METHODS OF PAVEMENT DESIGN

• 1 . GROUP INDEX METHOD (EMPIRICAL)

• 2. C- VALUE METHOD (EMPIRICAL)
• 3. CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO METHOD
(EMPIRICAL)
• 4. TRIAXIAL TEST METHOD (SEMI-
THEORETICAL)
• 5. McLEOD METHOD (EMPIRICAL)
• 6. BURMISTER METHOD (THEORETICAL)
A.)GI METHOD OF PAVEMENT DESIGN
• Group Index method of flexible pavement
design is an empirical method which is based
on the physical properties of the soil sub-
grade.
• To design the thickness of the pavement you
have to go through the following steps:
 Find out the Group Index Value(GI) of the soil.
 Use the design charts to find out the thickness of the
pavement and layers.
 Finding GI Value
• Group Index is a number assigned to the soil
based on its physical properties like particle size,
Liquid limit and plastic limit. It varies from a value
of 0 to 20, lower the value higher is the quality of
the sub-grade and greater the value, poor is the
sub-grade.
• To find out the value of GI we, can either use the
following equation,
 GI = 0.2a + 0.005 a.c. + 0.01b.d
where,
• a= percentage of soil passing 0.074 mm sieve
in excess of 35 percent, not exceeding 75.
• b= percentage of soil passing 0.074 mm sieve
in excess of 15 percent, not exceeding 55.
• c= Liquid limit in percent in excess of 40.
• d= Plasticity index in excess of 10.
 Using design charts to find the
thickness
• Once the GI value is found next we can use the design
charts given by IRC(Indian Roads Congress) to find out
the thickness of the pavement and its thickness of
various layers.
• Charts are prepared based on the GI value and one can
find the thickness of the pavement to be designed for
different traffic volume.
• Traffic volume is classified in three categories as Light,
Medium and Heavy. When nos. of vehicles per day is
less than 50, this is light traffic, greater then 50 and
less than 300 is medium and greater than 300 is
classified as heavy traffic.
 Group index value ranges of different
soil:-
• For good soil – 0 to 1
• For fair soil – 2 to 4
• For poor soil – 5 to 9
• For very poor soil – 10 to 20
DESIGN CHART
 PROBLEM:-
• A sub-grade soil has the following peoperties:
Soil passing 75 micron sieve = 60 percent
Liquid limit = 65 percent
Plastic limit = 45 percent
Design the pavement section bt group index
method for heavy traffic with over 400 commercial
vehicles per day.
 Solution:
Group Index = 0.2a+0.005ac+0.01bd
here, a = 60 – 35 = 25
b = 55 – 15 = 40
c = 60 – 40 = 20
d = 30 – 10 = 20
G.I. = 0.2x25 + 0.005x25x20 + 0.01x40x20
= 5 + 2.5 + 8
= 15.5. Say 16
By using Design Chart
Thickness of sub-base only = 27cm
Combined thickness of surface,
base and sub-base courses = 57 cm
For heavy traffic,
Therefore, Thickness of surface and
base courses = 57 – 27 = 30cm