ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND

TESTING
SUBGRADE SOILS
 Soilis the most important foundation and
construction material for pavement structures.
 Foundation material for all pavements as
undisturbed in situ subgrade material or
transported and reworked embankment
material.
 Construction material for pavement structures
either in its natural form (sand and gravel) or
in a processed form as stabilized layer.
 Soil investigation is, thus, an integral part of the
location, design and construction of highways
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Soil Surveys and Investigations
 Soil survey for highway purposes involve the
exploration of the soils along the highway routes
and the identification of suitable soils for use as
subbase and fill materials.
 decision on one or more of the following subjects:
 Selection of roadway alignment;
 Decision
on the need for subgrade or
embankment foundation treatment;
 Investigation
of slope stability in cuts and
embankments; 3
 Location and design of ditches and culverts;
 Selection and design of the roadway pavement;
 Locationand evaluation of suitable borrow and
construction materials; and
 Design of foundations for bridges and other
structures.

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 first step in selecting the alignment
 to define a number of conceivable corridors
between the end termini of the road.
 to select the best corridor for the proposed road
 Select one for design purposes.
 preliminary information regarding soil condition:
 Geological and agricultural soil maps.
 Aerial photographs.
 Satellite images.
 Area reconnaissance. ling with drill rigs:
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 Field investigations and sample collection for
laboratory tests:
 Geophysical methods (seismic or electrical).
 Test pits or trenches:
 Hand augers
 Boring test holes and sampling with drill rigs:

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 Depth of Investigations:
 the depth from the finished road level to the depth that
the load bearing strength of the soil no longer has an
effect on the pavement’s performance in relation to
traffic loading.
 test pits and borings should in no case be less than 1.5
m below the proposed subgrade level unless rock
material is encountered.
 go to a depth of about 3 m below the proposed
foundation level in areas of cut and 3 m below the
existing ground in areas of fill.

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 Testing Frequency:
 testing sites are generally placed at 100 m to 5 km
(generally 300 m) along the centerline of the
proposed alignment.
 boreholes 30 m away from the centerline both in
its left as well as right side.
 increased according to site conditions.

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Essential Laboratory Tests
 Particle Size Distribution Test:
AS 1141.1 Methods for sampling and testing aggregates
AS 1289.0 Methods of testing soils for engineering
purposes
 internalfriction, voids content, wear resistance and
permeability, and depend on the gradation
 Water Content:
 AS 1289.0 Methods of testing soils for engineering
purposes
 strength and deformation characteristics
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 Atterberg Limits:
AS 1289.0 Methods of testing soils for engineering
purposes
 water content levels at which the soil changes from

one state to the other

 Compaction Test

AS 1289.0 Methods of testing soils for engineering

purposes
 CBR Test

AS 1289.0 Methods of testing soils for engineering

purposes
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 .Soil Compaction:

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California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Test
 The California bearing ratio (CBR) is a penetration
test for evaluation of the mechanical strength of road
subgrades and basecourses. It was developed by the
California Department of Transportation.
 The test is performed by measuring the pressure
required to penetrate a soil sample with a plunger of
standard area. The measured pressure is then divided
by the pressure required to achieve an equal
penetration on a standard crushed rock material.

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PROBLEM SOILS: Expansive soil

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TEST ON AGGREGATES
 Aggregate Impact Test

 Flakiness and Elongation Test

 Angularity Index Test

 Los Angeles Abrasion Test

 Water Absorption Test

 Specific Gravity Test

 Soundness Test
Aggregate Impact Test
AS 1141.1 Methods for sampling and testing aggregates
The property of a material to resist impact is known as
toughness. Due to movement of vehicles on the road the
aggregates are subjected to impact resulting in their
breaking down into smaller pieces.
The aggregates should therefore have sufficient toughness
to resist their disintegration due to impact. This
characteristic is measured by impact value test.
The aggregate impact value is a measure of resistance to
sudden impact or shock, which may differ from its
resistance to gradually applied compressive load
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Flakiness and Elongation Test
AS 1141.1 Methods for sampling and testing aggregates
The particle shape of aggregates is determined by the
percentages of flaky and elongated particles contained in
it. For base course and construction of bituminous and
cement concrete types, the presence of flaky and
elongated particles are considered undesirable as these
cause inherent weakness with possibilities of breaking
down under heavy loads.

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Angularity Index Test
AS 1141.1 Methods for sampling and testing aggregates
Angularity number test gives an idea of how angular the
aggregate is. This is based on the percentage of voids in
the aggregate after compaction in a specified manner.

In angularity number test, a quantity of single sized

aggregate is filled into metal cylinder of 3 liter capacity.
Then the aggregate is compacted in a standard manner
and the percentage of void found out.

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If the void content of the aggregate is 33% the
angularity of such aggregate is considered 0. If the
void is 44%, the angularity number of such
aggregate is considered 11.

IMPORTANCE OF ANGULARITY NUMBER

The normal aggregate which are suitable for making
concrete may have angularity number anything from
0 to 11.
Angularity number 0 represents the most practicable
rounded aggregate
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Angularity number 11 indicates the most angular
aggregate that could be used for making concrete.
The particle shape of aggregates is determined by the
percentages of flaky and elongated particles
contained in it. For base course and construction of
bituminous and cement concrete types, the presence
of flaky and elongated particles are considered
undesirable as these cause inherent weakness with
possibilities of breaking down under heavy loads.

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Los Angeles Abrasion Test
AS 1141.1 Methods for sampling and testing aggregates
The Los Angeles abrasion test is a common test method
used to indicate aggregate toughness and abrasion
characteristics. The standard Los Angeles abrasion test
subjects a coarse aggregate sample (retained on the (9.5
& 12.5 mm) sieves) to abrasion, impact, and grinding in
a rotating steel drum containing a specified number of
steel spheres.

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Specific Gravity Test and Water Absorption Test
AS 1141.1 Methods for sampling and testing aggregates
Specific gravity test of aggregates is done to measure the
strength or quality of the material while water absorption
test determines the water holding capacity of the coarse
and fine aggregates.

The main objective of these test is to,

To measure the strength or quality of the material.
To determine the water absorption of aggregates.

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Soundness Test
AS 1141.1 Methods for sampling and testing aggregates
The soundness test determines an aggregate’s resistance
to disintegration by weathering and, in particular,
freeze-thaw cycles. Aggregates that are durable
(resistant to weathering) are less likely to degrade in the
field and cause premature HMA pavement distress and
potentially, failure.

The soundness test repeatedly submerges an aggregate

sample in a sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate
solution. This process causes salt crystals to form in the
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aggregate’s water permeable pores.
The formation of these crystals creates internal
forces that apply pressure on aggregate pores and
tend to break the aggregate (Figure 1). After a
specified number of submerging and drying
repetitions, the aggregate is sieved to determine the
percent loss of material.

NZS 4407:2015 Methods of Sampling and testing

Road Aggregates
NZS 4402 Methods of Testing Soils for Civil
Engineering Purposes

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TEST ON BITUMINOUS
The penetration test
 Measures the depth of penetration in tenths of
millimeters of a weight needle into a bitumen
during a period of time at a given temp.
Softening point test
 Measures the temperature degrees Celsius at
which a steel ball falls a known distance
through the bitumen
Ductility Test
 Are conducted to determine the amount a
bitumen will stretch at temperatures below its
softening point
Viscosity Tests
 Are used to determine the flow characteristics of
asphalts in the range of temperatures used
during application
Flash Point Test
 Indicates the temperature to which asphalt
cement can be safely heated without danger of
flash. A brass cup is partially filled with cement
and heated at a prescribed rate. A small flame is
place over the surface of the sample
Thin Film Oven Test
 Testis used to obtain a general indication of the
amount of hardening which may be expected to
occur in an asphalt cement during the plant
operation.