Flexible and Rigid Pavement

Design
Dr. Md. Jahir Bin Alam, Professor, CEE
Department, SUST
Types of Pavements
 Properties Flexible Rigid
Design Empirical method Designed and analyzed by using the elastic
Principle Based on load distribution theory
characteristics of the
components
Material Granular material Made of Cement Concrete either plan,
reinforced or prestressed concrete
Flexural Low or negligible flexible Associated with rigidity or flexural strength
Strength strength or slab action so the load is distributed over
a wide area of subgrade soil.
Normal Elastic deformation Acts as beam or cantilever
Loading
Excessive Local depression Causes Cracks
Loading
Stress Transmits vertical and Tensile Stress and Temperature Increases
compressive stresses to the
lower layers

Design Constructed in number of Laid in slabs with steel reinforcement.

Practice layers.

Temperature No stress is produced Stress is produced

Force of Less. Deformation in the Friction force is High
Friction sub grade is not transferred
to the upper layers.
Opening to Road can be used for traffic Road cannot be used until 14 days of curing
Traffic within 24 hours
Surfacing Rolling of the surfacing is Rolling of the surfacing in not needed.
needed
Equal Single Wheel Load (ESWL)
 Vehicle Damage Factor (VDF) Normally = (Axle Load/8.2)n n=4-5

365 xA[(1+r)n – 1]
N = --------------------------- x D x F
r

N = Cumulative No. of standard axles to be catered for the design

in terms of msa
D = Lane distribution factor
A = Initial traffic, in the year of completion of construction, in
terms of number of commercial vehicles per day
F = Vehicle Damage Factor
n = Design life in years
r = Annual growth rate of commercial vehicles
 CBR
Chart developed for traffic wheel loads:
Light Traffic - 3175 kg
Heavy traffic – 5443 kg
Medium traffic – 4082 kg

Penetration of plunger (mm) Standard load (kg)

2.5 1370

5.0 2055

7.5 2630

10.0 3180

12.5 3600
 New Road
DATA: Find out Cumulative No. of standard axles
to be catered for the design in terms of msa

Two-lane single carriageway = 400 CV/day

(sum of both directions)
Initial traffic in a year of completion of construction

Traffic growth rate per annum = 7.5 percent

Design life = 15 years

Vehicle damage factor = 2.5 (standard axles

per commercial vehicle)

Design CBR value of sub-grade soil = 4 %

 Distribution factor = 0.75
Cumulative number of standard axles to to be catered for in
the design

365 x [(1+0.075)15 –1]

N = ----------------------------- x 400 x 0.75 x 2.5
0.075

= 7200000 = 7.2 msa

Note : for 7.2 msa Total pavement thickness for = 660

mm based on CBR 4% from chart
 2 lane to 4 lane road

Data: Find change of Cumulative No. of standard axles to

be catered for the design in terms of msa

i) 4-lane divided carriageway

Initial traffic in each directions in the year of =

5600cv / day
Completion of construction
iii) Design life = 15yrs

iv) Design CBR of sub-grade soil =5%

v) Traffic growth rate =8%
vi) Vehicle damage factor = 4.5
Distribution factor = 0.75
VDF = 4.5

CSA for two lane= 100 msa

CSA for 15 years = 185 msa

Change : 85 msa

Note: Pavement thickness for CBR 5% and

For 185 msa for 15 years = 760 mm
a2= 0.249 * (logE2 ) - 0.977

Crushed Stone Sub base Structural Coefficient (a3)

a3= 0.227 * (logE3 ) - 0.839
Find out SN’

It should not be used

Railway track
Ex. The traffic flow of Sunamganj road are as follows: motor cycle 24, scoter
40, CNG 100; car 310, Jeep 70, Micro bus 25, mini bus 78, bus 35, truck 32.
The study time is 30min. Growth rate 10%, design life 10 yrs, reliability R
=92%, S D = 0.31, M R 1 = 24000psi, M R 2 = 10,000psi and M R 3 = 1500psi and
∆psi = 2.0,
a 1=0.42; a2 =0.113 and a 3 = 0.075 , m2 = 0.90 and m3 = 0.45
Types of Joints:

(a) Construction joint : (i) transverse joint: try to coincide with contraction joints
(ii) Longitudinal joints: to relive curling and warping stress

(b) Contraction Joints: (i) to relieve tensile stress (ii) place at regular interval
perpendicular to center lines (iii) spacing = 2h (h = thickness of slab) (iv) Length
of sab/width of slab = L/W ≤ 1.25

Tie bars ; amount of steel = f(bond stress, diameter of bars)

Dowel bars: to minimize stress an deflection
Degrees of
freedom / 0.01 0.05 0.10 0.90 0.95 0.99
Probability
1 0.00 0.00 0.02 2.71 3.84 6.63
2 0.02 0.10 0.21 4.61 5.99 9.21
3 0.11 0.35 0.58 6.25 7.81 11.34
4 0.30 0.71 1.06 7.78 9.49 13.28
5 0.55 1.15 1.61 9.24 11.07 15.09
6 0.87 1.64 2.20 10.64 12.59 16.81
7 1.24 2.17 2.83 12.02 14.07 18.48
8 1.65 2.73 3.49 13.36 15.51 20.09
9 2.09 3.33 4.17 14.68 16.92 21.67
10 2.56 3.94 4.87 15.99 18.31 23.21
11 3.05 4.57 5.58 17.28 19.68 24.72
12 3.57 5.23 6.30 18.55 21.03 26.22
13 4.11 5.89 7.04 19.81 22.36 27.69
14 4.66 6.57 7.79 21.06 23.68 29.14
15 5.23 7.26 8.55 22.31 25.00 30.58
16 5.81 7.96 9.31 23.54 26.30 32.00
17 6.41 8.67 10.09 24.77 27.59 33.41
18 7.01 9.39 10.86 25.99 28.87 34.81
19 7.63 10.12 11.65 27.20 30.14 36.19
20 8.26 10.85 12.44 28.41 31.41 37.57
21 8.90 11.59 13.24 29.62 32.67 38.93
22 9.54 12.34 14.04 30.81 33.92 40.29
23 10.20 13.09 14.85 32.01 35.17 41.64
df 0.995 0.99 0.975 0.95 0.90 0.10 0.05 0.025 0.01 0.005
1 --- --- 0.001 0.004 0.016 2.706 3.841 5.024 6.635 7.879
2 0.010 0.020 0.051 0.103 0.211 4.605 5.991 7.378 9.210 10.597
3 0.072 0.115 0.216 0.352 0.584 6.251 7.815 9.348 11.345 12.838
4 0.207 0.297 0.484 0.711 1.064 7.779 9.488 11.143 13.277 14.860
5 0.412 0.554 0.831 1.145 1.610 9.236 11.070 12.833 15.086 16.750
6 0.676 0.872 1.237 1.635 2.204 10.645 12.592 14.449 16.812 18.548
7 0.989 1.239 1.690 2.167 2.833 12.017 14.067 16.013 18.475 20.278
8 1.344 1.646 2.180 2.733 3.490 13.362 15.507 17.535 20.090 21.955
9 1.735 2.088 2.700 3.325 4.168 14.684 16.919 19.023 21.666 23.589
10 2.156 2.558 3.247 3.940 4.865 15.987 18.307 20.483 23.209 25.188
11 2.603 3.053 3.816 4.575 5.578 17.275 19.675 21.920 24.725 26.757
12 3.074 3.571 4.404 5.226 6.304 18.549 21.026 23.337 26.217 28.300
13 3.565 4.107 5.009 5.892 7.042 19.812 22.362 24.736 27.688 29.819
14 4.075 4.660 5.629 6.571 7.790 21.064 23.685 26.119 29.141 31.319
15 4.601 5.229 6.262 7.261 8.547 22.307 24.996 27.488 30.578 32.801
16 5.142 5.812 6.908 7.962 9.312 23.542 26.296 28.845 32.000 34.267
17 5.697 6.408 7.564 8.672 10.085 24.769 27.587 30.191 33.409 35.718
18 6.265 7.015 8.231 9.390 10.865 25.989 28.869 31.526 34.805 37.156
19 6.844 7.633 8.907 10.117 11.651 27.204 30.144 32.852 36.191 38.582
20 7.434 8.260 9.591 10.851 12.443 28.412 31.410 34.170 37.566 39.997
21 8.034 8.897 10.283 11.591 13.240 29.615 32.671 35.479 38.932 41.401
Not clear ( separate figure
in next page)
Stress in Concrete Slab
Note : compare the stresses with corresponding allowable stress.
Specification
• Ex. Determine the stress at interior, edge and corner regions
of a rigid pavement using Westergard’s method. Consider P=
41KN, E = 3 x 10 3 KN /cm 2 , h = 20cm, μ= 0.15, k = 40N/cm 3
and a = 15cm.
• Ex. Determine the stress at interior, edge and corner regions
of a rigid pavement using Westergard’s method. Consider P=
41KN, E = 3 x 10 3 KN /cm 2 , h = 20cm, μ= 0.15, k = 40N/cm 3
and a = 15cm.
a/h(=0.75) < 1.727
Radius of resisting section, b = sqrt (1.6a2 + h2 ) -0.675h

Ex. Determine the stress at interior, edge and corner regions of a

rigid pavement using Westergard’s method. Consider P= 5100kg,
E = 3 x 10 5 kg/cm 2 , h = 16cm, μ= 0.15, k = 25k/cm 3 and a =
15cm.

a/h(=0.93) < 1.727

Radius of resisting section, b = sqrt (1.6a2 + h2 ) -0.675h
Determine the stress at interior, edge and corner regions of a rigid pavement using
Westergard’s method. Consider P= 5100kg, E = 3 x 10 5 kg/cm 2 , h = 18cm, μ= 0.15, k =
6kg/cm 3 and a = 15cm.

a/h(=0.83) < 1.727

Radius of resisting section, b = sqrt (1.6a2 + h2 ) - 0.675h

14cm

Radius of relative stiffness

.l=L = [(E * h 3) / (12*k * (1 - μ 2 ) ] (1/4)

 19.3kg./cm 2

24.27kg./cm 2 28.54 kg./cm 2

 Mix Design

Flow : mid point of 8 to 16 (take 12)

Void : take 4%
Maximum unit weight
Maximum stability
 Material Apparent S.G Bulk S.G %by weight of total mix

Asphalt cement 1.01 1.01 6.96

Coarse aggregate 2.759 2.606 51.45

Fine aggregate 2.905 2.711 34.24

Mineral filler 2.697 2.697 7.35

Gmb=2.344 → bulk specific gravity of complete

mix
Gmm=2.438 → max. specific gravity of mix

Calculate
% by weight of total aggregate for each
material,

Gsb, Gse, Gsa, Pba, Pbe, VMA & Pa?

Solution:
First: Find %by weight of total aggregate for
each material.

In general % by weight of total

aggregate=
%𝑏𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑕𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑖𝑥 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙
%𝑏𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑕𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑖𝑥 𝑓𝑜𝑟[𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑒,𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒 & 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟]

% by weight of total mix [coarse agg. + fine

agg. + mineral filler ]
=51.45+34.24+7.35=93.04
Material % by weight of total agg.

Asph.concrete (6.76/93.04)*100=7.48
Coarse agg. (51.45/93.04)*100=55.3

Fine agg. (34.24/93.04)*100=36.8

Mineral filler (7.35/93.04)*100=7.9

51.45:34.24:7.35
Gsb=total bulk S.G of agg= [ 51.45 34.24 7.35 ]
: 2.711 :[2.697]
2.606
 55.3:36.8:7.90
or = [ 55.3 36.8 7.9 ]=2.651
:[ ]:[ ]
2.606 2.711 2.697

Gse=effective S.G of agg. =

(100;𝑃𝑏) (100;6.96)
[ 100 𝑃𝑏 ]=[ 100 6.96 ]=2.726
(𝐺𝑚𝑚;𝐺𝑏) ( ; )
2.438 1.01

Gsa = total apparent S.G of agg.

𝑃1:𝑃2:⋯:𝑃𝑛 51.45:34.24:7.35
=[ 𝑃1 𝑃𝑛 ]=[ 51.45 34.24 7.35 ]=2.805
( :⋯: ) [ ]:[ ]:[ ]
𝐺𝑎1 𝐺𝑎𝑛 2.759 2.905 2.697

𝐺𝑠𝑒;𝐺𝑠𝑏
Pba=asphalt absorption=100*[ 𝐺𝑠𝑒∗𝐺𝑠𝑏 ]*Gb =
2.726;2.651
100*[ 2.726∗2.651 ]*1.01=1.048%

Pbe=effective asph. Content of a mixture=Pb -

𝑃𝑏𝑎 1.048
Ps=6.96 – (93.04)=5.985%
100 100
𝐺𝑚𝑏∗𝑃𝑠
V.M.A=voids in mineral agg. =[100 − 𝐺𝑠𝑏
] =
(2.344∗93.04)
[100- ] = 17.73%
2.651
 𝐺𝑚𝑚;𝐺𝑚𝑏
Pa=% air voids in mixture=[100 * ]=
𝐺𝑚𝑚
2.438;2.344
[100* ]=3.86%
2.438
Road condition with Remote sensing

SWIR = 2120nm/2350nm, it decreases with increasing road

age. SWIR is correlated with road condition. It is an indicator
of good road condition. SWIR is proportion to road condition.

VIS2 = 830nm/490nm, it correlated with relative increasing

brightness of worn asphalt (due to iron oxide absorption).
VIS2 is proportion with bad condition of road.
Thank you