristics to
most of the stock from which they come, or be an average of the range of materials
present. I therefore riffled the material under investigation.

3.2 Laboratory Tests on sample

The laboratory tests I conducted on the sample are as follows:

 Index Property Tests

These tests are conducted for the purposes of classification or
characterization. They include:

› Atterberg Limits Test

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Conducted to predict the behaviour of the material within the moisture

regime to determine its plasticity or the amount of clay. (Plasticity
Index, PI)
› Grading or Particle Size Distribution
This test enables a grading curve to be drawn which is a graphical
representation of the particle size distribution therefore useful in itself
for taking engineering decisions.

 Strength Test
› California Bearing Ratio
The objective of the test is to determine the relative strength of the
material with respect to a well-graded crushed rock.
 Compaction
The objective of the laboratory compaction is to determine an optimum
moisture content (OMC) and the corresponding maximum dry density (MDD)
of the material. The OMC and MDD are use to check relative compaction on
the field.

3.3 Properties of Concrete and Concrete Mix Design

Concrete is a composite material composed of coarse aggregate, fine aggregate ,
binder (cement), water and admixtures if required.The problem of designing a
concrete mix consists of selecting the correct proportions of cement, fine and coarse
aggregate and water to produce concrete having the specified properties. During my
training, I was involved in a concrete mix design process.

3.4 Laboratory test on Concrete Constituents

Prior to the mix, pre-qualification tests were conducted on the constituents of
concrete. The tests included:

 Fine Aggregate
› Grading
› Specific Gravity
› Absorption

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 Coarse Aggregates
› Grading
› Absorption
› Flakiness Index
› Elongation Index
› Los Angeles Abrasion (LAA)
› Aggregate Impact Value (dry)
 Water
The water used in the design should be potable water i.e. drinkable.

After conducting the pre-qualification tests, proportions of the constituents were

mixed together (trial and error) using the Concrete design manual as a guide till the
required concrete strength was reached.

3.5 Properties of Concrete

The properties of concrete most usually specified are:

 The workability of the fresh concrete

 The compressive strength at a specified age
 The durability, by means of specifying the minimum cement content and/or
the maximum free-water/ cement ratio and, in some cases, requiring the use of
selected types of materials

Fig.2.3a Checking the workability of Fig.2.3b Preparing the concrete

the fresh concrete by means ofthe cubes for curing
Slump test

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3.6 Relevance of Tests to MRT Standard Specifications

All the above mentioned tests were performed to check if the material meets the
specifications outlined in the Ministry of Roads and Transport Specifications for
Roads and Bridge Works. To mention a few, the section 12 of the MRT covers the
provision, laying and compacting of natural gravel material for subbase and base in
the pavement. In connection with the material under consideration;

 Table 12.2 of section 12.4 clearly states that, for a natural material for base
course, the Average dry density should be 98% and the Minimum dry density
be 97%.
 The maximum thickness of any layer compacted in one lift shall not exceed
200 mm after compaction.

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CHAPTER 4

4. FOUNDATION
A foundation is defined as engineered system that supports the weight of a
structure and transmits the load to underlying soil or rock.

The foundation section of the materials division is responsible for the evaluation of
foundations to determine their bearing capacities. This is achieved by
conducting subsoil investigations. The goal of the subsurface investigation is to
obtain a detailed understanding of the engineeringand geologic properties of the soil,
rock strata and groundwater conditions that couldimpact the foundation.
Methods of conducting subsoil investigations include:

 Trial Pits
 Dynamic Cone Penetrometre Test
 Auger Boring
 Percussion Drilling
 Rotary Drilling
 Plate Loading Test

4.1. Types of Foundations

Foudations could be classified into two main categories. They are:

 Deep foundations
These include:

› Pile foundation
› Caissons
› Piers

 Shallow foundations
Examples include:

› Pad or column footings

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› Strip footings
› Mat (raft) footings

4.2 Tests conducted at the Foundation Laboratory

Some of the tests that are been performed at the foundation laboratory are;

 Consolidation
 Resilient Modulus Test
 Permeability Test
 Shear Strength Tests
› Triaxial test
› Unconfined compression test

Consolidation
This test is performed to determine the magnitude and rate of volume decrease that a
laterally confined soil specimen undergoes when subjected to different vertical
pressures.

Resilient Modulus Test

The resilient modulus test is a measure of the elastic modulus of the soil. This
provides a means of characterizing pavement construction materials including
surface, base, and sub-base materials under a variety of repeated loads.

Permeability Test
This test determines the coefficient of permeability which is a measure of the
rate of flow of water through a soil.

Shear Strength Tests

The shear strength test is a measure of the soil resistance to deformation by
continuous displacement of its individual soil. It is used in analyzing stability
problems like lateral pressure on retaining structures, slope stability and bearing
capacity.

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4.3 Soil Description

Soil descriptions are made from field observations and from disturbed and
undisturbed samples taken from cuttings, excavations and boreholes. The description
is a true representative of the material on paper. Soil description is usually based on
the other discussed below:

 Consistency
Granular soils are described in varying terms of consistency as very loose,
loose, medium dense, dense or very dense.

Cohesive soils can also be described as very soft, soft, firm and stiff, very
stiff or hard.

 Colour
The basiccolour of the sample is described with the dominantcolour being
mentioned last. Instances where the sample shows a mixture of colours, it is
described as mottled.

 Texture
It is necessary to observe the physical 'feel' of the sample, i.e. worked in the
hand to determine the texture.

 Subsidiary constituents/ associated soils

Associated soils/constituents are also mentioned upon observation.

 Dominant soil name and additional features

The basic name of the predominant constituent and a single-word modifier
indicating any major subordinate constituent.

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CHAPTER 5

5. PAVEMENT
A pavement is a layered structure designed to support vehicle wheel loads and to
distribute them to the roadbed safely. The designed layers are of varying strengths
and thickness to serve specific roles in the road pavement. The pavement section
of the materials division is responsible for the design and evaluation of trunk
road pavements.

5.1 Types of Highway Pavement

Highway pavement types include:

 Flexible Pavement
 Rigid Pavement
 Composite Pavement
 Pavement Blocks/Cobbles

5.2 Structural Component of a Flexible Pavement

The components of a flexible pavement are:

 Subgrade or Prepared roadbed

 Subbase
 Base
 Wearing surface

5.3 Pavement Design Considerations

Factors considered in the AASHTO procedure for the design of flexible pavement as
presented in the 1993 guide are:

 Pavement performance
Primary factors considered are the structural and functional performance.
Structural performance include cracking, faulting, raveling, etc. Functional

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performance considers the riding comfort. Pavement performance is

quantified by the Serviceability.

 Traffic
Traffic load is determined in terms of the number of repetitions of a single
axle 80kN load applied to the pavement on a set of dual tires. This is also
known as the Equivalent Standard Axle Loads (ESALs). The axle loads are
converted to ESALs using load equivalent factors (LEFs) derived from the
AASHTO Road Test. ESAL is calculated as:

ESAL=f d ×G jt × AA DT ×365 × N i × F Ei

Where, f d = design lane factor

G jt = growth factor for a given growth rate j and design

period t

AADTi = first year annual average daily traffic for axle

category i

Ni = number of axleson each vehicle in category i

FEi= load equivalency factors for axle category i

 Roadbed soils (subgrade material)

The AASHTO flexible pavement design procedure requires the input of an
effective roadbed soil resilient modulus, which is equivalent to the combined
effect of all seasonal modulus values.

 Construction materials
The quality of materials used in constructing the subbase, base and wearing
course are determined. The appropriate layer coefficients are established by
deriving relationships based on material properties such as the resilient or
elastic modulus.

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 Environment
Temperature and rainfall are the two main environmental factors used in
evaluating pavement performance in the AASHTO method.

 Drainage
The effect of drainage on all untreated layers below the road surface is
considered by multiplying each layer coefficient (ai) by a modifying factor
(mi). The structural number (SN)equation modified for drainage is shown
below:

SN=a1 D1 +a 2 D2 m2 +a 3 D3 m 3

Where, mi = drainage coefficient for layer i

a1, a2, a3 = layer coefficients representative of surface, base

and subbase course respectively.

D1, D2, D3 = actual thicknesss of surfacee , base and subbase

course respectively.

 Reliability
The AASHTO guide proposes the use of reliability factor that considers the
possible uncertainties in traffic prediction as performance prediction. For a
given reliability level (R), the reliability factor is a function of the overall
standard deviation (So), that accounts for the standard variation in materials
and construction, the change in variation of traffic prediction and the normal
variation in pavement performance for a given number of ESAL applications.

5.4 Pavement Design Procedure

The procedure consists of five main steps:

 Select or determine input data

 Select surface and base materials
 Determine minimum thickness required for input data

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 Evaluate feasibility of staged construction and prepare stage construction if

necessary
 Carry out economic analyses of alternative designs and select the best design

5.5 Introduction to Pavement Evaluation and Monitoring

Pavement monitoring and evaluation involves techniques for monitoring the
structural and surface characteristics of pavement with the aim at improving
the durability of the road.

Some the evaluation techniques are the Falling Weight Deflectometer test and
the Dynamic Cone Penetration test.

The key pavement characteristics considered in an evaluation are:

 Distress survey
 Roughness evaluation
 Structural testing
 Skid Resistance

Monitoring is done to:

 Prioritize maintenance activities

 Prepare long range maintenance programs
 Determine the effect of budget reduction and deferred maintenance
programs.

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