HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

Chapter 5
Highway Earth Work Quantities and
Mass Haul Diagram

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 Highway Grades and Terrain
 Grade, Cut and Fill ---- Terrain
 Attempt to minimize amount of earthwork necessary

•Highway Grades
 Maximum grades for a highway depends on the design
speed and the design vehicle ( turning radius and lane
width).
 Minimum grades depend on the drainage conditions of the
highway
 The grade may be chosen so as to balance the quantities of
excavation (CUT) & embankment (fill).
• Set grade line as close as possible to natural ground level
• Set grade line so there is a balance between excavated
volume and volume of embankment
2
Bank, loose, and compacted soil volumes are different

measurements of soil quantities:

• Bank volumes: The amount of soil already in the ground

• Loose volumes: The volume of soil that hasn't been disturbed during

excavation and removal

• Compacted volumes: The volume of soil after it's been compacted
Shrinkage
Percent shrinkage = *100

Percent shrinkage = * 100

 Material volume increases during Excavation

 Decreases during compaction

 Shrinkage factor 15 – 20% for Silty, Clay, Sand

 Varies with soil type, fill height and cut depth

Swell
Percent swell = 100
Percent swell =100
 Excavated rock used in embankment occupies more space

 May amount to 30% or more rocks

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Steps In Computation Of Earthwork Quantities

 End area calculations

 Earthwork calculations

 Preparation of mass haul diagram

 Balancing earthworks using the mass haul diagram

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Example 1
Given the end areas below, calculate the volumes of cut and fill
between stations 351 + 00 and 352 + 50. If the material shrinks
12%, how much excess cut or fill is there?

2 3
Adjusted Volume Cummulative
Station End areas , m Volume , m
Cut Fill Cut Fill Cut Fill Volume
351+00 57.93 - - 0.00
351+50 52.28 - 2,755.25 - 2,755.25 -2755.25
351+75 0.00 23.58 - 948.25 - 948.25 -3703.50
352+00 8.40 3.73 105.00 341.38 92.40 341.38 -3952.48
352+14 13.80 0.00 155.40 26.11 136.75 26.11 -3841.83
352+50 33.34 848.52 - 746.70 - -3095.14

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Mass Haul Diagram
 The mass haul diagram is a curve in which the
abscissas represent the stations of the survey and the
ordinates represent the algebraic sum of excavation and
embankment quantities from some point of beginning
on the profile.
 The plot can be to any scale, depending on the
quantities involved.
 The mass haul diagram shows excavation (adjusted)
and embankment quantities from some point of
beginning on the profile, considering cut volumes
positive and fill volumes negative.
 At the beginning of the curve the ordinate is zero, and
ordinates are calculated continuously from the initial
8 station to the end of the project.
 Uses of Mass Haul Diagram
The mass haul diagram can be used
to determine:
• Proper distribution of excavated material
• Amount and location of waste
• Amount and location of borrow
• Amount of overhaul in kilometre-cubic
meters
• Direction of haul.
• Where to use certain types of equipment.

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Definitions
 Swelling: An increase in volume of earthwork after excavation
 Shrinkage: A decrease in volume earthwork after deposition and
compaction
 Haul distance (d): The distance from the working face of the
excavation to the tipping point.
 Average haul distance (D): The distance from the centre of gravity of

the cutting to that of the filling.

 Free haul Distance: The distance, given in the Bill of Quantities,
included in the price of excavation per cubic metre. (1000 – 2000 m)
 Overhaul Distance: The extra distance of transport of earthwork
volumes beyond the free haul distance.
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Definitions
Haul: The sum of the product of each load by its haul distance.
This must equal the total volume of excavation multiplied by the
average haul distance, i.e. Σ vd = VD
Overhaul: The product of volumes by their respective
overhaul distance. Excess payment will depend upon overhaul.
Station Metre: A unit of overhaul, viz. 1 m3 x 100 m.
Borrow: The volume of material brought into a section due to a
deficiency.

Waste: The volume of material taken from a section due to

excess
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 Calculation of MHD

Limit of Profitable (Economical) Haul (LEH):

distance beyond which it is more economical to

borrow or waste than to haul from the project

LEH = FHD + Ecomomic Overhaul distance

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= FHD + (Cost of Borrow / Cost of Overhaul)
 Mass Haul diagram
 The cumulated volume of earthwork at the horizontal

axis (Y=0) is 0
 When a horizontal line intersects two or more points

along the curve, the accumulated volumes at those

points are equal
A negative value at the end of the curve indicates
that borrow is required to complete the fill
 A positive value at the end of the curve indicates that a waste

operation will be the net result

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 Mass Haul diagram

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 Mass Haul diagram

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To construct the Mass Haul Diagram
manually:
 Compute the net earthwork values for each station,
applying the appropriate shrink factor
 Net cuts have a positive value, net fills have a negative

value
 The value at the first station (origin) = 0

 Plot the value of each succeeding station which

equals the cumulative value to that point, i.e., the

16 value at i = net cut/fill a+b+c+…i

Curve
1. Rising sections of the mass curve indicates areas where
excavating exceeds fill, whereas falling sections
indicate where fill exceeds excavation.
2. Steep slopes reflect heavy cuts & Fills, while flat
slopes indicate
areas fro small amount of earthwork.
3. The difference in ordinates between any two points
indicate net excess of excavation over embankment or

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vies versa.
Curve
3. -
4. Any horizontal line dawn to intersect two points within
the same curve indicates a balance of excavation (cut)
and embankment (fill) quantities between the two
points.
5. Points of zero slope represent points where roadway
goes from cut to fill or from fill to cut.
6. The highest or the lowest points of the mass haul
diagram represents the crossing points between the
18 grade line (roadway level) and natural ground level.
19
20
 Analysis of MHD
 Identify the resulting balanced sections, which are

bounded by points that intersect the X-axis

 Draw a horizontal line midway between the peak or valley

and the X-axis. The scale length of that line is the

average length of haul within that balanced section
 Determine earthwork volumes within each balanced

section
 Determine whether there is an overall balance, waste or if

21 borrow is required
22
Calculation of total cost of
earthworks:
 Cost of free haul = cost of free haul per m3 * Volume of free

haul.
 Cost of borrow = cost of borrow per m3 * Volume of borrow.

 Cost of waste = cost of waste per m3 * Volume of waste.

 Cost of overhaul = A+[B*C* {average hauling distance- free

haul distance}].
A=[cost of free haul per m3 * volume of overhaul]
B= cost of free haul per m3.station
C= volume of overhaul
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Assumption: FHD = 200 m LEH = 725 m

Mass Haul Diagram – Interpretation - Example

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Between Stations 0+00 and 0+132, cut and fill equal
each other, distance is less than FHD of 200 m

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Between Station 0+132 and 0+907, cut and fill equal each other, but distance
is greater than either FHD of 200m or LPH of 750m =[0+907] - [0+132] = 725m

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Between Station 0+179 and 0+379, cut and fill equal each other , distance
=FHD of 200m treated as FHD

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Between Stations 0 + 142 and 0 + 867, cut and fill equal each other, distance
= LEH of 725m

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31
Between Stations 0 + 960 and 1 + 250, cut and fill
equal each other, distance is less than LEH of 725 m
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Mass Haul Diagram
Exercise: For the tabulated volume of cut
and fill data given below:

1.Draw the mass-haul diagram, and

2.Estimate the total cost of excavating

and earth moving

Assume: the cost of excavation is 40 birr/m3,

cost of borrow is 46 birr/m3, cost of overhaul
is 90 birr/station-m3, and the free haul
 Example 2 Draw the mass haul diagram using the data in table below and discuss.
Volume (Cubic
Meter)
Distan
ce Cumulative
(Meter Volume
) Cut (+) Fill (-) (m3)
0 0

100 490.00 490.00

200 927.00 1417.00

300 982.00 2399.00

380 279.00 2678.00

400 31.00 2647.00
500 226.00 2421.00
600 654.00 1767.00
36 700 1,160.00 607.00
800 933.00 -326.00
 Assignment
Volume of (m3)
Chainage Distance Cut Fill

732+20 0 0 0
732+40 20 1600
732+55 15 572.8
732+85 30 355.91 69.83
733+00 15 114
733+20 20 18.72 321
733+40 20 18.72 1156
734+00 60 6731.1
Find the cost of the earth work, allowing 15% shrinkage
for material excavated and placed in embankment. Borrow
37 should be expressed in fill meters and waste in cut meters.
Unit cost and additional information

Take
Free haul distance= 300 m
Excavation costs (including 300 m free haul) = (Free haul cost)= 60 Birr /m3.
Borrow (including cost of hauling)= 73 Birr/m3.
Cost of overhaul= 0.4 Birr/m3.stn Cost of waste = 57 Birr/m3
1 station = 20 m

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Thank You