By

Kazi Md Shifun Newaz

Assistant Professor
Accident Research Institute (ARI)
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET )
SYLLABUS (Credit: 3; Hours: 3 Hours)

• Pavement materials: bituminous binders,

cement, aggregates, embankment material,
soil stabilization; mix design methods; low
cost roads;

• Flexible and rigid pavement: pavement

components and functions, pavement
design and construction, road maintenance;
SYLLABUS (Credit: 3; Hours: 3 Hours)

• Rail traffic management and signalling;

• Transportation demand, supply and

equilibrium; road traffic assignment,
network equilibrium, system optimality;
traffic flow theory, shockwaves,
deterministic and stochastic queuing
analysis.
 1.Class lectures and notes
2.Highway Engineering by – Paul H.
Wright (6th Edition)
TEXT 3.Modelling Transport – Juan de Dios
Ortuzar, Luis G. Willumsen (4th
BOOK edition)
4.Traffic and Highway Engineering –
Nicholas J. Garber, and Lester A. Hoel
(4th edition)
5.Laboratory Manual
• The weight of course aggregate having specific gravity 2.65 which is
completely filled in a cylinder is 5267 gm. The weight of water to fill
the cylinder is 3000gm. What is the shape of the aggregate ?

• Ans: to identify the shape we need to know the angularity number. If

angularity number is =0 ; this aggregate is round. If 11 then it is called
angular. If more than 11 than it is flaky or elongated.
• Unit: weight (gm), water density= 1 gm/cc,
Embankment
• An embankment is an
artificial mound
constructed using
earthen materials such
as stone and soil,
properly compacted, to
support the raising of
roadway or railways
above the level of the
existing surrounding
ground surface.
• In dams, embankment refers to successive layers of the earth such as
soil, sand, clay, or rock, using the most impervious materials to form a
core and placing more permeable substances on the upstream and
downstream sides.

• In this session, we discuss the characteristics, properties, types, and

tests on embankment materials.
Types of Embankment Materials
1. Fine-Grained Soil

Fine grained soils are defined as those whose individual particles

pass a No. 200 sieve. Particles of this size can usually not be seen
with the naked eye, even with the aid of a magnifying glass.
• Fine-grained soil used in the embankment has a low permeability, low
shear strength, and high compressibility. The pore pressure in this type of
material is more due to rapid construction activities which result in
reduced shear strength and potentially unstable conditions during
construction.

• Compressibility of fine-grained soil for embankments depends on the soil

properties and the placement conditions. Dams and bunds constructed
using fine-grained soil material have been proven to be highly resistant to
earthquake damage.
Types of Embankment Materials…
2. Coarse-Grained Soil

Fine grained soils are defined as those whose individual particles

pass a No. 200 sieve. Particles of this size can usually not be seen
with the naked eye, even with the aid of a magnifying glass.
• Coarse-grained soils are used in structural fill zones, or shells, and in
specialty filter and drain zones within embankments. Coarse-grained soils
which usually consist of sand and gravel are also used in core zones,
especially when the fines content is greater than 20 percent.

• Sands and gravels that have less than about 5 percent fines by dry weight
are pervious, easy to compact, and are minimally affected by changes in
moisture. Coarse-grained soil tends to be highly vulnerable to surface
erosion under wave action and surface runoff.
Types of Embankment Materials
Broadly graded soil:
• Broadly graded soil deposits comprise a large range of particle sizes,
and their engineering behavior is intermediate between fine-grained
and coarse-grained soils. These type of soils typically exhibit
properties of lower hydraulic conductivity, high shear strength, and
lower compressibility in comparison with fine-grained soils.
• Embankments constructed of broadly graded soils are, in general,
highly resistant to earthquake damage.
Characteristics of Embankment Materials
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Earth Manual (USBR, 1974, 1990) identifies
the following characteristics of embankment material used in the
construction of embankments.
1. Fine-Grained Soil
1.The material must be formed into an essentially homogeneous mass, free
from any potential paths of percolation through the zone or along with the
contacts with the abutments or concrete structures.
2.The soil mass must be sufficiently impervious to preclude excessive water
loss through the dam.
3.The material must not consolidate excessively under the weight of
superimposed embankments.
4.The soil must develop and maintain its maximum practicable shear
strength.
5.The material must not consolidate or soften excessively on saturation by
water from the reservoir.
2. Coarse-Grained Soils

1.The material must be formed into a homogeneous mass free from

large voids.
2.The soil mass must be free draining.
3.The material must not consolidate excessively under the weight of
superimposed fill.
4.The soil must have a high angle of internal friction (i.e., high shear
strength).
Material Properties of Embankment

1. Gradation
• A well-graded material consists of two or more soil types, usually a
mixture of granular and fine-grained soils. There is no universally
recommended range of gradation for fill materials, although the
maximum particle size should be less than 100 mm.
Material Properties of Embankment…
2. Unit Weight and Specific Gravity

• Materials that are relatively low in unit weight offer the advantage of
transmitting the less dead load to the underlying soil that supports an
embankment.

• Anyhow, there are no specified requirements for a minimum or

maximum unit weight, either before or after compaction.
Material Properties of Embankment…
3. Shear Strength
• Shear strength characteristics are not always specified for earthen fill
materials, but are determined by triaxial compression or direct shear
testing and are used to compute the slope stability of an
embankment.
Material Properties of Embankment…
4. Compressibility
• The compressibility of an embankment material is related to its shear
strength, degree of compaction, void ratio, permeability, and degree
of saturation.
5. Permeability
• This property of embankment material is indicative of the ability of
compacted fill material to provide drainage for excessive moisture.