DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS

2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR

FOURTH YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS

FOR THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

UNIT CODE: ECE 2412

UNIT TITLE: HIGHWAY ENGNEERING II

DATE: MARCH 2015 TIME: 2 Hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

 This paper contains FOUR (4) questions

 Answer QUESTION ONE (1) and any other TWO questions
 Question one (1) carries 30 Marks while the rest carry 20 Marks each
 All workings MUST be shown on the provided answer booklets
 All symbols have their usual meaning unless otherwise stated

This paper consists of Four (4) printed pages. Please turn over. 1
QUESTION 1 (30 MARKS)

a) In Highway design, pavement structures are classified as either flexible or rigid.

i. On the basis of materials and structural performance, clearly distinguish between
flexible and rigid pavements (5 Marks)
ii. Discuss five aspects that an engineer may use in decision making process to make
a choice on the type of pavement structure to use. (5 Marks)

b) A tyre is inflated with a pressure of 0.6N/mm2. It rests on 500 mm thick pavement

with estimated pavement and subgrade modulus of 40 N/mm2. Calculate:-
i. The surface deflection due to a wheel load of 80 kN (5 Marks)
ii. The vertical stress at the interface of the subgrade and the pavement layer
(5 Marks)
c) There are many generic types of bituminous (asphaltic) mixtures used in road
construction around the world. Discuss the main compositional differences between
Hot Rolled Asphalt (HRA) and Dense Bitumen Macadam (DBM) and comment on
how these differences are likely to affect the mechanical properties of the mixtures
(10 Marks)

QUESTION 2 (20 MARKS)

a) A two-lane, two-way road is at present carrying-a traffic of 1000 commercial vehicles

per day. It is to be strengthened for the growing traffic needs. The vehicle damage
factor has been found to be 3. The rate of growth of traffic is 10 per cent per annum.
The period of construction is 5 years. The pavement is to be designed to function for
16 years after completion. Calculate the cumulative standard axles to be used in
design. (5 Marks)

b) With the aid of sketches, describe in brief the three main types of joints that may be
found in concrete (Rigid) pavements (6 Marks)

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c) Describe the various requirements of a bituminous mixture to be used as a base
course for a heavily trafficked road. In your description illustrate how the various
requirements are met in a design process and how bitumen content is determined
using Marshall Design procedure. (9 Marks)

QUESTION 3 (20 MARKS)

a) Using the AASHTO design chart (provided), design a suitable pavement structure to
carry an estimated traffic of 10x106 , 18kip (80kN) single axle load applications. The
pavement it to be laid on a Trunk Road Class A. The following parameters have been
determined:-
i. Effective road bed resilient modulus 10x103 pounds per square inch (psi)
ii. The structural coefficients for the available pavement materials are as follows:
 Asphalt concrete- a1=0.44
 Base layer granular material – a2=0.15
 Subbase layer granular material- a3=0.10
Make reasonable assumptions for any other factors that you may need (10 Marks)

b) Describe the use of Benkelman Beam, and its operation procedure. (10 Marks)

QUESTION 4 (20 MARKS)

a) One of the common causes of road accidents is skidding of fast-moving vehicles. State
the factors governing skid resistance of pavements. Describe the principle, methods for
measuring skid resistance and common practices for improving skid resistance of
pavement surfaces. (10 marks)

b) Briefly describe how the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) of an unbound material can
be determined in the laboratory. How are the results from this test typically used in
pavement design and what are the main disadvantages of this approach? (10 marks)

This paper consists of Four (4) printed pages. Please turn over. 3
 SN= a1D1+ a2D2+ a3D3+……..

This paper consists of Four (4) printed pages. 4