HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

Introduction
The Aust roads Pavement Design Guide provides guidelines for developing the following types
of street pavement construction: flexible pavements consisting of unbound granular materials;
flexible pavements comprising one or more bound layers. Development and maintenance
procedures for transport infrastructures such as road pavements, railway track platforms and
airfield pavements are planned to assess the permanent deformation and/or fatigue cracking of
the bound or unbound surfaces. In pavements, the main cause of distress is permanent
deformation of the unbound layers and tired cracking of bound layers. Most of the current
methods of pavement design used in pavement mechanics are based on so-called empirical
mechanistic pavement analysis. These methods include estimation of the pavement response
using a mechanical model to predict pavement materials response. This research deals with the
Aust roads (2008) Guide to Pavement Engineering Part 2: Pavement Structural Design focused
on most of Australia's street pavement designs. Flexible pavement designs and quality forecasts
for pavements that include one of the more bound layers derived from the mechanical
methodology of Aust roads pavement design, taking into account subgrade and other material
properties and regional design preferences.

Calculations and Results

Flexy Road
• subgrade design CBR = 3%

• design traffic = 10^5 ESA.

This design utilizes crushed rock and lime-stabilized subgrade. Based on appropriate testing,
(Austroads, 2017) a long-term CBR strength of 10% has been adopted for the lime-stabilized
subgrade using 4% lime.

Step 1 Trial lime-stabilized subgrade thickness

A trial lime-stabilized subgrade thickness of 150 mm is selected

Step 2 Design CBR of stabilized subgrade

The design CBR of the lime-stabilized subgrade is the minimum of

(1) 15%,

(2) the value determined from CBR tests, in this case 10%, and

(3) the value determined from the support provided by the underlying

material (i.e. in situ subgrade or selected subgrade material) as follows:

(Austroads, 2017)

Hence the adopted design CBR of the lime-stabilized subgrade material is 6%.

Step 2 Design CBR of lime-stabilized subgrade

From Figure 1 a stabilized subgrade with a design CBR of 6% requires a minimum 280 mm of
cover. The

properties of the available granular materials are:

• crushed rock base (CBR ≥ 80%)

• crushed rock upper subbase (CBR ≥ 30%)

• crushed rock lower subbase (CBR ≥ 15%).

From Figure 1, a 100 mm thickness of crushed rock base is proposed. Therefore, there is a need
for an additional 180 mm (280 mm – 100 mm) of granular material in addition to the base.

The material immediately below the granular base layer needs to have a CBR at least 30%; hence
a 180 mm thickness of upper subbase quality crushed rock is adopted.
(Austroads, 2017)

Step 4 Check whether the total thickness of cover over in situ subgrade is adequate

Table 1 summarizes the pavement option. The total thickness of cover over the in-situ subgrade
is 430 mm. As Figure 1 indicates a minimum thickness of 380 mm is required over the in situ
subgrade, the pavement design is acceptable.

Final design

Material type Thickness (mm)

Sprayed seal surface – -

Crushed rock – base 100

Crushed rock – upper subbase 180

Lime-stabilized subgrade, design CBR = 6% 150

 In situ subgrade, design CBR = 3% – -

Granular Road

DATA

Sprayed seal bituminous = 20 mm

HVAG = 5990000

F = 414000 N/m2 =60.04 psi

N(HVAG) = 3

ESA = 0.43

CBR = (60.04/1000) *100 = 6 %

Subgrade modulus = 10 x CBR

= 60 MPa

DESA = HVAG * ESA

= 2.5 x 10 ^6 ESA

Utilizing Figure 1 (reproduced below), the total thickness of material over a subgrade with a
design CBR = 6% is 350 mm
(Austroads, 2017)

To evaluate the material qualities required to provide this 350 mm thickness, consider the
properties of the

three granular materials available for use:

• crushed rock base (CBR ≥ 80%)

• crushed rock upper subbase (CBR ≥ 30%)

• gravel lower subbase (CBR ≥ 15%).

As seen from Figure 1, the top 150 mm of granular material needs to be base quality material
with a minimum CBR of 80%. Of the three available materials only the crushed rock base is
suitable for this layer.

The material immediately below the base layer needs to have a CBR of at least 30%. Both the
base and upper subbase materials are suitable. As the upper subbase quality is lower in cost, it is
decided to utilize it rather than the base material. The minimum practical layer thickness is 100
mm,

At a depth of 250 mm below the surface, the pavement material requires a minimum design CBR
of about 13% to inhibit deformation. Although all three available granular materials meet this
minimum strength requirement, the gravel is selected due to its lower cost. This layer is 100 mm
(350–250 mm) thick. To ensure adequate compaction, it is placed in two layers

Final design

Material type Thickness (mm)

Sprayed seal surface – 20 -

Crushed rock – base 150

Crushed rock – upper subbase 100

Crushed rock – lower subbase 100

In situ subgrade, design CBR = 3% – -

Bitumen Road

DATA

bituminous Surfacing = 30 mm

AADT = 6500

HV = 11 %

CGF = 1

DF= 1

LD =1

DESIGN PERIOD = 36 YEARS

N(HVAG) = 3

ESA = 0.9

CBR SUBGRADE = 5

HVAG = AADT * HV x DF x LD x 365 x CGF x NHVAG

4.6 x 10^5

DESA = HVAG * ESA

= 4.2 x 10^5

Utilizing Figure 1 (reproduced below), the total thickness of material over a subgrade with a
design CBR = 6% is 300 mm

(Austroads, 2017)

To evaluate the material qualities required to provide this 300 mm thickness, consider the
properties of the

three granular materials available for use:

• crushed rock base (CBR ≥ 80%)

• crushed rock upper subbase (CBR ≥ 30%)

• gravel lower subbase (CBR ≥ 15%).

As seen from Figure 1, the top 100 mm of granular material needs to be base quality material
with a minimum CBR of 80%. Of the three available materials only the crushed rock base is
suitable for this layer.

The material immediately below the base layer needs to have a CBR of at least 30%. Both the
base and upper subbase materials are suitable. As the upper subbase quality is lower in cost, it is
decided to utilize it rather than the base material. The minimum practical layer thickness is 100
mm,

At a depth of 250 mm below the surface, the pavement material requires a minimum design CBR
of about 13% to inhibit deformation. Although all three available granular materials meet this
minimum strength requirement, the gravel is selected due to its lower cost. This layer is 100 mm
(300–200 mm) thick. To ensure adequate compaction, it is placed in two layers

Final design

Material type Thickness (mm)

Sprayed seal surface – 20 -

Crushed rock – base 100

Crushed rock – upper subbase 100

Crushed rock – lower subbase 100

In situ subgrade, design CBR = 3% – -

RIGID PAVEMENT
DATA

Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement

HVAG = 6.9 x 10^6

Reliability = 85%

ESA = 1.1

Effective Subgrade strength = 75 %

DESA = HVAG * ESA

= 7.5 x 10 ^6 ESA

Using Table 2 Minimum subbase requirements for rigid pavements

(Austroads, 2017)

So minimum sub base thickness is 170 mm

Steel Reinforcement

For CRCP spacing of steel reinforcement is 0.5 to 2.5 m.

Shoulders

Integral concrete shoulders are made up of the same concrete and are the same thickness as the
base pavement, and are cast integrally with the base pavement with a minimum width of 600
mm. The minimum width for integral cast shoulders in the median lane may be reduced to 500
mm. In this case concrete shoulders thickness is 165 mm
Using Table 3 below Load safety factor is 1.05

(Austroads, 2017)

Using Figure 3 below Concrete Base Thickness is 165 mm

(Austroads, 2017)

From Table 4 below we can find dowel Diameter which is 24 mm

(Austroads, 2017)

Final design

Material type Thickness (mm)

Concrete – base 165

subbase 170

concrete shoulders thickness 165

Dowel diameter 24

For Plain Concrete Pavement

Left = 1.15

So

Material type Thickness (mm)

 Concrete – base 175

subbase 170

concrete shoulders thickness 175

Dowel diameter 24

References
Austroads. (2017). Guide to pavement technology. Austroads Ltd.