SUBGRADE -is the native material underneath a constructed road, pavement or railway track.

It
is also called formation level. The term can also refer to imported material that has been used
to build an embankment.

Subgrade is that portion of the earth roadbed which after having been constructed to
reasonably close conformance with the lines, grades, and cross-sections indicated on the plans,
receives the base or surface material.

To ensure a stable, long-lasting, and maintenance free roadway, the subgrade is required to be
constructed using certain proven procedures that provide satisfactory results.

After the rough grading is completed, the fine grade stakes are set and the final processing of
the subgrade may begin. The rough grade is the top grade of the embankment as built using the
information provided on the grade sheets. The grade is normally within 2 in. at this point. The
finish grading operation consists of trimming the excess material down to the final grade. Filling
any low spots with thin lifts of materials tends to slide these lifts around if not properly worked
into the underlying materials.

SUB BASE-It is layer of granular material provided above subgrade generally natural gravel. It is
usually not provided on subgrade of good quality. It is also called granular subbase.

Function of Sub base in Road Cross Section

 Enables traffic stresses to be reduced to acceptable levels in sub-grade in the Road Cross
Section so that excessive deformation is prevented.
 It acts as a working plate form for the construction of upper pavement layers.
  Acts as a drainage layer, by protecting the sub grade from wetting up.
 It intercept upward movement of water by capillary action.
 It acts as a separating layer b/w subgrade and road base. By this it prevent the two
layers from mixing up.

Characteristics of materials used in Sub Base:

The subgrade material should be clean and free from organic matter and should be able to be
compacted by roller, to form stable sub-base. The material should have following characteristic.

 Well graded uniformity coefficient (D60/D10) should not be less than 3.

 Fraction passing sieve #200 shall not be greater than 2/3rd of the fraction passing sieve
#40.
 Should have a L.L not greater than 25%.
 P.I not greater than 6
 In coarse grain, aggregate retained by #10 sieve, %age of wear shall not be greater than
5%.
 The max dia of any particle shall not be greater than 2/3ed of the layer thickness of sub-
base.
Base course -in pavements is a layer of material in an asphalt roadway, race track, riding
arena, or sporting field. It is located under the surface layer consisting of the
wearing course and sometimes an extra binder course.

The function of the base course varies according to the type of pavement .

 The prime function of the base course is to structurally improve the load-supporting
capacity of the pavement by providing added stiffness and resistance to fatigue, as well
as to provide a relatively thick layer to distribute the load through a finite thickness of
pavement. The base may also provide drainage and give added protection against frost
action where necessary.
 Provide uniform and stable support.
 Minimize damaging effects of frost action.
 Prevent pumping of fine-grained soils at joints
 Prevent volume change of the subgrade.
 Increase structural capacity of the pavement.
 Expedite construction. Under flexible pavements.
Pavement is Finished with a hard smooth surface. It helped make them durable and able to
withstand traffic and the environment. They have a life span of between 20 – 30 years.

Road pavements deteriorate over time due to

1. The impact of traffic, particularly heavy vehicles.

2. Environmental factors such as weather, pollution.

Purpose

Many people rely on paved roads to move themselves and their products rapidly and reliably.

Functions

To transmit loads to the sub-base and underlying soil. Modern flexible pavements
contain sand and gravel or crushed stone compacted with a binder of bituminous material, such
as asphalt, tar, or asphaltic oil. Such a pavement has enough plasticity to absorb shock. Rigid
pavements are made of concrete, composed of coarse and fine aggregate and portland cement,
and usually reinforced with steel rod or mesh.

PAVEMENT CROSS SECTION

PRE-SPLITTING A method of blasting in which a planar crack is propagated by blasting to determine the
final shape of a rock face before holes are drilled for the final blast pattern; firing with a minimum time
scatter can then be used. The crack helps to screen the surroundings from ground vibrations during the
firing of the main round while PRE WATERING is to make dry soil absorb more water

FREE HAUL The distance every cubic yard is entitled to be moved without an additional charge
for haul while OVER HAUL Is the number of cubic meter (yards) of overhauled materials
multiplied by the overhaul distance, this distance is measured between the center of gravity of
cut and fill.