Types of Pavement and

Components
Er. K. S. Sadanandam
Deputy Chief Engineer (H),
Construction and Maintenance
Highways Department
Pavement
• An all weather sustainable surface for the movement of various
modes of transport
• The pavement structure is a combination of
• Subbase
• Base course and
• Surface course
• placed on a subgrade to support the traffic load and distribute it to
the road bed

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Pavement Types

TYPES OF PAVEMENT

Flexible Pavements Rigid Pavements

Flexible Pavements are constructed from In rigid pavements the stress is transmitted to the sub-
bituminous or unbound material and the grade through beam/slab effect. Rigid pavements
stress is transmitted to the sub-grade contains sufficient beam strength to be able to bridge
through the lateral distribution of the over localized sub-grade failures and areas of
inadequate support.
applied load with depth.
Thus in contrast with flexible pavements the
depressions which occur beneath the rigid pavement
are not reflected in their running surfaces.
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Flexible Pavement
• Flexible payment undergo deformation under the
action of loads due to its flexural property (lesser
flexural strength)
• The structural capacity of flexible pavements is
attained by the combined action of the different
layers of the pavement.
• The load from trucks is directly applied on the
wearing course, and it gets dispersed (in the form of
a truncated cone) with depth in the base, sub base,
and subgrade courses, and then ultimately to the
ground.
• The subgrade layer transfer the load from the above
layers to the ground. 4
Flexible Pavement…
• Advantages of Flexible Pavement
• Adjusts to limited differential settlement
• Easily repaired
• Additional thickness can be added any time
• Non-skid properties do not deteriorate

• Disadvantages of Flexible Pavement

• Looses some flexibility and cohesion with time
• Needs resurfacing sooner than rigid pavements
• Not normally chosen where repeated flooding and subsurface water is
expected

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Rigid Pavement
• Rigid pavement is constructed from Portland
Cement Concrete (PCC) and generally consists of
three layers, including the Subgrade, Base course,
and Surface course.
• These pavements have high flexural strength and
rigidity.
• In this pavement, the load gets distributed through
slab action. The pavement acts like an elastic plate.
• The pavement materials are laid directly on the
prepared subgrade or on top of a single granular
layer of the stabilized surface.
• There is no requirement for a sub-base layer in rigid
pavements.
Rigid Pavement

• Jointed plain concrete

pavement

• Jointed reinforced concrete

pavement

• Continuous reinforced concrete

pavement

• Pre-stressed concrete
pavement
Flexible vs Rigid Pavement
Flexible Pavement Rigid Pavement
Material Bituminous Pavement Cement Concrete Pavement
Cost Low initial cost. High initial cost.
High Maintenance cost Low Maintenance cost
Stage development is possible. Stage development is not practicable.
Load Transfer Loads are transferred through grain-to- The load gets distributed by slab action.
grain action.
Subgrade deformation gets transferred Subgrade deformation gets transferred to the
to the top layers. immediate layers.
Flexural Strength It has less flexural strength. It has a high flexural Strength.
The design is based on the subgrade The design is based on flexural strength.
strength.
Joints No requirement for Joints. Requirement for joints.
Curing time Can be opened to traffic shortly after Requires curing, which can cause delays in
construction. the opening of traffic.
Safety Poor night visibility. Good night visibility.
Underground Utilities Easy laying and repairing Difficult to repair
Construction Skilled labour is not required. Skilled is labour required.`
Durability Less durable (Service life <15 years) More durable (Service life > 30 yrs)
Component of flexible pavement
Embankment
• Embankment materials shall be Soil, Moorum, Gravel, Reclaimed materials
from pavement, Flyash etc
• Shall be in accordance with Clause 305 of MORT&H specification.
• Compaction 95% as per MORTH
• Upto 3m height –1.52gm/cc
• Exceeding 3 m height --1.6 gm/cc
• Subgrade, shoulders / Backfill-- 1.75 gm/cc
• Material Size should be Less than 75mm for embankment
• Liquid Limit <70, Plasticity Index <45
• Free Swell Index <50 %
• Total sulphate content >0.5 % must be avoided
• Shall be in accordance with clause or of MORTH
• As per IS 2720

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Sub Grade
• Foundation
• The top 500 mm of the prepared foundation layer immediately below
the pavement.
• Can be made up of in-situ material, select soil, or stabilized soil.
• Compacted well to derive optimal strength and to limit the rutting
caused due to additional densification of the layer during the service
life.
• Minimum CBR (4 days soaked CBR compacted at 97% of proctor
density) shall be 5%
• Min density :1.75 g/cc

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Sub Base Course
• Function is to
• provide a strong support for the compaction of the granular base
(WMM/WBM) layer
• to protect the subgrade from overstressing and
• to serve as drainage and filter layers.
• Sub-base materials are Combination of sand, moorum, gravel,
latterite, kankar with grading and physical requirements as per
MoRTH.
• Laid in two layers
• drainage layer (gradations III and IV) (Min. 100 mm)
• Filter/ Separation layer (gradations I, II, V and VI) (Min. 150 mm)
• LL not more than 25; PI not more than 6

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Granular Base Course
• Function is to
• Alternative for WBM and more durable
• Transfer load
• The granular base layer consists of wet mix macadam, water bound
macadam, crusher run macadam, reclaimed concrete, etc.,
conforming to MoRTH specifications.
• Laid in layers (Min. 75 mm, compacted single layer not more than 200mm)

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Tack Coat/ Prime Coat
• Tack coat: Very light application of asphalt (emulsion) to ensure a
bond between the surface being paved and the overlying course.
Binds asphalt layer to PCC base or to an old asphalt pavement.
• Prime coat: Application of low viscosity Cutback asphalt to an
absorbent surface such as untreated granular base on which asphalt
layer will be placed on. It binds the granular base to the asphalt layer.
• Tack coat doesn't require the penetration of asphalt into the
underlying layer, while prime coats penetrates into the underlying
layer, plugs the voids , and form a watertight surface.
• Both are spray application.
Bituminous Courses
• Bituminous Base/ Binder Course
• The asphalt layer beneath the surface course
• Function: Fatigue resistance
• The bituminous base layer consists of DBM or BM conforming to MoRTH
specifications.
• Bituminous Surface/ Wearing Course
• Is the top course of asphalt pavement
• Function: Rut resistance
• The bituminous surface course consists of
• For traffic > 50 msa: Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA), Gap Graded mix with rubberized
bitumen (GGRB) Bituminous Concrete (BC) with modified binders
• For traffic between 20 msa to 50 msa: BC
• For traffic <20 msa: SDBC, Pre-mix Carpet, Mix Seal Surfacing, etc.

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Seal coat (Slurry Seal/ Micro Surfacing etc)
• Maintenance Application
• Thin asphalt surface treatment used to:
• Waterproof or seal the surface.
• Rejuvenate or revitalize old bituminous wearing surfaces.
• To nonskid slippery surfaces.
• Improve night visibility.
• Single Surface treatment = single application of bituminous material
that is covered by a light spreading of fine aggregate or sand (spread
mechanically) then compacted with pneumatic tired rollers.
Design of Flexible Pavement
• New construction/ Widening of road
• Based on CBR
• Width / depth of pavement
• Rutting Criteria - top of sub-grade
• Fatigue Criteria – bottom of bituminous layer

• Improvement of existing road

• How the surface behave under the movement of road
• Based on BBD; FWD
• Deflection of pavement under the movement of load

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Elements of design of flexible pavement
• Traffic Loading
• Climate or Environment
• Material Characteristics
• Others: Cost, Construction, Maintenance, Design period.
Traffic loading
• Pavement must withstand the large number
of repeated loads of variable magnitudes
• Primary loading factors:
• Magnitude of axle loads (controlled by legal load
limits).
• Volume & composition of axle load (Traffic
survey, axle load survey & growth rate).
• Tire pressure & contact area.
• Equivalent Standard Axle Load (80 KN single
axle load)
• Number of standard axle repetitions
(without causing permanent deformation)
Climate and Environment
• Climate or environment affect the behavior & performance of
materials used in pavements
• Temperature:
• high temperature cause asphalt to loose stability,
• low temperature cause asphalt to become hard & stiff, and frost heave.
• Moisture:
• Frost related damage, volume changes due to saturation, chemical stability
problems with moisture existence (Stripping) .
Materials characteristics
• Required materials characteristics:
• Asphalt surface: Material should be strong & stable to resist repeated
loading (fatigue).
• Granular base & subbase: gradation, stable & strong to resist shears
from repeated loading.
• Subgrade: soil classification, strong & stable
• Various standard tests are available for determination of desired
properties like CBR, Marshal stability, Resilient Modulus,
Questions/ Doubts?
Thank you