GSB - Granular Sub Base is the layer in road foundation just above the compacted soil layer

(the compacted soil layer is called subgrade).

Many times, when the road passes through an area where there are changes of water trying to
cross the road through its foundation, or where the road foundation is liable to be submerged
in water, it is desirable to have a layer of special material in foundation which prevents natural
ground water to reach the upper layers of road (which are top wearing course and other base
layers of bitumen).

GSB or granular sub base is typically a material which prevents capillary water to rise to top
road layers as its particle size is planned in such a way that the capillary action stops and can’t
go beyond GSB. Secondly it has to act as a medium where water can pass through without
damaging other road layers. The particles of GSB even in compacted form have sufficient voids
in between so that water from one side of road can seep through and reach the other side of
road without damaging any other layers which would otherwise lead to rutting in road due to
foundation (base) failure, or give rise to problems like erosion.

Coming on to property of GSB, the GSB material is expected to have two main properties.

1. Strength to act as a good base for road foundation where no settlement can
happen even on heavy loading by traffic.
2. IT should have such a distribution of particles (Gradation) that even after full
compaction when it is tightly packed, there are sufficient small voids between
particles to allow water to pass through and simultaneously discourage
capillary rise.
The above two properties are controlled by certain tests whose limits are defined for various
roads in text books and quality control manuals published by various agencies.

As GSB is required in bulk quantity in road construction commercially speaking one more
property it should have is to be cheap. The GSB material is normally available from dry river
beds as coarse pebbles left once sand is taken away by water. In some places where river
mining is not allowed, such material is not naturally available nearby crushed stones as per
required gradation is used which is relatively costly.

To adjust the gradation of GSB so that mix has required proportion of each size of particles
sometimes sandy soil id also mixed in pebbles obtained from river bed and thoroughly mixed
by Loader or excavator machine. Often to increase the yield of mixed material contractors try
to add more soil than required as per design. This act is very dangerous as the entire purpose
of laying GSB layer would be beaten if proper gradation of particles as per design or
specifications is not maintained.

GSB thickness is at least 200 mm. Ideally the bottom 100 mm is to act as filter layer so that
rainwater does not enter the subgrade. The top 100 mm is supposed to act as a drainage layer
so that water is drained out horizontally into the earthen shoulder and away from the
pavement.