Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi, would like to place on
record its sincere thanks to the Orai Bhognipur Infrastructure Limited (OBIL), New
Delhi for sponsoring this study. Sincere thanks are due to the various officials of
Project implementation Unit (PIU), (NHAI), for the co-operation and assistance
extended to CRRI team during field investigations including providing of needed data
and information. Special thanks are due to the following NHAI & OBIL officials:
1
FOREWORD
However, the four-lane divided carriageway, which was completed about 5 years
back, started showing signs of pre-mature distress, particularly in the form of
rutting.
The present investigations, carried out by CRRI at the instance of OBIL, was
undertaken with a, view to identifying and assessing the probable causes of
distress(es) developed on the road and suggesting remedial measures needed to
arrest further deterioration and/or progression thereof. The investigations cover
both functional and structural evaluation of the road stretch, in a comprehensive
manner to understand the. Mechanism of distresses developed on mostly Orai to
Bhognipur carriageway of the highway.
It is expected that the findings, brought out- in the report, in terms of identifying the
probable causes of distress and suitable remedial measures recommended will
help Concessionaire in improving the current condition of several sections of the
highway, which are not performing satisfactorily at the moment.
Director,
Central Road Research Institute
New Oelhi-11 0 020
Date:
2
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
National Highway No.25 (NH-25) is one of the major highway connecting Jhansi
to Kanpur. Enroute, the highway passes through many important cities/places of
historical, tourist, and commercial interest, that are Orai Kalpi Bhognipur and
Pukhrayan. The section of highway from OraiBhognipur is NH-25 and after
Bhognipur, it is merging with NH-2 and the remaining section of the project
highway i.e. Bhognipur-Barah section is on NH 2. The entire project highway
has been constructed as a flexible pavement, and is a 'Toll Road' awarded to
concessionaire namely Orai Bhognipur Infrastructure Limited (OBIL). It is one of
the prestigious and important road construction projects executed by NHAI in
recent times with a number of grade separators, underpasses and service roads
around populated areas (towns/villages) on either side of the highway. Each of
the two carriageways generally has two lane with paved shoulders. Orai
Bhognipur-Barah is about 63.8 km length and was opened to traffic during the
year 2009. Majority of the heavy trucks traffic once entering into the Orai
Bhognipur, traverse upto Bhognipur and after Bhognipur these heavy trucks
divert to Etawah on NH-2. It becomes absolutely essential for the road
authorities that the Orai Bhognipur-Barah road be adequately maintained and
3
efficiently operated since it is a toll road and travelling public would want to get
value for their money. Also, frequent maintenance and repair works will cause
closureIdiversion of traffic on the road stretch which is practically difficult and
undesirable and may not be possible without causing great inconvenience to the
road users. Figure 1.1 shows the location map of Orai Bhognipur-Barah
sections of NH-25. OraiBhognipur section developed distress sometime 2-3
years back after the road was opened to traffic. Since then the pavement has
deteriorated severely and has started showing signs of pre-mature
distress/failure, especially in the form of excessive rutting coupled with cracks
and deformation.
Project Manager , Orai Bhognipur Infrastructure Ltd. (OBIL), Orai, vide letter
NO. OBIL/BOT/ORAI/2013/322 dated 9th November, 2013 requested Central
Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi to undertake the investigations
towards determining the probable causes of development of excessive rutting
and cracking on affected road sections having considerable length of Orai
Bhognipur section and to suggest needed remedial/rehabilitation measures for
rectification 'of these defects. CRRI accepted the assignment vide its letter No.
CRRI/PED/OBIL/2013-14 dated 26th December. 2013. Subsequently, a team
from CRRI carried out detailed investigations in March, 2014 on various affected
road sections of Orai Bhognipur-Barah which included both field studies and
laboratory evaluation, viz., assessment of current pavement surface condition,
pavement's structural thickness, traffic volume and axle loads surveys,
roughness measurements and Benkelman Beam deflection measurements. In
addition, materials used for construction of road in various layers of the
pavement structure were also retrieved from the test pits for determining their
properties in the laboratory.
The findings and recommendations presented in the report have been brought
out based on the data/results obtained through extensive field and laboratory
investigations carried out and their interpretation/ interrelationship.
Section 2 contains the overall objectives of the study and lists out the various
tasks/activities undertaken within the scope of present study.
Analysis of data done to compute/process the raw data in order to derive the
output/results is presented in Section 5 of the report.
Section 6 discusses the salient data/results and key observations made based
on the field studies and laboratory investigations carried out.
5
2.0 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
To meet the above stated objectives, the scope of work included both field
studies and laboratory evaluation, which comprise the following activities/tasks:
iii. Classified traffic counts survey (manual counts) for 48 hours continuously, at
4 location.
iv. Axle loads survey (using Weigh in Motion system), at Two locations for 24
hours continuously, for Commercial Vehicles (including LCV also), covering
primarily the heavy commercial vehicles.
v. Evaluation of test pits (3 Nos.) taken on distressed locations for collecting the
samples of road construction materials from each constituent layers of the
pavement structure.
vi. Extraction of cores of bituminous mixes for checking the quality of bituminous
layers.
vii. Laboratory evaluations of materials and mixes collected from test pits to
determine their properties I characteristics.
ix. Based on the data/results obtained through laboratory and field evaluations,
recommend needed remedial/rehabilitation measures to arrest the progression
of rutting and other defects towards improving the condition of affected sections
of the highway.
6
3.0 FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
3.1 General
Highway authorities are currently confronted with the enormous task to plan and
allocate budgets for maintenance works within the funds constraints in order to
provide a minimum/acceptable level of serviceability. Pavement evaluation thus
becomes essential and facilitates gathering of the requisite technical data and
informations required for determining the causes of distress, if any, and then plan for
needed corrective maintenance measures for upkeep of the pavements. One of the
most important aspect of the pavement evaluation is the determination of present
day traffic condition and in-situ characteristics of materials in the existing pavement,
so as to find out the structural adequacy of roads. This information enables
engineers to identify priorities and schedule maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R)
strategies which also helps in cost estimation of the maintenance activities as well.
There are two major groups for conducting pavement evaluation viz. (i) Structural
evaluation and (ij) Functional evaluation. Pavement evaluation involves a thorough
study of various factors such as subgrade support, pavement composition and its
thickness, traffic volume and loading and environmental conditions. The primary
objective of pavement evaluation is to asses as to whether and to what extent the
pavement fulfils the intended purpose so that the maintenance and strengthening
jobs could be planned and budgeted in time. These studies, therefore, investigate
the structural adequacy of pavements and other technical requirements for providing
the safe and comfortable traffic operations. It is pertinent to mention here that haevy
distress on the pavement in the form of rutting is observed on the section from Orai
to Bhognipur on NH-25 and precisely from Jholupur (15 km from Orai) to Bhognipur.
A variety of field investigations were done under the project primarily to determine
the structural adequacy/capacity of the existing pavement and to find out the types,
extent and seventy of distress/defects so as to suggest remedial measures needed
to arrest the progression of distress towards improving the condition of Orai
Bhognipur-Barah. The investigations also covered carrying out the functional
evaluation of pavement surface. The following field activities/surveys were
undertaken with a view to assess the current condition of pavement.
7
v. Traffic volume survey
vi. Axle loads survey
vii. Transverse placement of heavy commercial vehicles
The detailed methodology adopted for carrying out the above activities in the field is
presented in the following sub-sections.
Generally the Orai Bound Carriageway is in good condition except there is very little
sign of distress in Orai Bound Carriageway at isolated locations near median cut. It
was reported by OBIL offices that this type of isolated little distress is due to the
occasional movement of heavy traffic of Bhognipur bound carriageway on the Orai
bound carriagwway for sometime in case of traffic Jam or due to some other activity.
Photo 3.1 presents the general view of Orai Bhognipur-Barah section. Photos 3.2
and 3.3 show the rutting in inner lane. Photos 3.4, 3.5 and 3.5 show View of
Highway showing Loaded truck parked in outer lane and the typical
defects/distresses observed on the road.
Photo 3.3 Another view of Highway showing severe rutting in inner lane
Photo 3.4 View of Highway showing Loaded truck parked in outer lane
Photo 3.5 Another View of Highway showing Loaded truck parked in outer lane
10
Photo 3.6: Another View of Highway showing Loaded truck parked in outer lane
As can be seen from these photographs, the predominant distress types found on
the OraiBhognipur-Barah is severe rutting, shoving, upheaval and moderate
cracking particularly in the central portion and on the inner lane of Bhognipur bound
carriageway. There is negligible distress on the Orai bound carriageway except on
the approaches of new Kalpi Bridge that may be due to movement of Bhognipur
bound heavy traffic on Orai bound carriageway to cross river in case of traffic jam.
Based upon the assessment of pavement surface condition made in terms of the
type, extent and seventy of different defects etc., the most affected/distressed
sections were identified first and specific locations for test pitting were then decided
so as to cover various representative conditions prevailing on the road stretch. The
test pits were positioned two on the inner lane and one on outer lane. A total of three
test pits, measuring about 1.2 m x 1.2 m, in size were dug open upto the subgrade
level at three different representative locations. The details of test pit locations are
given in Table 3.2.
Best efforts were made to excavate the test pits right upto the top of subgrade level
to examine the quality of constituent materials and mixes including the earthwork
used for construction of road. In-situ Field densities of subgrade soils, granular sub
base (GSB) and granular base course (Wet Mix Macadam) were determined by
sand replacement method, using a sand pouring, cylinder of specified diameter, as
per IS standard testing procedure. As regards field densities of Dense Bituminous
Macadam (DBM) and Bituminous Concrete (BC) mixes, a number of cores of these
mixes, from different locations, in addition to the materials (chunks) collected from
various test pits, were sampled for the purpose of detailed laboratory evaluation. The
thicknesses of each constituent pavement layers were measured at 4 to 6 locations
in each of the three test pits and average value found.
Table 3.3 gives the details of pavement crust composition, observed layer wise, at all
the three test pits considered under this project.
Its various materials/mixes used for construction of road viz. bituminous mixes,
granular materials (WMM and GSB) and subgrade soil samples, were retrieved from
each of the three test pits for detailed evaluation in CRRI laboratory.
Photos 3.6 (a) and (b) show the excavation of test pits in progress, both using
hydraulic hammer and manually through engagement of labours respectively. Photo
3.7 & 3.8 show the typical view of a test pit excavated at Km. 252.200 (Bhognipur
bound carriageway).
12
3.4 Benkelman Beam Deflection Measurements
The layers of BItuminous Concrete (BC) as wearing course and that of Dense
Bituminous Macadam (DBM) as binder course were examined by coring from the
pavement to get samples of these mixes for evaluating their properties in the
laboratory. A number of cores of bituminous mixes (both DBM and BC), of 100 mm
diameter, were taken out using a core cutting machine at 25 different locations. The
details of core retrieved are given in Table 3.4. Cores of DBM and BC mixes were
separated out in the laboratory by slicing for detailed characterization. Photo 3.9
show the machine used for extracting the cores of bituminous mixes and Photo
show some of the typical cores of bituminous mixes extracted from OBIL section.
13
LHS Inner
5 231.000 63 50 65 178
LHS Inner
6 233.100 60 55 75 190
LHS Outer
7 238.050 58 60 70 188
LHS Outer
8 238.350 55 60 72 187
LHS Outer
9 238.800 58 58 70 186
LHS Outer
10 248.100 45 80 68 193
LHS
11 248.450 Inner 60 58 70 188
LHS
12 248.700 Outer 60 60 70 190
LHS Outer
13 249.200 80 100 180
LHS Outer
14 250.300 50 65 75 190
LHS Inner
15 251.300 63 110 55 228
LHS Inner
16 253.010 50 65 65 180
LHS Inner
17 426.800 47 60 65 172
LHS Inner
18 429.450 50 65 120 235
LHS Inner
19 432.400 50 93 60 203
LHS Inner
20 439.800 50 70 82 202
Inner
21 253.300 RHS 42 78 60 180
RHS
22 248.750 Outer 50 70 95 215
RHS Inner
23 245.450 55 58 70 183
RHS Inner
24 239.400 65 67 45 177
RHS Inner
25 238.400 35 75 70 180
Notes: LHS means Orai to Bhognipur Section : RHS means Bhognipur to Orai
Section
Traffic volume data on the highway was collected at four location by covering all
categories of motorized vehicles. The data was collected manually under the direct
supervision of CRRI team by engaging the trained enumerators who recorded
vehicle counts in a prescribed proforma devised for the purpose. The traffic volume
surveys were carried out for 48 hours continuously during 3rd march to 6th March,
14
2014 in both directions (i.e Orai bound traffic and Bhognipur bound traffic). The traffic
survey in progress is shown in Photo 3.10.
Total
(Commercial 3730 2501 2370 3848
Vehicles)
15
Note: The percentage indicated is in terms of particular vehicle category to the total
number of all vehicles.
The axle loads survey was conducted, by covering mainly light commercial vehicles,
buses and heavy commercial vehicles. The survey was done for vehicles plying in
both directions, using weigh in motion (WIM) system which records weight and type
of vehicles. The survey was done for a continuous period of 24 hours. Photos 3.12
(a) and (b) show the axle loads survey being carried out. In this WIM system most
of the vehicles were weighed in both carriageways during 24 hrs, at the location of
traffic survey, as shown in Figure 3.5.
v.
3.8 Transverse Placement of Heavy Commercial Vehicles
16
sample survey was carried out. The entire pavement width was divided into strips of
uniform width at 0.5m interval, which were then number marked and clearly painted
on the road as shown in Photo 3.11. A group of trained enumerators were employed
to see and record the actual strips used by the wheels of different commercial
vehicles passing the section of road, during the survey period. The cumulative
passing of vehicles on each strip was then calculated, as given in section 5.
Photo: 3.11 Pavement width divided into strips of 0.5m for lateral Placement of
Vehicle
17
4.0 LABORATORY EVALUATIONS
The laboratory evaluations, carried out under this study, included the determination
of mechanical and engineering characteristics of subgrade soils, aggregates and
bituminous mixes used for the construction of Orai Bhognipur-Barah section . In
order to evaluate different characteristics of these materials and mixes, relevant
tests on subgrade soil, aggregates, bituminous mixes, washed aggregates and
recovered bitumen etc. were carried out, as per standard procedures. The details
covering various laboratory tests done and results obtained for these materials and
mixes, are given in the following sub-sections.
The subgrade soil samples, collected from three test pits, were evaluated in the
laboratory involving the following laboratory tests:
For CBR testing, moulds were prepared at Field Dry Density (FDD) and Field
Moisture Content (FMC) and these were tested after soaking in water for four days.
The laboratory results obtained for subgrade soils are presented in Table 4.1.
The samples of coarse aggregates used in the granular sub-base and base courses
were collected from each test pits and evaluated in the laboratory for the following
tests:
18
Flakiness and Elongation Indicies IS:2386(part-I) : 1963
The laboratory test results for Granular Sub-base i.e. GSB (for both layers), are
given in Table 4.2. The laboratory test results for Wet Mix Macadam (WMM) used in
the base course (for both layers) are given in Table 4.3.
19
20
21
4.3 Characteristics of Bituminous Mixes
Samples (chunks) of bituminous mixes (both BC and the two layers of DBM)
collected from ail the five test pits and the cores of BC and DBM mixes extracted
were subjected to detailed laboratory testing. The combined cores extracted for BC
and two layers of DBM were sliced and separated out in the laboratory, using a
diamond cutter, for testing purpose, without disturbing their cylindrical shapes, The
following laboratory tests have been performed on cores of BC and DBM mixes.
The results on thickness, density and relative compaction of DBM (both upper and
lower layers) obtained from the cores are given in Table 4.4. Similarly, the results on
thickness, density and relative compaction of Be layer obtained from cores are given
in Table 4.5. The results on mix gradation and bitumen content of DBM mixes (both
upper and lower layers) obtained from samples (chunks collected from all the three
test pits are given in Table 4.6. The properties of aggregates and bitumen content
used for production of DBM mixes (both upper and lower layers) are also given in
table 4.6 & 4.7
The results on mix gradation and bitumen content of BC mixes obtained from
samples (chunks) connected from all the three test pits are given in Table 4.8.
22
Table 4.4 Laboratory Test Results on Thickness and Density of DBM (Cores)
23
specification
As per MoSRTH Min. 98
24
Table -4.5: Laboratory Test Results on Thickness and Density of BC (Cores)
25
Table 4.6 Test Results of Aggregates and Bitumen Content for DBM (Bottom)
Mixes Chunk from Test pits)
Table 4.7 Test Results of Aggregates and Bitumen Content for DBM (Top)
Mixes (Chunk from Test pits)
Table 4.8 Test Results of Aggregates and Bitumen Content for BC Mixes
(Chunk from Test pits)
26
5.0 DATA ANALYSIS
The rebound deflections measured in the field by using Benkelman beam method
are required to be corrected to get the standard/corrected deflections. This is done to
find out the characteristic deflection value of the road section as a whole. For each of
the selected road sections, where the deflection measurements were taken, the
rebound deflection values were obtained, by combining both outer and inner lane's
deflections data, after applying the necessary correction factors (both for
temperature and moisture), as per IRC: 81-1997. These were then averaged out to
get the mean rebound deflection (D). Subsequently, the standard deviation () value
was also calculated and the characteristic rebound deflection (Dc) values, for each
sections, were worked out as (Dc= D + 2 ), as per IRC: 81-1997. The detailed data
including the computations done are given in Tables A.1 to A.6 of the Annexure. The
characteristic deflection values for various sections considered under the study for
deflection measurements are given below in Table 5.1.
The various types of vehicles plying on a road make it a mixed traffic condition.
While number of vehicles in each category, their dimensions and travel speed
determine the carrying capacity of a road, the number of commercial vehicles and
the loads carried by them affects its structural and functional conditions. It is,
therefore, essential to know the composition of traffic flow and loading spectrum in
each direction of travel to fully understand the mechanism of structural and
functional characteristics of the road. The number of vehicles in each category
(direction wise) are given earlier in table 3.5. From the taffic volume it is clear that
the heavy traffic which is entering (at Jolupur) into Orai_bhognipur section, a
majority of heavy traffic is diverted into NH-2 (using 35 km stretch of NH-25) before
Barah Toll Plaza, thereby avoiding both Toll Plaza at Ata (Near Orai) and at Barah
27
(after Pukhrayan).
For any vehicle category, summation of damaging effect of all the vehicles in that
category divided by the total number of vehicles weighed in that category gives the
vehicle damage factor. VDF is computed as follows:
VDFs were computed individually for different class of heavy commercial vehicles for
each directional traffic. Ultimately, a single VDF for the entire carriageway was
calculated, after combining the damaging effects of all types of heavy commercial
vehicles. Tile damaging effect determined in terms of equivalent standard axles per
vehicle (i.e. VDF), for different categories of heavy commercial vehicles, is presented
in Table 5.2. The Heavy traffic is overloaded, the damaging effect of which is in the
range of 26-36 for two Axles to Multi Axles of heavy Truck.
Table 5.2 Vehicle Damage factor for commercial vehicles on NH-25 (Orai
Bhognipur section)
Table 5.3 Vehicle damage factor (VDF) for commercial vehicles on NH-25 (Orai
Bhognipur section)
Type of Vehicles VDF
S.No.
1 LCV 0.94
2 Bus 1.04
3 Two Axles truck 5.74
4 Three Axle Truck 2.71
5 Multi Axle Trucks 6.60
6 Overall Weighted VDF of All Commercial Vehicles 4.2
29
5.4 Projected Design Traffic Loading
365 X {(l+r)n 1}
Ns = _____________ X A X D X F
r
where,
Ns: The cumulative number of standard axles to be catered for in the design
A : Initial traffic, in the year of completion of construction, in terms of the
number of commercial vehicles per day (CVPD), duly modified to account for
lane distribution.
R : Annual growth rate of commercial vehicles
n : design life (in years)
D: Lane distribution factor
F: Vehicle damage factor
The cumulative standard axles (in million standard axles, msa) computed over
a projected design life of 5 and 10 years, are given below in Table 5.3
Strip No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Distance (in 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0
m) from
median
Total No. of 197 424 80 63 42 18 64 205 12
passes
Percent of 18 38 7 6 4 2 6 19 1
Total Passes
Inference The maximum concentration/coverage of heavy commercial vehicles is found to be at
distances of 3 m, 3.5 m and 6.5 m from median
The structural adequacy of the pavement is generally worked out based on the
maximum characteristic rebound deflection values, which in this case are found
to be 1.25 mm and 0.85 mm on Bhognipur bound and Orai bound carriageways
respectively. For design traffic loading of standard axles projected for a ten (10)
years design life on Bhognipur bound carriageway, the overlay thickness has
been worked out for the projected/anticipated traffic loads on the next 10 years.
As can be seen in Tables A.1 to A.6 of Annexure, there is not much difference in
the characteristic deflection values for different road sections within Bhognipur
bound carriageway except for one section where the value is on lower side. As
regards the difference in the values of D on Orai bound carriageway, the
difference between two sections considered is comparatively large since the
distress on the pavement of this carriageway is still in the developing stage.
Hence, to maintain uniformity and ease of construction, the maximum
characteristic deflection value 1.25 been considered in case of each of the two
carriageways, to work out the overlay thicknesses, for the respective
carriageways. The recommended overlay thicknesses, for each of the six
sections considered, for 10 years design life are given below in Table 5.4.
31
Bhognipur 227-228 1.23 200 140
(NH-25) 235-236 1.06 180 125
238-240 1.12 180 125
248- 249 0.75 160 110
252-253 1.03 180 140
Bhognipur- 248-247 0.85 40 30
3850 4.2 25
Orai (NH-25) 235-234 0.63 Nil NA
Bhognipur- 2370 28 100
426-427 0.55 Nil NA
Barah (NH-2)
Note: Recommended Overlay for Orai-Bhognipur= 90mm DBM+ 50mm SMA
Recommended Overlay for Bhognipur-Orai = 30 mm BC
Recommended Overlay for Bhognipur-Barah = 30 mm BC
Notes: CVPD= Commercial Vehicles per day; MSA= Million Standard Axles
Dc= Characteristic Deflection
32
6.0 DISCUSSIONS OF DATA AND RESULTS
The data/information obtained through field and laboratory studies undertaken within
the scope of is project were critically analysed and the inferences/conclusions drawn
therefrom are very significant in deciding upon the rehabilitation strategies. These are
further discussed in the following sub-sections.
The subgrade is, generally, constructed as a layer of 500mm thickness and is part of
earthwork constructed with natural (or imported) soil, prepared to receive the
pavement layers (materials) placed over it. The traffic loads on the pavement
structure are ultimately received by the soil subgrade for dispersion on to the earth
mass. It is, therefore, essential that at no times, the subgrade soil is overstressed. It
means that the compressive stresses transmitted onto the top of subgrade be kept
within the allowable limits so as not to cause excessive stress condition in order for it
not to deform beyond the elastic limit..
The granular layers are provided as an intra pavement drainage layer which also
contributes, as a structural layer, to the performance of a pavement through
distribution of stresses exerted by The requirements of overlay thickness have
been computed based on the characteristic deflections and projected traffic
loads in terms of Cumulative Standard Axles (CSAs), as per IRC:81-1997,
"Guidelines for Strengthening of Flexible Road Pavements Using Benkelman
Beam Deflection Techniques". Heavily loaded commercial vehicles, the types and
quality of granular materials used for subbase and base course are thus quite
significant and plays significant role in deriving good pavement performance. These
layers must have sufficient stiffness and should be able to withstand high
compressive and shear stresses, under severe traffic conditions. The inferior/poor
quality of materials used for construction of granular subbase and base, in addition to
the inadequate compaction of these layers, create significant problems in achieving
desired performance of the pavement and some times, are responsible for the
failure/distress of the pavement structure.
Similarly, the properties of bituminous mixes used in surface course (binder course +
wearing course) are key to achieve good performance of a road. The reduced level of
compaction than desired/specified, causes early initiation and
progression/development of various forms of distresses. Also, very high bulk
densities and consequently reduced air voids are not at a" desirable for bituminous
mixes which may cause brittleness and deformation of these mixes. The inadequate
compaction of mix coupled with the higher or lower binder content than the
optimum/desired value (within the tolerance limits as given in MoSRT&H
specifications), as determined from the job mix formula, also contributes to the poor
performance of a road. In the present study, various properties of subgrade soil,
granular materials (GSB and WMM), bituminous mixes (DBM and BC), aggregates
(extracted and recovered from the bituminous mixes) used for production of
bituminous mixes, were determined in the laboratory to check/verify the conformity of
in-situ materials, to the standard/contract specifications. The thickness of all the
pavement layers/specifications were measured and materials for each layer from all
33
the pits was collected for detailed evaluation in the laboratory. The
findings/observations, based on the data/results obtained through the field and
laboratory investigations, carried out under this study, with regard to construction
quality achieved anb the thickness measured for all the pavement layers are
discussed in the following sub section
(i) The total thickness of GSB (two layers) found from the test pits varies from 232
mm to 248 mm against the specified thickness of 230 mm
(ii) The total thickness of WMM base (two layers) found from the test pits varies from
227 mm to 254 mm, against the specified thickness of 250 mm
(iii) The total thickness of DBM binder course )two layers) found from the test pits
varies from 163 mm to 167 mm, as against the specified thickness of 165 mm
(v) The total thickness of the pavement structure as found from the three test pits,
varies from 690 rnrn to 701 mm, against the total design thickness of 695 mm.
As can be seen from table 4.1, the compaction levels of the subgrade soil is in the
range of 96.5 to 97 as against the minimum requirement of 97. The field moisture
content is in the range of 7.9 to 10.2 percent, which is lower than the optimum
moisture content. The soil used in these cases is Having PI value 7. The soaked CBR
at field conditions varies from 5.3 to 5.8 as against the design subgrade CBR of 7(as
indicated in the Design Report, Submitted by the consultant to NHAI). However in
actual field test (during compaction) the independent consultant has found CBR in
the range of 5 to 10% at different locations. The soil is found to be of SM type in all
the cases.
As can be seen from table 4.2, the gradation of GSB in general, meets the
specification requirements except for a few fractions where it is out on a particular
sieve. The gradation on 75 micron sieve is towards lower limit (coarser side) in most
of the cases, and also the material passing 425 micron sieve is found to be non-
plastic, which is the requirement of GSB material. The compaction levels are in the
range of 105 to 106, as against the minimum specified requirement of 98. This
34
indicates that GSB layers are adequately compacted. The CBR value at field
condition varies from 38 to 40, as against the minimum specified requirement of 30.
As can be seen from table 4.3, the gradation of WMM, in general, meets the
specification requirements. The material passing 425 micron sieve is found to be non
plastic. The compaction levels are in the range of 99 to 105, as against the minimum
specified requirement of 98. The combined indices (FI + EI) are in the range of 32.8
to 34.7, as against the maximum requirement of 30. The aggregate impact and water
absorption values are, however, meeting the specified requirements indicating that
the aggregates used for WMM construction are of good quality.
As can be seen from table 4.4, the compaction levels of DBM vary from 99.98 to
105.4 percent as against the minimum specified requirement of 98 percent. As seen
from table 4.6, the binder content by weight of mix is found to be in the range of 4.52
to 4.58 as against the specified requirement of 4.26 to 4.86 (4.56 0.3) for DBM
(bottom) layer and the binder content by weight of mix is found to be in the range of
5.02 to 5.06 as against the specified requirement of 4.26 to 4.86 (4.56 0.3) for DBM
(Top) layer, The qradation of DBM samples (test Pits' chunks), In general, are
coarser on the larger sieves with respect to the specification requirements in most of
the cases except in some smaller sieves. The combined indices (FI+EI) are found to
be in the range of 35.4 to 36.7 percent, against the maximum specified requirement
of 30 percent. The aggregates impact and water absorption values are meeting the
specified requirements indicating the use of good quality aggregates for DBM works.
As seen from table 4.5, the compaction levels vary from 97.39 to 102.47, against the
minimum specified requirement of 98 percent. As seen from table 4.7, the gradation
of BC mix, in general, is on the finer side. The bitumen content varies from 5.48 to
5.75 percent, as against the specified requirement of 5.0 to 5.6 percent (5.3 0.3).
The combined indices (FI + EI) vary from 34.9 to 38.3, as against the maximum
specified requirement of 30. The aggregates impact and water absorption values are
meeting the specified requirements indicating the use of good quality materials for the
production of Bituminus mix.
It can be seen from the data given in table 5.1 that there is a large variation amongst
characteristic deflection values between different road sections on the two
carriageways of the highway. it is observed that the lowest and highest characteristic
deflection values are 0.55 km (Bhognipur-Barah section, km 426-427) and
1.25mm(Orai-Bhognipur section, km 220-221 ) respectively, while for the remaining
sections, the values are ranging from 0.63 mm to 1.23 mm. The higher values of
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characteristic deflections indicate that the pavement is structurally inadequate based
on the assumption that a pavement with characteristic rebound deflection value of
less than 0.50 mm is normally considered to be structurally sound. It may also be
noted that the deflection values are high on Orai-Bhognipur section. Keeping in view
the large variations in characteristic deflection values and the traffic loads between
the two carriageways, the overlay thicknesses have been worked out, separately for
each of the two carriageways, and are given in table 5.4.
Table 6.1 Affected sections (Km wise) Identified for Rehabilitation Measures
Classified traffic volume data obtained from the field surveys, conducted by CRRI for
both directions of travel was analysed through the composition of traffic mixed in
nature having attention to heavy vehicles, It can be seen from the data given in table
3.5 that the number of trucks using the bye pass are more than any other type of
vehicles. For computing the number of equivalent standard axles, only trucks (2-axles
and multi-axles) and buses have been considered.
The results on vehicle counts show that the heavy commercial vehicles, which
significantly affect the performance of a road pavement, constitute the major portion
of the total traffic on Orai Bhognipur-Barah . Three axle trucks, Two-axle trucks and
Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) combined together constitute very high proportion
of traffic in both the directions.
The vehicle damage factors (VDFs), as can be seen from table 5.2 are 28.8 and 4.2
for Bhognipur bound and Orai bound carriageways respectively. The higher value
of VDF clearly indicates that a larqe number of heavy commercial vehicles using
Bhognipur bound carriageway are carrying axle loads, which are much in excess of
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the permissible/legal limits. The value of VDF is found to be much higher on
Bhognipur bound carriageway than the maximum value of 4.5 indicated in IRC:37-
2001. Obviously, the pavement structure is severely overstressed due to the
excessive traffic loads. The current VDF i.e. 28.8 is more than two times design VDF
i.e.11 that was taken during design of Pavements. The projected traffic loads,
considered in a design life of 10 years during the design stage are more or less over
by now, i.e., much before the expected time (design period). Hence, the rehabilitation
measures will need to be based on the actual VDF, especially for Bhognipur bound
carriageway, if the road pavement is to provide desired level of serviceability to the
travelling public.
Based on the limited data/results obtained through field and laboratory studies
undertaken during the present study, the following appears to be indicative/ likely I
probable causes which might be responsible or may have contributed to the
development of different types of pre-mature distress/defects (primarily the rutting,
upheavals with some cracks), either individualty or in combination with each other.
1.The compaction levels of granular layers and the subgrade, are good. Indequate
compaction of lower layers is always considered to be a major factor responsible for
causing settlement of road under trafficking. The compaction levels of WMM base
and Granular Sub Base (GSB) layers, is more than specified hence the pavement's
structural strength is good, however the distress has occurred in bituminous layers.
2. During design of Pavements the granular layers were designed for 20 years design
life but the bituminous layers were designed for 10 yrs design life only. Moreover the
VDF on the Orai Bhognipur section has increased more than 2.5 times i.e. current
VDF is 28.8, which is very high and damaging pavement severly. On the Orai
Bhognipur section, there is a MDR merging at jolupur from where heavy traffic is
merging on the highway. It was observed that at sections from Km. 236 to Km. 239
and Km. 246 to Km 249 the trucks are parked in outer lane and leaving only inner
lane for movement of traffic which is also a major reason for severe rutting in inner
lane.
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3. Higher values of combined flakiness and elongation indices obtained for WMM,
DBM and be mixes may result into reduced fatigue life, increased deformation and
reduced structural strength etc. during the service life of pavement.
4. The soaked CBR of subgrade soil at field conditions (FDD and FMC) is
considerably low (5.3 to 5.8) as compared to the design CBR of 7. The structural
composition and thickness of different pavement layers is decided on the basis of
desiqn CBR, which should be achieved during execution. Reduced subqrade strength
will uitimately decrease the structural adequacy of pavement for the current and
projected traffic loads during the design period, which in the present case are too
excessive than anticipated.
5. Based on the laboratory and field data/results obtained during the investigations, it
does not appear likely that the distresses on the OraiBhognipur-Barah have
occurred only due to the inadequate quality of road building materials and
construction quality achieved which is not very critical in the present case
Results/findings obtained throuqh studies have indicated that there are combinations
of several factors like excessive overloading, concentric load repetitions etc which
have led to the development of permanent deformation(rutting) and other distresses.
6. It has been found that bituminous mixes (both DBM and BC) are more than
adequately compacted, have proper binder content with mix gradation on the finer
side. The voids analysis done indicate that the air voids are less than 3 with Voids
Filled with Bitumen(VFB) as high as 99, which is a clear indication that such mixes
are prone to ruttinq permanent deformation) at high temperatures and under heavy
traffic loads.
7. The shape of ruts(not wide enough) clearly demonstrates the fact that the
deformation is limited to only bituminous layers and that the lower layers may not have
been affected (deformed).
8. As is evident, most of the distresses including their extent and severity, have
occurred on Bhognipur bound carriageway in comparison to Orai bound carriageway.
Clearly the most potential culprit appears to be heavy axle loads and the extent of
excessive overloading by trucks plying on Bhognipur bound carriageway since the
quality of materials and the construction quality achieved is more or less similar in
both the carriageways.
10. The result from lateral placement survey have clearly brought out that the
heaviest concentration of loaded trucks traffic is mostly on the inner lane and on the
outer lane of Delhi bound carriageway(at a distance of 3m, 3.5m, and 1m from
median) implying thereby that the overloaded trucks have contributed significantly to
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the development of severe rutting on the central portion and on the outer lane of the
carriageway which is also the actual scene.
11. It was not uncommon to find loaded multi-axle trucks carrying as high as 60
tonnes pay load (VDF as high as 33 for these type of vehicles) clearly establishing
the phenomenon of failure/rutting due to the excessive axle loads causing
inducement of excessive tensile stresses and strains than permissible within the
pavement layers(particularly the bituminous layers) which they will not be able to
resist
8.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
Keeping in view the surface condition of the existing pavement, traffic loads and
damaging factors which are differing significantly on the two carriageways of the Orai
Bhognipur-Barah , the corrective and rehabilitation measures would also differ.
These are given in the following sub-sections.
Distress in the form of slight cracking, and rutting at very small isolated sections has
affected some locations, but not as severe as Bhognipur bound carriageway.
However, the surface shall be corrected/prepared by attending to the repair of
surface defects in advance and then apply a profile correction course as required.
The existing pavement surface shall then be overlaid with a layer of 30 mm BC on the
affected portions of the carriageway, as given in Table 5.4. No overlay is
recommended at this stage on the unaffected portions of the carriageway. A 30mm
thick BC layer may be provided once these sections also start showing distress.
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Before providing the structural overlay on this carriageway. The existing road surface
shall be repaired by filling the cracks with appropriate type of sealant and
filling/patching of existing pot holes, ruts and settlements/undulations etc. The
existing surface will need to be checked for proper profile after repairs if needed, a
Profile Correction Course (PCC) using Dense Bituminous Macadam (DBM) may be
provided. No part of the actual structural overlay shall be allowed to be used as part
of the profile correction layer.
The cleaning of existing surface, application of tack coat and provision of adequate
camber/cross slope etc. shall be ensured, prior to overlay, as per the recommended
procedures indicated in MoSRT&H specifications.
Suitable drainage measures shall be taken to ensure proper drainage of the surface
and sub-surface water. Any leakage beneath the pavement structure shall be
checked to avoid leakage or movement of water within the body of pavement
structure which will weaken the structural strength of the pavement.
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