IRC:SP:62-2004

CONTENTS

Personnel of the Highways Specifications and Standards Committee (i) & (ii)

Symbols (iii)

Background 1

1. Introduction 2

2. Scope 3

3. Factors Governing Design 3

4. Design of Slab Thickness 6

5. Joints 14

6. Materials and Mix Design 16

7. Construction 19

Appendix 27
 IRC:SP:62-2004

PERSONNEL OF THE HIGHWAYS SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE

(As on 22.5.2004)
1. Indu Prakash* Director General (Road Development) & Spl. Secretary to the Govt. of India, Ministry of Road
(Convenor) Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan, New Delhi-110001
2. G. Sharan Chief Engineer (R&B) S&R, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan,
(Co-Convenor) New Delhi-110001
3. The Chief Engineer (G. Sharan) Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan, New Delhi-
(R&B) S&R 110001
(Member-
Secretary)
Member
Chief Engineer, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan, New Delhi-110001
4. A.P. Bahadur Chief General Manager (NS), National Highways Authority of India, Plot No. G/5-6, Sector 10,
Dwarka, New Delhi-f 10045
5. P.K. Chakrabarty Executive Director, Consulting Engg. Services (I) Pvt. Ltd., 57, Nehru Place, New Delhi-110019
Sr. Vice-President (Tech. Ser.), Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd., Ambuja House, Ishwarbhuwan
6. P.K. Datta Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-3 80009
Professor, Transportation System, Civil Engg. Department, Indian Institute of Technology,
7. J.P. Desai Mumbai, Powai, Mumbai-400076
DG(RD) (Retd.), E-44, Greater Kailash (Part I) Enclave, New Delhi-110048
8. Dr. S.L. Dhingra
Chief Engineer, PWD, Almora
Chief Engineer (Retd.), House No. 452, Sector 14, Sonepat-131001
9. D.P. Gupta
Professor & Coordinator (COTE), Deptt. of Civil Engg., Indian Institute of Technology,
10. S.K. Gupta Roorkee, Roorkee-247667
11. R.K.Jain Chief Executive, L.R. Kadiyali & Associates, X-15 (First Floor), Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016
12. Dr. S.S. Jain Joint Director (PI), National Rural Road Dev. Agency (Min. of Rural Dev.) NBCC Tower,
5th Floor, Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi-110066
13. Dr. L.R. Kadiyali Chief Engineer (Retd.), H. No. 77, 1st Floor, Sector 15A, Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida-
201301
14. Prabha Kant Katare Chief Engineer-cum-Addl. Secy, to the Govt. of Rajasthan, P.W.D., Jacob Road, Jaipur-302006
Secretary (Works), Maharashtra P.W.D., Mantralaya, Mumbai-400032
15. J.B. Mathur Secretary (Works) (Retd.), C-58, Abhimanshree Housing Society, Off Pashan Road, Pune-
411008
16. H.L. Mina Director, College of Engg., Roorkee, Post Box No. 27, K.M. Roorkee-Hardwar Road,
Vardhman Puram, Roorkee-247667
17. S.S. Momin Secretary to the Govt. of Gujarat, R&B Department, Block No. 14/1, Sardar Bhavan,
Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar-382010
18. A.B. Pawar Sr. Consultant, M-504, Habitat (Highway) CGHS, B-19, Vasundhra Enclave, Delhi
DG(RD) & AS, MORT&H (Retd.), 175, Vigyapan Lok, 15, Mayur Vihar Phase-I Extn. (Near
19. Dr, Gopal Ranjan Samachar Apartments), Delhi-110091

20. S.S.Rathore ADG(R) being not in position, the meeting was presided by Shri Indu Prakash, DG(RD) & Spl. Secretary to the Govt. of
India, MORT&H
21. Arghya Pradip Sana (i)
IRC:SP:62-2004
23. Prof. P.K. Sikdar
24. Dr. C.K. Singh
25. Nirmal Jit Singh
26. A.V. Sinha
27. N.K. Sinha
28. V.K. Sinha
29. K.K. Sarin
30. T.P. Velayudhan
31. Maj. V.C. Verma
32. The Chief Engineer (NH)
33. The Chief Engineer (Pig.)
34. The Chief Engineer (Mech.)
35. The Chief Engineer (Mech.)
36. The Chief Engineer (NH)
37. The Engineer-in-Chief
38. The Chief Engineer
39. President,
Indian Road Congress
40. The Director General
(Road Development)
& Special Secretary
41. Secretary,
Indian Roads Congress
1. M.K. Agarwal
2. Dr. C.E.G. Justo
3. M.D. Khattar
4. Sunny C. Madathil
Director, Central Road Research Institute, P.O. CRRI, Delhi-Mathura Road, New
Delhi-110020
Engineer-in-Chief-cum-Addl. Comm-cum-Spl. Secy. (Retd.), House No. M-10
(D.S.) Hermu Housing Colony, Main Hermu Road, Ranchi (Jharkhand)
Member (Tech.), National Highways Authority of India, Plot No. G/5-6, Sector
10, Dwarka, New Delhi-110045
Chief General Manager, National Highways Authority of India, Plot No. G/5-6,
Sector 10 Dwarka, New Delhi-110045
DG(RD & SS, MORT&H (Retd.), G-1365, Ground Floor, Chittranjan Park, New
Delhi-110019
Chief Engineer, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan, New
Delhi-110001
DG(RD) & AS, MOST (Retd.), S-108, Panchshila Park, New Delhi-110017
Add). D.G.B.R., Directorate General Border Roads, Seema Sadak Bhavan, Ring
Road, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi-110010
Executive Director-Marketing, Oriental Structural Engrs. Pvt. Ltd., 21,
Commercial Complex, Malcha Marg, Diplomatic Encl., New Delhi-110021
(B. Prabhakar Rao), R&B Department, Errum Manzil, Hyderabad-500082
(S.B. Basu), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan,
New Delhi-110001
(V.K. Sachdev), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan, New
Delhi-110001
PWD, G Block, 4th Floor, Writers' Building, Kolkata-700001
(Ratnakar Dash), Sachivalaya Marg, Unit IV, Bhubaneswar-751001 Distt.
Khurdha (Orissa)
U.P. P.W.D., 96, M.G. Road, Lucknow-226001
National Highways, PWD Annexe, K.R. Circle, Bangalore-560001
Ex-Officio Members (S.S. Momin), Secretary (Works), PWD
Sachivalaya, Mumbai-400032
(Indu Prakash), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Bhavan, New
Delhi-110001
(R.S. Sharma), Indian Roads Congress, Jamnagar House, New Delhi-110011
Corresponding Members
Engineer-in-chief, Haryana PWD (Retd.) House No. 40, Sector 16,
Panchkula-134113
Emeritus Fellow, 334, 25th Cross, 14th Main, Banashankari, 2nd Stage,
Bangalore-560070
Executive Director, Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd., Hincon House, Lal
Bahadur Shastri Marg. Vikhroli (W), Mumbai-400083
Director (Project), Bhagheeratha Engg. Ltd., 132, Panampily Avenue,
Cochin-682036
Principal Secretary, Maharashtra PWD (Retd.), A-47/1344, Adarsh Nagar,
Worli, Mumbai-400025
(ii)
 SYMBOLS

k750 = Modulus of Subgrade Reaction using 750 mm dia plate

k^ = Modulus of Subgrade Reaction using 300 mm dia plate
f = 28-day compressive strength of concrete in MPa
ff = 28-day flexural strength of concrete in MPa
E = Modulus of Elasticity of concrete in MPa
(1 = Poisson's ratio
h = Thickness of slab in mm
W = Slab width in mm
L = Slab length in mm
i = radius of relative stiffness in mrn
ale = Edge load stress in MPa
ote = Temperature stress in MPa
al = Corner load stress in MPa
c

P = Design Wheel Load in N

p = Tyre pressure in MPa
 IRC:SP:62-2004

GUIDELINES FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CEMENT

CONCRETE PAVEMENTS FOR RURAL ROADS

BACKGROUND

Indian Roads Congress had evolved standard specifications and code of practice for design
and construction of cement concrete pavements on IRC:58 and IRC: 15 respectively. With a view to
encourage the use of cement concrete pavements on low volume roads, it was felt necessary to evolve
guidelines for design and construction of cement concrete pavements for rural roads, which carry very
low volume of commercial traffics.

The Rigid Pavement Committee (H-5) prepared the draft document finalised in its meeting
held on 28.11.2003 subject to certain minor modifications. The Convenor, H-5 Committee forwarded the
modified document for being placed before the Highways Specifications & Standards Committee. The
HSS Committee during its meeting held on 20.12.2003 discussed the draft document and desired that the
Guidelines may be passed on to the Rigid Pavement Committee for further modifications in light of the
suggestions/comments made by members of HSS and resubmit the same to HSS Committee. Accordingly,
the Convenor, H-5 Committee (Personnel given below) in its meeting held on 8.3.2004 deliberated on
the suggestions made by HSS Committee and forwarded the modified document for consideration by
the HSS Committee.

Rigid Pavement Committee (H-5)

Dr. L.R. Kadiyali Convenor

The CE (R) S&R, MORT&H

(G. Sharan) ' Co-Convenor

M.C. Venkatesha Member-Secretary

Members

H.S. Chahal S.C. Sharma

M.L.N. Chary Brajendra Singh
R.P. Indoria V.K. Sinha
R.K. Jain Dr. R.M. Vasan
Dr. B.B. Pandey A Rep. of MSRDC (P.D. Kulkarni)
Y.R. Phull A Rep. of DGBR (M.S. Sodhi)
S.P. Rastogi A Rep. of NCC&BM (R.C. Wason)
S.M. Sabnis A Rep. of CRRI (Satandar Kumar)
Director, HRS (K. Thangarasu)
 IRC:SP:62-2004

Ex-Officio Members

President, IRC DG(RD) & SS

(S.S. Momin) (Indu Prakash)
K.B.Bhaumik Secretary, IRC
D.C. De (R.S. Sharma)

Corresponding Members
Prof. K.V.Krishna Rao A.U. Ravi
Shankar Dr. (Mrs.) Vandana Tare

The Highways Specifications & Standards Committee during its meeting held on the 22nd
May, 2004 approved the draft Guidelines subject to certain modifications in light of the comments
made by its memebrs. The modified document as received from the Convenor, H-5 Committee was
considered by the Executive Committee in its meeting held on 25th May, 2004 and decided to place
before the Council Meeting. The Council in its 172nd Meeting held at Nainital {Uttaranchal) on the
12th June, 2004 approved the document for publication subject to modification in light of the comments/
suggestions given by the participants. The document has been modified suitably by Dr. L.R. Kadiyali,
Convenor, H-5 Committee.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. In spite of vigorous attempts over the past fifty years, a large proportion of India's
villages remain unconnected by an all-weather road. Renewed efforts are now being made to overcome
this deficiency. The Indian Roads Congress have recently brought out a Manual for Rural Roads
(IRC:SP:20-2002), which gives details of planning, design and construction of rural roads.

1.2. It is observed that rural roads have a very low volume of traffic, consisting mostly of rural
transport vehicles, like, agricultural tractors/trailers, light goods vehicles, buses, animal drawn vehicles,
motorised two-wheelers and cycles. Some of the rural roads may also have light and medium trucks
carrying sugarcane, timber, quarry materials, etc. Another feature common to rural roads is that their
maintenance is neglected, because of paucity of funds and poor institutional set-up. The design of
pavements for rural roads should recognise these factors.

1.3. Concrete pavements offer an alternative to flexible pavements especially where the soil
strength is poor, the aggregates are costly and drainage conditions are bad (as in portions of the roads
passing through villages and water-logged areas). The choice depends on these factors and the life-
cycle cost. Concrete pavements may be conventional screed-compacted pavements, Roller
Compacted Concrete Pavements (RCCP) or Interlocking Concrete Block Pavements (ICBP).

1.4. It should be recognised that concrete pavements demand a high degree of professional
expertise at the stages of design, construction and maintenance. The institutional set-up should be
suitably strengthened to meet the exacting demands of concrete pavements in remote places.
 IRC:SP:62-2004

2. SCOPE

Though IRC:58-2002 and IRC: 15-2002 deal with design and construction details of concrete
pavements respectively. The guidelines contained in this document are applicable only for low volume
rural roads. This document covers conventional screed-compacted pavements and roller compacted
concrete pavements.

3. FACTORS GOVERNING DESIGN

3.1. Wheel Load

t

The legal axle load in India being 102 kN, the pavement may be designed for a wheel load of 51
kN. However, for link roads serving isolated villages where the traffic consists of agricultural tractors
and trailers and light commercial vehicles only, a design wheel load of 30 kN may be considered.

3.2. Tyre Pressure

The tyre pressure may be taken as 0.7 MPa where a wheel load of 51 kN is considered and 0.5
MPa where a wheel load of 30 kN is considered.

3.3. Design Period

The design methodology given in these guidelines is based on wheel load stresses. The
repetitions of wheel loads and the consumption of fatigue, which form the basis of design in
IRC:58-2002, need not be considered for the very low volume of traffic encountered on rural roads.
Concrete pavements designed and constructed as per the guidelines contained in this document will
have a design life of not less than 20 years, as evidenced from the performance of roads constructed in the
past in the country.
f

3.4. Characteristics of the Subgrade

The strength of subgrade is expressed in terms of modulus of subgrade reaction, k, which is

determined by carrying out a plate bearing test, using 750 mm dia. plate according to 18:9214-1974. In
case of homogeneous foundation, test values obtained with a plate of 300 mm dia, k300, may be
converted to give k750, determined using the standard 750 mm dia. plate by the following correlation:

k750 = 0.5 k300 ... ... ... (1)

Since, the subgrade strength is affected by the moisture content, it is desirable to determine it
during or soon after the rainy season.

An idea of the k value of a homogeneous soil subgrade may be obtained from its soaked CBR
value using Table 1.
 IRC:SP:62-2004

TABLE1. APPROXIMATEKVALUECORRESPONDINGTO CBR VALUES

Soaked CBR% 2 3 4 5 7 10 15 20 50
k Value
N/mm2/mmx10-3 21 28 35 42 48 5 62 69 140

3.5. Sub-Base

The provision of a sub-base below the concrete pavement has many advantages such as:
It provides a uniform and reasonably firm support
It prevents mud-pumping on sub grade of clays and silts
It acts as a levelling course on distorted, non-uniform and undulating sub-grade
It acts as a capillary cut-off
Where the pavement is designed for a wheel load of 51 kN, a 150 mm thick sub-base of Water
Bound Macadam (using 53-22.4 mm aggregates), granular sub-base, gravel, soil-cement or soil-lime nay
be provided. Where the traffic is light and the pavement is designed for a wheel load of 30 kN, he
thickness of the sub-base may be reduced to 75 mm. The WBM and granular sub-base surface ihall
be finished smooth.
When the above type of sub-base is provided, the effective k value may be taken as 20 per cent
nore than the k value of the sub-grade.

A plastic sheet of 125 microns thickness shall be provided over the sub-base to act as a separation
ayer between the sub-base and concrete slab.

3.6. Concrete Strength

Since concrete pavements fail due to bending stresses, it is necessary that their design is based ;>n
the flexural strength of concrete. Where there are no facilities for determining the flexural strength, the mix
design may be carried out using the compressive strength values and the following relationship:
ff = 0.7Vfc
where, ff = flexural strength, N/mm2
f c = characteristic compressive cube strength, N/mm2

If the flexural strength observed from laboratory tests is higher than that given by the above
formula, the same may be used.

For Rural Roads, it is suggested that the 90-day strength be used for design instead of the 28-day
strength as the traffic develops only after the lapse of a period of time. The 90 day flexural strength may
be taken as 1.20 times the 28-day flexural strength or as determined from laboratory tests. Heavy traffic
should not be allowed for 90-days.

(2)
 IRC:SP:62-2004

The concrete mix should be so designed that the minimum flexural strength requirement in the
field is met at the desired confidence level. For rural roads, the tolerance level (accepted proportion of
low results), can be taken as 1 in 20. The normal variate, Z , for this tolerance level being 1.65, the
target average flexural strength is obtained from the following relationship:
S = SJ + Zn
d

where, S = target average flexural strength, at 28 days, MPa

Sl = characteristic flexural strength, at 28 days, MPa
Za = normal variate, having a value of 1.65, for a tolerance factor of 1 in 20.
a = expected standard deviation of field test samples, MPa;

Table 2 gives the values of expected standard deviation of compressive strength. TABLE

2. EXPECTED VALUES OF STANDARD DEVIATIONOFCOMPRESSIVESTRENGTH

Grade of Standard Deviation for different degrees

concrete of control, MPa
Very good Good Fair
M30 5.0 6.0 7.0
M35 5.3 6.3 7.3
M40 5.6 6.6 7.6

The standard deviation of flexural strength may be derived approximately using the formula
given earlier.

For pavement construction for rural roads, it is recommended that the characteristic 28-day
compressive strength should be at least 30 MPa. The characteristic 28-day flexural strength shall be at
least 3.8 MPa,

3.7. Modulus of Elasticity and Poisson's Ratio

The Modulus of Elasticity, E, of concrete may be taken as 3.0 x 104 MPa.

The Poisson's ratio may be taken as 0.15.

3.8. Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

The coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete ct, may be taken as

cc=10xlO-6perC.
 IRC:SP:62-2004

4. DESIGN OF SLAB THICKNESS

4.1. Critical Stress Condition

Concrete pavements in service are subjected to stresses due to a variety of factors, acting
simultaneously, the severest combination of which inducing the highest stress in the pavement will
give the critical stress condition. The factors commonly considered for design of pavement thickness are
traffic loads and temperature variations, as the two are additive. The effects of moisture changes and
shrinkage, being generally opposed to those of temperature and are of smaller magnitude, would
ordinarily relieve the temperature effects to some extent and are not normally considered critical to
thickness design.

For purpose of analysis, three different regions are recognised in a pavement slab-corner, edge and
interior-which react differently from one another to the effect of temperature differentials, as well as load
application.

The concrete pavements undergo a daily cyclic change of temperature differentials, the top
being hotter than the bottom during day and cooler during night. The consequent tendency of the
pavement slabs to warp upwards (top convex) during the day and downwards (top concave) during the
night, and restraint offered to this warping tendency by self-weight of the pavement induces stresses in the
pavement, referred to commonly as temperature stresses. These are flexural in nature, being tensile at
bottom during the day and at top during night. As the restraint offered to warping at any section of
the slab would be a function of weight of the slab upto that section, it is obvious that corners have very
little of such restraint. The restraint is maximum in the slab interior, and somewhat less at the edge.
Consequently, the temperature stresses induced in the pavement are negligible in the corner region, and
maximum at the interior.

Under the action of load application, maximum stress is induced in the corner region, as the
corner is discontinuous in two directions especially when load transfer steel dowels are not provided in
rural roads. The edge being discontinuous in one direction only has lower stress, while the least stress
is induced in the interior where the slab is continuous in all directions. Furthermore, the corner tends to
bend, like, a cantilever, giving tension at the top, interior, like, a beam giving tension at bottom. At
edge, main bending is along the edge like a beam giving maximum tension at bottom.

The maximum combined tensile stresses in the three regions of the slab will thus be caused
when effects of temperature differentials are such as to be additive to the load effects. This would
occur during the day in case of interior and edge regions, at the time of maximum temperature differential in
the slab. In the corner region, the temperature stress is negligible, but the load stress is maximum at night
when the slab corners have a tendency to lift up due to warping and lose partly the foundation support.
Considering the total combined stress for the three regions, viz., corner, edge and interior, for which the
load stress decreases in that order while the temperature stress increases, the critical stress condition is
reached in the edge region where neither of the load and temperature stresses are the minimum. It is,
therefore, felt that both the corner and the edge regions should be checked for total stresses and design
of slab thickness should be based on the more critical condition of the two.

6
 4.2.1. Edge stresses

(a) Due to load: The load stress in the critical edge region may be obtained as per
Westergaard3 analysis as modified by Teller and Sutherland from the following correlation (metric
units):
P I
oe= 0.529 (l+0.54fi)(41og10 +log ]0 b-0.4048) ... ... (3)
where, ale = load stress in the edge region, MPa
P = design wheel load, N
h = pavement slab thickness, mm
|U, = Poisson's ratio for concrete
E = Modulus of elasticity for concrete, MPa
k = Modulus of subgrade reaction of the pavement foundation, N/ mm3xlO~3
(. = radius of relative stiffness, mm

- 4
EhJ
(4)

b = radius of equivalent distribution of pressure

= a for f 1.724 h
= i/1.6a 2 +h 2 - -675 h for < a 1,724
(5)

and
fa = radius of load contact assumed

circular, mm where p is tyre pressure

(b) Due to temperature: The temperature stress at the critical edge region may be obtained
as per Westergaard's analysis, using Bradbury's coefficient from the following correlation:
EccAt
(6)
where, ote = temperature stress in the edge region, MPa
At = maximum temperature differential during day between top and bottom of the
slab, C
a = Coefficient of thermal expansion of conciete,/C
C = Bradbury's coefficient, which can be ascertained directly from Bradbury's chart
against values of L/l and W/l
L = slab length or spacing between consecutive contraction joints, m
W = slab width, m
I = radius of relative stiffness, m
 IRC:SP:62-2004

Values of the coefficient C based on the curves given in Bradbury's chart, are given in Table 3.

TABLE 3 : VALUES OF CO-EFFICIENT 'C' BASED ON BRADBURY'S CHART

L/l and W/l C

1 0.000
2 0.040
3 0.175
4 0.440
5 0.720
6 0.920
7 1.030
8 1.077
9 1.080
10 1.075
11 1.050
12 and above 1.000

Design Chart for calculation of temperature stress for different values of C is given in Fig. 1.

4.2.2. Temperature differential: Temperature differential between the top and bottom of
concrete pavements causes the concrete slab to warp, giving rise to stresses. The temperature differential is a
function of solar radiation received by the pavement surface at the location, losses due to wind
velocity, etc., and thermal diffusivity of concrete, and is thus affected by geographical features of the
pavement location. As far as possible, values of actually anticipated temperature differentials at the
location of the pavement should be adopted for pavement design. For this purpose guidance may be had
from Table 4.

4.2.3. Corner stresses: The load stress in the corner region may be obtained as per
Westergaard's analysis as modified by Kelley, from the following correlation :

where, alc = load stress in the corner region, other notations remaining the same as in the
case of the edge stress formula.
 IRC:SP:62-2004
4.0

3.5

3.0 -

2.0 -

1.0 -

0.5 -

15 20 25

Temperature differential, A t (c)

CHART FOR DETERMINATION OF COEFFICIENT C:

L/lor W/l C L/l or W/l C

1 0.000 7 1.030

2 0.040 8 1.077

3 0.175 9 1.080

4 0.440 10 1.075
5 0.720 11 / 1.050
12 & above
6 0.920 1.000

Fig.l. Design chart for calculation of temperature stress

 IRC:SP:62-2004

The temperature stress in the corner region is negligible, as the corners are relatively free to
warp, and may be ignored.

TABLE 4 : RECOMMENDED TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIALS FOR CONCRETE SLABS

Zone States Temperature Differential,

C in Slabs of Thickness
150mm 200mm 250mm
I Punjab, U.P., Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, 12.5 13.1 14.3
Haryana, Gujarat and North M.P.,
excluding hilly regions.
II Bihar, Jharkand, West Bengal, Assam and 15.6 16.4 16.6
Eastern Orissa excluding hilly regions
and coastal areas.
III Maharashtra, Karnataka, South M.P., 17.3 19.0 20.3
Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Western
Orissa and North Tamil Nadu excluding
hilly regions and coastal areas.

IV Kerala and South Tamil Nadu excluding 15.0 16.4 17.6

hilly regions and coastal areas.

V Coastal areas bounded by hills. 14.6 15.8 16.2

VI Coastal areas unbounded by hills. 15.5 17.0 19.0

f The above Table has been prepared on the basis of actual observations by Central
Road Research Institute, New Delhi].

4.3. Design Charts

a
c
i
Figs. 2 and 3 give ready-to-use design charts for calculations of load stress in the edge and
C
O
corner regions of rigid pavement slabs for a wheel load of 30 kN. Figs. 4 and 5 give similar charts for a tr
wheel load of 51 kN. UJ
z
a:
o
o
4.4. Reinforcement

Plain concrete jointed slabs for rural roads do not require reinforcement.

4.5. Recommended Design Procedure

(1) Select design wheel load, concrete flexural strength, modulus of subgrade reaction,
modulus of elasticity of concrete, Poisson's ratio, coefficient of thermal expansion of
concrete.

10
 IRC:SP:62-2004

(2) Decide joint spacing and lane width (para 5.2).

(3) Select tentative design thickness of slab, based on defined design load, k value/CBR
and flexural strength of concrete.
(4) Ascertain maximum temperature stress for the critical edge region from Equation (6).
(5) Calculate the residual available strength of concrete for supporting traffic loads.
(6) Ascertain edge load stress from Equation (3) or Fig. 2 or Fig. 4 as relevant and calculate the
factor of safety.
(7) In case the available factor of safety is less than or far in excess of 1, adjust the tentative
slab thickness and repeat steps 3 to 6 till the factor of safety is 1 or slightly more.
(8) Check the adequacy of thickness in the corner region by ascertaining corner load stress
from Equation (7) or Fig. 3 or Fig. 5 as relevant and readjust the thickness if inadequate.

4.6. Table 5 gives slab thickness for Rural Roads under different traffic and temperature
differential conditions for two common types of concrete. The thickness given is applicable to common
subgrade soils, such as, clay, silt and silty clay, with CBR value of 4. A sub-base as recommended in
para 3.5 is assumed.

TABLE 5 : CONCRETE PAVEMENT THICKNESS FOR RURAL ROADS

28-Day Pavement Thickness(mm)

Concrete
Strength Low Traffic (wheel load-30 kN) Heavy Traffic (wheel load-51 kN)
(compres-
sive) Zone-I Zone-II, Zone-Ill Zone-I Zone-II, Zone-Ill
(MPa) IV,V,VI IV,V,VI
Temperature differential, C
<15.0 15.1 to ' 17.1 to <15.0 15.1 to 17.1 to
17.0 20.0 17.0 20.0
30 150 160 170 190 190 200
35 150 150 160 180 180 190
40 150 150 150 170 180 180
Note: l)Maximum temperature is considered in the computation
2)Design thickness values are based on the 90-day strength
The following design parameters have been considered in preparing the above tables:
CBR 4%
E 3.0 x 104 MPa
|l (Poisson's ratio) 0.15
0.5 MPa (for wheel load 30 kN)
= 0.7 MPa (for wheel load 51 kN)
Tyre pressure 3.75 m x 3.75 m

Configuration of slab =
13
 IRC:SP:62-2004

5. JOINTS
5.1. Types of Joints

Rural Roads are generally of single-lane, and the full lane width (3.0 m-3.75 m) is concreted in
one operation. Thus, there is no need for a longitudinal joint for single-lane rural roads.

As regards transverse joints, they are of three types:

1. Contraction joints
2. Construction joints
3. Expansion joints

5.2. Spacing of Joints

5.2.1. Transverse contraction and construction joints: The spacing of transverse contraction
joints or construction joints in alternate bay construction may be kept 2.50 m-3.75 m. The length of the
panel (in the direction of traffic) shall not be less than the width of the panel. The details of the joint
are shown in Fig. 6.

5.2.2. Expansion joints: Expansion joints are necessary where concrete slabs abut with
bridges and culverts. The details of the joints are shown in Fig. 6.

5.2.3. Longitudinal joints: Where the width of concrete slab exceeds 4.5 m as in the case of
causeways, etc., it is necessary to provide a longitudinal joint as per the details given in Fig. 6 in the
mid-width of the slab.

5.3. Load Transfer at Transverse Joints

Since rural roads have low traffic with small wheel loads, the slab thickness normally being
150-250 mm, the aggregate interlock at the sawn joints is itself adequate for load transfer and no
dowel bars are necessary. The arrangement for sealing of sawn joints is given in Fig. 6(b). If slabs are cast
in alternate panels, keyed joints can be formed as in Fig. 6(a). Day's work should normally be
terminated at a contraction joint.

At expansion joints, where the joints width may be 20 mm, dowel bars are required as shown in,
Fig. 6 (c). Dowel bars shall be 25 mm diameter, 500 mm long and spaced at 250 mm centre to centre.

Fig. 6 gives the details of contraction, longitudinal and expansion joints.

i

For purposes of illustrating the recommended design, a worked out design example has been
given as Appendix.

In the case of Roller Compacted Concrete Pavements, the contraction joints may be formed by
cutting joints with concrete saw at the spacing suggested in para 5.2. If aesthetics of the road is not an
important consideration, the sawing of joints may be omitted and the cracks allowed to form on their
own.

14
 IRC:SP:62-2004

6. MATERIALS AND MIX DESIGN

6.1. Cement
Any of the following types of cement capable of attaining the design strength may be used,
(i) Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), 33 Grade, IS:269
(ii) Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), 43 Grade, IS: 8112
(iii) Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement conforming to IS:455 and
, (iv) Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) conforming to IS: 1489
(v) Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), 53 grade >

If the soil around has soluble salts like sulphates (SO3) in excess of 0.5 per cent of the soil, the
ement used shall be sulphate resistant and shall conform to 18:12330. If the price of OPC, 43 grade nd
PPC is almost the same, preference may be given to PPC as it will result in a more durable
oncrete. If fly ash of required quality is available, a combination of OPC, grade 43 and fly ash can be
conomical. OPC 53 grade is to be used only when a part of cement is replaced by flyash.

Cement may be supplied in packed form. For large sized projects, cement may be obtained in
>ulk form if a cement plant is nearby. Bulk cement shall be stored in vertical or horizontal silos. If
ement in paper bags is proposed to be used, there shall be bag splitters with the facility to separate
deces of paper bags and dispose them off suitably. No paper pieces shall enter the concrete mix.

The cementitious content (cement + fly ash/slag) in the concrete mix used in rural roads shall lot
be less than 3.1 kN/cum and not more than 4.25 kN/cum.

6.2. Flyash
Fly-ash can be used as a partial replacement of cement (OPC) up to an extent of 35 per cent. Its
lain function is to occupy the space that would otherwise be occupied by cement or water. It also
ontributes to the development of strength because, being a pozzolanic material, it reacts with the free ime
liberated from cement, (Table 6).

Fly-ash shall conform to 18:3812-2004 and shall have the following properties:

TABLE 6 : PROPERTIES OF FLY ASH

1. Specific surface area Greater than 3,20,000 mm2/gm

2. Lime reactivity Greater than 4.5 (N/mm2)
3. Loss on Ignition Maximum 5 per cent

6.3. Aggregates

6.3.1. Aggregates shall be natural material conforming to 18:383. The aggregates shall not be
ilkali-reactive. The limits of deleterious materials shall not exceed the values set out in 18:383. In

16
 IRC:SP:62-2004

case the aggregates are not found to be free from dirt, the same may be washed and drained for at least 72
hours before batching. The coarse aggregates shall not have flakiness more than 35 per cent.

6.3.2. Coarse aggregates: Coarse aggregate shall consist of clean, hard, strong, dense, non-
porous and durable pieces of crushed stone or crushed gravel and shall be devoid of pieces of
disintegrated stone, soft, flaky, elongated, very angular or splintery pieces. The maximum size of
coarse aggregate shall not exceed 25 mm. No aggregate which has water absorption more than 5 per
cent shall be used in the concrete mix. Where the water absorption is more than 3 per cent, the aggregates
shall be tested for soundness in accordance with IS:2386 (Part V). After 5 cycles of testing the loss
shall not be more than 12 per cent if sodium sulphate solution is used or 18 per cent if magnesium
sulphate solution is used. The wet Impact Value shall not be more than 30 per cent.

Dumping and stacking of aggregates shall be done in an approved manner.

6.3.3. Fine aggregates: The fine aggregate shall consist of clean natural sand or crushed
stone sand or a combination of the two and each individually shall conform to IS:383. Fine aggregate
shall be free from soft particles, clay, shale, loam, cemented particles, mica and organic and other
foreign matter. The fine aggregate shall not contain substances more than the following:

Clay lumps Coal and 4.0 per cent

lignite 1.0 per cent
Material passing IS sieve
No. 75 micron 4.0 per cent in natural sand and
15.0 per cent in crushed sand produced by
crushing rock.

6.3.4. Blending of aggregates: The coarse and fine aggregates shall be blended so that the
material after blending shall conform to the grading given in Table 7. The same grading can be adopted in
pavement constructed with roller compacted concrete.

TABLE 7 : AGGREGATE GRADATION FOR CONCRETE

Sieve Designation Percentage passing the sieve

by weight

26.50 mm 100
19.00 mm 80-100
9.5C mm 55-75
4.7. > mm 35-60
600 micron 10-35
75 micron 0-8
 IRC:SP:62-2004

For concrete compacted by needle vibrators, screeds and hand tampers, the proportioning of ic
coarse and fine aggregates, cement and water should be done based on any standard procedure.
Guidance in this regard may be had from IRC:44-1976, IRO59-1976, IRC68-1976, 15:10262 or 5:
SP-23. The workability at the point of placing shall be adequate for the concrete to be fully compacted nd
finished without undue flow.

6.3.5. Water: Water used for mixing and curing of concrete shall be clean and free from
ijurious amount of oil, salt, acid, vegetable matter or other substances harmful to the finished concrete. ;
shall meet the requirements stipulated in IS:456.

6.3.6. Admixtures: Admixtures conforming to IS:6925 and IS:9103 may be used to improve
/orkability of concrete or extension of the setting time.

6.3.7. Storage of materials

6.3.7.1. General: All materials shall be stored in proper places so as to prevent their deterioration r
satisfactory quality and fitness for the work. The storage space must also permit easy inspection,
;moval and restorage of materials. All such materials, eventhough stored in approved godowns/
laces, shall be subjected to acceptance test prior to their immediate use.

6.3.7.2. Aggregates: Aggregate stockpiles may be made on ground that is denuded of vegetation,
; hard and well drained. If necessary, the ground shall be covered with 50 mm wooden planks or
unny bags or hessian cloth.

Coarse aggregates, shall be delivered to the site in two separate sizes. Aggregates placed directly >n
the ground shall not be removed from the stockpile within 30 cm of the ground until the final leaning
up of the work, and then only the clean aggregate will be permitted to be used. Rescreening if
aggregates before use may be resorted to if aggregates are found contaminated with soil or excessive ine
dust.

In the case of fine aggregates, these shall be deposited at the mixing site not less than 8 hours
icfore use and shall have been tested and approved.

6.3.7.3. Cement: Cement shall be transported, handled and stored in the site in such a manner s to
avoid deterioration or contamination. Cement shall be stored above ground level in perfectly dry nd
water-tight sheds and shall be stacked not more than eight bags high. Wherever bulk storage
ontainers are used their capacity should be sufficient to cater to the requirement at site for a week and
hould be cleaned at least once every 3 months.

Each consignment shall be stored separately so that it may be readily identified and inspected ind
cement shall be used in the sequence in which it is delivered at site. Any consignment or part of
:onsignment of cement which had deteriorated in any way, during storage, shall be subjected to tests, md
if found sub-standard shall not be used in the works and shall be removed from the site.

Proper records on site in respect of delivery, handling, storage and use of cement shall be

18
 IRC:SP:62-2004

maintained at site and these records shall be available for inspection at all times. The daily test certificate
issued by cement factory shall be collected and documented for future reference.

A monthly return shall be made showing the quantities of cement received and issued during
the month and in stock at the end of the month.

6.4. Mix Design

6.4.1. Roller compacted concrete pavement (RCCP): Mix design for RCCP is totally
different from the design of mix for a conventional cement concrete pavement as the Abrahm's water/
cement ratio law does not hold good. Roller Compacted Concrete is a no-slump concrete.

The mix shall be proportioned b\ weight of all ingredients such that the desired target mean
strength is achieved. The mix design shall be based on the flexural strength of concrete. The moisture
content shall be selected so that mix is dry enough to support the weight of a vibratory roller, and yet
wet enough to permit adequate distribution of paste throughout the mass during mixing, laying and
compaction operations. The water content may be in range of 4 to 7 per cent by weight of dry materials
including cement. Trial mixes may be made with water contents in the range of 5-7 per cent and shall be
determined by trial mixes with water content changing at 1.0 per cent intervals. The optimum moisture
content which gives the maximum density shall be established. The exact moisture content requirement in
the mix shall be established after making field trial construction as explained in para 7.2.

Using the moisture content so established, a set of six beams and cubes shall be prepared for
testing on the 7th and 28th days. If the flexural strength achieved is lower than the desired strength, the
trials should be repeated after increasing the cement/ fly ash content till the desired strength is
achieved.

6.4.2. Concrete compacted by vibratory screeds, needle vibrators, hand tampers and
plate compactors: Mix design for concrete compacted by screeds, needle vibrators and hand tampers
shall be done on the basis of any recognised procedure, such as, 1RC:44-1976, "Tentative Guidelines for
Concrete Mix Design for Pavements". The mix design is initially carried out in the laboratory,
keeping in view the desired characteristic strength, the degree of workability, water-cement ratio, size of
aggregates. A slump of 2.5 to 4.5 cm at paving site may be acceptable for compaction by hand-
operated machines.

6.4.3. Design mix: The laboratory trial mixes shall be tried out in the field, and any adjustments that
are needed are carried . >ut during the trial length constructions.

7. CONSTRUCTION

7.1. Sub-base

The Concrete pavement for rural roads shall be laid on a properly compacted sub-base which
shall be constructed on a subgrade of selected coarse grained soil of 15 cm thickness. The sub-base

19
 IRC:SP:62-2004

be composed of granular material or stabilised soil or semi-rigid material as listed below: -

(a) Granular material
(i) Water Bound Macadam (WBM)
(ii) Well-graded granular materials, like, natural gravel, crushed slag, crushed
concrete, brick metal, laterite, kankar, etc. conforming to IRC:63-1976.
(iii) Well-graded soil-aggregate mixtures conforming to IRC:63-1976.
(b) Stabilised soil
Local soil or moorum stabilised with lime or lime-fly ash or cement, as appropriate to give a
limum soaked CBR of 20 after 3-days of curing and 4-days of soaking. For guidance as regards ign
of mixes with cement or lime, a reference may be made to IRC:51 and IRC:50 respectively.

The thickness of the sub-base shall be minimum 75 mm when the material is of any of the
;s listed in (a) and (b) above. A thickness of 150 mm may be adopted where the traffic consists of
led trucks as stated in para 3.1.

The sub-base shall be constructed in accordance with the respective specification and the
face finished to the required lines, levels and cross-section.

7.2. Construction of Trial Length

In order to determine and demonstrate the suitability of the construction equipment and
thodology, a trial length of at least 20 m shall be constructed outside the main works. Mixes shall
produced from the mixers intended to be used in the actual construction. The laying operation also ill
be done by employing roller proposed in the case of Roller Compacted Concrete Pavement and eeds,
etc. in the case of normal concrete. After the construction of the trial length in the case of Her
Compacted Concrete, the in-situ density of the freshly laid material shall be determined by id
replacement method with 200 mm dia density holes. Three density holes shall be made at locations aally
spaced along a diagonal that bisects the trial length and the average of the three densities shall
determined. This reference density shall be used for determining the field density of day-to-day >rk.
The dry density during the normal work shall not be less than 95 per cent of this reference nsity.
These density holes shall not be made in the strip 50 cm from the edges. In case of screed-)rated
concrete pavement, the in-situ density of the cores shall be such that the air voids are not )re than 3
per cent. The air-voids shall be derived from the difference between the theoretical iximum dry
density of the concrete calculated from the specific gravities of the constituents of the ncrete mix and
the average value of the three direct density measurements on cores. The crushing ength of
cylindrical cores shall be determined and the corresponding crushing strength of cubes termined by
the formula:

crushing strength of cylindrical specimens

= 0.8 x crushing strength of cubes
when the height to diameter ratio is 2

20
 IRC:SP:62-2004

The crushing strengths of cylinders with height to diameter ratio between 1 and 2 may be
corrected to a standard cylinder of height to diameter ratio of 2 by multiplying with the correction
factor obtained from the following equation:

f = 0.11 n +0.78
where f = correction factor
n = height to diameter ratio

The number of cores shall be a minimum of three. The concrete in the work represented by the
core test shall be considered acceptable if the average equivalent cube strength of the cores is at least 85
per cent of the cube strength of the grade of concrete specified for the corresponding age and no
individual core has a strength less than 75 per cent.

The trial length shall satisfy surface levels and regularity, and- demonstrate that the joint-
forming methodology is satisfactory. The hardened concrete shall be cut over 3 m width and reversed to
inspect the bottom surface for any segregation taking place. The trial length shall be again constructed after
making necessary changes in the gradation of the mix to eliminate segregation of the mix. It shall be
ensured that the lower surface shall not have honey-combing and the aggregates shall not be held loosely
at the edges.

The construction can be done either by casting each panel alternatively or paving continuously. In
the latter case the contraction joints will have to be cut with concrete saw.

After the trial length is found to be satisfactory and is approved, the material, mix properties,
moisture content, cement/fly ash content, mixing, laying, compaction plant and entire construction
procedure shall not be changed. In case any change is desired, the entire procedure shall be repeated.

7.3. Batching and Mixing

The batching plant/concrete mixer shall be capable of proportioning the materials by weight,
each type of material being weighed separately. The capacity of the batching and mixing shall be at
least 25 per cent higher than the proposed capacity for the laying arrangements. The type of the mixer
may be selected subject to demonstration of its satisfactory performance during the trial length
construction. The rated capacity of the mixer shall not be less than 0.3 cum. The weighing mechanism
shall be checked periodically and calibrated, to yield an accuracy of 2 per cent in the case of aggregates and
1 per cent in the case of cement, fly ash and water. When fly ash is added, the mixing time shall be
increased by a minute to ensure proper mixing.

7.4. Transporting

The mix shall be discharged immediately from the mixer, transported directly using wheel
barrows, iron pans or tippers to the point where it is to be laid and protected from the weather by
covering with tarpaulin during transit. The concrete shall be transported continuously to feed the
laying equipment to work at a uniform speed in an uninterrupted manner.

21
 IRC:SP:62-2004

7.5. Form work

All side forms shall be of mild steel channel sections of depth equal to the thickness of the
pavement. The sections shall have a length of at least 3.0 m. Wooden forms shall be capped along the
inside upper edge with 30-50 mm angle iron well recessed and kept flush with the face of the wooden
forms. The forms shall be held firmly in place by stakes driven to the ground. The supply of forms
shall be sufficient to permit their remaining in place not less than 12 hours after the concrete has been
placed. All forms shall be cleaned and oiled each time they are used. The forms shall be jointed neatly and
set with exactness to the required grade and alignment.

Bulkheads of suitable dimensions shall be used at construction joints. Formwork can be

dispensed with if a paver is used.

7.6. Placing Concrete ?

Concrete shall be deposited on the sub-base to the required depth and width in successive
batches and in continuous operation. Care shall be taken to see that no segregation of materials results.
The placing and spreading can be done by a paver, if available, or by manual means. In the latter case,
spreading shall be as uniform as possible and shall be accomplished by shovels. While being placed, the
concrete shall be rodded with suitable tools so that the formation of voids or honeycomb pockets are
avoided.

7.7. Compaction

7.7.1. The compaction shall be carried out immediately after the material is laid with necessary
surcharge (extra loose thickness) and levelled. The spreading, compacting and finishing of the concrete
shall be carried out as rapidly as possible and the operation shall be so arranged as to ensure that the
time between the mixing of the first batch of concrete in any transverse section of the layer and the
final finishing of the same shall not exceed 90 minutes when the concrete temperature is above 25 and
below 30C and 120 minutes if less than 25C. This period may be reviewed in the light of the results of
the trial length but in no case shall it exceed 2 hours. Work shall not proceed when the temperature of the
concrete exceeds 30C. The concreting shall be terminated when the ambient temperature is 5C
during descending temperature. It is desirable to stop concreting when the ambient temperature is above
35C. Night concreting may be resorted to when the day temperature in summer is not congenial for
concreting. After compaction has been completed, roller shall not stand on the compacted surface for the
duration of the curing period except during commencement of next day's work near the location where
work was terminated the previous day in the case of RCCP.

7.7.2. Compaction by vibratory roller: Double drum smooth-wheeled vibratory rollers of

minimum 80 to 100 kN static weight are considered to be suitable for rolling the Roller Compacted
Concrete. In case any other roller is proposed, the same shall be got approved after demonstrating its
satisfactory performance. The number of passes required to obtain maximum compaction depends on the
thickness of the concrete, the compactibility of the mix, and the weight and type of the roller, etc. The
total requirement of rollers for the job shall be determined during trial construction by measuring the in-
situ density and the scale of the work to be undertaken.

22
 1RC:SP:62-2004

In addition to the number of passes required for compaction there shall be a preliminary pass
without vibration to bed the lean concrete down and again a final pass without vibration to remove
roller marks and to smoothen the surface.

Special care and attention shall be exercised during compaction near joints, kerbs, channels,
side forms and around gullies and manholes. In case adequate compaction is not achieved by the roller at
these points, use of plate vibrator shall be made.

The final concrete surface on completion of compaction shall be well closed, free from
movement under roller and free from ridges, low spots, cracks, loose material, pot-holes, ruts or other
defects. The final surface shall be inspected immediately on completion and all loose, segregated or
defective areas shall be corrected by using fresh lean concrete material laid and compacted. For repairing
honeycombed surface, concrete with aggregates of size 10 mm and below shall be spread and compacted. It
is necessary to check the level of the rolled surface for compliance. Any level/ thickness deficiency
should be corrected after applying concrete with aggregates of size 10 mm and below after roughening the
surface. Similarly, the surface regularity also should be checked with 3 m straight edge. The
deficiency should be made up with concrete with aggregates of size 10 mm and below during the
rolling operation.

7.7.3. In the case of roller compacted concrete, the compaction shall be continued so as to
achieve 95 per cent of the compaction achieved in the trial length. The densities achieved at the edges, i.e.,
0.5 m from the edge shall not be less than 95 per cent of that achieved during the trial construction.

7.7.4. Compaction by screed vibrators: Compaction shall be achieved by a vibrating hand

screed. As soon as concrete is placed, it shall be struck off uniformly and screeded to the cross-section
desired. Needle vibrators may be employed to ensure compaction near the forms. The entire surface
shall then be vibrated with screed resting on the side forms and being drawn ahead with a sawing
motion, in combination with a series of lifts and drops alternating with lateral shifts. The aim of this
first operation being compaction and screeding to the approximate level required. The surface shall then
be closely inspected for any irregularities with a profile checking template and any needed correction made by
adding or removing concrete, followed by further compaction and finishing in the second run.

7.8. Finishing

In the case of normal concrete just before the concrete becomes non-plastic, the surface shall be
belted with a two-ply canvas belt not less than 200 mm wide and at least 1.0 m longer than the width
of the slab. Hand belts shall have suitable handles to permit controlled uniform manipulation. The belt
shall be operated with short strokes transverse to the carriageway centre line and with a rapid advance
parallel to the centre line.

After belting, and as soon as surplus water, if any, has risen to the surface, the pavement shall be
given a broom finish with an approved clean steel or fibre broom not less than 450 mm wide. The
broom shall be pulled gently over the surface of the pavement from edge to edge. Adjacent strokes
shall be slightly overlapped. Brooming shall be perpendicular to the centre line of the pavement and so
executed that the corrugations thus produced shall be uniform in character and width, and not more

23
 IRC:SP:62-2004

than 1.5 mm deep. Brooming shall be completed before the concrete reaches such a stage that the
surface is likely to be torn or unduly roughened by the operation. The broomed surface shall be free
from porous or rough spots, irregularities, depressions, and small pockets, such as, may be caused by
accidentally disturbing particles of coarse aggregate embodied near the surface.

After belting and brooming have been completed, but before the concrete has taken its initial
set, the edges of the slab shall be carefully finished with an edge tool of 6 mm radius, and the pavement
edge left smooth and true to line.

7.9. Transverse Joints

Contraction joints shall be formed by mechanically sawing a joint groove, 3 to 5 mm wide,

and 1/4 to 1/3 depth of the slab soon after the concrete sets and hardens. In case of construction of
alternate panels in chequered construction, this operation is not necessary.

Alternatively, the joint can also be formed by pressing a mild steel T section into the fresh
concrete. But this technique is likely to result in bulged joints, thus affecting riding quality.

The contraction joints shall be cut as soon as the concrete has undergone initial hardening and is
hard enough to take the load of the joint sawing machine without causing damage to the slab.

Transverse construction joints shall be placed wherever concreting is completed after a day's
work or is suspended for more than 90 minutes. These joints shall be provided at the location of
contraction joints. At all construction joints, steel bulk-heads shall be used to retain the concrete while the
surface is finished. The surface of the concrete laid subsequently shall conform to the grade and cross-
sections of the previously laid pavement. When positioning of bulk-head/stop-end is not possible,
concreting to an additional 1 or 2 m length may be carried out loanable the movement of joint cutting
machine so that joint grooves may be formed and the extra 1 or 2 m length is cut out and removed
subsequently after concrete has hardened.

Expansion joints are provided at abutments of bridges and culverts. The width of the expansion
joint shall be 20 mm.

The typical details of joints are given in Fig. 6. The joint sealing compound shall be if hot
poured sealing compound type having flexibility, resistant to age hardening and durability conforming to
IS: 1834.

7.10. Curing

As soon as the concrete surface is compacted, curing shall commence.

The initial curing shall be done by the application of curing compound followed by covering the
pavement surface entirely with wetted burlap or jute mats. The covering shall be maintained fully wetted
and in position for 24 hours after the concrete has been placed. The burlap shall be placed from suitable
bridges without having to walk on the freshly laid concrete.

24
 IRC:SP:62-2004

After the initial curing, the final curing shall be done by ponding or continuing with wetted
burlap. Ponding shall consist of constructing earthen dykes of clay of about 50 mm height transversely and
longitudinally, spreading a blanket layer of sand over the exposed pavement and thoroughly wetting
the sand covering for 14 days. The wetted burlap also shall be placed for 14 days.

7.11. Removal of Forms

Forms shall be removed only after the concrete has set for at least 12 hours. They shall be
carefully removed without causing damage to the edge of the pavement. After the removal of forms, the
ends shall be cleaned and any honey-combed areas pointed with 1:2 cement-sand mortar, after which
the sides of the slab shall be covered with earth to the level of the slab. In case the adjoining soil has more
than 0.5 per cent sulphates, the sides may be painted with bituminous tack coat.

7.12. Opening to Traffic

The freshly laid concrete shall be protected by suitable barricades to exclude traffic. No vehicular
traffic shall be allowed for a period of 90 days. If necessary, alternative earthen track may be constructed for
use by traffic.

7.13. Sealing of Joints

The sawn joints shall be widened to the desired width as per Fig. 6 by sawing. The edges of the
joints shall be ground to provide a chamfer of 5 mm. All grooves shall be cleaned of any dirt or loose
material by using a raker, coir brush and air-blasting using a compressor or cycle pump.

The temporary seal provided for blocking the ingress of dirt, etc. shall be removed. The details of
joint sealing is given in Fig. 6.

Sealing shall be done by a hot applied rubberised bituminous sealant after priming the edges of
the joints (if recommended by the manufacturer). Precautions shall be taken so that the sealant shall not
spill on the exposed surface of the concrete. The sealant shall be poured from a kettle having a spout.
A reference may be made to IRC:57 for details.

7.14. Surface Regularity

The surface shall be checked for surface regularity with a straight edge of 3 m length. The
tolerance in this length shall not exceed 8 mm.

7.15. Quality Control

At least six beam and six cube specimens shall be sampled, one set of three cubes and beams each
for 7-day and 28-day strength tests for every 100 cum of concrete or a day's work. A quality control
chart indicating the strength values of individual specimens shall be maintained. Further guidance may
be taken from IRC:SP: 11-2003, "Handbook of Quality Control for Construction of Roads and Runways".

25
 IRC:SP:62-2004

7.16. Cracks in Concrete Slabs

The cement concrete slabs may develop cracks if proper care is not taken either during
construction stage or during post-construction period. The cracks develop in cement concrete slabs
primarily due to plastic shrinkage or drying shrinkage.

Protecting green concrete by covering with wet hessian helps in avoiding formation of cracks.

In case the slab is constructed continuously with a view to cut joints with concrete saw, thi<
exercise should be done soon after the concrete sets; may be as early as after 6-7 hours in summer
months.

7.17. Acceptance Criteria for Cracked Concrete Slabs

Concrete slabs may develop cracks of minor to Serious nature unless appropriate precautions are
taken to prevent their occurrence either during the construction phase or post-construction period. Cracks
can appear generally due to the following reasons.

(a) Plastic shrinkage of concrete surface due to rapid loss of moisture

(b) Drying shrinkage
(c) High wind velocity associated with low humidity
(d) High ambient temperature
(e) Delayed sawing of joints
(f) Rough and uneven surface of the base on which concrete slabs are constructed
(g) Combination of the above factors

The slabs with full depth cracks are totally unacceptable as it amounts to structural failure.
Besides, other cracks which are deep and are likely to progress in depth with time are also to be
considered as serious in nature. Fine crazy cracks, however, are not serious. The acceptance criteria for
cracked concrete slabs are:

(i) The length of single crack in any panel shall not be more than 750 mm, eventhough its
depth is less than half of the slab depth.
(ii) The cumulative length of cracks with depth of crack less than half the depth of slab in a
panel shall not be more than 1250 mm.
(iii) Slabs with cracks which are penetrating to more than half of the slab depth shall not be
accepted.
 IRC:SP:62-2004

Appendix

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE OF DESIGN OF A CEMENT CONCRETE

PAVEMENT FOR RURAL ROADS
Example

A cement concrete pavement is to be designed for a Rural Road in Uttar Pradesh having a
traffic volume of 150 vehicles per day consisting vehicles, like, agricultural tractors/trailers, light
goods vehicles, heavy trucks, buses, animal drawn vehicles, motorized two-wheels and cycles. Design the
pavement. The soil has a soaked CBR value of 4.
Design
Wheel load
As per para 3.1, the wheel load appropriate for the traffic conditions is 51 kN.
k value
From Table 1, the k value corresponding to a CBR value of 4 is 35 x 10~3 N/mm2/mm.
Sub-base
Provide a 75 mm thick WBM course.
Effective k Value
Since a sub-base is provided, the k value can be increased by 20 per cent (para 2.5).
Effective k value = 1.20x35x 10~3 = 42x 10'3 kg/mm2/mm
Concrete Strength
Adopt a 28 day compressive strength of 30 MPa.

Flexural strength ff = 0.7 JTC = 3.834 MPa .

/. 28 day Flexural strength = 3.834 MPa
90 day flexural strength = 1.20 x 3.834 MPa
= 4.6 MPa
Thickness
Try a thickness of 150 mm
Edge Load Stress
From Fig. 4, edge load stress for k = 42 x 10~3 N/mm3, edge load stress is 4.5 MPa
 IRC':SP:62-:2004

GUIDELINES FOR THE DESIGN AND

CONSTRUCTION OF CEMENT CONCRETE
PAVEMENTS FOR RURAL ROADS

THE INDIAN ROADS CONGRESS

2004