Module 4

EARTHWORK: Excavation is a process of Transportation

cutting or loosening and removing earth
including rock from its original position, The equipments used for excavation are
transporting and dumping it as a also used for transporting for a distance,
depending upon ground conditions. Many a
fill.Earthwork primarily involved the
time, the soil needs to be transported to other
following process. places which are not adjacent to the
excavation site. The equipment used for
1. Excavation of soil or shifting of the transportation is also called haulers.
soil.
2. Loading, transportation and a. Belt conveyers
unloading of soil. b. Tippers
3. Placing and compacting of the soil. c. Truck
d. Dumpers
Depending upon the quantity of work, e. Graders
site conditions availability of recourses these
works are carried out by various method and Embankments
equipments.
When it is required to raise the grade
Excavation line of highway above the existing ground
Soil is required to be excavated at site for level it becomes necessary to construct
various purposes. Some of the purposes of embankment. It depends on, Height, filler
soil excavations are – material, settlement, stability of foundation
and stability of slopes.
1. Removal of soil to level the ground.
Construction of embankment
Example, cutting of hill.
2. For filling the ground at other places  Rolling the soil in relatively thin
for creating vertical profiles of road. layers or by hydraulic fills
3. Construction of side drains.  Each layer is compacted to a
4. Super elevation purposes for raising satisfactory degree of density before
outer edge of road placing next layer.
 Compaction is carried out to
Commonly used equipments for the
optimum moisture content
excavation are –
 Thickness of layers is ranges 10 to
1. Bulldozers 30cm.
2. Power Shovels  If the pavement is constructed before
3. Scrapers the settlement or the fill is complete
4. Dragline it is likely to fail.
5. Clam Shell
6. Backhoe

1
Subgrade: The subgrade is the compacted  Kneading
soil layer that forms the foundation of the  Vibration
pavement system. Subgrade soils are  Impact
subjected to lower stresses than the surface,
base, and subbase courses. Various compaction equipments are -

Preparation of subgrade:
a. Smooth wheel roller
 The sites should be cleared off and b. Pneumatic tired roller
top soil consisting of grass, roots
c. Sheep foot roller
rubbish and other organic matter are
to be removed. d. Vibratory roller equipment –
 The grading operation is started so as i. Dropping weight type
to bring the vertical profile of
ii. Pulsating hydraulic type
subgrade to designed grade and
camber.
 It is most essential to compact the
top of subgrade , upto a depth of
about adequately before placing the
pavement layer
 Bull dozers, scrapers and blade
graders are useful equipment to
speed up the work.

Soil compaction: Soil is compacted to

obtain the desired density. The optimum
density is obtained on a certain moisture
Pneumatic tired roller
content of the soil. Generally, the right
amount of water is mixed before compaction
the soil.

Factors influencing the compaction are,

 Moisture content
 Amount and type of compaction
 Soil type and stone content

For different types of soil, different

compaction equipments are used. Single
equipment is not effective for all types of
soil. A roller compacts the – Sheep foot roller
 Pressure