I

.
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IR.C I 191977
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
AND
CODE OF PRACTICE
FOR
WATER BOUND MACADAM
(Second Revision)
THE INDIAN ROADS CONGRESS
1996
IRC : 19-1977
STANDARD SPECIFICATION
AND
CODE OF PRACTICE
FOR
WATER BOUND MACADAM
(Second Revision)
Published by
THE INDIAN ROADS CONGRESS
Jamanagr House, Sbabjahan Road,
New Delhi-110 011
1996
._.---
Price Rs. 32.00
(Plus Packing & Postage)
IRC : 19-1977
First Published in April, 1966
Reprinted : February, 1970
Reprinted : May, 1972
First Revision : November, 1972
Second Revision :May, 1977
Reprinted : September, 1982
Reprinted : March, 1987 (incorporates amendment No. I &
Reprinted
Reprinted
corrected Sieve sizes)
:May, 1988
: August, 1996
(Rights of Publication and of Translation are reserved)
Printed at Sagar Printers and Publishers, New Delhi-11 0003
(500 copies)
IR.C : 19-1977
STANDARD SPECIFICATION AND CODE OF
PRACTICE FOR WATER BOUND MACADAM
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. This standard was originally published in 1966. The
revised standard was considered and approved by the Specifications
and Standards Committee in their meeting held on the 29th & 30th
September, 1972 and by the Executive Committee in their meeting
held at Gandhinagar on the 25th November, 1972. Later, it was
approved for publication as the finalised standard by the Council in
their 79th meeting also held at Gandhinagar on the 25th November,
1972 .
. 1.2. Following the decision of the IRC Council at its meeting
held on the 28th August 1976, the tolerances of surface evenness
have been revised on the basis of IRC Special Publication 16 "Sur-
face Evenness of Higtlway Pavements".
1.3. The Standard is intended to indicate what is consi-
dered to be a good practice for the construction of water
bound macadam and surface treated water bound macadam.
2. DESCRIPTION
2.1. Water bound macadam shall consist of clean crushed
coarse aggregates mechanically interlocked by rolling, and voids
thereof filled with screening and binding material with the assistance
of water, laid on a prepared subgrade, sub-base, base or existing
. pavement as the case may be. Water bound macadam may be used
as a sub-base, base course or surfaCing course. In each case, it shall
be constructed in accordance with the specifications. given below
and in conformity with the lines, grades and cross-sections shown
on the drawings or as otherwise directed.
3. MATERIALS
3.1. Coarse Aggregates-General Requirements
3.1.1. Coarse aggregates shall be either crushed or broken
stone, crushed slag, overburnt brick metal or naturally occurring
aggregates such as kankar or laterite of requisite quality as stated
hereinafter. The aggregates shaH conform to .the physical require-
. ments set forth in Table 1.
3.1.2. Crushed or broken stone : Crushed or broken stone
sha11 be hard, durable and generally free from flat, elongated, soft
IRC : 19-1977
and disintegrated particles. It shall also not have excess of dirt
or other objectionable matter.
Sl.
No.
1.
2.
3.
TABLE 1. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OP COARSE AGGREGATES fOR
WATER BOUND MACADAM
Type of Test t Test Requirement .
construction method
Sub-base Los Angeles IS: 2386 Max. 60%
Abrasion (Part IV)
Value*
or
Aggregate IS : 2386 Max. SO%
Impact (Part IV)
Value* or
IS: 5640**
Base course (a) Los Angeles IS: 2386 Max. SO%
with Abrasion (Part IV)
bituminous Value*
surf acting or
Aggregate IS: 2386 Max. 40%
Impact Value* (Part IV)
or
IS: 5640h
(b) Flakiness IS: 2386 Max.15%
Index*** (Part D
Surfacing (a) Los Angeles Is: 2386 Max. 40%
Course Abrasion (Part IV)
Value*
or
Aggregate IS: 2386 Max. 30%
Impact Value* (Part IV)
or
IS: 5640**
(b) Flakiness IS: 2386 Max.15%
Index*** (Part I)
Notes : * Aggregates may satisfy the requireme:J.ts of either the Los Angeles
test or Aggregate Impact Value Test.
Aggregates like brick metal,kankar and laterite which get softened
in presence of water, should invariably be tested for impact value
under wet conditions in accordance with IS: 5640.
The requirement of Flakiness Index shall be enforced only in tlae
case of crushed/broken stone and crushed slag.
t Samples for tests shall be representative of the materials to be
used and collected in accordance with the procedure set forth in
IS: 2430.
2
IRC : 19-1977
3.1.3. Crushed slag : Crushed slag shall be manufactured
_from air-coote_d blast. slag. It be ofangu1ar shape,
reasonably m quality and denstty, and generally free
from any thm, elongated and soft pieces, dirt or other objectionable
matter. Crushed slag shall not weigh less than 1120 kg per
;m
3
and percentage of glassy material in it shall not be in excess
of 20. Water absorption [IS: 2386 (Part III)] of slag shall not
exceed 10 per cent.
3.1.4. Overburnt brick metal : Brick metal shaH be made.
out of overburnt bricks or brick bats and be free from dust and
other foreign matter.
3.1.5. Kankar: Kankar shall be . tough having a blue
almost opalescent fracture. It shall not contain any clay in
the cavities between nodules.
3.1.6. Laterite : Laterite shall be hard, compact, heavy and
of dark colour. Light coloured sandy Jaterities as also those con-
taining_ a good bit of ochreous clay shall not be utilised.
3.2. Coarse Aggregates-Size and Grading Requirements
3.2.1. As far as possible, coarse aggregates shall conform to
one ofthe gradings given in Table 2. Grading 1 is more suitable
for sub-base courses, but it is not tenable for a compacted layer
thickness of Jess than 90 mm.
3.2.2. The size of aggregates to be used in a given case would
depend on the type of aggregates available and compacted
thickness of the layer. The use of grading I shall, however be
restricted to sub- base courses only. '
3.2.3. For crushable type aggregates like brick metal kankar
-and laterite, the gradings given in Table 2 are not so and
need not be strictly enforced but the material should generally be
within the size range indicated.
3
IRC : 19-1977
TABLE 2. SIZE AND GRADING REQUIREMENTS OF COARSE
AGGREGATES POR WBM
Grading
No.
1.
2.
Size range
90 mmto 45 mm
63 mm to 45 mm
3. 53 mm to 22.4 mm
3.3. Screenings
Sieve
designati9n
(IS: 460)
125mm
90mm
63 mm
45mm
22.4 mm
90mm
63mm
53mm
45mm
22;4mm
63mm
53 mm
45mm
22.4 mm
11.2 mm
Per cent by weight
passing the sieve
100
90-100
25-60
0-15
O-S
100
90-100
25-75
0-15
0-S
100
95-100
65-90
0-10
0-S
3.3.1. Screenings to fill voids in the coarse aggregates shall
generally be of the same material as the coarse aggregates.
ever, from economic considerations, predominantly non-plastic
material such as kankar nodules, .moorum or gravel (other than
river-borne rounded' aggregate) may also be utilised for this pur-
pose provided that the liquid limit and plasticity of. such
material is below 20 and 6 respectively and the fraction passmg 75
micron sieve does not exceed 10 per cent.
3.3.2. As far as possible, screenings shall conform to the
gradings shown in Table 3. Screenings oftype. A in. 3 shall be
used in conjunction with coarse aggregates of 1 m. Table 2,
and of type B with coarse aggregates of gradmg 3. .W1th coarse
aggregates of grading 2, either type A or type B be
used. For screenings like moorum and gravel, the gradmgs gtven
in Table 3 shall not be. regarded as binding.
3.3.3. The use of screenings may be dispensed with in the
case of crushable type coarse aggregates such as brick metal,
kankar and laterite.
4
IRC : 19-1977 .
TABLE 3. GRADING REQUIREMENTS OF SCREENINGS
POR WATER BoUND MACADAM
Grading/
Classifica-
tion
Size of
screenings
A 13.2 mm
B 11.2 mm
3.4. Binding Material
Sieve
designation
(IS: 460)
mm
11.2mm
5.6mm
180 micron
11.2 .Dim
S.6mm
180 micron
Per cent by wefaht
. passina the aicve
100
95-100
lS-3.5
0-10
100
90-100
15-35
3.4.1. Binding material to prevent ravelling of water bound
macadam shall consist of a fine grained material passing 100 per
cent through 425 micron sieve and possessing P.I. value of 4-9
when the WBM is to be used as a surfacing course, and upto 6
when th.e WBM is being adopted as a sub-base/base course with
bituminous surfacing. If limestone formations are available
nearby, limestone dust or kankar nodules may be usefully
employed for this purpose.
3.4.2. Application of binding rna terial may not be necessary
where the screenings consist of crushable type material like moo.;
rum or gravel. However, for WBM used as a surfacing course,
where the P.I. of crushable type screenings is less than 4, applica
tion of a small amount of binding material having P.I. of 4-9
would be required at the top. The quantity of screenings could be
reduced slightly on this account.
3.5. Quantities of Material
3.5.1. Approximate quantities of coarse aggregate .and
screenings required for 100 mm compacted thickness of WBM sub
base course are shown in Table 4. Likewise, rough quantities of
materials for WBM base or surfacing course for a compacted
thickness of 75 mm are given in Table 5.
3.5.2. The quantity of binding material where it is to be used
(see para 3.4.), will depend on the type of screenings and function
of WBM. Generally, the quantity required for 75 mm compacted
thickness will be 0.06-0.09 m8fl0m2 in the case of WBM
5
IRC : 19-1977
TABLE 4. APPROXIMATE QUANTITIES OP COARSE AGGREGATES AND
ScREENINGS REQUIRED POR 100 mm CoMPACTED
THICKNESS OP WBM Sua-BASE CouRSE POR 10 m
1
-
Coarse Aggregates Screenings
Classi- Size Loose
Stone screenings
Crushable type such
fication ranse quantity as mooruin or gravel
Grading/ Loose Grading/ Loose
classifica- quantity classifica- quantity
tion & tion &
1
Grad-
ing 1
2 3
90 to 1.21 to
4S mm 1.43 m
8
size
4 s
Type A 0.27 to
13.2 mm 0.30 m.
size
6
Not
uniform
7
0.30 to
0.32 m
TABLEs. APPROXIMATE QUANTITIES OP. COARSE AGGREGATES AND
SCREENINGS REQUIRED FOR 75 mm COMPACTED THICK
NESS OP WBM BASE CouRSE/SURPACING CouRSE FOR 10 m
. Coarse Aggregates _Screeninas
Classi- Size Loose Crushable type
fication range quantity Stone .screenings such as moorum
or aravel*
Grading/ For For Grading/ All
classifi- WBM WBM classifi- cases
cation 'base surf a- cation
& size c.ourse cina & size
course*
1 2 3 4 s 6 7 8
Grad- 63 to 0.91 to Type A 0.12 to 0.10 to Not 0.22 to
ing2 4Smm 1.07 m 13.2 mm 0.15 m
1
0.12 m
1
uniform 0.24 m
1
-do -do- -do- Type B o.20 to 0.16 to -do- -do-
11.2 mm 0.22 m
1
0.18 m
Grad- 53 to -do- -do- 0.18 to 0.14 to -do- -do-
ing 3 22.4 mm '0.21 m
1
. 0.17 m
1
Quantities. in col. 6 are 80 per cent of those in col. S as a larger quantity of
binding material will need to be used when the WBM is to act as a surfacina
. course (see para 3;5.2.)
**Sec para 3.4.2.
6
-
f
I
IRC : 191977
sub-base/base course and m3f10 m2 when the .WBM is to
function as a surfacing course. For 100 m m thickness, the quantity
needed respectively will be 0.08-0.10 m3fiO m2 and 0.12-0.16 m3f
10m2.
3.5.3. The above mentioned quantities should be taken as a
guide for estimation of quantities for construction etc.
4. CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE
4.1. Preparation of Foundation for Receiving
the W BM Course
4.1.1. The subgrade, sub-base or base to receive the water
bound macadam shall be prepared to the required grade
and camber and cleaned of all dust, dirt and other extraneous
matter. Any ruts or soft. yielding places that have appeared due
to improper drainage, service under traffic or other reasons shall
be corrected and rolled until firm.
4.1.2. Where the water bound macadam is to be laid on an
existing unsurfaced road, the surface shall be scarified and re-
shaped to the required grade and camber as necessary. Weak
places shall be strengthened, corrugations removed and depressions
and potholes made good with suitable material before spreading
the coarse aggregates for
4.1.3. Where the existing road surface is black-topped,
50 mm x 50 mm furrows shall be cut in the existing surface at
1 metre intervals at 45 degree to the centre JiQe of the carriageway
before proceeding with the laying of coarse aggregates.
4.1.4. In all cases, the foundation shall be kept well-drained
during the construction operations.
4.2. Provision of Lateral Confinement of Aggregates
4.2.1. Before starting with W BM construction, necessary
arrangements shall be made for the lateral confinement of aggrega-
tes. One method is to construct side shoulders in advance to a
thickness cqrresponding to the compacted layer of the WBM
course. After shoulders are ready, their inside edges may be
trimmed vertical and the included area cleaned of all spilled
material thereby setting the stage for spread of coarse aggregates.
The. practice of constructing W BM in a trench section excavated
in the finished formation must be completely avoided.
7
IRC : 191977
4.3. Spreading Coarse Aggregates
4.3.1. The coarse aggregates shall be spread uniformly and
evenly upon the prepared base in required quantities from stock-
piles along the side of the road or directly from vehicles. In no.
case shall these be dumped in heaps directly on the area where
these are to be laid nor shall their hau1ing over a partly completed
base be permitted. The aggregates shall be spread to .. proper pro-
file by using templates placed across the road about 6 metre apart.
Where possible, approved mechanical devices shall. be used to
spread the aggregates uniformly so as to minimise the need for
their manipulation by hand.
4.3.2. The WBM coul:se shall normally be constructed in
layers of not more than 75 mm compacted However,
for aggregates of grading No. lin Table .2, the compacted thick-
ness of layer may go up to I 00 mm. Each layer shaH be tested by
depth blocks. No segregation of large or fine particles shall be
allowed; the coarse aggregates as spread shaH be of. uniform
gradation with no pockets of fine material .
4.3.3. The coarse aggregates shaH normally not be spread in
lengths exceeding three days' averag.e work ahead of the rolling
and bonding of the
4.4. RoJUng
4.4.1. After the laying of coarse aggregates, these shaH be
compacted to full width by rolling with either three wheel power
roJler of 6 to 10 tonnes capacity or an equivalent vibratory rolJer.
The weight of the rolJer shall depend on the type of .the coarse
aggregates.
4.4.2. The rolling shall begin from edges with roller
running forward and backward until the edge have been firmly
compacted. The roller shall then progress gradually from edges
to the centre, para11el to the centre line of the road and lapping
uniformly each preceding rear \\'heel track by one half width and
shall continue until the entire area of the course has been rolled
by the rear .wheel. .Rolling shall continue until the road metal
is thoroughly keyed .. and the creeping of stone ahead of the roller
is no longer visible .. Slight sprinkling of water may be done, if
required.
8
IRC: 19-1977
erelevated portions of the road, rolling shall
4.4.3. On sup d d progress gradually towards
commence from the lower e -ge an
the upper edge of the pavement. .
. hall not be done when the subgrade Is soft or
4.4.4. Rollm.g s -l'ke motion in the base course
yielding nor whe? It a wave durin rolling which exceed
or subgrad,e. If the surface shall
12 mm when tested Wit a medded or removed' as required before
be loosened and aggregates a '[t rm surface conforming to the
rolling again so to achieve an surface shall also be
desired cross sectiOn and Erade. b and any irregularities correc-
transversely by oJ er, In no case shall the use of
ted in the manner descn e a o . . t d
screenings to make up depressions be permtt e .
4 5 Application of Screenings
. . . t have been rolled as per para
4.5.1.. After coarse shall be applied
4.4, screemngs to thell'mt shall be done when the screemngs
over the surface. ry roh . effect of roller causes them
are being spread so t e Jarrmg a re ates. The screenings
to settle into the vdo.tds ?t in successive
shall not be dumpe Ill pt es . motion of hand shovels,
thin layers either by the SJ?rea3mgfrom trucks. Trucks plying
mechanical spreaders, or y ngs shall be equipped with
over the base course to sprea not to disturb the coarse
pneumatic tyres and so opera e
aggregates. h
h 11 b l'ed at a slow rate m t ree
4.5.2. The screenings s a e ;g[s be accompanied by
or more applicat!ons brooms/hand brooms or
rolling or broommg. I J er case shall the screenings be applied. so
both may. be used. n no or rid es on the surface makmg
fast an.d thtck todffflm the direct bearing of .roller
the filhng of VOl s I cu s readin rolling and broommg of
on the coarse aggregates. The p f .ns can be completed
screenings shall ,be taken on and wet screenings shall not
within one day s operatton.
be used in any circumstances.
4 6 Sprinkling and Grouting b
. f s the surface shall e
4 6.1. After application o screemndg '. 11 d Hand brooms
k1 d "th water swept an 10 e d
copiously spnn e WI t' nings into the voids, an to
shall be used to sweep the sere: kling sweeping and roll!ng
distribute them evenly! de screenings applied
operations shall be muearse aggregates are well-bonded and
where necessary untt e co
9
IRC: 19-1977
firmly set and a grout of screenings and water forms ahead of the
. wheels of the roller. Care shall be taken that the base or su bgrade
does not get damaged due to addition of excessive quantites of
water during the construction.
4. 7. Application of Binding Material
4.7.1. After the appJication ofscreenings as. per paras 4.5.
and binding material where it is required to be used (see para
3.4.), shall be applied at an uniform and slow rate in two or more
successive thin .. After each application of binding material,
the surface shall be copiously sprinkled with water and the resul-
ting slurry swept in with. band brooms/mechanical brooms or both
so as to fill the voids properly. This shall be followed by rolling
with a 6-10 tonne roller during which water shall be applied to the
wheels to wash down the binding material that may get stuck to
them. The spreading of binding material, sprinkling of water,
sweeping with brooms and roUing shall continue until the slurry
of binding material and water forms a wave ahead of the wheels of
moving. roller.
4.8. Setting and Drying
I. After final compaction of the course, the road shall
be allowed to cure overnight. Next morning, hungry spots shall
be filled with screenings or binding materiaJ, ligtly sprinkled with
water if necessary, and roJled. No trafi]c shall be allowed till the
macadam sets.
4.8.2. In the case of water bound macadam base course to
be provided with surfacing, the latter shall be laid only
after the WBM course is completely dry and before allowing . any
traffic on it.
4.9. Plying of Construction Traffic
4.9.1 .. In general, construction traffic may ply over comple
ted portions of the WBM course provided . vehicles move over its
fuJI width avoiding any rutting or uneven compaction. However,
the shall have full authority to stop the passage
of construction traffic when in his opinion this is leading to exces-
sive damage.
S. SURFACE EVENNESS OF WBM COURSE
5.1. The surface evenness of completed WBM course in
longitudinal and. transverse directions shall be within the tolerances
indicated in Table 6.
. 10
Sl.
No.
1.
2.
IRC: 19-1977
TABLE 6. PERMITTED ToURANCES OF SURFACE EVENNESS POR
WBM COURSES
Size range of
coarse aggregates
90-45 mm
63-45 mm
or 53-22.4 mm
Longitudinal profile measured
with a 3 metre straight edge
Max. permissible
undulation
mm
15
12
Maximum num-
ber of undula-
tions permitted
in any 300
metre length,
exceeding
12 mm 10 mm
30
30
Cross profile
Max. permissible
variation from
specified profile
under a camber
template
mm
12
8
5 2 The longitudinal profile shall be checked with a 3
. h d e at the middle of each traffic lane along a me
line of the road. The profi/e
be checked with a series of three camber boar s at In erva s o

for Construction of Roads and Runways" (Second RevJsJon
6. RECTIFICATION OF DEFECTIVE
CONSTRUCTION
6 1 Where the surface irregularity of the WBM
the tolerances given in Table 6 or where . the course I


d
h ed with added matenal, or remove a
affected material as applicable, and recompacted in
repla'dd para 4 . The area treated in the aforesaid manner
than lO m2. In no ?ase shall depressions be filled
s a d' t I
up with screenings or bm mg rna ena .
7. CONSTRUCTION OF WBM OVER
NARROW WIDTHS
7.1. Where the WBM course is to be in narrow
widths for widening an existing pavement, the followmg sequence
of operations should be adopted :
(i) The existing shoulders should be excavated to their full
11
IRC : 19-1977
depth and width upto the subgrade level except where the wide-
ning specifications envisage laying of a stabilised-soil sub-base using
in situ operations in which case the same should be removed only
upto the sub-base leveL
(ii) Before proceeding with the laying of WBM course, the
shoulders should be rebuilt in layers in reduced width depending
on the extent of widening. The compacted thickness of each layer
should correspond. to the compacted layer of WBM course to be
laid adjacent to it. After compaction, the inside edges of shoulders
should be trimmed vertical and the included are a cleared of all
spiJJed material; and
(iii) The construction of WBM layer should then follow in
the usual manner.
8. MAINTENANCE OF WBM
WEARING COURSES
8.1. The successful performance of WBM as a surfacing
course depends to a large extent on. timely maintenance. Mainten-
ance measures for this can be considered under three heads: perio-
dic patching of pet-holes along with removal of ruts and depres-
sion; blinding of the surface; and surface renewal.
8.2. Patching of Pot-holes Along with Removal of Ruts and
Depressions
8.2.1. Pot-holes, ruts and other depressions should be drained
of water and cut to regular shape with vertical sides. All the loose
and disintegrated material shall.be removed and the exposed sur- .
faces swept clean. The holes/depressions shall then be filled with
salvaged coarse aggregates mixed with sufficient quantity of fresh
aggregates and recoinpacted as normal WBM to operations
described in para 4 so that the patched area merges with. the
adjoining surface. Where the area so treated is sniall, hand ram-
mers may be used for compaction instead of rollers.
8.3. Blinding of Surface
8.3. 1. Blinding of the surface shall be resorted to . periodi-
cally as soon as the blinding material applied earlier has been
eroded away due to a traffic or weather action and the surface has
started showing signs of ravelling. Blinding operations sha11 consist
of application of binding material in thin layers and groUting. in
accordance with the procedure given in para 4.7.
12
i
(
IRC: 19-1977
8.4. Surface Renewal
8.4.1. WBM wearing course shall be renewed when the
surface is worn out, is corrugated and badly ravelled or has a pro-
fusion of potholes and depression which cannot be treated econo
mically with patching or blinding operations.
8.4.2. For renewal, the existing surface shall be scarified to
a depth of 50-75 mm and the resulting material removed to berms
for screening to salvage the usable coarse aggregates. The exposed
pavement shall be scarified again at high spots so as to ensure
proper grade and camber. The salvaged coarse aggregates mixed
with sufficient quantity of fresh aggregates {usually between one
half to one third of the quantity of salvaged aggregates) shall then
be used to construct a new WBM course in accordance with
para 4.
13