HANDBOOK ON

URBAN PAVEMENT MANUAL

(Source: IRC, MoRTH)

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... 2
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ 5
LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. 7
1. URBAN ROAD CLASSIFICATION ............................................................... 9
2. DETAILED CROSS-SECTION ................................................................... 11
3. UTILITIES (IRC 98:1997 Guidelines on Accommodation of Utility Services on
Roads in Urban Areas)............................................................................... 16
4. DRAINAGE STRUCTURES (COMPILED FROM IRC: SP: 50) ................. 18
5. DESIGN TRAFFIC INPUTS ....................................................................... 21
6. FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT DESIGN CATALOGUE (IRC: 37-2012) ............... 22
7. UNBOUND LAYERS .................................................................................. 26
EMBANKMENTS, SUBGRADES, EARTHEN SHOULDERS AND
MISCELLANEOUS BACKFILLS (COMPILED FROM IRC: 36-2010) 26
LOCATION OF BORROW PITS .............................................................27
GRANULAR SUB-BASE 30
WATER BOUND MACADAM (WBM) SUB-BASE/BASE (compiled from
MORTH-2001) 32
WET MIX MACADAM (WMM) SUB-BASE/BASE (COMPILED FROM
MORTH-2001) 36
QUALITY CONTROL 39
8. BINDER SELECTION ................................................................................ 40
BINDER TESTING 40
9. ASPHALT BINDER COURSE .................................................................... 42
PRIME COAT (COMPILED FROM IRC: 16-2008) 42
TACK COAT (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001) 44
SEAL COAT (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001) 46
MIX SEAL SURFACING (MSS) CLOSE –GRADED PREMIX
SURFACING (CGPS) (COMPILED FROM IRC:SP:78-2008) 49
SURFACE DRESSING (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001) 50
BITUMINOUS MACADAM (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001) 52
BITUMINOUS CONCRETE (BC) / SEMI DENSE BITUMINOUS
CONCRETE (SDBC)/ DENSE GRADED BITUMINOUS MACADAM
(DBM) (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001) 54
QUALITY CONTROL 61
10. CEMENT CONCRETE COURSE............................................................... 69
CEMENT CONCRETE RIGID PAVEMENTS (compiled from IRC: 58-2011
rigid pavement design and IRC: 15-2011) 69
INTERLOCKING CONCRETE BLOCK PAVEMENTS (ICBP) (Compiled
from IRC SP: 63-2004 and DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR
INTERLOCKING CONCRETE BLOCK PAVEMENTS - MCGM) 81
ROLLER COMPACTED CONCRETE (RCC) PAVEMENTS (Compiled
from IRC: SP: 68-2005 Guidelines for construction of RCC
Pavements) 85
QUALITY CONTROL 89
WIDENING OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS FROM 4 LANES TO 6
LANES 91
11. PLANNING OF MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS (Compiled from IRC 82:
1982) .......................................................................................................... 91
PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE 91
DATABASE FOR PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE 92
PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX 93
12. DISTRESSES (Compiled from IRC 82: 1982) ............................................ 96
FATIGUE or ALLIGATOR CRACKING 96
EDGE CRACKING 96
LONGITUDINAL CRACKING 97
TRANSVERSE CRACKING 98
RUTTING 99
RAVELING 100
BLEEDING 101
13. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE (Compiled from MoRTH) .............................. 102

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HMA PATCHES 102
POTHOLE PATCH 102
CRACK FILLING 104
CRACK SEALING 104
FOG SEAL/SPRAY 105
SLURRY SEAL 105
CRACK PREVENTION COURSE 106
14. DESIGN OF STRENGTHENING TREATMENT (OVERLAY) AS PER IRC 81:
1997 ......................................................................................................... 109
WHITETOPPING (Compiled from “Tentative Guidelines for Conventional,
Thin and Ultra-Thin Whitetopping" IRC SP 76-2008) 110
15. PAVEMENT MATERIAL RECLAMATION (Compiled from MoRTH) ........ 114
RECYLING OF BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT 115
Central Plant Recycling: ........................................................................115
In Situ Recycling – Remix and Repave Process ...................................115
Full Depth Reclamation .........................................................................116
16. CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS (Compiled from MoRTH) .................... 118
PREPARING EXISTING GRANULAR SURFACE 118
SCARIFYING EXISTING BITUMINOUS SURFACE 118
PATCHING OF POTHOLES AND SEALING OF CRACKS 118
CORRECTION OF LOCAL DEPRESSIONS 119
CORRECTION OF CAMBER OR SUPER-ELEVATION 120
17. TRAFFIC SAFETY IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION ZONES (Compiled from
IRC:SP:55:2001) ...................................................................................... 121

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 LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Recommended Land Width for Streets in Urban Areas (IRC 69-1977: Space
Standards for Roads in Urban Areas) ......................................................................... 12
Table 2 Recommended carriageway widths (IRC 86: 1983 Geometric Design
Standards for Urban Roads in Plains) ......................................................................... 12
Table 3 Width of Footpath based on the Required Capacity ....................................... 13
Table 4 Laying depth for various service lines along the road (IRC 98:1997 Guidelines
on Accommodation of Utility Services on Roads in Urban Areas) ............................... 16
Table 5 Cross fall/camber values for different road surface types ............................... 18
Table 6 Tolerances in Surface Levels (Compiled from MORTH-2001) ....................... 23
Table 7 Design guidelines for the Flexible pavements ................................................ 24
Table 8 Suitable and Unsuitable Soil Materials Recommended .................................. 26
Table 9 Tests to be conducted on each kind of borrow material, with their
recommended frequency (use IS 2720) ...................................................................... 28
Table 10 Compaction Requirements ........................................................................... 28
Table 11 Grading For Close-Graded Granular Sub-Base Materials ............................ 31
Table 12 Grading for Coarse Graded Granular Sub-Base Materials ........................... 31
Table 13 GRADATION: (Reproduced from MoRTH 2001) .......................................... 34
Table 14 Quantities of Coarse Aggregates and Screenings Required ........................ 35
Table 15 WMM Gradation ........................................................................................... 37
Table 16 Control Tests and their Minimum Frequency for Sub-Bases and Bases
(Excluding Bitumen Bound Bases) .............................................................................. 39
Table 17 Selection criteria for Viscosity-Graded (VG) Paving Bitumen based on
Climatic Conditions ...................................................................................................... 41
0
Table 18 Mixing, Laying and Rolling Temperatures for Dense Mixtures ( C) .............. 41
Table 19 Quantity of Bitumen for Various Types of Granular Surface ......................... 42
Table 20 Tack Coat Application Rate .......................................................................... 45
Table 21 Aggregate Gradation for MSS ...................................................................... 49
Table 22 Grading requirements for chips for surface dressing .................................... 51
Table 23 Spraying temperatures for binders ............................................................... 51
Table 24 Composition of Bituminous Macadam .......................................................... 53
Table 25 Mixing, Laying and Rolling Temperatures .................................................... 54
Table 26 Composition of DBM/SDBC/BC .................................................................... 56
Table 27 Mix Requirements for DBM Using Viscosity-Graded (VG) Paving/Modified
Bitumen ....................................................................................................................... 58
Table 28 Control Tests for Bituminous Works and their Minimum Frequency ............. 61
Table 29 Cement Content ........................................................................................... 70
Table 30 Aggregate Gradation for Dry Lean Concrete ................................................ 70
Table 31 Aggregate Gradation for Pavement Quality Concrete .................................. 71
Table 32 Grading for Granular Sub-Base Materials (IRC:15 – 2011) .......................... 73
Table 33 k-values for Granular and Cement Treated Sub-Bases ................................ 74
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Table 34 k-values for Dry Lean Concrete Sub-Base ................................................... 74
Table 35 Recommended Temperature Differentials for Concrete Slabs ..................... 76
Table 36 Recommended dimensions of dowel bars .................................................... 80
Table 37. Details of Tie Bars for Longitudinal Joint of Two-Lane Rigid Pavements .... 80
Table 38 Design Catalogue for Pavement Thickness (IRC:SP:63-2004) .................... 84
Table 39 Physical Requirements of Fly-ash ................................................................ 86
Table 40 Combined Gradation .................................................................................... 87
Table 41 Quality Control Tests for Cement Concrete Works and their Minimum
Frequency ................................................................................................................... 89
Table 42 Traffic Growth Catalog .................................................................................. 93
Table 43 Pavement Performance Catalog................................................................... 94
Table 44 Calculation of Pavement Condition Index ..................................................... 95
Table 45 Range of PCI and Appropriate Maintenance Intervention to be Adopted ..... 95
Table 47. Aggregate Grading, Binder Content and Approximate Coverage Rate ..... 106
Table 47 Quantity of Materials Required for 10sq.m. of Road Surface for Stress
Absorbing Membrane ................................................................................................ 107
Table 49 Physical Requirements of Geotextile .......................................................... 108
Table 50 Buffer Zone Safety Clearances................................................................... 121
Table 51 Size and Sighting Distance: Detail of Signs and Cones ............................. 122

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 LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Line Diagrams of Pavement Cross-Section (IRC 69-1977: Space Standards
for Roads in Urban Areas) ........................................................................................... 10
Figure 2 Typical Cross Section of Urban Road (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50) ............... 11
Figure 3 Detailed Cross Section of Two Lane Undivided Urban Road ........................ 11
Figure 4 Pedestrian Zebra Crossing at Mid-block ....................................................... 14
Figure 5 Pedestrian Zebra Crossing at Intersections .................................................. 14
Figure 6 Typical Steel Pedestrian Guard-Rail ............................................................. 15
Figure 7 Suggested Location for Utility Services along Different Urban Roads (IRC
98:1997 Guidelines on Accommodation of Utility Services on Roads in Urban Areas)17
Figure 8 Road Gully Chamber with Horizontal Grating (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50) ... 19
Figure 9 Road Gully Chamber with Vertical Grating (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50) ....... 19
Figure 10 Drainage arrangement on a flyover (Redrawn from IRC SP:50) ................. 20
Figure 11 Kerb and Side Drain for Flyover (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50) ..................... 20
Figure 12 Pavement Design Catalogue ....................................................................... 25
Figure 13 Location of Borrow Pits ............................................................................... 27
Figure 14 Earth Work (Courtesy: http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/) ........................................ 29
Figure 15 Vibratory Compactor and Earth Mover (Courtesy: http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/)
.................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 16 Base Compaction (Courtesy: http://www.cement.org/ and
http://www.pmgsy.nic.in )............................................................................................. 36
Figure 17 Compacted Base Layer (Courtesy: http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/ ) .................... 38
Figure 18 Dust Removal (Courtesy: http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/ ) ................................... 43
Figure 19 Prime Coat (Courtesy: http:\\PMGSY.nic.in and Hincol.com) ...................... 44
Figure 20 Tack Coat Application. Courtesy: Oregon State University ......................... 46
Figure 21 Bitumen Sprayer.......................................................................................... 48
Figure 22 Stone Chip Spreader ................................................................................... 48
Figure 23 Asphalt Pavers (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org/) ................. 60
Figure 24 Typical Cross Section for a Rigid Pavement ............................................... 69
Figure 25 Effective CBR of Subgrade ......................................................................... 72
Figure 26 Stress due to single axle load of 200kN, temperature differential = 0, with
Tied Concrete Shoulder............................................................................................... 78
Figure 27 Stress due to single axle load of 200kN, temperature differential = 17°C, with
Tied Concrete Shoulder............................................................................................... 78
Figure 28 Basic Components of ICBP ......................................................................... 81
Figure 29 Typical Cross Section of Block Pavement Used in Sidewalks/Foot-
paths/Car-parks/Cycle Track. ...................................................................................... 83
Figure 30 Typical Cross Section of Block Pavement for Heavily Trafficked Roads ..... 83
Figure 31 Illustration of Addition of a Lane to an Existing Pavement........................... 91
Figure 32 Effect of Rehabilitation on Pavement Deterioration ..................................... 92

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Figure 33 Different Severity Fatigue Cracking (Courtesy
http://www.pavementinteractive.org/) .......................................................................... 96
Figure 34 Edge Cracking (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org/) ................. 97
Figure 35 Longitudinal cracking along wheel and non-wheel path (Courtesy
http://www.pavementinteractive.org/) .......................................................................... 98
Figure 36 Transverse cracking (Courtesy www.pavementinteractive.org/).................. 98
Figure 37 Rutting along Wheel Path (Courtesy: Austroads,
http://www.pavementinteractive.org) ......................................................................... 100
Figure 38 Raveling (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org) .......................... 101
Figure 39 Bleeding on the Surface (Courtesy: pavementinteractive.org) .................. 101
Figure 40 Full Depth HMA Patch (Courtesy www.pavementinteractive.org) ............. 102
Figure 41 Pothole and Repair (Courtesy. www.pavementinteractive.org) ................. 103
Figure 42 Construction Procedure for Pothole Repair. Source: International road
maintenance handbook practical guidelines for rural road maintenance, (volume iii of
iv) for paved roads ..................................................................................................... 104
Figure 43 Crack Filling (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org) .................... 104
Figure 44 Overlay Thickness Design Curves ............................................................ 109
Figure 45 Chart for Determination of Modified "k" value on top Bituminous Pavement
atop of Granular Base ............................................................................................... 112
Figure 46 Chart for Determination of Modified “k” value (modulus of support) on the top
Bituminous Pavement atop of cement Treated base ................................................. 113
Figure 47 Relation between Benkelman Beam Deflection and Modulus of subgrade
reaction on the top of Asphalt pavement ................................................................... 114
Figure 48 Recycling Methods Suitable for different Distress Conditions. Source: Prof.
Rajib Mallick .............................................................................................................. 117
Figure 49 Corrective course for short sags and depressions (Redrawn from MoRTH
2001) ......................................................................................................................... 119
Figure 50 Deficiency in Camber being Rectified by Profile Corrective Course (Redrawn
from MoRTH 2001) .................................................................................................... 120
Figure 51 Deficiency in Super Elevation being Rectified by Profile Corrective Course
(Redrawn from MoRTH 2001) ................................................................................... 120
Figure 52 Lane Closure on a Two Lane Road Single Carriageway Road using
Flaggers .................................................................................................................... 124
Figure 53 Two-way Traffic on a single carriageway road, work zone in the center of the
road ........................................................................................................................... 125

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1. URBAN ROAD CLASSIFICATION

 Arterial Highway– Generally divided highways for through traffic that

serves significant intra-urban travel such as between central business
district and outlying residential areas or between major suburban centers
(5- 10msa)
 Collector Street – collect or distribute traffic from local streets and
feed it to the arterial highways. (2msa)
 Local Streets – provide access to abutting property such as
residential, commercial or industrial area (<2 msa)

Figure 1 shows the line diagram for different urban road classification.

Local Street with Sidewalk Adjacent to carriageway

Local Street with Sidewalk away from Carriageway

Collector Street (2-Lane)

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 Collector Street (4-Lane Undivided)

Collector Street (4-Lane Divided)

Arterial Street (4-Lane Divided)

Figure 1 Line Diagrams of Pavement Cross-Section (IRC 69-1977: Space Standards for Roads in Urban Areas)
2. DETAILED CROSS-SECTION
Figure 2 show typical cross section of a six lane divided urban road with drainage and Figure 3 show detailed
cross section with layer information and relative water table depth on two lane undivided urban road.

Figure 2 Typical Cross Section of Urban Road (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50)

Figure 3 Detailed Cross Section of Two Lane Undivided Urban Road

Recommended land and carriageway widths for different Urban road
types are summarized in Table 1 and Table 2.

Table 1 Recommended Land Width for Streets in Urban Areas (IRC 69-
1977: Space Standards for Roads in Urban Areas)
Recommended Land
Category of Street
Width in Meter

Expressways 50-60

Arterial Streets 50-60

Sub-arterial Streets 30-40

Collector Streets 20-30

Local Streets 10-20

Table 2 Recommended carriageway widths (IRC 86: 1983 Geometric

Design Standards for Urban Roads in Plains)
Description Width (meter)

Single lane without kerbs 3.50

2-lane without kerbs 7.00

2-lane with kerbs 7.50

3-lane with or without kerbs 10.5/11.0

4-lane with or without kerbs 14.0

6-lane with or without kerbs 21.0

Notes: 1. For access roads to residential areas, a lower lane width of 3m

is permissible.
2. Minimum width of a kerbed urban road is 5.5m including allowance for
a stalled vehicle.
FOOTPATH OR SIDE-WALK (IRC: 103-1988 Guidelines for Pedestrian
Facilities)
 Should be on both sides of the road and above the level of the
carriageway separated by non-mountable kerb.
 Height of the kerb at the edge should, however, not exceed the height
of non-mountable kerb.
 Cross fall over the footpath should be 2.5 to 3%
 Width of the side-walks could be fixed as given in Table 3

Table 3 Width of Footpath based on the Required Capacity

Width of Side-Walk Capacity in number of persons per hour

(metre) All in one direction In both direction

1.50 1200 800

2.00 2400 1600

2.50 3600 2400

3.00 4800 3200

4.00 6000 4000

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AT-GRADE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS
Figure 4 and Figure 5 illustrate the signs and signals recommended at
pedestrian zebra crossing at mid-block and intersections respectively.

Figure 4 Pedestrian Zebra Crossing at Mid-block

Figure 5 Pedestrian Zebra Crossing at Intersections

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PEDESTRIAN GUARD-RAILS
Should be considered in the following conditions
 Hazardous locations on straight stretches
 At junctions/intersections
 Near schools
 Bus stops, railway station, etc
 Overpass, subway, etc
 Central reserves or median
Figure 6 illustrates the specifications for the steel pedestrian guard-rail for
Urban location.

Figure 6 Typical Steel Pedestrian Guard-Rail

15
3. UTILITIES (IRC 98:1997 Guidelines on Accommodation of Utility
Services on Roads in Urban Areas)
Recommended depth for various service lines are summarized in Table 4.
Figure 7 illustrates the physical location for various utilities along different
urban roads.

Table 4 Laying depth for various service lines along the road (IRC
98:1997 Guidelines on Accommodation of Utility Services on Roads in
Urban Areas)
i) Trunk sewer line More than 1.5m
Water supply line
ii) Service line 0.6 to 1m
Trunk line 1.0 to 6m
Electric cable
iii) Low tension cable 0.6 to 1m
High tension cable 1.5 to 2m
Telecommunication cable
iv) Directly laid 0.6 to 1m
Laid in ducts 1 to 2m
Gas mains and lines
v) Carrying combustible 2 to 3m
material
Distance between Electric Vertical – 1m
vi)
cables & W/S lines HT/LT Horizontal – 1m
Distance between Electric Vertical – 1m
vii)
Cables and OFC Horizontal – 1m

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 Collector Street – Four Lane Divided

Arterial street six lanes divided with service road

Local Street (Double Lane)

Collector Street – Two lanes with cycle Track
Legend: W-Water Supply Line
L-Lighting Cable T- Telecom Cable
E – Electricity Cable S- Sewer
G-Gas Line
Figure 7 Suggested Location for Utility Services along Different Urban Roads (IRC 98:1997 Guidelines on
Accommodation of Utility Services on Roads in Urban Areas)
4. DRAINAGE STRUCTURES (COMPILED FROM IRC: SP: 50)
 A minimum longitudinal gradient of 0.3% is adequate for satisfactory
drainage (IRC:SP: 50).
 Kerb channel should be 30cm wide with smooth finish and should
have a minimum transverse slope of 1 in 6.
 Kerb channel should discharge in to a 300mm diameter non pressure
RCC pipes through bell mouth placed under footpath at about 10-15m
interval.
 Table 5 summarizes the recommended cross fall / camber values for
different road surface types.

Table 5 Cross fall/camber values for different road surface types

Surface Type Cross fall/
Camber

Graveled or WBM surface 2.5 to 3 %

Thin bituminous surfacing 2 to 2.5 %

High type bituminous surfacing or 1.7 to 2 %

cement concrete surfacing

Paved footpaths 3 to 4 %

Note: Higher value of camber should be adopted in areas with high

intensity of rainfall and where ponding is expected due to any reason.
ROAD GULLY CHAMBER
Recommended road gully chamber specifications for horizontal and vertical grating are summarized in Figure 8and
Figure 9.

Figure 8 Road Gully Chamber with Horizontal Figure 9 Road Gully Chamber with Vertical Grating
Grating (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50) (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50)
DRAINS ON A FLYOVER
Figure 10 and Figure 11 shows the drainage arrangement and recommended cross section of kerb and side drain
for a flyover.

Figure 10 Drainage arrangement on a flyover (Redrawn from IRC SP:50)

Figure 11 Kerb and Side Drain for Flyover (Redrawn from IRC SP: 50)
5. DESIGN TRAFFIC INPUTS
 Initial traffic after construction in terms of number of Commercial
Vehicles Per Day (CVPD)
o Gross vehicle weight of 3 tonne or more
o Estimate 7 days, 24 hour classified traffic counts on existing
or typical routes.
 Traffic growth rate during the design life (%)
o Studying past trends
o Econometric models based on IRC 108 “ Guidelines for
Traffic Prediction on Rural Highways”
o With inadequate data, adopt 7.5% average annual growth
rate
 Design life in number of years
o National and State Highways – 15 years
o Expressways and Urban roads – 20 years
o Other categories – 10 to 15 years
 Vehicle Damage Factor (VDF) –equivalent number of standard axle
per commercial vehicle.
o Calculate from axle load surveys on actual (for major
projects) or typical road sections
 Use axle load equivalency factors recommended by AASHTO
 Incorporate excessive overloading of commercial vehicles, if found
any.
 Lane / Directional distribution of commercial vehicles over
carriageway
o Realistic assessment required for major highways when
financially possible
o Traffic in the most heavily trafficked lane / direction should be
considered for design of whole carriageway width
o Direction distribution: In situations with inadequate data
assume that the traffic in each direction to be half of the sum
in both direction.
 o Lane distribution: In situations with inadequate data assume
design traffic as below
 Single Carriage Way
o Single-lane roads –100% traffic in both directions
o Two-lane roads – 50% traffic in both direction
o Four-lane roads – 40% traffic in both direction
 Dual Carriage Way
o Two-lane roads – 75%traffic in each direction
o Three- lane roads – 60% traffic in each direction
o Four-lane roads – 45% traffic in each direction
 Design Traffic: Cumulative number of standard axles to be catered
for in the design in terms of million standard axles, msa =

where,
N = Cumulative number of standard axles to be catered for in the
design in terms of msa.
A = Initial traffic in the year of completion of construction in terms
of the number of Commercial Vehicles per Day (CVPD)
D = Lane distribution factor
F = Vehicle Damage Factor (VDF)
n = Design life in years
r = Annual growth rate of commercial vehicles in decimal (e.g., for
5 per cent annual growth rate, r = 0.05).

6. FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT DESIGN CATALOGUE (IRC: 37-2012)

STRUCTURAL LAYERS OF A FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
Arterial and Major Collector Roads
a) Compacted Subgrade with or without Embankment
b) Granular Sub-Base and Drainage Layer
c) Granular Base Course

22
d) Bituminous Binder Course (BM/DBM)
e) Bituminous Surface Course (BC/SDBC)

Minor Collector Roads

a) Compacted Subgrade with or without Embankment
b) Granular Sub-Base or Drainage Layer
c) Granular Base Course
d) Thin Bituminous Surfacing (MSS/PC/Surface Dressing)

The surface levels of the subgrade and different pavement courses as

constructed shall not vary from those calculated with reference to the
longitudinal and cross-profile of the road shown on the drawings beyond
the tolerances mentioned in Table 6.

Table 6 Tolerances in Surface Levels (Compiled from MORTH-2001)

+20mm
1 Subgrade
-25mm
+10mm
2 Sub-Base for flexible pavement
-20mm
Base-course for flexible pavement
a) Bituminous course ±6 mm
3 b) Other than Bituminous
i. Machine laid ±10 mm
ii. Manually laid ±15 mm
Wearing course for flexible pavement
4 a) Machine laid ±6 mm
b) Manually laid ±10 mm
+5 mm
5 Cement Concrete Pavement
-6 mm

23
The new pavement shall be designed in accordance with the IRC: 37,
Guidelines for the Design of Flexible pavements reproduced in Table 7.
Table 7 Design guidelines for the Flexible pavements
Recommended Layer Thickness, mm
CBR Traffic, msa
BC/SDBC DBM/BM Base* Sub Base*
2 25 – SDBC 50 225 335
3% 5 25 – SDBC 60 250 335
10 40 – BC 90 250 380
4% 2 20 – SDBC 50 225 265
5 25 – SDBC 60 250 285
10 40 – BC 80 250 330
5% 2 20 – SDBC 50 225 215
5 25 – SDBC 55 250 250
10 40 – BC 70 250 300
6% 2 20 – SDBC 50 225 175
5 25 – SDBC 50 250 210
10 40 – BC 65 250 260
7% 2 20 – SDBC 50 225 150
5 25 – SDBC 50 250 180
10 40 – BC 60 250 230
8% 2 20 – SDBC 50 225 150
5 25 – SDBC 50 250 150
10 40 – BC 60 250 200
9&10% 2 20 – SDBC 50 225 150
5 25 – SDBC 50 250 150
10 40 – BC 50 250 200
15% 2 20 – SDBC 30 250 100
5 25 – SDBC 40 250 150
10 40 – BC 40 250 200
*Sub Base and Base can be Granular, Water Bound Macadam, Wet Mix
Macadam

24
PAVEMENT DESIGN CATALOGUE FOR LOW VOLUME ROADS (IRC: SP: 72-2007: Guidelines for the Design of
Flexible Pavements for Low Volume Rural Roads)
Figure 12 presents the suggested pavement layer thickness for different ESAL application and subgrade strength.

Figure 12 Pavement Design Catalogue

- Bituminous surface treated WBM/CRMB
- Base of gravel / CRMB / WBM; CBR not less than 100 (where 100mm thickness is recommended, it may be
modified to 75mm thickness for WBM construction, with corresponding increase of 25mm in sub-base thickness)
- Gravel base (CBR not less than 80; in exceptional cases may be relaxed suitably)
- Granular Sub-Base (CBR not less than 20; in exceptional cases may be relaxed to 15)
- Modified soil / improved subgrade (CBR not less than 10)
7. UNBOUND LAYERS

EMBANKMENTS, SUBGRADES, EARTHEN SHOULDERS AND

MISCELLANEOUS BACKFILLS (COMPILED FROM IRC: 36-2010)
MATERIALS
Table 8 summarizes the recommended and deleterious materials for the
construction of embankments, subgrades, earthen shoulders and
miscellaneous backfills
Table 8 Suitable and Unsuitable Soil Materials Recommended
Suitable materials Unsuitable material
 Soil  Material from swamps, marshes and bogs
 Moorum  Peat, log, stump and perishable material; any soil
 Gravel that classifies as OL, OI, OH or Peat in
 Fly-ash accordance with IS 1498
 Mixture of these or  Readily combustible materials
any material  Materials in frozen condition.
approved by  Materials with salts resulting in leaching of the
Engineer in embankments
charge.  Clay with LL > 70 and PI >45 (for Embankments)
with LL>50 and PI >25 (for Subgrade)
 Expansive soils (Subgrade), expansive clay with
free swelling index exceeding 50%

Quality control:
Density requirements for Embankment and Subgrade Materials (Use IS
2720 Part 8 for Urban Arterial and IS 2720 Part 7 for Urban Collectors
Roads)*
 Embankment up to 3m height, not subjected to extensive flooding -
not less than 15.2 kN/cu. m for Urban Arterial, 14.4 kN/cu. m for
Urban Collector Roads
 Embankments exceeding 3 m height or embankments of any height
subject to long period of inundation - not less than 16.0 kN/cu. m for
Urban Arterial, 15.2 kN/cu. m for Urban Collector Roads
 Subgrade and earthen shoulders/verges/backfill - not less than 17.5
kN/cu. m for Urban Arterial, 16.5 kN/cu. m for Urban Collector Roads
* values not applicable for light weight fill material, e.g. cinder, pond ash /
flyash, etc.
LOCATION OF BORROW PITS
Recommended location of borrow pit from the pavement section is illustrated in Figure 13.

Figure 13 Location of Borrow Pits

Various tests required to be conducted on the borrow material, with their
recommended frequency are summarized in Table 9. Atleast one test as
mentioned in Table 9 is recommended on each soil type used.
Table 9 Tests to be conducted on each kind of borrow material, with their
recommended frequency (use IS 2720)
Tests Frequency
3
Gradation, Atterberg Limits Two test per 3000 m of soil.
Moisture Content prior to One test for every 250 cu. m
compaction of soil.
3
Density of compacted layer Two test per 3000 m of soil.
As and when required by the
Deleterious Constituents
Engineer-in-charge.
3
CBR, Free Swelling Index One test per 3000 m of soil.

The density of the compacted soil shall be measured in the field by a

sand-replacement method and or Nuclear Densometer and confirm to the
requisite density mentioned in Table 10.

Table 10 Compaction Requirements

Relative Compaction as
Percentage of max.
Type of Work / Material
laboratory dry density as
per IS: 2720 (Part 8)
Subgrade and earthen
1 Not less than 97
shoulders
2 Embankment Not less than 95
Expansive Clays
a) Subgrade and 500mm
portion just below the Not allowed
3
subgrade
b) Remaining portion of Not less than 90
embankment

DO:

 Use IS Soil Classification (IS 1498)

 If Subgrade CBR is less than 2%, provide a capping layer of 150mm
thickness of material with a minimum CBR of 10% shall be provided
 in addition to the sub-base and design shall be based on subgrade
CBR value of 2%.
 Compacted thickness of Subgrade is 500mm for Arterials and major
collector roads and 300mm for minor collector roads. Compaction
should be limited to a maximum of 200mm layer thickness.
 At locations where the water table is high or if capillarity action is
expected provide a granular layer or impervious membrane, so that
moisture is not able to rise to the subgrade level.
 Moisture content of each layer of soil at the time of compaction shall
be between 1 percent above to 2 percent below the OMC.
 Figure 14 and Figure 15 illustrate the earth work and earth mover and
vibratory compactor commonly used in the field.
DON’T:
No borrow pits should be dug within 5m of the toe of the embankment
after due allowance for future development.

Figure 14 Earth Work (Courtesy: http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/)

29
Figure 15 Vibratory Compactor and Earth Mover (Courtesy:
http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/)

GRANULAR SUB-BASE
Layer consist of well-graded material compacted over a prepared
subgrade. May act as a drainage layer
MATERIALS:
 Shall be natural sand, moorum, gravel or crushed stone
 Materials like crushed slag, crushed concrete, brick metal and kankar
may be allowed with specific approval of the engineer
 Should be free from materials organic and other deleterious
constituents.
 Gradation for close-graded and coarse graded granular sub-base
materials are summarized in Table 11and Table 12 respectively.

Properties:
Material passing 0.425mm sieve shall have liquid limit < 25 % and
plasticity index < 6.0 %

30
Table 11 Grading For Close-Graded Granular Sub-Base Materials
IS Sieve Percent by weight passing the IS sieve
Designation Grading I Grading II Grading III
75.0mm 100 - -
53.0mm 80-100 100 -
26.5mm 55-90 70-100 100
9.50mm 35-65 50-80 65-95
4.75mm 25-55 40-65 50-80
2.36mm 20-40 30-50 40-65
0.425mm 10-25 15-25 20-35
0.075mm 3-10 3-10 3-10
CBR Value (Minimum) 30 25 20

Table 12 Grading for Coarse Graded Granular Sub-Base Materials

IS Sieve Percent by weight passing the IS sieve
Designation Grading I Grading II Grading III
75.0mm 100 - -
53.0mm 100 -
26.5mm 55-75 50-80 100
9.50mm
4.75mm 10-30 15-35 25-45
2.36mm
0.425mm
0.075mm <10 <10 <10
CBR Value (Minimum) 30 25 20

CONSTRUCTION:
 Optimum moisture content of the material is maintained by sprinkling
necessary quantity of water at a uniform rate using a truck mounted
sprinkler and mixed properly using disc harrows and rotavators.

31
 The sub-base material is spread to desired thickness, grade and
camber using a motor grader by adjusting the blade of the grader.
 Compaction:
o an ordinary smooth wheeled roller may be used if the compacted
thickness of the layer is 100mm or lesser
o Vibratory roller of static weight 10tonnes or more may be used if
the compacted thickness between 100mm and 225mm or a
Pneumatic tyred roller of 30 tonne weight having a minimum tyre
pressure of 700kPa roller can be used.
 Rolling shall begin from the edges gradually progressing towards the
center of undivided carriageway or towards the upper edge of the
divided carriageway, with a minimum one third overlap between each
run of the roller. The rolling speed should be limited to less than
5kmph
 Rolling is continued till at least 98 % of maximum density of the
material (for heavy compaction as per IS:2720- Part 8) is achieved.
 All loose, segregated or otherwise defective areas shall be scarified
to the full thickness of the layer and re-compacted.

WATER BOUND MACADAM (WBM) SUB-BASE/BASE (compiled from

MORTH-2001)
Layer consists of clean, crushed aggregates mechanically interlocked by
rolling and bonding together with screening, binding material where
necessary and water laid on a properly prepared subgrade/sub-base/base
or existing pavement. However, not desirable to lay WBM on an existing
thin black topped surface without adequate drainage facility.
MATERIALS:

 Coarse Aggregates
o Base Course -Crushed or broken stone, crushed slag
o Sub-Base Course - Crushed or broken stone, crushed slag, over
burnt (Jhama) brick aggregates or any other naturally occurring
aggregates such as kankar and laterite of suitable quality.
 Screenings
o Shall be same materials as the coarse aggregate. No separate
screening materials needed for crushable coarse aggregate
type.

32
 o Non-plastic material such as moorum or gravel (other than
rounded river borne material) with LL <20% and PI <6% and
fraction passing 75 micron sieve does not exceed 10%.
o Use screening Type A for Coarse Aggregate Grading 1,
screening Type B for Coarse Aggregate Grading 3, Screening
Type A or B for Coarse Aggregate Grading 2.
 Binding Material
o Materials with PI <6%
Combined gradation of the materials is presented in Table 13.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

 Los Angeles Abrasion Value < 40%

 Aggregate Impact Value < 30%
 Combined Flakiness and Elongation Indices <30%
 For Crushed gravel/shingle not less than 90% pieces by weight
retained on 4.75mm sieve shall have at least two fractured faces.
 If water absorption is greater than 2%, soundness test shall be
carried out as per IS 2386
CONSTRUCTION OPERATION:
DO
 Use insulating layer of 100mm screening material between WBM and
Subgrade layer or use appropriate Geosynthetics performing
functions of separation and drainage.
 Build Shoulders simultaneously with WBM course.
 Rolling shall begin from the edges gradually progressing towards the
center, except on super elevated portions.
 If surface irregularities of the completed WBM exceed tolerances, the
course to its full thickness shall be scarified over the affected area,
reshaped with added material or removed and replaced with fresh
material as applicable and re-compacted.
 Common compactors are illustrated in Figure 16.
DONT
 Avoid WBM over an existing bituminous layer.
 Avoid Segregation of coarse and fine aggregates.
33
 Avoid use of screening and binding materials to fill up depressions.
 Rolling shall not be done when the subgrade is soft or yielding.
 Avoid traffic until the macadam has set.
Table 13 GRADATION: (Reproduced from MoRTH 2001)
Percent by
Grading Size IS Sieve
Weight
Classification Range Designation
Passing

Coarse Aggregate 125mm 100

Grading 1 90mm 90-100

90mm to
(shall be restricted 63mm 25-60
45mm
to sub-base 45mm 0-15
courses only) 22.4mm 0-5
90mm 100
63mm 90-100
Coarse Aggregate 63mm to
53mm 25-75
Grading2 45mm
45mm 0-15
22.4mm 0-5
63mm 100
53mm 95-100
Coarse Aggregate 53mm to
45mm 65-90
Grading3 22.4mm
22.4mm 0-10
11.2mm 0-5
13.2mm 100
11.2mm 95-100
Screening Type A 13.2mm
5.6mm 15-35
180micron 0-10
11.2mm 100
Screening Type B 11.2mm 5.6mm 90-100
180micron 15-35

34
 Approximate quantities of coarse aggregates and screenings required for 100/75mm compacted thickness of water
2
bound macadam (WBM) sub-base/base course for 10m area are summarized in Table 14.

Table 14 Quantities of Coarse Aggregates and Screenings Required

Screenings
Crushable Type such as
Stone Screening
Moorum or Gravel
Size Compacted
Classification Loose Qty. For WBM
Range thickness
Grading Sub-Base / Grading
Loose
Classification & Base course Classification
Quantity
size (loose & Size
quantity)
90mm to 1.21 to 1.43 0.27 to 0.30 0.30 to 0.32
Grading 1 100mm 3 Type A 13.2mm 3 Not uniform 3
45mm m m m
63mm to 0.91 to 1.07 0.12 to 0.15 0.22 to 0.24
Grading 2 75mm 3 Type A 13.2mm 3 Not uniform 3
45mm m m m
63mm to 0.91 to 1.07 0.20 to 0.22 0.22 to 0.24
Grading 2 75mm 3 Type B 11.2mm 3 Not uniform 3
45mm m m m
53mm to 0.91 to 1.07 0.18 to 0.21 0.22 to 0.24
Grading 3 75mm 3 Type B 11.2mm 3 Not uniform 3
22.4mm m m m
Figure 16 Base Compaction (Courtesy: http://www.cement.org/ and
http://www.pmgsy.nic.in )

WET MIX MACADAM (WMM) SUB-BASE/BASE (COMPILED FROM

MORTH-2001)
Layer consist of clean, crushed, graded aggregate and granular material,
premixed with water, to a dense mass on a prepared subgrade/sub-
base/base or existing pavement (Figure 17). The thickness of single
compacted WMM layer shall be between 75mm and 200 mm.
MATERIALS: Crushed stone / gravel/ shingle.
GRADATION:
Materials finer than 425 micron shall have Plasticity Index (PI) not
exceeding 6%.
The final gradation as recommended in Table 15 shall be well graded and
shall not vary from the low limit on one sieve to the high limit on the
adjacent sieve or vice versa.
Table 15 WMM Gradation
IS Sieve Percent by weight
Designation passing the IS
sieve
53.00 mm 100
45.00 mm 95-100
26.50 mm -
22.40 mm 60-80
11.20 mm 40-60
4.75 mm 25-40
2.36 mm 15-30
600 micron 8-22
75 micron 0-8

Physical Requirements: (As described for WBM)

CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS:
DO
 Speed of the roller shall not exceed 5 km/hour
 Build Shoulders simultaneously with WMM course.
 Rolling shall begin from the edges gradually progressing towards the
center, except on super elevated portions.
 If surface irregularities of the completed WMM exceed tolerances
(12mm when tested with a 3 meter straight edge), the course to its full
thickness shall be scarified over the affected area, reshaped with
added material or removed and replaced with fresh material as
applicable and recompacted.

37
DON’T
 Avoid Segregation of coarse and fine aggregates.
 Avoid use of unmixed and ungraded materials to fill up depressions
 Rolling shall not be done when the subgrade is soft or yielding.
 Avoid traffic until the wet mix macadam has dried and the wearing
course laid.

Figure 17 Compacted Base Layer (Courtesy: http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/ )

38
QUALITY CONTROL
Table 16 Control Tests and their Minimum Frequency for Sub-Bases and
Bases (Excluding Bitumen Bound Bases)
Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
Construction
3
Granular (i) Gradation One test per 200m
3
(ii) Atterberg limits One test per 200m
3
(iii) Moisture content prior to One test per 250m
compaction
3
(iv) Density of compacted One test per 500m
layer
(v) Deleterious constituents As required
(vi) C.B.R As required
3
Water Bound (i) Aggregate impact value One test per 200m of
Macadam aggregate
3
(ii) Grading One test per 100m
3
(iii) Flakiness Index and One test per 200m of
Elongation Index aggregate
3
(iv) Atterberg limits of One test per 25m of
binding material binding material
3
(v) Atterberg limits of portion One test per 100 m of
of aggregate passing aggregate
425 micron sieve
3
Wet Mix (i) Aggregate impact value One test per 200 m of
Macadam aggregate
3
(ii) Grading One test per 100 m of
aggregate
3
(iii) Flakiness and elongation One test per 200 m of
index aggregate
3
(iv) Atterberg limits of portion One test per 100 m of
of aggregate passing aggregate
425 micron sieve
2
(v) Density of compacted One test per 500 m
layer
8. BINDER SELECTION
Viscosity Graded (VG) bitumen and their general applications:
VG 40 - High stressed areas such as interactions, near toll booths and
truck parking lots, commercial vehicles > 2000 per day per lane and
highest daily mean temperature > 400C
VG30 - Regular Paving
VG20 - Cold climate and high altitude regions of north India
VG10 - Spraying, paving in very cold climate and other applications
Table 17 summarize the selection criteria for VG bitumen based on
climatic conditions. Table 18 summarize the recommended mixing, laying
and rolling temperatures for different VG bitumen dense mixtures.

BINDER TESTING
IS 1203 – Methods for Testing Tar and Bituminous Materials:
Determination of Penetration
IS 1206 – Methods for Testing Tar and Bituminous Materials:
Determination of Viscosity

40
 Table 17 Selection criteria for Viscosity-Graded (VG) Paving Bitumen based on Climatic Conditions
0
Lowest Daily Mean Highest Daily Mean Air Temperature, C
0
Air Temperature, C Less than 20 C
0 0
20 C to 30 C
0
More than 30 C
0

0
Viscosity -10 C or Higher VG-10 VG-20 VG-30
Grade Binder 0
Lower than -10 C VG-10 VG-10 VG-20
0
Modified -10 C or Higher PMB / NRMB120 PMB / NRMB70 PMB / NRMB 40
Bitumen CRMB 50 CRMB 55 CRMB 60
0
Lower than -10 C PMB/NRMB 120 PMB/NRMB 120 PMB/NRMB 70
CRMB 50 CRMB 50 CRMB 55
PMB = Polymer Modified Bitumen; NRMB = Natural Rubber Modified Bitumen;
CRMB = Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen
0
Table 18 Mixing, Laying and Rolling Temperatures for Dense Mixtures ( C)
Bitumen Bitumen Aggregate Mixed Material Laying *Rolling
Viscosity Grade Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature
VG-40 160-170 160-175 160-170 150 Min. 100 Min.
VG-30 150-165 150-170 150-165 140 Min. 90 Min.
VG-20 145-165 145-170 145-165 135 Min. 85 Min.
VG-10 140-160 140-165 140-160 130 Min. 80 Min.
*Rolling must be completed before the mat cools to these minimum temperatures
Note- In case of modified binders the temperature recommended by the manufacturer shall be adopted
 9. ASPHALT BINDER COURSE

PRIME COAT (COMPILED FROM IRC: 16-2008)

Application of a single coat of low viscosity liquid bituminous material over
a porous granular surface prepared for superimposition of bituminous
treatment of mix.
Bitumen:

 Bitumen emulsion SS1 grade conforming to IS: 8887/ASTM D2397 or

medium curing cutback bitumen conforming to IS: 2177 can be used.
Table 19 presents the estimate of bitumen quantity required for various
granular surface types for prime coat.

Table 19 Quantity of Bitumen for Various Types of Granular Surface

Bitumen
Cutback Bitumen
Emulsion
Type of Surface
Rate of Spray Type of Rate of Spray
(kg/sq.m) Cutback (kg/sq.m)

WMM/WBM 0.7–1.0 MC 30 0.6–0.9

Mechanically
lime/cement stabilized
0.9–1.2 MC 70 0.9–1.2
soil bases, lime cement
bases
Gravel bases, Crusher
run Macadam and 1.2–1.5 MC 250 1.2–1.5
crushed rock bases

Do
 The bituminous material to be used as primer shall be such that it can
penetrate about 10 mm deep into base course.
 Bitumen emulsion shall be applied on a damp surface, but no free or
standing water shall be present. Surface can be just wet by very light
sprinkling of water.
 Immediately prior to applying the primer, the surface shall be swept
clean of dust and loose and other foreign particles using power broom
 or mechanical sweepers (Figure 18), care being taken not to disturb
the interlocked aggregates.
 The primer distributor shall be a self-propelled or towed bitumen
pressure sprayer (Figure 19) equipped for spraying the material
uniformly at specified rates and temperatures.
 A primed surface shall be allowed to cure for at least 24 hours before
any subsequent surface treatment or mix is laid.
DONT
 No heating or dilution of SS1 emulsion and preparation of cutback
bitumen shall be permitted at site.
 Cutback bitumen as primer shall not be applied to a wet surface.
 Primer shall not be applied during a dust storm or when the weather
is foggy, rainy or windy or when the temperature in the shade is less
than 10°C.
 Hand spraying shall not be allowed except in small areas,
inaccessible to the distributor, or in narrow strips where primer shall
be sprayed with a pressure hand sprayer, or as directed by the
Engineer.

Figure 18 Dust Removal (Courtesy: http://www.pmgsy.nic.in/ )

43
Figure 19 Prime Coat (Courtesy: http:\\PMGSY.nic.in and Hincol.com)

TACK COAT (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001)

Application of a single coat of low viscosity liquid bituminous material on
an existing bituminous, cement concrete or primed granular surface as a
preparatory to the superimposition of a bituminous mix (Figure 20).

Binder:
Shall be either Cationic bitumen emulsion (RS1) complying with IS
8887/ASTM D2397 or suitable low viscosity paving bitumen of VG 10
grade conforming to IS:73. Cutback bitumen RC70 as per IS:217 shall be
restricted to sites at sub-zero temperature. Tack coat application rate for
different surface types are summarized in Table 20.

44
 Table 20 Tack Coat Application Rate
Spray rate of emulsion Spray rate of
Type of Surface
/ cutback Kg/sq. m bitumen Kg/sq. m
Bituminous surfaces 0.20 – 0.30 0.30 – 0.40
Granular surfaces treated
0.25 – 0.30 0.35 – 0.45
with primer
Cement concrete pavement 0.30 – 0.35 0.40 – 0.50

DO
 For emulsion the surface shall be slightly damp, not wet. If cutback
bitumen is used for tack coat, the surface shall be dry
 The tack coat shall be applied by a self-propelled or towed bitumen
pressure sprayer, equipped for spraying the material uniformly at a
specified rate.
 The granular or stabilized surfaces shall be primed
 Immediately before the application of the tack coat, the surface shall
be swept clean with a mechanical broom, and high pressure air jet
 Paving grade of bitumen when used for tack coat shall be heated in
bitumen boilers to achieve viscosity less than 2 poise.
 The normal range of spraying temperature for a bituminous emulsion
shall be 20°C to 70°C and for a RC-70/MC-70 cutback 50°C to 80°C.
 Should be cured until all the volatiles have evaporated before
subsequent construction is started.

DON’T
 Bituminous material shall not be applied during dust storm or when
the weather is foggy, rainy or windy or when the temperature in the
shade is less than 100C
 Hand spraying shall not be permitted except in small areas
 No traffic should be allowed other than required construction
equipment.

45
Figure 20 Tack Coat Application. Courtesy: Oregon State University

SEAL COAT (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001)

Used for sealing the voids in a bituminous surface laid to the specified
levels.
TYPE A- Liquid Seal Coat: Application of a layer of bituminous binder
followed by a cover of stone chips – preferred at high rainfall region.
TYPE B – Premixed Seal Coat: Thin application of fine aggregate
premixed with bituminous binder.

46
MATERIALS:
Binder
Type A – 9.8kg (if bitumen) or 15kg (if cationic bitumen emulsion) per 10
2
m.
Type B – 6.8kg (if bitumen) or 10.5kg (if cationic bitumen emulsion) per
2
10 m .
Stone Chips for Type A
 Chips shall be angular fragments of clean, hard, tough and durable
rock of uniform quality and should be free from soft or disintegrated
stone, organic or other deleterious matter.
 Stone chips shall be of 6.7mm size defined as 100% passing 11.2mm
sieve and retained on 2.36mm sieve.
 Quantity - 0.09 m3 per 10 m2 area.
 Physical requirements as given for Bituminous Macadam except that
the upper limit for water absorption value shall be 1%.
Aggregate for Type B
 Aggregate shall be sand or grit and shall consist of clean, hard,
durable, uncoated dry particles ad shall be free from dust, soft or
flaky/elongated material, organic matter or other deleterious
substances.
 Aggregate shall pass 2.36mm sieve and be retained on 180micron
sieve.
 Quantity – 0.06 m3 per 10 m2 area.

CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS:
DO
 The seal coat shall be applied immediately after laying the bituminous
course which is required to be sealed or the old surface shall be
cleaned free of any dust or other extraneous matter.
 Type A Seal Coat:
O
o Bitumen shall be heated to 150-163 C
o Bitumen shall be sprayed with a self-propelled mechanical
sprayer (Figure 21), immediately stone chips shall be spread
47
 uniformly by means of self-propelled or towed mechanical grit
spreader (Figure 22).
o Surface shall be rolled with a 8-10 tonne smooth wheeled steel
roller or static weight vibratory roller.
o Rolling shall begin from the edges gradually progressing towards
the center, except on superelevated portions. Rolling shall
continue until all aggregate particles are firmly embedded in the
binder and present a uniform closed surface.
o Traffic shall not be permitted to run on any newly sealed area
until the following day.

 Type B Seal Coat:

o Binder shall be heated appropriate to the grade of bitumen and
aggregates shall be dry and suitably heated to a temperature
between 1500C and 1650C.
o Spread uniformly and the surface shall be rolled with an 8-10
tonne smooth-wheeled roller.
o Traffic may be allowed soon after final rolling when the premixed
material has cooled down to the surrounding temperature.

Figure 21 Bitumen Sprayer Figure 22 Stone Chip

Spreader
(Courtesy: http://www.mankato-mn.gov/)

48
MIX SEAL SURFACING (MSS) CLOSE –GRADED PREMIX
SURFACING (CGPS) (COMPILED FROM IRC:SP:78-2008)
The layer is a 20mm thick wearing course composed of graded
aggregates premixed with bituminous binder on a previously prepared
base/surface. The layer is preferred for low volume traffic (up to 10 msa)

MATERIALS:
Recommended aggregate gradation for Mix Seal Surfacing (MSS) is
given in Table 21.
Table 21 Aggregate Gradation for MSS
Cumulative % by weight of total aggregate
IS Sieve passing
Size (mm) Type A (High rainfall Type B (Low rainfall
area > 150cm/year) area < 150cm/year)
13.2 - 100
11.2 100 88-100
5.6 52-88 31-52
2.8 14-38 5-25
0.090 0-5 0-5

Physical Requirements
i. Aggregate Impact Value – Maximum 30% or Los Angeles Abrasion
Value – Maximum 40%
ii. Soundness – loss with 5 cycles, Sodium Sulphate Max 12%,
Magnesium Sulphate Max 18%
iii. Flakiness Index – Maximum 25%
iv. Adhesion percent retained coating – Minimum 95%
v. Water absorption – Max 1%

49
SURFACE DRESSING (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001)
A wearing course consisting of one or two coats of surface dressing and
each coat consisting of bituminous binder sprayed on a previously
prepared base, followed by a cover of rolled stone chips in one or two
coats.
MATERIALS
Binder: Shall have a kinematic viscosity lying in the range 1x104 to 7x105
centistokes at the expected range of road surface temperatures at the
construction site during the period of laying.
Aggregates:
 The chips shall be single sized, clean, hard, durable, of cubical
shape, free from dust and soft or friable matter, organic or other
deleterious matter.
 Chips shall conform to the requirements mentioned in Bituminous
Macadam, except that their water absorption shall be restricted to a
maximum of 1% and they shall have a Polished Stone value (BS812,
Par 114) of not less than 60.
 Gradation requirements for the chips are presented in Table 22
CONSTRUCTION OPERATION
DO
 Base preparation: The prepared base surface shall be dust free,
clean and dry, (except in the case of cationic emulsion where the
surface shall be damp). Clean all extraneous material from the
surface by means of mechanical broom or high pressure air jet.
 Spraying temperatures for different grade binders are suggested in
Table 23.
 Rolling should preferably be carried out by a pneumatic tyred roller.
Steel wheeled rollers if cannot be avoided, their weight should be
limited to 8 tonnes.
 Where surface dressing in two coats is specified, the second coat
should not be applied until the first coat has been open to traffic for 2
or 3 weeks.
 Traffic shall not be permitted to run on any newly surface dressed
area until the following day. In special circumstances, the engineer
50
 may allow the traffic with speed limited to 20km per hour until the
following day.
Table 22 Grading requirements for chips for surface dressing
IS Sieve Cumulative per cent by weight of total aggregate
Designation passing for the following nominal sizes (mm)
mm 19 13 10 6
26.5 100 - - -
19.0 85-100 100 - -
13.2 0-40 85-100 100 -
9.5 0-7 0-40 85-100 100
6.3 - 0-7 0-35 85-100
4.75 - - 0-10 -
3.35 - - - 0-35
2.36 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-10
0.60 - - - 0-2
0.075 0-1.5 0-1.5 0-1.5 0-1.5
Minimum Passing Passing Passing Passing
65% by 19mm, 13.2mm, 9.5mm, 6.3mm,
weight of retained retained retained retained
aggregate 13.2mm 9.5mm 6.3mm 3.35mm

Table 23 Spraying temperatures for binders

Whirling Spray Jets Slot Jets
Binder Penetration Grades o o o o
Min C Max C Min C Max C
400/500 160 170 140 150
280/320 165 175 150 160
180/200 170 190 155 165
80/100 180 200 165 175

51
BITUMINOUS MACADAM (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001)
Layer consists of compacted crushed aggregates premixed with a
bituminous binder in a single or multiple courses on a previously prepared
base. BM is more open graded than the DBM, SDBM and BC. Table 24
present the composition for two common mix designation used in
bituminous macadam.
COARSE AGGREGATES: Crushed gravel or other hard material retained
on the 2.36 mm sieve
Physical requirements for coarse aggregates
 Grain Size Analysis (for cleanliness) – Maximum 5% passing
0.075mm sieve
 Flakiness and Elongation Index (for particle shape) – Maximum 30%
 Los Angeles Abrasion Value (for Strength) – Maximum 40%
 Aggregate Impact Value (for Strength) – Maximum 30%
 Soundness Test (for Durability)
o Sodium Sulphate – Maximum 12%
o Magnesium Sulphate – Maximum 18%
 Water Absorption – Maximum 2%
 Coating and Stripping of Bitumen Aggregate Mixtures – Minimum
Retained Coating 95%
 Retained Tensile Strength (for Water Sensitivity) – Minimum 80%.

FINE AGGREGATES: Crushed or naturally occurring material passing

2.36mm sieve and retained on 75 micron sieve.
CONSTRUCTION OPERATION
DO
 The binder content shall be within a tolerance of ± 0.3percent by
weight of total mixture when individual specimens are taken for
quality control tests.
 All loose material and dust should be removed from the surface
before laying
 Sealing of cracks, patching of potholes, correction of local
depressions shall be performed before laying Bituminous Macadam.

52
 Prime coat or Tack coat shall be applied.
 Rate of delivery of material to the paver shall be regulated to enable
the paver to operate continuously. Mixing, laying and rolling
temperatures recommended for different grade of binder penetration
are summarized in Table 25.
 The bituminous macadam shall be covered with either the next
pavement course or wearing course, as the case may be, within a
maximum of forty-eight hours.
Table 24 Composition of Bituminous Macadam
Mix Designation Grading 1 Grading 2
Nominal Aggregate Size 40mm 19mm
Layer Thickness 80-100mm 50-75mm
Cumulative % by weight of total
IS Sieve (mm) aggregate passing.
IS: 2386 Part 1 (wet sieving method)
45 100
37.5 90-100
26.5 75-100 100
19 - 90-100
13.2 35-61 56-88
4.75 13-22 16-36
2.36 4-19 4-19
0.3 2-10 2-10
0.075 0-8 0-8
Bitumen content, % by
3.1-3.4 3.3-3.5
weight of total mix1
Bitumen Grade (Pen) 35 to 90 35 to 90
Notes: 1. Appropriate bitumen contents for conditions in cooler areas of
India may be up to 0.5% higher subject to the approval of the Engineer

53
 Table 25 Mixing, Laying and Rolling Temperatures
Bitumen Mixed
Bitumen Aggregate Laying Rolling
Mixing 0 Material 0 0
Penetration 0 Mixing ( C) 0 ( C) ( C)
( C) ( C)
170 130 100
35 160-170 160-175
Maximum Minimum Minimum
165 125 90
65 150-165 150-170
Maximum Minimum Minimum
155 115 80
90 140-160 140-165
Maximum Minimum Minimum

BITUMINOUS CONCRETE (BC) / SEMI DENSE BITUMINOUS

CONCRETE (SDBC)/ DENSE GRADED BITUMINOUS MACADAM
(DBM) (COMPILED FROM MORTH-2001)
BC is intended for use in wearing course layer. SDBC is intended for use
in wearing/binder course layer. DBM is intended for use in road
base/binder course layer. All these materials can be used as profile
corrective course also. A single layer thickness of BC/SDBC can be
25mm to 100mm and DBM can be 50mm to 100mm. The compositions
for recommended mixes used in different bituminous layers are
summarized in Table 26.
BINDER:
 Binder content shall be selected to obtain 4 percent air voids in the
mix design.
AGGREGATES:
Aggregates shall be clean, hard, durable, dry and free from dust and soft
organic and other deleterious substances.
Coarse Aggregates:
 Shall be crushed rock/gravel or other hard material retained on
2.36mm sieve and have cubical shape.

54
 For crushed gravel not less than 95% or 90% by weight retained on
4.75mm sieve shall have at least two fractured faces for bituminous
concrete and DBM/SDBC respectively.
Physical requirements for Coarse Aggregates:
 Grain Size Analysis (for cleanliness) – Maximum 5% passing
0.075mm sieve
 Flakiness and Elongation Index (for particle shape) – Maximum 35%
 Los Angeles Abrasion Value (for Strength) – Maximum 30% for BC
and Maximum 35% for DBM / SDBC
 Aggregate Impact Value (for Strength) – Maximum 24% for BC and
Maximum 27% for DBM / SDBC
 Polished stone value only for wearing course – Minimum 55
 Soundness Test (for Durability) – 5 cycles
o Sodium Sulphate – Maximum 12%
o Magnesium Sulphate – Maximum 18%
 Water Absorption – Maximum 2%
 Coating and Stripping of Bitumen Aggregate Mixtures – Minimum
Retained Coating 95%
 Retained Tensile Strength (for Water Sensitivity) – Minimum 80%.

55
 Table 26 Composition of DBM/SDBC/BC
Specification DBM SDBC BC
Grading 1 2 1 2 1 2
Nominal 37.5mm 26.5mm 13.2mm 9.5mm 19mm 13.2mm
Aggregate
Size
Layer 75- 50- 40mm 25mm 50mm 25/40mm
Thickness 100mm 75mm
1
IS Sieve Cumulative % by weight of total aggregate passing. IS 2386
(mm) Part1, wet sieving method
45 100
37.5 95-100 100
26.5 63-93 90-100 100
19 - 71-95 100 90- 100
100
13.2 55-75 56-80 90-100 100 59-79 90-100
9.5 - - 70-90 90-100 52-72 70-88
4.75 38-54 38-54 35-51 35-51 35-55 53-71
2.36 28-42 28-42 24-39 24-39 28-44 42-58
1.18 - - 15-30 15-30 20-34 34-48
0.6 - - - - 15-27 26-38
0.3 7-21 7-21 9-19 9-19 10-20 18-28
0.15 - - - - 5-13 12-20
0.075 2-8 2-8 3-8 3-8 2-8 4-10
Bitumen 4.0 4.5 4.5 5 5.2 5.4
content %
(Min.) by
mass of total
2
mix
Bitumen 65 or 90 65 or 90
Grade (Pen)
Notes:
1. The combined aggregate grading shall not vary from the low limit on
one sieve to the high limit on the adjacent sieve.
2. Determined by the Marshall method.
Fine Aggregates:
 Shall be crushed or naturally occurring mineral material passing
2.36mm sieve and retained on 0.075mm sieve.
 No natural sand will be allowed in the binder and wearing courses
and no more than 50% natural sand will be allowed in the base
courses.
 Fine aggregates shall have a sand equivalent value (IS: 2720 Part
37) not less than 50.
 The plasticity index (IS: 2720 Part 5) of the fraction passing the
0.425mm sieve shall not exceed 4.
Filler:

 Shall be finally divided mineral matter such as rock dust, or hydrated

lime or cement.
 The plasticity index (IS: 2720 Part 5) shall not exceed 4
 Lime is a preferred antistripping agent
Mix Requirements for DBM:
Table 27 summarizes the mix requirements for dense bituminous
macadam using Viscosity-Graded (VG) paving and modified bitumen.

57
Table 27 Mix Requirements for DBM Using Viscosity-Graded (VG)
Paving/Modified Bitumen
Viscosity Modified Bitumen
Grade Test
Properties Hot Cold
Paving Method
Climate Climate
Bitumen
Compaction Level
75 blows on each face of the
(Number of
specimen
blows)
Minimum Stability AASHTO
9.0 12 10
(kN at 600C) T245
Marshall Flow AASHTO
2-4 2.5-4 3.5-5
(mm) T245
Marshall Quotient
2-5 2.5-5
(stability / flow)
MS-2 and
% Air Voids 3-5 ASTM
D2041
% Voids filled
with bitumen 65-75 MS-2
(VFB)
Tensile Strength AASHTO
80% (Minimum)
Ratio T283
Coating of
Aggregate
95% (Minimum) IS:6241
Particles with
Bitumen
% Voids in Mineral Aggregate (VMA)
Nominal Min. % VMA related to designed
Maximum Particle % air voids
Size (mm) 3 4 5
9.5 14 15 16
13.2 13 14 15
19.0 12 13 14
26.5 11 12 13
37.5 10 11 12
CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS:
DO
 DBM shall be constructed in two layers when the prescribed thickness
is more than 100mm.
 Base preparation: Clean all extraneous material from the surface by
means of mechanical broom or high pressure air jet. Fill potholes and
seal cracks. Correct the profile as required. Apply tack coat
 Bituminous material shall be spread, leveled and tamped by self-
propelled hydrostatic paver finisher preferably with sensor (Figure
23).
 Initial or breakdown rolling shall be done with 8-10 tonnes dead
weight smooth-wheeled rollers
 Intermediate rolling with 8-10 tonnes dead weight or vibratory roller or
with a pneumatic tyred roller of 12-15 tonnes weight having nine
wheels, with a tyre pressure of at least 5.6 kg/sqcm.
 Finish rolling shall be done with 6 to 8 tonnes smooth wheeled
tandem rollers.
 Rollers should move at a speed of not more than 5km per hour.
 All joints shall be offset at least 300mm from parallel joints in the layer
beneath or as in layout. Joints in wearing course shall coincide with
either the lane edge or the lane marking, whichever is appropriate.
Longitudinal joints shall not be situated in wheel track zones.
 Density of the finished paving layer shall not be less than the 92% of
the average theoretical maximum specific gravity of the loose mix
(Gmm)

DON’T
 DBM mixes shall not be laid
o in the presence of standing surface water, imminent or during
rain, fog, dust storm, on damp base/binder course
o When air temperature is less than 100C for mix with conventional
bitumen and less than 150C for mix with modified bitumen.
o When the wind speed exceed the 40km/hr at 2m height.

59
Figure 23 Asphalt Pavers (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org/)

60
QUALITY CONTROL
Table 28 Control Tests for Bituminous Works and their Minimum Frequency
SI. Type of
Test
No construction
1 Prime Coat/ a) Quality of binder
Tack Coat/
Fog Spray
b) Binder temperature for
application
c) Rate of spread of
binder
2 Seal Coat / a) Quality of Binder
Surface b) Aggregate Impact
Dressing Value / Los Angeles
Abrasion Value
c) Flakiness Index and
Elongation Index
d) Stripping value of
aggregates (Immersion
Tray Test)
e) Water absorption of
aggregates
f) Water sensitivity of mix
Frequency (minimum)
One set of test for a tanker or lot of 10 tonne as per
IS:217 for cutback bitumen or IS:73 for bitumen and
IS:8887 for bitumen emulsion
Regular intervals
2
1 test per 500m and not less than two tests per day.
Same as mentioned under Serial No. 1
3
One test per 50m of aggregate
-do-
Initially one set of 3 representative specimens for
each source of supply. Subsequently when warranted
by changes in the quality of aggregates
-do-
Initially one set of 3 representative specimens for
each source of supply. Subsequently when warranted
by changes in the quality of aggregates (if required)
SI. Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
No construction
3
g) Grading of aggregates One test per 25m of aggregate
h) Soundness Initially, one determination by each method for each
(Magnesium and source of supply, then as warranted by change in the
sodium sulphate) quality of aggregates.
i) Polished stone value As required
j) Temperature of binder At regular close intervals
at application
2
k) Rate of spread of One test per 500m of work, and, not less than two
materials tests per day
3
l) Percentage of fractured When gravel is used, one test per 50m of aggregate.
faces
3 Open-graded a) Quality of Binder Same as mentioned under Serial No. 1
Premix b) Aggregate Impact Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
Surfacing / Value / Los Angeles
Close-graded Abrasion Value
Premix c) Flakiness Index and -do-
Surfacing Elongation Index
d) Stripping value Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
e) Water absorption of Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
aggregates
f) Water sensitivity of mix Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2

62
SI. Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
No construction
g) Grading of aggregates Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
h) Soundness Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
(Magnesium and
sodium sulphate)
i) Polished stone value As required
j) Temperature of binder At regular close intervals
at application
k) Binder content One test per 500m2 and not less than two tests per
day
l) Rate of spread of Regular control through checks of layer thickness
materials
m) Percentage of fractured Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
faces
4 Bituminous a) Quality of Binder Same as mentioned under Serial No. 1
Macadam b) Aggregate Impact Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
Value / Los Angeles
Abrasion Value
c) Flakiness Index and Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
Elongation Index
d) Stripping value Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
e) Water sensitivity of mix Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2

63
SI. Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
No construction
f) Grading of aggregates Two tests per day per plant both on the individual
constituents and mixed aggregates from the dryer
g) Water absorption of Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
aggregates
h) Soundness Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
(Magnesium and
sodium sulphate)
i) Percentage of fractured Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
faces
j) Binder content Periodic, subject to minimum of two tests per day per
aggregate grading plant
k) Control of temperature At regular close intervals
of binder and aggregate
for mixing and of the
mix at the time of laying
and rolling
l) Rate of spread of mixed Regular control through checks of layer thickness
materials
2
m) Density of compacted One test per 250m of area compacted
layer

64
SI. Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
No construction
5 Dense a) Quality of Binder Same as mentioned under Serial No. 1
bituminous b) Aggregate Impact Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
macadam/ Value / Los Angeles
semi dense Abrasion Value
bituminous c) Flakiness Index and Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
concrete / Elongation Index
bituminous d) Stripping value Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
concrete e) Soundness Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
(Magnesium and
sodium sulphate)
f) Water absorption of Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
aggregates
g) Sand equivalent test As required
h) Plasticity index As required
i) Polished stone value As required for semi dense bituminous
concrete/bituminous concrete
j) Percentage of fractured Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
faces
k) Mix grading One set of tests on individual constituents and mixed
aggregate from the dryer for each 400 tonnes of mix
subject to a minimum of two tests per plant per day.

65
SI. Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
No construction
For each 400 tonnes of mix produced, a set of 3
l) Stability of mix Marshall specimens to be prepared and tested for
stability, flow value, density and void content subject
to a minimum of two sets being tested per plant per
day.
m) Water sensitivity of mix Same as mentioned under Serial No. 2
(retained tensile
strength)
n) Swell test on the mix As required for the bituminous concrete
o) Control of temperature At regular close intervals
of binder in boiler,
aggregate in the dryer
and mix at the time of
laying and rolling
p) Control of binder One test for each 400 tonnes of mix subject to a
content and grading of minimum of two tests per day per plant.
the mix
q) Rate of spread of mixed Regular control through checks on the weight of
material mixed material and layer thickness
2
r) Density of compacted One test per 250m of area compacted
layer

66
SI. Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
No construction
6 Slurry seal a) Quality of binder Same as mentioned under Serial No. 1
b) Film stripping test Initially one set of 3 representative specimens for
each source of supply, then as warranted by changes
in the quality of aggregates.
7 Recycled a) Binder content and Minimum of one test per 25m3 of recycled material
material aggregate grading
b) Recovered binder Minimum of one test per 50m3 of recycled material
penetration
c) Mix stability For each 400 tonnes of mix recycled, a set of 3
(Remix/Repave) Marshall specimens to be prepared and tested for
stability, flow, density and void content, subject to a
minimum of two sets of tests per day.
8 Modified a) Softening point Initially on submission thereafter daily if site blended,
binder weekly if pre-blended
o
b) Penetration at 25 C and -do-
o
4C
c) Elastic recovery -do-
d) Ductility -do-
e) Flash point -do-
f) Fraass breaking Initially on submission
O
g) Viscosity at 150 C -do-

67
SI. Type of
Test Frequency (minimum)
No construction
h) Thin film oven test, -do-
penetration, softening
point, elastic recovery
of residue, loss on
heating

68
10. CEMENT CONCRETE COURSE

CEMENT CONCRETE RIGID PAVEMENTS (compiled from IRC: 58-

2011 rigid pavement design and IRC: 15-2011)
Typical rigid pavement structure consists of PQC surface course and the
underlying optional base and sub-base course over the subgrade (Figure
24). The underlying layers are orders of magnitude less stiffer than PQC
layer but still make important contributions to pavement strength as well
as drainage and frost protection.

PQC – Pavement Quality Concrete

GSB – Granular Sub-Base
DLC- Dry lean Cement
BC – Bituminous Concrete
DBM- Dense Bitumen Macadam
Figure 24 Typical Cross Section for a Rigid Pavement

MATERIALS
CEMENT
 Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) 43 Grade (IS 8112) should be
preferred. OPC 53 Grade (IS 12269), Portland-Pozzolana Cement
(IS1489, Part 1), Portland Slag Cement (IS 455) can also be used if
capable of achieving the design strength.
Cement content for the mix corresponding to flexural strength of 4.5 MPa
is given in Table 29.
Table 29 Cement Content
Quantity kg/cu.m
Cement Type
Minimum Maximum
Ordinary Portland 360 (340 when 20%
425
Cement fly ash is mixed)
Portland-Pozzolana
425
Cement
Portland Slag
510
Cement
* when the required strength is not achieved only OPC shall be added in
adequate quantity to achieve the target strength in all three cement types.
FLY ASH
 Fly ash up to 20% by weight of cementitious, material conforming
to IS 3812 (Part 1), may be mixed with Ordinary Portland Cement
(OPC) 53/43 Grade.
AGGREGATES
 Should be clean, hard, strong, dense, non-porous and durable
pieces of crushed stone or crushed gravel
 Combined flakiness and elongation index of coarse aggregates
shall not be more than 35%.
 Soundness test (IS 2386 Part V) after 5 cycles of testing, the loss
shall not be more than
o 12% if sodium sulphate solution is used
o 18% if magnesium sulphate solution is used.
 Aggregates with water absorption more than 3% shall, however,
are rejected irrespective of soundness test results.
 Gradation requirements for Dry Lean Concrete and Pavement
Quality Concrete are given in Table 30 and Table 31 respectively.
Table 30 Aggregate Gradation for Dry Lean Concrete
SI. Sieve Percentage by Weight
No Designation Passing the Sieve
1 26.5 mm 100
2 19.0 mm 80-100
3 9.50 mm 55-75
4 4.75 mm 35-60
5 600 micron 10-35
6 75 micron 0-5

70
Table 31 Aggregate Gradation for Pavement Quality Concrete
SI. Sieve Percentage by Weight
No Designation Passing the Sieve
1 31.5 mm 100
2 26.5 mm 85-95
3 19.0 mm 68-88
4 9.50 mm 45-65
5 4.75 mm 30-55
6 600 micron 8-30
7 150 micron 5-15
8 75 micron 0-5

EMBANKMENT SOIL AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBGRADE AND

SUBBASE
 Expansive soils should be compacted at 1-3 percent above Optimum
Moisture Content (OMC) by Standard Proctor. OMC from the Modified
Proctor will leave the soil too dry and more prone to future expansion.
 The soil should not be allowed to dry out excessively before GSB and
other layers are laid.
 If the CBR of the 500 mm thick compacted subgrade is significantly
larger than that of the embankment below it, the effective CBR of the
subgrade can be estimated from Figure 25.

SUBGRADE
 Strength of subgrade is expressed in terms of modulus of subgrade
reaction, k - determined from the pressure sustained at a deflection of
1.25 mm with a frequency of 1 test per lane km.
 Minimum subgrade CBR of 8 percent is recommended for design
 In-situ CBR of the subgrade soil can be determined from
o the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (60° cone) tests using the
following relationship (ASTMD6951)
log10CBR = 2.465- 1.12log10NDCP
where NDCP = rate of cone penetration (mm/blow)

71
Figure 25 Effective CBR of Subgrade

Relationship between k-Value and CBR Value for Homogeneous Soil

Subgrade

Soaked CBR (%) 2 3 4 5 7 10 15 20 50 100

k-value (MPa/m) 21 28 35 42 48 55 62 69 140 220

o k (dynamic k) can also be backcalculated from Falling Weight

Deflectometer (FWD) tests.
Static k value = 50% of dynamic k value

SUBBASE
 Main purpose is to provide a uniform, stable and permanent support
to the concrete slab laid over it.
 Sub-Base of Dry Lean Concrete (DLC) having a 7-day average
compressive strength of 10 MPa is recommended. Minimum
recommended thickness of DLC for major highways is 150 mm.
 Minimum characteristic 28-day compressive strength of 7 MPa is
recommended for cement treated sub-bases. Loss of weight of

72
 cement treated sub-bases shall not exceed 14 percent after 12 cycles
after "Wetting and Drying Test/freezing and thawing" tests.
 For Granular Sub-Base the permeability coefficient shall be at least
30 m/day. Grading I and II of Table 32 can be used at locations where
drainage requirement are not predominant. Grading III and IV can be
used at location experiencing heavy rainfall, flooding etc.
K-values for Granular and cement treated sub-bases are presented in
Table 33 and for dry lean concrete sub-base in Table 34
 In the case of problematic subgrades such as clayey and expansive
soils appropriate provisions shall be made for blanket course ( ) in
addition to the sub-base.
 Interface layer between the concrete slab and the DLC layer can be
made smooth to reduce the inter layer friction. Thus it allows relative
movement between the slab and DLC layer.
 A de-bonding interlayer of polythene sheet having a minimum
thickness of 125 micron is recommended as per the practice in India.
Wax based compound in place of plastic sheet can also be used.

Table 32 Grading for Granular Sub-Base Materials (IRC:15 – 2011)

Sieve Percentage by Weight Passing the Sieve
Designation Grading I Grading II Grading III Grading IV
75.0 mm 100 - 100 -
53.0 mm 80-100 100 100
26.5 mm 55-90 70-100 55-75 50-80
9.50 mm 35-65 50-80 - -
4.75 mm 25-55 40-65 10-30 15-35
2.36 mm 20-40 30-50 - -
0.425 mm 10-15 10-15 - -
0.075 mm <5 <5 <5 <5
CBR Value 30% 30% 30% 30%
(Minimum)
Note: The material passing 425 micron sieve for all the grading shall have liquid
limit and plasticity index (IS 2720 part 5) not more than 25 and 6% respectively.

73
Table 33 k-values for Granular and Cement Treated Sub-Bases
Effective k (MPa/m) of Effective k (MPa/m) of
k-value of untreated granular sub- cement treated sub-
subgrade base of thickness (mm) base of thickness (mm)
(MPa/m)
150 225 300 100 150 200
28 39 44 53 76 108 141
56 63 75 88 127 173 225
84 92 102 119 - - -

Table 34 k-values for Dry Lean Concrete Sub-Base

k-value of Subgrade 21 28 42 48 55 62
(MPa/m)
*
Effective k for 100mm 56 97 166 208 278 389
DLC (MPa/m) (300)
*
Effective k for 150 mm 97 138 208 277 412 300
DLC (MPa/m) (300)
* - Extrapolated values from AASHTO 1993

CONCRETE STRENGTH
 Flexural strength of concrete can be obtained after testing the
concrete beam as per IS: 516 or can be derived from the
characteristic compressive strength of concrete as per IS 456-2000
using the following relationship

where Fcr = flexural strength (modulus of rupture), MPa

fck = characteristic compressive cube strength of concrete, MPa
 Concrete design is based on 28 days strength and in no case 28 days
flexural strength of pavement quality concrete (PQC) should be less
than 4.5 MPa.
 90 days flexural strength = 28 day flexural strength * 1.10
 The target mean flexural strength is given by

74
 Where fcr = characteristic flexural strength at 28 days, MPa
f'cr = target mean flexural strength at 28 days, MPa
Za = a factor corresponding to the desired confidence level,
which is 1.96 for 5 percent tolerance level
σ = standard deviation of field test samples, MPa

FACTORS GOVERNING DESIGN

 Design period (30 year life shall be used)
 Design commercial traffic volume (7.5% annual growth rate shall be
used)
 Composition of commercial traffic in terms of single, tandem, tridem
and multi-axles
 Axle load spectrum
 Tyre pressure (0.8MPa shall be used)
 Lateral placement characteristics of commercial vehicles
 Directional distribution of commercial vehicles
 Composition and strength of foundation
 Climatic considerations

RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE FOR SLAB DESIGN

Step 1: Stipulate design values for the various parameters. Suggested
temperature differentials for concrete slabs are summarized in Table 35
Modulus of elasticity (E) and Poisson's ratio of Concrete (p)
o E = 30,000 MPa and p = 0.15 were adopted for the stress analysis for
the concrete with 28 day flexural strength of 4.5 MPa
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (a)
o Dependent to a great extent on the type of aggregates used in
concrete. For design purpose, a value of a = 10 x 10 -6 per °C may
be adopted.

75
Table 35 Recommended Temperature Differentials for Concrete Slabs
0
Temperature Differential, C
Zone States in Slabs of Thickness
15cm 20cm 25cm 30cm
I Punjab, U.P., Uttaranchal, 12.5 13.1 14.3 15.8
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana
and North M.P., excluding hilly
regions.
II Bihar, Jharkand, West Bengal, 15.6 16.4 16.6 16.8
Assam and Eastern Orissa,
excluding hilly regions and
coastal areas
III Maharashtra, Karnataka, South 17.3 19.0 20.3 21.0
M.P., Chattisgarh, Andhra
Pradesh, Western Orissa and
North Tamil Nadu, excluding
hilly regions and coastal areas.
IV Kerala and South Tamil Nadu, 15.0 16.4 17.6 18.1
excluding hilly regions and
coastal areas.
V Coastal areas bounded by hills 14.6 15.8 16.2 17.0
VI Coastal areas unbounded by 15.5 17.0 19.0 19.2
hills

Step 2: Select a trial design thickness of pavement slab.

Step 3: Compute the repetitions of axle loads of different magnitudes and
different categories during the design life.
Cumulative number of commercial vehicles during design period is
given by:

where,
C = Cumulative no. of commercial vehicles during design period

76
 A = Initial no. of commercial vehicles per day in year when the road is
opened to traffic
r = Annual rate of growth in commercial traffic volume (in decimal)
n = Design period in years
Step 4: Find the proportions of axle load repetitions operating during the
day and night periods
Step 5: Estimate the axle load repetitions in the specified six-hour-period
during the day and night time respectively.
Step 6: Compute the flexural stresses at the edge due to the single and
tandem axle loads for the combined effect of axle loads and positive
temperature differential during the day time. Determine the stress ratio
(Flexural stress/ Modulus of Rupture) and evaluate the cumulative fatigue
damage (CFD) for single and tandem axle loads. Sum of the two CFDs
should be less than 1.0 for the slab to be safe against bottom-up cracking.
Step 7: Compute the flexural stress in the central area of the pavement
slab with the front axle near the approaching transverse joint and the rear
axle close to the following joint in the same panel under negative
temperature differential (Figure 26 and Figure 27). Determine the stress
ratio and evaluate the CFD for different axle loads for the analysis of top-
down cracking. CFD should be less than 1.0 for top-down cracking
design.
STRESS RATIO – Ratio between applied flexural stress and the flexural
strength of concrete. The relation between fatigue life (N) and stress
ration (SR) is given by

77
Figure 26 Stress due to single axle load of 200kN, temperature differential
= 0, with Tied Concrete Shoulder

Figure 27 Stress due to single axle load of 200kN, temperature differential

= 17°C, with Tied Concrete Shoulder

The Cumulative fatigue damage (CFD) expressions for bottom-up and

top-down cracking cases are given by

78
where
Ni = allowable number of load and temperature differential cycles for the
wheel load group during the specified six-hour period
ni = predicted number of load and temperature differential cycles for the
ith load group during the specified six-hour period
j = total number of load groups

DESIGN OF JOINTS
Transverse joints – Mild steel dowel bars are used for load transfer at
transverse joints to relieve part of stresses. Recommended dimensions
are given in Table 36.
Contraction joint – spacing limited to 4.5metre to prevent top-down
cracking
Expansion joint – shall be omitted when the dowels are provided at
contraction joints except when the cement concrete pavements abut
against permanent structures, like, bridges and culverts.
Construction joint - should be placed at the location of contraction
joints except in case of emergency when a key joint may be used.
Longitudinal joint – provided in pavements of width greater than 4.5
metre. Typical tie bar details for use at central longitudinal joint in double-
lane rigid pavements with a lane width of 3.5m are given in Table 37

79
Table 36 Recommended dimensions of dowel bars
Dowel Bar Details
Slab Thickness
mm Diameter, Length, Spacing,
mm mm mm
200 25 360 300
230 30 400 300
250 32 450 300
280 36 450 300
300 38 500 300
350 38 500 300

Table 37. Details of Tie Bars for Longitudinal Joint of Two-Lane Rigid
Pavements
Tie Bar Details
Slab Max. Spacing, mm
Thickness, Diameter Minimum length, mm
mm (d), mm Plain Deformed
Plain Deformed
8 330 530 440 480
150
10 520 830 510 560
10 390 620 510 560
200
12 560 900 580 640
250 12 450 720 580 640
12 370 600 580 640
300
16 660 1060 720 800
12 320 510 580 640
350
16 570 910 720 800

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INTERLOCKING CONCRETE BLOCK PAVEMENTS (ICBP) (Compiled
from IRC SP: 63-2004 and DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR INTERLOCKING
CONCRETE BLOCK PAVEMENTS - MCGM)
The Interlocking Concrete Block Pavement (ICBP) consists of a layer of
cement concrete paver blocks (CPB) of appropriate size and shape
properly laid over well compacted soil subgrade, sub-base and / or base
course layers and a layer of bedding sand (Figure 28) as specified.

Basic Components of ICBP

Figure 28 Basic Components of ICBP

CONCRETE BLOCKS
 Cement concrete blocks should be of uniform dimensions, shape and
strength.
 The concrete paver blocks (CPB) should not have defects such as
cracks, broken edges and variation in shape, size, strength or
durability beyond the specified tolerance limits.
 The average compressive strength of test samples for 60 mm thick
blocks shall not be less than 40 MPa with no individual unit failing
below 35 MPa.
 The average compressive strength of test samples of paver blocks
with thickness 80 mm or 100 mm shall not be less than 50 MPa with
no individual unit failing below 45 MPa.

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SUPPORTING LAYERS
 The supporting layers consist of well compacted subgrade, granular
sub-base (GSB), base course (WMM, WBM or cement or asphalt
treated bases) and a layer of bedding sand.

BEDDING SAND
 A layer of bedding sand is spread over the base course before laying
the CPB.
 Bedding sand should be spread to a thickness shall be 20 mm to 40
mm for all ICBP constructions.
 The sand used shall be clean and well graded, passing 4.75 mm
sieve and slightly moist (with about 4 % of water by weight) at the
time of laying. However it is suggested that the fine particles passing
75 micron sieve shall be limited to less than 5 % by weight. Crusher
dust shall not be used.

EDGE RESTRAINT (LATERAL CONFINEMENT)

 Lateral confinement or support in the form of restraints along the
perimeter, both in the longitudinal and transverse directions, of the
area paved with interlocking concrete pavers is essential.
 The edge strip or beam or lateral support should have sufficient depth
such that it extends at least 50 mm below the bottom of the bedding
sand and the lateral support is firmly fixed.

JOINT FILLING SAND

 Joint filling sand shall consist of well graded, clean, dry sand passing
2.36 mm sieve.
 The percentage fines passing 75 micron sieve shall be kept as low as
possible within the range of 0 - 10%.
 Crusher dust shall not be used.

APPLICATION OF ICBP

82
Typical cross section of the block pavement under different loading
condition are presented in Table 38and schematically presented in Figure
29 and Figure 30.

Figure 29 Typical Cross Section of Block Pavement Used in

Sidewalks/Foot-paths/Car-parks/Cycle Track.

Figure 30 Typical Cross Section of Block Pavement for Heavily Trafficked

Roads

CONSTRUCTION STEPS FOR NEW ICBP

The steps for the construction of a new ICB pavement for new roads and
foot paths, widening of existing road pavement, construction of paved
shoulders, etc., starting from the construction of subgrade, are given
below.
(i) Construction of subgrade using specified soil / stabilized material and
compaction with the desired camber / cross slope (2.0 to 3.0%).
(ii) Construction of GSB, granular base course / CSLM / Dry Lean
Concrete (DLC) layers as specified
(iii) Spreading of bedding sand of desired thickness (considering the
required allowance for compaction of the loose layer). It is desirable to
use slightly moist sand in the bedding layer (with moisture content of
about 4 to 6 %) and compaction by plate vibrator

83
Table 38 Design Catalogue for Pavement Thickness (IRC:SP:63-2004)
Traffic and Road Type Subgrade CBR (%)

Above 10 5-10

 Cycle Tracks, Pedestrian Blocks 60 60

Footpaths Sand Bed 20-30 20-30
Base 200 200
 Commercial Traffic Axle Blocks 60-80 60-80
Load Repetitions less than Sand Bed 20-40 20-40
10msa
 Residential Streets WBM / WMM Base 250 250
Granular Sub-Base 200 250
 Commercial traffic Axle Load Blocks 80-100 80-100
Repetitions 10-20 msa Sand Bed 20-40 20-40
 Collector Streets, Industrial WBM/WMM Base 250 250
Streets, Bus and Truck Granular Sub-Base 200 250
Parking Areas
 Commercial traffic Axle Load Blocks 80-100 80-100
Repetitions 20-50 msa Sand Bed 20-40 20-40
 Arterial Streets WBM/WMM Base or 250 250
WBM/WMM Base 150 150
and DLC over it* 75 75
Granular Sub-Base 200 250
Notes:
1. Thickness of layers given above are in mm
2. Granular Sub-Base should have at least 150 mm layer at the
bottom which is drainable.
3. If the subgrade soil has a CBR of less than 5, it should be
improved by suitable stabilization technique to bring the CBR
value to 5
4. msa denotes repetitions in million standard axles.
*-in case of roads having inadequate drainage or heavy rainfall areas
(above 1500mm per annum)

(iv) Laying of Concrete Paving Blocks, CPB starting from the edge strip /
kerb, either by manual method or by mechanized method of placing the

84
CPB clusters. The joint width may be 2 to 3 mm. Herringbone patterns
(45 or 90 degree) are recommended in all street applications, as these
interlocking patterns provide the maximum load bearing support, and
resist creep from starting, braking and turning tires.
(v) Compaction by heavy duty vibratory plate compactors (of weight 300
to 600 kg, plate area of 0.5 to 0.6 m2 with centrifugal force application of
30 to 65 kN) giving two passes or more until the top of the CPB are level
with adjoining blocks. Additional compaction using vibratory roller of static
weight less than 4 tonnes and nominal amplitude less than 0.6 mm (with
rubber covered drums) will be useful for ICBP meant for heavy traffic.
(vi) Joint filling by spreading a thin layer of dry joint filling sand on the
surface of the dry CPB, working the sand into the joints by booming and
compaction by the heavy duty vibratory compactor until the joints are
completely filled up with the sand.
The ICBP may be opened to traffic only after completing all the above
construction operations.

ROLLER COMPACTED CONCRETE (RCC) PAVEMENTS (Compiled

from IRC: SP: 68-2005 Guidelines for construction of RCC
Pavements)
RCC is a mix of cement/fly ash, water, sand and aggregate, but contains
much less water than conventional concrete.

MATERIALS
CEMENT
 Cement can be any of the following type
i) Ordinary Portland Cement Grade 33, 43, 53
ii) Portland Slag Cement
iii) Portland Pozzolana Cement.
 If the slab is rested over a subgrade having soluble sulphates, 0.5%
sulphate resistant cement shall be used.

FLYASH
The selected flyash shall conform to the physical requirements as in
Table 39
85
Table 39 Physical Requirements of Fly-ash
SI.
Characteristics Requirements
No
1 Fineness, specific surface area in 320
2
m /kg, by Blaine’s permeability method,
minimum
2 Particles retained on 45 micron IS 34
sieve, percent maximum
3 Lime reactivity, average compressive 4.5
2
strength, N/mm
4 Soundness by autoclave test expansion 0.8
of specimen in percent maximum
5 Drying shrinkage percent, maximum 0.15

COARSE AGGREGATES
 Shall consist of clean, hard, strong, dense, non-porous and durable
pieces of crushed stone or crushed gravel or natural rounded gravel
 Shall be devoid of pieces of disintegrated stone and soft, flaky,
elongated, very angular or splintery pieces
 Combined flakiness and elongation index shall be less than 40%
 Water absorption should be less than 5%
 Maximum size should not exceed 25mm
 Soundness test (IS 2386 Part v), after 3 cycles the loss shall be less
than 12% if sodium sulphate solution is used or 18% if magnesium
sulphate solution is used.

FINE AGGREGATES
 Shall be clean, natural sand or crushed stone sand or a combination
of two.
 Shall be free from soft particles, clay, shale, loam, cemented
particles, mica, organic and other foreign matter.
 Shall not contain deleterious substances more than the following
o Clay lumps : 4.0%
o Coal and lignite : 1.0%
o Material passing IS Sieve No. 75 micron: 4% in natural sand and
15% crushed sand rock

86
The coarse and fine aggregates shall be blended so that the combined
gradation shall be as given in Table 40.

Table 40 Combined Gradation

Sieve Designation, mm Percentage passing the
sieve by weight
26.5 100
19.0 80-100
9.5 55-80
4.75 35-60
600 micron 10-35
75 micron 0-8

WATER
Shall be clean and free from injurious amount of oil, salt, acid, vegetable
matter and meet the requirements stipulated in IS 456.

MIX DESIGN
 Water content may be in the range of 4-7%
 The coarse aggregates by volume 52-56%
 20-50% of cement can be replaced by fly-ash.
 The volume of sand, flyash/cement ratio and the water/cementitious
material (cement +flyash) ratio shall be selected to achieve required
strength.
 A trial length of at least 30m shall be constructed away from the
carriageway for refining construction methodology, suitability of
equipment, etc., In-situ density of the freshly laid material shall be
determined by sand replacement method with three 20 or 15cm
diameter density holes made at locations equally spaced along the
diagonal that bisects the trial length.

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY
 Compactor: Vibratory roller of the double drum smooth wheel type
(80-100kN) shall be used for compaction.
 Construction time: Mixing, spreading, compacting and finishing of the
concrete pavement shall be carried out within 90 minutes when the
o o
concrete temperature is between 25 C to 30 C and within 120minutes
o
when the temperature is below 25 C. If the ambient temperature is

87
 o o
between 30 C to 35 C, chilled water or ice may be added to bring
down the temperature. Construction should be stopped for
o
temperature above 35 C.
 Curing: Curing shall start within one to two hour after laying by
covering the pavement with wet hessian in two –three layers for the
first 24 hours. After a day’s curing, small earthen rectangles/dykes
about 50mm high shall be made and shall be filled with water for at
least 16 more days. As soon as the curing compound has lost its
tackiness, the surface shall be continuously covered with wet
hessian/gunny bags for 7days.
 Controlled traffic with limited loads can be allowed after 14 days. Full
vehicular traffic can be allowed after 28 days.

QUALITY CONTROL
 The surface regularity of the finished pavements checked by levels
shall be +5mm and -6mm.
 At least two beam and two cube specimens, one each for 7 days and
28 days strength testing shall be cast for every 150cum of concrete
placed during construction for assessing the strength.
 Field in-situ density of concrete shall be determined from three
density holes at location equally spaced along a diagonal that bisects
each 2000sqm or part thereof of the pavement laid each day. The
field density obtained shall be 97% of that achieved during trial length
construction.

88
QUALITY CONTROL
Table 41 Quality Control Tests for Cement Concrete Works and their
Minimum Frequency
Quality of Materials and Frequency
Concrete
Cement Physical and Once for each source of supply and
Chemical Test occasionally when called for in case of
IS 455 long/improper storage. Besides, the
IS 1489 Contractor also will submit daily test data on
IS 8112 cement released by the manufacturer.
IS 12269
IS 12330
Coarse and Fine
Aggregate
1) Gradation IS 2386 One test for every day’s work of each
(Part 1) fraction of coarse aggregate and fine
aggregate, initially; may be relaxed later at
the discretion of the Engineer.
2) Deleterious -do-
constituents IS 2386
(Part 2)
3) Water absorption IS Regularly as required subject to a minimum
2386 (Part 3) of one test a day for coarse aggregate and
two tests a day for fine aggregate. This data
shall be used for correcting the water
demand of the mix on daily basis
Mineral Admixtures One from each source as per IS 3812,
IS12089 and IS 15388
Coarse and Fine
Aggregate
1) Los Angeles Once for each source of supply and
Abrasion Value or subsequently on monthly basis.
Aggregate Impact
Test IS 2386 (Part 4)
2) Soundness IS 2386 Before approving the aggregates and every
(Part 5) month subsequently
3) Alkali aggregate -do-
reactivity IS 2386
(Part 7)
Water Chemical Tests Once for approval of source of supply,
IS 456 subsequently only in case of doubt
Concrete
1) Strength of concrete 3 cubes and 3 beams per 200 cum or
89
Quality of Materials and Frequency
Concrete
IS 516 minimum 6 cubes and 6 beams per day’s
work whichever is more.
2) Core strength on As per the requirement of the Engineer or 2
hardened concrete IS cores/km.
516
3) Workability of fresh One test per dumper load at both batching
concrete – slump test plant site and paving site initially when work
IS 1199 starts. Subsequently sampling may be done
from alternate dumper.
4) Thickness From the level data of concrete pavement
determination surface and sub-base at grid points of 5m
*3.5m or 6.25 m *3.5 m. Cores may be cut in
case the Engineer desires.
5) Thickness 3 Cores per trial length.
measurement for trial
Length
6) Verification of level of String line or steel forms shall be checked
string line in the case for level at an interval of 5.0m or 6.25m. the
of slip form paving level tolerance allowed shall be +- 2mm.
and steel forms in the These shall be got approved 1-2 hours
case of fixed form before the commencement of the concreting
paving activity.

90
WIDENING OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS FROM 4 LANES TO 6
LANES

Concrete Shoulder

Median
Figure 31 Illustration of Addition of a Lane to an Existing Pavement

11. PLANNING OF MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS (Compiled from

IRC 82: 1982)

PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE
The pavement starts deterioration (Figure 32) soon after its construction.
The rate of deterioration depends on the level of traffic, material &
construction quality of the pavement and environment & drainage
conditions. Thus pavement is subjected to different pavement treatment
options depending on the cause and severity level of pavement distress.
Optimal pavement treatment strategy should be determined having regard
to the various factors involved including the finances available.

91
 100
Structural
Pavement Condition 80 Overlay
Index (PCI)
60

40

20

0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Service Life, Year
Figure 32 Effect of Rehabilitation on Pavement Deterioration

Selection of appropriate treatment depends on

• Type and severity of Distresses
• Existing structural capacity
• Expected performance standard and Safety concerns
• Geometric considerations
• Design life and Anticipated traffic
• Adequate surface and subsurface drainage
• Utilities
• Construction considerations
o Traffic and work hour restrictions
o Overhead clearance
o Material availability or recycling

DATABASE FOR PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE

Pavement maintenance and selection of proper future strategies requires
continuous monitoring and record of the pavement performance and traffic
growth. Table 42 and Table 43 provide suggested format for recording traffic
growth and pavement distress magnitude.

For periodic or preventive maintenance

 an experienced engineer should conduct at least two condition
surveys every year on each stretch of road from a vehicle travelling at
a slow speed - one before and the other after the monsoon.
 Supplement surveys should be carried out on foot for more critical
spots.

92
 Road roughness, structural capacity and skid resistance should also
be measured.

Record the type and magnitude of distress kilometer wise as in Table 43.
For routine maintenance, necessary information should be continuously
made available to the maintenance staff.
 Critical distresses such as pot-hole should be rectified straightaway

Rehabilitation and strengthening as required (Thin/thick overlay) may be

carried out to rectify structural deficiencies.

PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX

Pavement condition index is an index of present condition in terms of both
structural integrity and surface operational condition.

Table 44 presents a sample computationmethodology. Table 45 present

the suggested maintenance intervention for the computed range of PCI
values.

Traffic
PCU in 1000

Year
Table 42 Traffic Growth Catalog

93
Table 43 Pavement Performance Catalog
Name of Road Pavement Section
Reference Location: Design Life
Lat Long
Year Pavement Segment, Traffic, Remarks:
100meter 1000PCU Maintenance
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and
preservation
details
2012 Pre- Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
After Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
2013 Pre- Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
After Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
2014 Pre- Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
After Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
2015 Pre- Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
After Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
2016 Pre- Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
After Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
2017 Pre- Rut:
Monsoon Crack:
After Rut:
Monsoon Crack:

94
Table 44 Calculation of Pavement Condition Index
Road: Section:
Date: Surveyor:

Weightage Percentage Deduct Comments

Distress types
to severity distress value

1. Cracking
2. Rutting
3. Potholes
Deduct total PCI=100-CDV
Corrected deduct value (CDV)
Pavement rating

Table 45 Range of PCI and Appropriate Maintenance Intervention to be

Adopted

PCI Rating Type of Maintenance

80-100 Very Good Preventive/Resurfacing

60-80 Good Thin Overlay

40-60 Fair Thick Overlay

20-40 Poor Strengthening

<20 Very Poor Rehabiliation

95
12. DISTRESSES (Compiled from IRC 82: 1982)

FATIGUE or ALLIGATOR CRACKING

Series of interconnected cracks along the wheel paths, characteristically
with a chicken wire/alligator pattern (Figure 33).

Possible causes:
 Insufficient pavement structure
 Poor drainage
 Occurs in areas subjected to repeated heavy traffic loadings along
the wheel paths.
 Brittleness of binder either due to aging or initial overheating.

Measure square meters of affected area and record percentage of

surface area affected

Figure 33 Different Severity Fatigue Cracking (Courtesy

http://www.pavementinteractive.org/)

EDGE CRACKING
Edge cracking (Figure 34) occurs within 0.3 to 0.5m of the edge of the
pavement. Failure begins at the edge and progresses towards the wheel
path.

96
Possible causes
 Traffic loading on the edge of the pavement due to inadequate
pavement width
 Poor support of the underlying material
 Poor drainage or shrinkage of expansive soils or frost heave.

Measure length in meter of pavement edge crack.

Figure 34 Edge Cracking (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org/)

LONGITUDINAL CRACKING
Cracks predominantly parallel to pavement centerline (Figure 35).
Location within the lane (wheel path versus non-wheel path) is significant.

Possible Causes:
 High traffic loading (Wheel path cracks)
 Environmental (frost action)
 Defective construction practice (joint cracks)
 Poor Drainage
 Reflection cracks (from underneath cracked rigid surface)

Measure length in meter of longitudinal cracking under wheel path and

non-wheel path separately.

97
Figure 35 Longitudinal cracking along wheel and non-wheel path
(Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org/)

TRANSVERSE CRACKING
Cracks perpendicular to pavement centerline (Figure 36) and extends
three-fourths of its width.

Possible Causes
 Environmental –Shrinkage and aging of the binder
 Swelling or shrinkage of the subgrade
 Reflection cracks

Measure number and length of transverse cracks. The transverse cracks

are neglected if exist along with the fatigue cracks or shorter than
0.3meter.

Figure 36 Transverse cracking (Courtesy www.pavementinteractive.org/)

98
Maintenance Treatment for All types of Cracks
If the pavement remains structurally sound
 Cracks shall be filled with cut back bitumen or emulsion having a low
viscosity
 All loose material should be removed from the cracks with brooms or
compressed air.
 Light sanding of the cracks is then done to prevent traffic picking up
the binder.
 For wider cracks, a slurry seal or sand premix patch can be used
 For fine cracks (crazing) extending over large areas, a light cut-back
or an emulsified bitumen (fog seal) can be broomed in to the cracks
and lightly sanded
Reconstruct / Rehabilitate with overlay if the pavement is structurally
week.

RUTTING
Depression along the wheel path on surface (Figure 37), possibly along
with pavement uplift (shearing) along the sides of the rut.

Possible Causes:
 Poor hot mix asphalt design
 Insufficient support or weak subgrade.
 Heavy channelized traffic
 Defective construction practice
 Intrusion of layers to the layer beneath.

Record maximum rut depth at 15 meter interval using dipstick or straight

edge.

Maintenance Treatments
 For rutting involving shear failure or subgrade movement, entire
pavement depth should be excavated and re-laid.
 Else, fill with premix open-graded or dense-graded patching
materials.
 Do Nothing

99
Figure 37 Rutting along Wheel Path (Courtesy: Austroads,
http://www.pavementinteractive.org)

RAVELING
Dislodging of aggregate particles and loss of asphalt binder that lead to
wearing away of the pavement surface (Figure 38).

Possible Causes:
 Poor asphalt mixture quality
 Aging leading to asphalt hardening
 Defective construction practice
 Inadequate asphalt content
 Construction during wet or cold weather

Measure square meters of affected surface area.

Maintenance Treatments
 Premix coat is applied when high level of raveling is witnessed
 Slurry Seal or a cut-back bitumen covered with coarse sand can be
applied for low level of raveling.
 Chip Seal / Armor Coat
 Do Nothing

100
Figure 38 Raveling (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org)

BLEEDING
Excess asphalt on the pavement surface usually along the wheel paths
(Figure 39), that creates a smooth, shiny, greasy and reflective surface.

Possible Causes
 Asphalt mixture problems (bad binder, stripping aggregate, low air
void, high asphalt content, heavy prime or tack coat, etc.,)
 Defective construction practices
 Excessive heavy axle loads squeezing the bitumen to the top

Measure square meters of affected surface area.

Maintenance Treatments
 Application of cover aggregates or sand if the bleeding is fairly
uniform and the surface is free from irregularities.
 Open graded premix surfacing with low bitumen content
 Burning of excess binder
 Mill and/ or Thin Cold / Hot Mix Overlay
 Do Nothing

Figure 39 Bleeding on the Surface (Courtesy: pavementinteractive.org)

101
13. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE (Compiled from MoRTH)

HMA PATCHES
Patches (Figure 40) can be either full-depth where they extend from the
pavement surface to the subgrade or partial where they do not extend
through the full depth of existing pavement.
Full-depth patches are necessary where the entire depth of pavement is
distressed. Often times, the underlying base, sub-base or subgrade
material is the distresses root cause and will also need repair. Partial
depth patches are used for pavement distresses like raveling, rutting,
delamination and cracking where the depth of crack does not extend
through the entire pavement depth.
Patching material can be just about any HMA or cold mix asphalt material
as well as certain types of slurries. Typically some form of HMA is used
for permanent patches, while cold mix is often used for temporary
emergency repairs.

Figure 40 Full Depth HMA Patch (Courtesy www.pavementinteractive.org)

POTHOLE PATCH
Bowl shaped holes of different size in the pavement surface.
Construction procedure (Figure 41 and Figure 42):
 Remove all debris and water from the pothole.
 Cut down the pothole to regular rectangular size so that the
pavements on all sides are intact and vertical, if necessary dig below the
pavement layer until the root cause of the failure is removed and the sides
are vertical. Jack hammers or hand tools shall be used.

102
 Apply tack/prime coat on to the sides and bases of excavation. Place
the patching material of a mix superior to the one on the existing surface
into the clean rectangular hole with layer thickness not more than 100mm
(loose). The material should mound in the center and taper down to the
edges so that it meets flush with the surrounding pavement edges.
 Compact the patching material starting in the center and working out
toward the edges. Compaction can be accomplished using a vibratory
plate compactor or a single-drum vibratory roller to the compaction
standards. Check the compacted patching material for a slight crown.
This is done so that subsequent traffic loading will compact it down to the
surrounding pavement height.

Figure 41 Pothole and Repair (Courtesy. www.pavementinteractive.org)

a) Mark a rectangle covering b) Excavate to the depth of firm

the damaged area material
103
c) Trim the sides vertical and bottom flat d) compact in layers of
100mm thick maximum.
Figure 42 Construction Procedure for Pothole Repair. Source:
International road maintenance handbook practical guidelines for rural
road maintenance, (volume iii of iv) for paved roads

CRACK FILLING
Crack filling (Figure 43) can be carried out using a slow-curing bitumen
emulsion on non-working cracks (usually longitudinal, fatigue or block
cracking). For wider cracks (>3mm) crusher dust (passing 4.75mm sieve
but with a maximum of 10 % passing 0.075mm sieve) may be applied
approximately 5mm below road surface level before the application of
emulsion. The surface of the road shall be swept clear of dust prior to the
application of emulsion. Binder spillage on the road surface should be
minimized, when occurred dusting shall be applied to the excess bitumen
until it is blotted up.

Figure 43 Crack Filling (Courtesy http://www.pavementinteractive.org)

CRACK SEALING
Crack sealing is applied on working cracks (usually transverse/thermal)
and can consist of one or more of the following operations
(i) Fog seal
(ii) Filling cracks with a binder or with a combination of crusher dust
(iii) By treating the crack sealing as a patch repair.

104
FOG SEAL/SPRAY
Very light application of low viscosity bitumen emulsion for purpose of
sealing cracks less than 3mm wide or incipient fretting or disintegration in
an existing bituminous surfacing, and to help reduce loosening of chips by
traffic on newly finished surface dressing. It rejuvenates or restores the
HMA surface and may be able to postpone the need for non-structural
overlay for a year or two.

Construction procedure:
 SS-1h or CSS-1h (SS-1 or CSS-1, if the corresponding former is not
available) complying with the requirements of ASTM D-977 or D-2397
respectively shall be used. The emulsion shall be diluted before use in
the ratio of 1 part emulsion to 1 part water.
 Surface and cracks shall be thoroughly cleaned with compressed air,
scrubbers etc to remove all dirt, dust, etc.
 Shall be applied at a rate of 0.5 to 1 litre/m using equipment such as
2

pressure tank, flexible hose and spray bar or lance

 If needed fog spray shall be blinded with graded grit of 3mm size and
under, coated with about 2% of the emulsion by weight.
 The surface shall not be opened to traffic for 24 hours after spraying.

SLURRY SEAL
Slurry seals are mixtures of fine aggregate, Portland cement filler,
bitumen emulsion and additional water. They can be used to seal cracks,
arrest fretting and fill voids and minor depressions, to provide a more
even riding surface or a base for further treatment.
Cationic rapid setting type emulsified bitumen shall be used. The pH of
the water must be within 4 to 7 and total dissolved solids in the water
should be lower than 500 ppm. Aggregate shall be crushed rock, or slag
and may be blended with clean, sharp, naturally occurring sand free from
organic substances and should have the gradation as given in the Table
46. Filler can be ordinary Portland cement or hydrated lime and should
not normally exceed 2% by weight of dry aggregates.

Construction Operations:
- Any packed mud/rubbish or other deposits on the surface shall be
removed, all organic growth shall be removed by suitable means, and the
surface shall be swept free of all loose materials.
- If needed tack coat shall be applied prior to the slurry seal.
- Only special mobile mixing machines should be used for Class A4
rapid setting and K3 emulsions. For all other emulsions, mixing may be by
hand or concrete mixer
- All voids, cracks and surface irregularities shall be completely filled.
105
- When rolling is required, a pneumatic-tyred roller having an individual
wheel load between 0.75 and 1.5 tonnes shall be used.

Table 46. Aggregate Grading, Binder Content and Approximate Coverage

Rate
Percentage by mass passing finished
Sieve Size (mm) thickness of sealing
5mm 3mm 1.5mm
9.5 100 - -
4.75 90-100 100 -
3.35 - 80-100 100
2.36 65-90 75-100 95-100
1.18 45-70 55-90 70-95
0.600 30-50 35-70 55-75
0.300 18-30 20-45 30-50
0.150 10-21 10-25 10-30
0.075 5-15 5-15 5-15
Quantity of residual 7.5-13.5 10-16 12-20
binder, percentage
by mass of
aggregate
Approximate 8-15 4-6 2-4
coverage rate
2
(kg/m )

CRACK PREVENTION COURSE

Stress absorbing membrane (SAM) or stress absorbing membrane
interlayer (SAMI) shall be used to inhibit crack propagation. SAMI is an
elastomeric bitumen rubber membrane with aggregate chip covering or a
bitumen impregnated geotextile, which is laid over a cracked road surface
in order to extend the life of the pavement before major treatment (within
12 months).

Materials
Quantity of materials required for 10sq.m of road surface for stress
absorbing membrane is summarized in Table 47.

106
Binder: Shall be a modified binder or in the case of a bitumen
impregnated geotextile paving grade bitumen of 80-100 penetration
complying with IS:73 shall be used.
Table 47 Quantity of Materials Required for 10sq.m. of Road Surface for
Stress Absorbing Membrane
Specification Quantity of Quantity
Type and
SI.No of SAM to be binder of
Width of Crack 2
applied kg/10m chipping
Single coat
Hair cracks 3
SAM or 0.10 m of
and map nd
1 2 coat of 8 -10 5.6mm
cracks upto
two coat chips
3mm width
SAM
Map cracks or 3
0.11 m of
alligator Single coat
2 10- 12 5.6mm
cracks3mm to SAM
chips
6mm width
3
0.12 m of
5.6mm
Two coat and
Map cracks or st 12- 14
SAM 1 coat 11.2mm
alligator
3 chips in 1:l
cracks 6mm to
ratio.
9mm width 3
0.10 m of
nd
2 coat 8-10 5.6mm
chips
3
0.12 m of
Cracks above Two coat
st 14-16 11.2mm
9mm width SAM 1 coat
chips
4 and cracked 3
0.10 m of
area above nd
2 coat 8-10 5.6mm
50%
chips
All types of 3
Single coat 0.10 m of
cracks with
5 SAM as 8-10 5.6mm
crack width
interlayer chips
below 6mm
All typesof 3
Single coat 0.10 m of
cracks with
6 SAM as 10- 12 11.2mm
crack width
interlayer chips
above 6mm
0.9-1.2
2
Bitumen liters/m or
7 Impregnated as permitted
Geotextile by
manufacturer
107
Aggregate: The requirements for ‘Surface Dressing’ shall be applied
except that of the Polished Stone Value

Geotextile / paving fabric: Shall be resistant to chemical attack, rot and

mildew and shall have no tears or defects which will adversely alter its
physical properties. The paving fabric will be a nonwoven heat set
material consisting of at least 85 % by weight polyolefins, polyesters or
polyamides. The fabric shall meet the physical requirements given in the
Table 48.

Table 48 Physical Requirements of Geotextile

Property Units Standard Test Method
Requirements
Tensile Strength Kg 36.3 ASTM D
4632
Elongation % 50 ASTM D
4632
Asphalt Kg/10 sq.m. 10 Texas DOT
Retention 3099
0
Melting Point C 150 ASTM D 276
Surface Texture - Heat bonded on Visual
one side only Inspection

Construction Operations
 Laying shall be suspended during dust storm or when the weather is
foggy, rainy, damp or windy (>40km/hour at 2m height) or when the
0
temperature in the shade is less than 10 C
 Clean all extraneous material from the surface by means of
mechanical broom or high pressure air jet.
 The application temperature for modified binder shall be 160-170 C,
o

immediately dry aggregates shall be spread uniformly on the surface.

 The second coat of SAM or SAMI, when required shall be applied
within 90 days of the first.
 Geotextile shall be placed on the hot tack coat using mechanical or
manual laydown equipment capable of providing minimum amount of
wrinkling or folding. When bitumen emulsions are used, geotextile shall
be placed only after proper curing and when there is no water moisture on
the surface. Overlaps shall be shingle-lapped in the direction of paving.

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 No traffic except necessary construction equipment shall be allowed
to drive on the geotextile. All areas with placed geotextile should be
paved the same day.

14. DESIGN OF STRENGTHENING TREATMENT (OVERLAY) AS PER

IRC 81: 1997
The IRC:81 guidelines provide the method for determining the
characteristic deflection using Benkelman Beam and then working out the
overlay thickness for the design traffic (Figure 44).

Figure 44 Overlay Thickness Design Curves

The overlay, so determined for the existing pavements in terms of

Bituminous Macadam can be modified to provide for other compositions,
including the combination of granular layer of WBM/WMM and bituminous
treatment. The equivalent overlay thickness can be determined using the
following equivalency factor as per Clause 7.4 of IRC: 81

100 mm of Bituminous macadam = 150 mm of WBM/Wet Mix

Macadam/BUSG
100 mm of Bituminous macadam = 70 mm of DBM/BC/SDBC

109
The type of material to be used in overlay construction will depend upon
several factors such as design traffic, thickness, condition and type of
existing bituminous surfacing and convenience of construction.

WHITETOPPING (Compiled from “Tentative Guidelines for

Conventional, Thin and Ultra-Thin Whitetopping" IRC SP 76-2008)
Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) overlay constructed on the top of an
existing bituminous pavements. Commonly used where rutting of
bituminous pavements is a recurring problem especially under frequent
start/stop condition, under heavy axle load in hot climate.

White topping is classified into three types, based on the thickness of

overlay; types of interface provided i.e. degree of bonding between the
underlying bituminous layers with PCC overlay and thickness of overlay.
They are:
Conventional White topping
o PCC overlay of thickness 200mm or more,
o Designed and constructed without consideration of any bond between
existing overlay and underlying bituminous layer (without assuming
any composite action)
Thin White Topping (TWT)
o PCC overlay between 100-200 mm
o Designed with or without considering bond between overlay and
underlying bituminous layer.
o High strength concrete (M40 or higher) is normally used to take care
of flexible requirement.
o Joints are at shorter spacing of 0.6 to 1.25m.
Ultra- Thin White topping (UTWT)
o PCC overlay of less than 100mm.
o Bonding between overlay and underlying bituminous layer is
mandatory.
o To ensure this, the existing layer of bitumen is either milled to a depth
of 25mm or surface scrapped with a non-impact scrapper or gently
chiseled.
o Joints provided at a spacing of 0.6 to 1.25m.
110
Design Procedure:
I. Find traffic in terms of commercial vehicles per day (cvpd) and
their percentages of the total traffic including single axle and
tandem axles.
II. Evaluate soaked CBR / k value of sub grade
III. Find modified “k” value or support modulus (from Appendix V/
Figure 45, Figure 46 and Figure 47 as for conventional white
topping) in IRC: SP-76 on sub base of asphalt pavement from the
modulus of subgrade reaction of the subgrade.
IV. Assume a trial thickness and joint spacing (say 1 m).
V. Find temperature stresses
VI. Find Edge load stresses and reduce edge load stress by 45% in
case of UTWT and reduce value (ie. 55% of calculated) shall be
used to calculated stress ration as per IIT RIGID programme at
different axle loads and comparing with flexural strength as per
IRC:58. A reduction of 35% in load induced stresses has similarly
been considered in case of TWT.
VII. Formula for determining flexural strength at third point loading as
per IS: 516-1959, Ref. IRC-SP-76-2008.
VIII. Determine fatigue consumed, which shall be less than 1.0, when
allowable repetitions are multiplied with 0.75
IX. Also find temperature stresses, Edge load stress using
Westergaard formula and corner stresses and compare with the
modulus of rupture of concrete( third point loading ) similar to
IRC:58.

111
Figure 45 Chart for Determination of Modified "k" value on top Bituminous
Pavement atop of Granular Base

112
Figure 46 Chart for Determination of Modified “k” value (modulus of
support) on the top Bituminous Pavement atop of cement Treated base

113
Figure 47 Relation between Benkelman Beam Deflection and Modulus of
subgrade reaction on the top of Asphalt pavement

15. PAVEMENT MATERIAL RECLAMATION (Compiled from MoRTH)

The pavement materials shall be reclaimed/removed to the required depth

either at ambient temperature (cold process) or at an elevated
temperature (hot process).

Cold Process:
Scarifiers, grid rollers or rippers, cold milling or planning machines shall
be used to reclaim materials to the required depth from bituminous
and/may be also from unbound layers. Any drainage deficiencies should
be corrected and the base/sub-base course should be graded and
compacted to the required profile and density. Cannot be used as a
wearing course.

Hot Process:
Road surface shall be heated by any suitable means like a self propelled
o
plant. The surface temperature shall not exceed 200 C for more than 5
minutes during the heating process. A milling drum that follows can
remove the heated soft bituminous layer.
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RECYLING OF BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT
Recycling process can be categorized as in-situ recycling or central plant
recycling. Recycling methods suitable for various distresses are
summarized in Figure 48. Ratio of new and existing bituminous
pavement material shall be as directed by the Engineer. The type and
quantity of the new hot-mix material shall be determined by using the
Marshall Mix Design procedure specified in the Asphalt Institute Manual
MS-2.

Central Plant Recycling:

If less than 10% of reclaimed materials are to be used in the production of
DBM and BM course material use customary design clause.

If more than 10% of reclaimed materials are to be used in the production

of DBM and BM the following full trial investigations should be
satisfactorily completed.
 A minimum of one sample to represent 500m of lane carriageway
should be tested to find the optimum blend of new and recycled
materials meeting the mixture requirements.
 Mechanical sieve analysis (IS 2386, Part I) shall be performed on the
aggregate portion of the reclaimed bituminous pavement sample to
determine the grading. Necessary aggregate sizes are added to meet
the respective mix specification. The recycled and new aggregates
should be of consistent material and pass the physical requirements
for the respective mix clause.
 When bitumen is recovered (BS 2000: Part 397) and tested (IS: 1203)
the penetration value shall exceed 15 pen. A softer binder can be
added to obtain the appropriate final grade of binder.
 Mixing and laying requirements of respective mix shall be followed

In Situ Recycling – Remix and Repave Process

 Repave Process: Existing surface preheated and scarified, but the
scarified material is not removed. Fresh bituminous mix material
prepared in the integrated mixing unit of the plant is spread evenly
over the scarified surface and compacted as soon as possible.
 Remix Process: The scarified material is taken and recycled with
fresh binder, aggregate and recycling agent and then spread, tamped
and compacted on the preheated surface.
 Rejuvenator when required for remix shall be uniformly sprayed
across the full width of the processed material. Shall be a non-
emulsified aromatic extract tested using Rolling Thin Film Oven test.
115
 Also a soft binder can be used in the new hot-mix bituminous material
for restoring the binder in the existing pavement to the required
grade.
 Mixing, rolling and laying temperature as specified for respective mix
shall be pursued

Full Depth Reclamation

 Pulverize all asphaltic pavement section and a predetermined amount
of unbound course materials using reclaimer
 Mix the pulverized materials with the selected additives such as
asphaltic emulsions and chemical agents such as lime, cement, fly
ash.
 Check the shape and gradation of the mix and add necessary new
materials
 Compact the base course
 Apply a new surface or wearing course

116
 Candidate Rehabilitation Techniques
Pavement Distress
Combination
Mode CP HIR CIR Thin HMA Thick HMA FDR Reconstruction
Treatments
Raveling
Potholes
Bleeding
Skid Resistance
Shoulder Drop Off
Rutting
Corrugations
Shoving
Fatigue Cracking
Edge Cracking
Slippage Cracking
Block Cracking
Longitudinal Cracking
Transverse Cracking
Reflection Cracking
Discontinuity Cracking
Swells
Bumps
Sags
Depressions
Ride Quality
Strength

Most Least
Appropriate Appropriate
Note: CP- Cold Planning, HIR – Hot In-place Recycle, CIT – Cold In-place Recycle, FDR – Full Depth Reclamation
Figure 48 Recycling Methods Suitable for different Distress Conditions. Source: Prof. Rajib Mallick
16. CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS (Compiled from MoRTH)

PREPARING EXISTING GRANULAR SURFACE

On existing granular surface layer
 remove all loose materials
 When profile corrective course is
o Granular- lightly water the surface.
o Bituminous material- apply prime coat.

SCARIFYING EXISTING BITUMINOUS SURFACE

On existing bituminous layer
 Specified width shall be removed with care, without causing undue
disturbance to the underlying layer.
 All loose and disintegrated material and underlying layers should be
suitably reworked and compacted to line and level.
 Apply prime coat.

PATCHING OF POTHOLES AND SEALING OF CRACKS

 Any existing potholes and cracks shall be repaired and sealed in
accordance with Section 13 “Routine Maintenance”.
CORRECTION OF LOCAL DEPRESSIONS
 Local sags or depressions in the existing pavements shall be laid in accordance with the Figure 49.
 Maximum layer thickness at any point should not exceed 100mm.
 Profile corrective course material shall be of the same specification as that of the overlay/strengthening
course or material as specified by the engineer.

Correct Method

Incorrect Method
Figure 49 Corrective course for short sags and depressions (Redrawn from MoRTH 2001)
CORRECTION OF CAMBER OR SUPER-ELEVATION
Correction of camber or super-elevation of the existing carriageway shall be carried as shown in Figure 50 and
Figure 51 respectively.
Proposed Overlay

Profile Corrective Course

Existing Pavement

Figure 50 Deficiency in Camber being Rectified by Profile Corrective Course (Redrawn from MoRTH 2001)
Proposed Overlay
Profile Corrective Course

Existing Pavement

Figure 51 Deficiency in Super Elevation being Rectified by Profile Corrective Course (Redrawn from MoRTH 2001)

120
17. TRAFFIC SAFETY IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION ZONES (Compiled
from IRC:SP:55:2001)

Road construction and related activities increase the strain on driver

performance and lead to accidents. In order to ensure safe and efficient
movement of traffic and safety of workers at site basic guiding principles
should be followed. The lateral and longitudinal buffer zone between the
working space and moving traffic are as given in Table 49. Detailed site
layout definitions about signs and cones are presented in Table 50,
Figure 52 and Figure 53.

Table 49 Buffer Zone Safety Clearances

Speed Minimum Longitudinal Minimum Lateral
Restriction Buffer Zone (L), Buffer Zone (S),
(km/hr) metre metre
50 or less 5.0 0.5
60 15 0.5
80 30 1.2
100 60 1.2
120 120 1.2
 Table 50 Size and Sighting Distance: Detail of Signs and Cones
Minimum and Minimum Minimum Minimum Width of hazard (m)
normal clear size of height of
maximum visibility sign cones (or
sighting to first equivalent
Details of lead-in
Type of Road distance “D” sign delineator)
cone tapers (note 2)
of first sign in
advance
zone
(m) (m) (mm) (mm) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
All purpose 25 to 50 60 600 500 Length of transition 13 26 39 52 65 78 91
single zone “T” (m)
carriageway Minimum number of 4 4 6 7 9 10 12
road, urban, cones
restricted to Minimum number of 3 3 5 6 8 9 11
50km/h or less lamps at night
All purpose 50 to 110 60 750 500 Length of transition 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
single zone “T” (m)
carriageway Minimum number of 4 6 8 10 13 15 17
road, restricted cones
to 60km/h or Minimum number of 3 5 7 9 12 14 16
less lamps at night
All purpose 110 to 275 60 750 500 Length of transition 25 50 75 100 125 150 175
divided zone “T” (m)
carriageway Minimum number of 4 7 10 13 15 18 21
road, restricted cones
to 60 km/h or Minimum number of 3 6 9 12 14 17 20
less lamps at night
All purpose 275 to 450 75 50 500 Length of transition 25 50 75 100 125 150 175
 single zone “T” (m)
carriageway Minimum number of 4 7 10 13 15 18 21
road, with cones
speed limit Minimum number of 3 6 9 12 14 17 20
80km/h or less lamps at night
All purpose 725 to 1600 105 1200 750 Length of transition 32 64 96 128 160 192 224
divided zone “T” (m)
carriageway Minimum number of 5 9 12 16 19 23 26
road, with cones
speed limit 80 Minimum number of 4 8 11 15 18 22 25
km/h or more lamps at night
Notes:
1: On roads with speed limits to 80 km/h or more all advance signs should have plates giving the distance to the works in m/km.
0
2. Lead-in tapes used with traffic control, and all exit tapers, shall be about 45 to the kerb line with cones spaced 1.2m apart.
3. The maximum spacing distance of cones in longitudinal lengths of coning shall be 9m, but not less than 2 cones shall be
used in any length between tapers.
4. The range of sighting distance (D) is given to allow the sign to be placed in the most convenient position bearing in mind
available space and visibility for drivers.
5. It may be appropriate to use the next larger size of cone in lead-in tapers i.e. 750 mm cones in tapers where 450 mm cones
are indicated in the Table. If 1m high cones become available, these are recommended for expressways and high speed roads

123
Figure 52 Lane Closure on a Two Lane Road Single Carriageway Road
using Flaggers
Figure 53 Two-way Traffic on a single carriageway road, work zone in the
center of the road

125