c.k.

pithawalla college of
engineering & technology

Prepered by:
Name Enrollment no:
Patel harikrushna 130090106035
Paatel harsh d. 130090106036
Guidance by:
Patel jayvadan 130090106037 Mital d. dholawala
Patel kaushal 130090106038
Patel kerul 130090106039
Transition Curve
Definition
A transition curve differs from a circular
curve in that its radius is always
changing.
As one would expect, such curves
involve more complex formulae than the
curves
with a constant radius and their design
is
 Radial Force and Design Speed
When a vehicle moves on a curve,
thrre are two forces acting:
i. Weight of the vehicle (W)
ii. Centrifugal force (p)
A vehicle of mass m, travelling at a
constant speed v, along a
v 2
curve of radius pr, is gr
subjected to a
centrifugal force P such that:
The centrifugal force (p) is inversely
proportional to the radius of the curve.
1
p
r

1
p
r
 The need for Transition Curves

Circular curves are limited in road designs due to

the forces which act on a vehicle
as they travel around a bend. Transition curves are
used to introduce those forces
gradually and uniformly thus ensuring the safety
of passenger.
Transition curves have much more complex
formulae and are more difficult to set
out on site than circular curves as a result of the
varying radius.
Superelevation
The difference in height between the
two sides of the road is known as the
superelevation (SE).
 Super elevation:

m  v2
R

S
E

b=width

Normal Force W=m SE=Super Elevation

g usually slopes between 2.5 – 7 %

m  v2
tan(  )  R
mg
m  v2 1 b  v2
SE  b.  
R mg gR
SE
SE %  ( )  100
b
 Types of Transition Curve

There are two types of curved used to form

the transitional section of a composite
or wholly transitional curve. These are:

1. The clothoid
2. The cubic parabola
 The clothoid

For a transition curve the equation rl = K must

apply i.e. the radius must reduce in proportion
to the length. This is the property of a spiral
and one curve which has
This property is the clothoid.
The equation of the clothoid can be derived from
the above diagram, which shows two points close
together (M and N) on a transition curve of length
LT:
Φ is the deviation angle between the tangent at M
and the straight TI
Δ is the tangential angle to M from T with
reference to TI
x is the offset to M from the straight TI at a
distance y from T
l is the length from point T to any point M on the
Vertical curve
Like the horizontal alignment, the vertical alignment is made up of tangent
and curves

In this case the curve is a parabolic curve rather than a circular or spiral curve

Crest Curve

G2 G3
G1

Sag Curve
 Maximum and Minimum Grade

One important design consideration is the determination of the maximum and

minimum grade that can be allowed on the tangent section

The minimum grade used is typically 0.5%

The maximum grade is generally a function of the
• Design Speed
• Terrain (Level, Rolling, Mountainous)

On high speed facilities such as freeways the maximum grade is generally kept to 5% where the terrain
allows (3% is desirable since anything larger starts to affect the operations of trucks)

At 30 mph design speed the acceptable maximum is in the range of 7 to 12 %

 Maximum Grade

www.geograph.org.uk
Harlech, Gwynedd, UK (G = 34%)
 Properties of Vertical Curves
BVC
G1

G2
EVC

L/2 PI
L/2
L

Change in grade: A = G2 - G1
where G is expressed as % (positive /, negative \)

For a crest curve, A is negative

For a sag curve, A is positive
 Properties of Vertical Curves
BVC
G1

G2
EVC

L/2 PI
L/2
L

Rate of change of curvature: K = L / |A|

Which is a gentler curve - small K or large K?

 Properties of Vertical Curves
BVC
G1

G2
EVC

L/2 PI
L/2
L

Rate of change of grade: r = (g2 - g1) / L

where,

g is expressed as a ratio (positive /, negative \)

L is expressed in feet or meters

Note – K and r are both measuring the same characteristic of the curve
but in different ways
 Properties of Vertical Curves
BVC
G1
Elevation = y
G2
EVC

PI

Equation for determining the elevation at any point on the curve

y = y0 + g1x + 1/2 rx2

where,
y0 = elevation at the BVC
g = grade expressed as a ratio
x = horizontal distance from BVC
r = rate of change of grade expressed as ratio
 Properties of Vertical Curves
Distance BVC to the turning point (high/low point on curve)

xt = -(g1/r)

This can be derived as follows

y = y0 + g1x + 1/2 rx2
dy/dx = g1 + rx
At the turning point, dy/dx = 0
0 = g1 + rxt

Therefore,

xt = -(g1/r)
 Properties of Vertical Curves
BVC
G1

G2
EVC

PI

Example: Length of curve?

G1 = -1% G2 = +2%
Elevation of PI = 125.00 m L/2 = Sta. EVC – Sta. PI
Station of EVC = 25+00 L/2 = 2500 m - 2400 m = 100 m
Station of PI = 24+00 L = 200 m
 Properties of Vertical Curves
BVC
G1

G2
EVC

PI

Example: r - value?
G1 = -1% G2 = +2%
Elevation of PI = 125.00 m r = (g2 - g1)/L
Station of EVC = 25+00 r = (0.02 - [-0.01])/200 m
Station of PI = 24+00 r = 0.00015 / meter
 Properties of Vertical Curves

BVC
G1

G2
EVC
PI

Example: Station of low point?

G1 = -1% G2 = +2% x = -(g1/r)
Elevation of PI = 125.00 m x = -([-0.01] / [0.00015/m])
Station of EVC = 25+00 x = 66.67 m
Station of PI = 24+00
Station = [23+00] + 67.67 m
Station 23+67
 Properties of Vertical Curves
BVC
G1

G2
EVC

PI

Example: Elevation at low point?

G1 = -1% G2 = +2%
Elevation of PI = 125.00 m
Station of EVC = 25+00
Station of PI = 24+00
y = y0 + g1x + 1/2 rx2
y0 = Elev. BVC
Elev. BVC = Elev. PI - g1L/2
Elev. BVC = 125 m - [-0.01][100 m]
Elev. BVC = 126 m
 Properties of Vertical Curves

BVC
G1

G2
EVC

PI

Example: Elevation at low point?

G1 = -1% G2 = +2%
Elevation of PI = 125.00 m
Station of EVC = 25+00
Station of PI = 24+00
y = y0 + g1x + 1/2 rx2
y = 126 m + [-0.01][66.67 m] +
1/2 [0.00015/m][66.67 m]2
y = 125.67 m
 Properties of Vertical Curves

BVC
G1

G2
EVC

PI
Elevation at station 23+50?
Example:
y = 126 m + [-0.01][50 m] +
G1 = -1% G2 = +2% 1/2 [0.00015/m][50 m]2
Elevation of PI = 125.00 m y = 125.69 m
Station of EVC = 25+00
Elevation at station 24+50?
Station of PI = 24+00
y = 126 m + [-0.01][150 m] +
1/2 [0.00015/m][150 m]2
y = 126.19 m
Design of Vertical Curves
 Design of Vertical Curves

The first step in the design is to determine the minimum length (or minimum K) for a
given design speed.

Factors affecting the minimum length include

– Sufficient sight distance
– Driver comfort
– Appearance
 Design of Vertical Curves

Crest Vertical Curve

If sight distance requirements are satisfied then safety, comfort, and
appearance requirements are also satisfied.

h1 = height of driver’s eyes, in ft h2 = height of object, in ft

Design of Vertical Curves

Sag Vertical Curve

Stopping sight distance not an issue for sag vertical curves
Instead the design controls are one of the following
– Headlight sight distance
– Rider comfort
– Drainage
– Appearance
 Design of Vertical Curves

Crest Vertical Curve

Equation relating sight distance to minimum length

| A | S2
Lmin  for S  L
 
2
200 h1  h2

AASHTO:
From
h1 ≈ 3.5 ft
h2 ≈ 0.5 ft (stopping sight distance)
h3 ≈ 4.25 ft (passing sight distance)
Cubic parabola
transition curve
Cubic parabola in railway applications

Cubic parabola is used in transition curves of the

railway. The cubic
parabola function is y=kx^3 (1)
The “main” elements in railway transition curve are:
The radius of curvature
at the end of transition, the length L of the curve, the
length l of its
projection on x axis and the coefficient k. Two of these
elements must be
given in order for the curve to be defined, the other two
can be calculated
as described in this article.
The 'secondary elements” of the curve are: the
coordinates Rx and Ry of the
center of curvature at the end of the transition, the shift f
between the
curve R and the x axis, the angle τ of the tangent to the
curve at the end of
the transition and and Yl, the y coordinate of the curve at
length l. When the
“main” elements are known, the “secondary” elements
can easily be calculated.
Fig. 1. Elements of transition curve
The Transition Curves (Spiral Curves)

The transition curve (spiral) is a curve that has a varying

radius. It is used on
railroads and most modem highways. It has the following
purposes:

1- Provide a gradual transition from the tangent (r=∞ )to a

simple circular curve
with radius R
2- Allows for gradual application of superelevation.
Advantages of the spiral curves:

1- Provide a natural easy to follow path such that the lateral

force increase and
decrease gradually as the vehicle enters and leaves the
circular curve
2- The length of the transition curve provides a suitable
location for the
superelevation runoff.
3- The spiral curve facilitate the transition in width where the
travelled way is
widened on circular curve.
4- The appearance of the highway is enhanced by the
application of spiral curves.
When transition curves are not provided, drivers tend to
create their own transition curves by moving laterally
within their travel lane and sometimes the adjoining
lane, which is risky not only for them but also for other
road users.
•Maximum length of spiral.
• International experience indicates that there is a need to
limit the length of spiral transition curves. Safety problems
have been found to occur
on spiral curves that are long (relative to the length of the
circular curve). Such
problems occur when the spiral is so long as to mislead the
driver about the sharpness
of the approaching curve.