KOFORIDUA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CVE 303: HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

SOIL SURVEY AND SUB-GRADE EVALUATION
 WHAT IS SUBGRADE
• Soil constitutes the primary material for the foundation,
subgrade, or even the pavement (for low-cost roads with low
traffic in rural areas).

• It is the native material underneath a constructed road,

pavement or railway.

• The subgrade is also known as the foundation of the

pavement structure.

• Subgrade strength and stiffness are very important for

pavement design, construction and performance evaluation.
 SUBGRADE PROPERTIES
• Subgrade materials are typically characterized by:
– Their resistance to deformation under load (stiffness).
– Their bearing capacity (strength).

• The subgrade material/soil used in pavement

foundation will determine whether a particular
treatment is needed. E.g. Clay, silts, sand etc.

• The more resistant to deformation a subgrade is,

the more load it can support before reaching a
critical deformation value.
 DESIRABLE PROPERTIES OF SAND AGGREGATES

• The following properties are desirable in soil

aggregates used the construction of roads:
– Strength
– Hardness
– Toughness
– Durability
– Cementation
– Appropriate shape
– Adhesion to bitumen
– Attrition
– Texture
SUBGRADE PERFORMANCE
• Subgrade performance depends on these
basic characteristics:
– Load-bearing capacity
– Moisture content
– Stabilization with cement or asphalt binder
– Additional base layer
– Strength and stiffness of subgrade
 TESTS ON SOIL

• The main function of the subgrade is to give adequate

support to the pavement and for this the sub grade
should possess sufficient stability under adverse climatic
and loading conditions.

• The tests used to evaluate the strength properties of soils

may be broadly divided into three groups:
– Shear tests (triaxial test, direct shear test, simple shear test)
– Bearing tests (plate load test, proof rolling test)
– Penetration tests (DCP test, CPT test, SPT test)
 TESTS ON SOIL (Shear test)

Direct shear apparatus

Simple shear apparatus
 TESTS ON SOIL (Bearing test)

Plate load test Proof rolling test

TESTS ON SOIL (Penetration test)

SPT

CPT DCP
 EVALUATION SUBGRADE STRENGTH &
CBR
• Accurately evaluating subgrade strength is
critical for almost any job site.

• However, a few test methods exist to quickly

gather the required data in the field.

• The different methods needs to be reviewed in

other to help the pavement/geotech engineer
make appropriate choice.
 PROOF-ROLLING
• A fully loaded tandem axle dump/water truck
drives over the site

• Pros:
– A quick and practical method for a generalized
evaluation of Proof-roll stability for a relatively large
area of exposed subgrade.

– During earthwork construction, fully loaded trucks are

readily available.
 PROOF-ROLLING
• Cons:
– Does not provide a subgrade modulus or CBR
value.

– Exposed soils may have hardened resulting in a

“crust” that supports the loaded truck. This
prevents any soft, underlying soils from exhibiting
their lack of strength that can be realized later as
the “crust” breaks down because of environmental
conditions (freeze/thaw, moisture, etc.).
 SPT
• Performed by a drilling rig during the due diligence
phase of a project.

• Pros:
– Allows for the physical evaluation of underlying soils
through additional laboratory testing.

– Ascertain soil strength at various depths through N-values

(blow counts) by a weighted hammer that can be translated
to estimated values for subgrade modulus and CBR values.
SPT
 SPT
• Cons:
– Involves more time to mobilize the drilling rig, drill and obtain samples,
perform laboratory testing, and generate a Geotechnical Engineer’s report.

– The soil strength parameters used for pavement support are based on the
engineer’s previous experience with soils having similar physical
characteristics.

– Information is only accurate at the time of subsurface exploration. Soil

conditions can vary substantially depending on the timing of construction
and weather conditions.

– Evaluates a very small surface area and not practical to accurately evaluate
a large area
 PROBE ROD (T-PROBE/T-BAR TEST)
• This was originally developed for profiling the undrained
strength of soft soils in the centrifuge.
• The conventional interpretation of T-bar test is to convert
the measured penetration resistance to soil strength.
 PROBE ROD (T-PROBE/T-BAR TEST)

• Pros
– A quick method of determining the depth to
firm, underlying soils.

– Readily available method because most

materials testing firms’ field representatives
are equipped with probe rods.
 PROBE ROD (T-PROBE/T-BAR TEST)
• Cons
– Evaluates a very small surface area and is not
practical to accurately evaluate a large area.

– Does not result in a subgrade modulus or CBR

value.

– Variables regarding operator use and

experience.
 DCP (ASTM D6951)
• An instrument consisting of a standard
diameter steel rod, a hardened conical tip,
and a standard weight hammer which is
dropped from the top of the rod against an
anvil to push the conned tip into the
ground.
 DCP (ASTM D6951)
• Pros
– Quick evaluation of subgrade conditions.

– Obtain accurate subgrade modulus and CBR values

in the field during construction. Performed with
calibrated equipment per ASTM testing procedures.

– Like the T-Bar, DCP is easy to transport compared

with other equipment.
 DCP (ASTM D6951)
• Cons
– Evaluates a very small surface area and is not
practical to accurately evaluate a large area.

– Most materials testing firms have DCP

equipment.

– Not suitable where there is a presence of gravels.

If the sacrificial cone tip hits stones or gravels it
may artificially reduce mm/blow count.
 CONE PENETRATION TEST
• CPT nowadays is the most used and
accepted in-situ test methods for soil
investigation world wide.
• It is to determine the geotechnical
engineering properties of soils.
 CPT
• CPT are conducted to measure and evaluate
characteristics of certain soils (soft sensitive
silts and clays and some coarse cohesionless
soils) such as:

– Stratification
– Soil type
– Relative soil density and in-situ stresses
– Shear strength parameters
 CPT
• Pros
– Rapid and inexpensive
– Reproducible results
– Real time measurements
– Accurate detail subsurface stratigraphy/
identification of problematic soils
 CPT
• Cons
– No sample recovered
– Penetration depth is limited to 150-200ft (45-
60m)
– Normally cannot push through gravel
– Requires special equipment and skilled
operator
CARLIFONIA BEARING RATIO (CBR)

• CBR is a penetration test for evaluation of

the mechanical strength of road subgrades
and base courses.

• The test is performed by measuring the

pressure required to penetrate a soil
sample with a plunger of a standard area.
CBR SETUP
 CBR
• Pros
– The test can be performed by personnel with relatively little experience and training.

– The test is correlated to service behavior and construction methods and has been
successfully used for many years.

– The CBR method adapts more quickly to airfield pavement design for immediate use than
any other method.

– You can test soil with simple, portable equipment.

– You can run tests in either the field or the laboratory for design, construction control, or
evaluation of existing construction.

– The test is primarily intended for subgrades but applicable to a wide range of different
materials.

– Testing can be done on samples representative of future water conditions.

 CBR
• Cons
– The laboratory and field compaction methods are not identical.
However, comparative tests indicate that reasonable correlation of
results can be obtained from field compact materials and samples
compacted under similar conditions in the laboratory.

– Because added strength to highly stabilized surfaces such as asphaltic

concrete is neglected, the assumption of a completely saturated
subgrade condition sometimes results in a too conservative factor of
safety.

– Because many of the procedures are of an arbitrary nature, you must

run the test to exact standards in order for the design tables to be
valid.