CHAPTER 7

Constructing the Roadbed

7-1 Soil as Structure
Road Bed
 In railroads, the bed or foundation on which the superstructure rests.
 The part of the surface of a road traveled by vehicles.
Early road construction have concentrated mainly on the road surface pavement resulting
on too many failures.

The roads has three major structural parts:

1. The Sub-grade or Sub-base
2. The Base Course
3. The Pavement

Sub-grade or Sub-base
 A subgrade is made up of native soil that has been compacted to withstand the loads
above it.
 The earth beneath the road, properly arranged and graded, compacted and
stabilized.
 Defined as “Supporting structure on which the pavement surface and its special
under-courses rest.”
 In a cut section of the road, the sub-grade is the original soil lying below the layers
designated as the base and sub base materials.
  It is consists of imported materials taken from nearby roadway cuts or from borrow
pit.
Base Course
 The sub-layer material of an asphalt roadway and is placed directly on top of the
undisturbed soil
 The materials laid on top of the sub-grade consisting of crushed stone or gravel,
sometimes mixed with asphalt binders.
Pavement
 The material laid over the base coarse consisting of Asphalt Concrete or Portland
Cement Concrete.
 The primary function of a pavement is to transmit loads to the sub-base and
underlying soil.
 Usually reinforced with steel rod or mesh.

7-4 Grading and Maintenance of Untreated Surface

The cross slope of untreated surface gravel road must be sufficient enough to drain water
to prevent potholes and softening the roadway.
Cross Slope or Camber

 Pavement cross slope is an important cross-sectional design element. The cross

slope drains water from the roadway laterally and helps minimize ponding of water
on the pavement.

1. If the road materials are sufficiently stable and water tight, one inch per slope is
considered satisfactory although 3/8 to ½” peer foot slope is preferred.

2. If the road is steep grade, substantial cross slope is needed to direct the water into
the roadside.

Untreated surface road is seldom constructed in less than 20 centimeters loose depth.
When compacted will be compressed to about 15 centimeters thick

Road development sometimes adopted the stage construction methods. The sequence of
improvement could be as follows:

 First: It might be an earth road surface.

 Second: Untreated gravel road.
 Third: Application of asphalt over the gravel.
 Fourth: The use of stone type pavement with gravel as part of the base course.

Maintenance of gravel road surface is a routine activity specially in maintaining the

smoothness of the surface under the following procedures:
  By cutting off a thin layer of the road surface using road grader distributing the
scraped layer uniformly over the roadway surface. The cut is deep enough to
remove the corrugations of the road surface.

 The blading sequence is once or twice a year or sometimes monthly, depending

upon the finances, traffic and equipment availability. After blading, the road is
compacted by road roller to maintain the cross section slope and the crown of the
roadway.

 The most effective routine maintenance is done immediately after rainfall where the
surface is soft for the blade to drag.

 Losses of materials caused by grading and traffic wear generally ranges from 1/2" to
1 inch of the thickness per year although it varies due to traffic volume, rainfall,
wind intensity, frequency and maintenance practice or habit.

 Compaction is effectively done by using pneumatic tired or steel wheeled rollers.

Where surface is tight and non-variable, sealing may be omitted.

Ito po yung background pero kung di bagay ikaw na lang pili na mas maayos ^_^