Design of Flexible Pavements

(Brief History of IRC:37)

K. Sudhakar Reddy
Civil Engineering Department
IIT Kharagpur
 Timeline of Flexible Pavement Design
in India
1970 First Empirical design guidelines for flexible
pavements (IRC:37-1970)
1981 Tentative Guidelines for Strengthening of
Flexible Pavements using BBD technique
(IRC:81)
1984 First Revision of IRC:37
1983-93 Research Scheme R-6 of MoRTH on
pavement performance studies
1997 Guidelines for Strengthening of Flexible
Pavements using BBD technique (IRC:81)
 Timeline of Indian Asphalt Pavement
Design Activities
2001 Second Revision of IRC:37 (Mechanistic)
2002 Rural Roads Manual (for design of Low
Volume Roads for PMGSY program)
(IRC:SP:20)
2007 Guidelines for Design of Flexible Pavements
for Low Volume Roads (IRC:SP:72)
2012 Third Revision of IRC:37
2018 Fourth Revision of IRC:37
 IRC:37-1970 – First Design Guidelines
• Adaptation of international practice with
adjustments
• Design traffic expressed in terms of number
of commercial vehicles (laden weight of 3
tonnes or more)
• A to E categories of commercial traffic
intensity (E - 450 to 1500)
 IRC:37-1970 – First Design Guidelines
• For a given subgrade CBR value, total thickness of
a flexible pavement is evaluated for a range of
commercial vehicles
• Individual layer thicknesses can be estimated
from the CBR value of the underlying layer
• Do not account for variations in climatic
conditions, especially in terms of pavement
temperatures, vehicle categories, axle load
spectrum and materials used in different layers
IRC:37-1970
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Design traffic in terms of equivalent standard
(80 kN) axle load repetitions.
• Vehicle Damage Factor (VDF)
• AASHO axle load equivalence factors
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Default VDF values were recommended for
different situations
• 3.0 is the typical default VDF value (thick
bituminous pavements, plain terrain, more
than 1500 commercial vehicles per day)
• Lateral distribution factors
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Only for design of new pavements.
• For overlay design, IRC:81 (1981) based on
Benkelman beam rebound deflection.
• Thickness Design Chart relating pavement
thickness to design traffic (csa) for different
subgrade CBRs.
• Thickness combination blocks given to split
total thickness into layer thicknesses.
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Subgrade -500 mm thick prepared layer
• Strength (CBR) of subgrade is the main input
• Recommended compaction effort for
subgrade is 95 to 100 % of Standard Proctor
Compaction.
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Surfacing layers – Asphalt Concrete and
different thin (20 mm) bituminous layers such
as premix carpet, two-coat surface dressing,
mix seal surfacing.
• Open-graded high-void bituminous macadam
recommended as the base (binder) course for
design traffic up to 5 msa.
• Dense bituminous macadam for larger design
traffic volumes.
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• More rational compared to 1970 version
(consideration of axle load and lateral
placement characteristics).
• However, it Suffered from several drawbacks.
– No documented pavement performance data
– No definition of performance or identification of
critical Distress modes
– Influence of climatic conditions, such as design
pavement temperatures, on performance not
considered.
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Subgrade -500 mm thick prepared layer
• Strength (CBR) of subgrade is the main input
• Recommended compaction effort for
subgrade is 95 to 100 % of Standard Proctor
Compaction.
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Surfacing layers – Asphalt Concrete and
different thin (20 mm) bituminous layers such
as premix carpet, two-coat surface dressing,
mix seal surfacing.
• Open-graded high-void bituminous macadam
recommended as the base (binder) course for
design traffic up to 5 msa.
• Dense bituminous macadam for larger design
traffic volumes.
 IRC:37-1984 – First Revision
• Being empirical, could not be extrapolated to new
pavement materials.
• Thickness charts were prepared for maximum
design traffic of 30 msa and for subgrade CBR
values in the range of 2 % to 10 %.
• Difficulties encountered in designing pavements
for larger traffic volumes, stronger subgrades
(CBR more than 10%) and with newer materials
(modified binders and mixes and stabilized
layers).
IRC:37-1984
 R-6 Research Scheme
• “Development of methods such as Benkelman
beam deflection method for evaluation of
structural capacity of existing flexible pavements
and design of overlays”
• Initiated by the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways (MoRTH)
• First major effort to collect pavement
performance data
• 1983-1993
• Implemented by different agencies in four zones
(North, South, East and West) of India
 R-6 Research Scheme
• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Central
Road Research Institute, New Delhi, University
Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore,
College of Engineering, Roorkee and SGSITS,
Indore
• Initial objective was to develop an overlay design
method based on Benkelman beam deflection
• However, the data collected was also used to
develop performance criteria for new pavements.
 R-6 Research Scheme
• 61 test sections constructed on existing two-
lane two-way national highways which were
evaluated using Benkelman beam rebound
deflection method
• Average annual air temperatures 25 to 28 0C.
Corresponding estimated average annual
pavement temperature 35 0C.
• Flexible overlays were designed for these
sections based on initial rebound deflections.
 R-6 Research Scheme
• Three different overlays with different
thicknesses were laid adjacent to each other
• Effect of overlay thickness and overlay material in
reducing the rebound deflection and on long-
term pavement performance studied.
• The pavement sections located in different parts
of India cover a wide range of traffic, climatic and
subgrade conditions.
• Most of the overlays had bituminous macadam
(open graded high void mix) layer while a few had
bituminous concrete (dense mix).
 R-6 Research Scheme
• Performance of overlaid pavements monitored
periodically
• Rebound Benkelman beam deflection and
surface cracking and rutting were observed
• Temperature and moisture correction factors
were established for deflection.
• Layer equivalences were also established based
on limited data available (Granular/Bituminous
Concrete /Bituminous Macadam).
 R-6 Research Scheme
• Criterion for Remaining life VS rebound
deflection (and allowable initial rebound
deflection) developed.
• These criteria were developed for a terminal
condition of 20 mm average wheel path
rutting and 25% surface cracking in
bituminous layer.
 R-6 Research Scheme
• R-6 data resulted in the development of IRC:81
(1997) guidelines for design of bituminous
overlays for flexible pavements.
• Since there were not many overlay sections with
Bituminous concrete, reduction in deflections has
been estimated using Asphalt Institute guidelines
for AC (MS 17, 1996).
• Reddy and Pandey (1993) developed
performance criteria for fatigue cracking and
rutting based on Eastern Zone data
 R-6 Research Scheme

• Terminal conditions of 25% cracking and 20 mm rutting.

• Analysis done using linear elastic layered program ELAYER
(Reddy, 1993).
• Resilient modulus of Bituminous Macadam, which was the
main overlay material used, was determined by conducting
repeated triaxial test and by correcting the modulus for a
loading time of 20 milli-seconds
 Other Performance Studies
• R-56 Research Scheme (1994 to 1999) by IIT
Kharagpur – re-analysed R-6 data and additional
data collected by CRRI under R-19 scheme
• Laboratory Mix characteristics (resilient modulus
and fatigue performance) obtained in R-24
scheme (IIT Kharagpur) were used
• FPAVE computer program was used for analysis
• Revised performance criteria developed for
fatigue cracking and rutting
 IRC:37-2001
• R-6, R-19, R-24 and R-56 data led to the
revision of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC:37)
guidelines for design of flexible pavements
• Some previous shortcomings addressed
• Performance explained in terms of
mechanistic parameters computed using
linear elastic layered theory
 IRC:37-2001
• Three major modes of failures identified -
subgrade rutting, bottom-up fatigue cracking of
bituminous layer and rutting in bituminous layer.
• Mechanistic criteria given only for subgrade
rutting and fatigue cracking of bituminous layer.
• Mix rutting expected to be controlled by proper
mix design as per MoRTH (2001) specifications
• 20 % cracked area of bituminous layer and 20 mm
rutting in wheel path considered as critical
(terminal) pavement conditions.
Analysis of Flexible Pavements

2a

sz1
E1, m1 sr1 h1
sz2
E2, m2 sr2 h2
sr3
E3, m3 a
 IRC:37-2001

Widely used empirical models adopted for estimation of

Subgrade modulus (from CBR), granular layer modulus
(from Subgrade modulus and layer thickness)
recommended
 IRC:37-2001
• Elastic moduli recommended for different
Bituminous Mixes
• Typical values recommended for BC with
80/100, 60/70 and 30/40 penetration grade
bitumen for a pavement temperature of 35 0C
are about 1000 MPa, 1700 MPa and 3000 MPa
respectively
 IRC:37-2001
• Design traffic estimated in terms of standard
axle (80 kN) load repetitions
• AASHTO axle load equivalence factors used
• Lane distribution (lateral placement) factors
recommended for different carriageways.
• Thickness charts given for total pavement
thickness for different subgrade strengths (CBR)
and different traffic levels (msa).
• Thickness catalogues have also been given to split
the total pavement thickness into component
layer thicknesses.
 IRC:37-2001
• The conditions considered for developing these
thickness charts are: – pavement temperature of 35 0C
and Dense Bituminous macadam mix prepared with
60/70 grade bitumen (elastic modulus of about 1700
MPa).
• Charts and catalogues available for subgrade CBR range
of 2 to 10 % and traffic level of up to 150 msa.
• Guidelines meant only for new designs
• IRC:81(1997) recommended for design of bituminous
overlays
IRC:37-2001