New Technologies for Rural Roads –

Issues and Concerns

Prof. A.Veeraragavan
Former Professor, IIT Madras
 Why New Technology?
• Alternate materials / technologies - Choices
• Sustainable rural road infrastructure
• Depletion of natural resources; Quarrying is banned
• Industrial wastes to reduce virgin aggregate consumption
• Longer life with new alternate materials/technology
• Durable rural road infrastructure
• Improved performance; Lower maintenance requirements
• Lower life cycle cost
• Faster construction
Sustainable Infrastructure
 Low Cost Concrete Pavements
Cell Filled Concrete and Short Panelled Concrete Pavements

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 Stabilized Bases
Cement Stabilised Bases/ Subbases

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Waste Plastic Modified
Bituminous Mixes
Waste Plastic utilization

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 Cold Bituminous Mixes
Lower Energy consumption and lower GHG emission

03-08-2023 7
 Geocells
Use of marginal materials in Pavement structural layers

03-08-2023 8
Use of Industrial Wastes
Slag in Road Construction

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 Full Depth Reclamation (FDR)
• Existing distressed pavement
layers can be stabilized /
improved
• Pre-determined portion of the
underlying materials are
milled, pulverised and
blended with stabilizer and
compacted
• Improved base course
• Reduced virgin aggregate
requirements
• Reduce-Recycle-Reuse
• Sustainable pavement
rehabilitation technique
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Rehabilitation by FDR –Existing Pavement

Existing Pavement- FDR –Cement treated

PMGSY Base.

BT Layer 30 mm

Premix Carpet 20 mm
Stabilized Layer-
WBM 2 OR 3 75 mm 300 mm
(Cement)
(E=3000 MPa)
WBM 1 OR 2 75 mm

GSB 200 mm
GSB 100 mm

Design as Per SP-72 & MORD Specifications-2 MSA –CBR-5%

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New Construction with Stabilized Base

CONVENTIONAL CEMENT TREATED

Premix Carpet 20 mm

WMM 2 75 mm

150 mm
WMM 1 75 mm BT Layer 30 mm

Cemented Soil Base Layer-

GSB 200 mm (Cement/Additive) 300 mm
(E=3000 MPa)

Design as per SP-72 & MORD Specifications

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BEFORE AFTER
 • Prevents intermixing of two layers/ confinement
• Prevents intrusion/pumping of soil particles into the
Use of base/sub-base course

Geotextiles in • Avoid built-up pore pressure by dissipating pore water

pressure
Pavements • Laid at the interface of the subgrade soil and sub-base/base
layer
• Acts as a reinforcement layer where poor soil exists
Use of Coir Geotextiles for Sustainable
Low Volume Roads

Drainage

Separation

Reinforcement

Filtration
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 Use of Geogrids In Road Pavements
Geogrid base reinforcement, confines and stiffens the aggregate base layer providing long-term support for the
paved surface by:
• Preventing lateral spreading of the base, Increasing confinement and thus stiffness of the base & Improving
vertical stress distribution on the subgrade

The unique shape of the geogrid ribs confines

The unique structure allows the grid to get a good aggregate particles due to its high stiffness and the
“grip” on the aggregate particles and results in effective strength at the corners (junctions), just like a rack
mechanical interlock. confines billiard balls.

MECHANISM

Aggreg
ate

Aggreg
Interlocking (lateral ate
confinement)
Better distribution of load 16
Tension membrane effect to the subgrade
 Geotextiles
Use of Jute and Coir Geotextiles for Reinforcement

Application of Coil
Geotextile

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 Drainage

DRAINAGE PROBLEMS
• Undesired water can lead to damage to pavements
• The pore water pressure built-up in subgrade may lead to
pavement permanent failure
• Loss of subgrade support
• Reduction of granular layer stiffness
DRAWBACKS OF CONVENTIONAL METHOD
• Consumption of natural resources
• As the time pass, the efficiency of drainage reduces due
to the clogging of gravel layer Geotextile
Geotextile Filter /
• Costlier solution
Filter Membrane
• Difficult to install
• Increases Carbon footprint
Core
Drainage composite as an alternative to well Drain
graded gravel filter

• ‘Geosynthetics’ has become a simple and effective

Drainage
replacement to various conventional solutions Composite
• Drainage composite can be used for both
horizontal & vertical drainage applications in
pavements.
• Drainage composite is used as an alternate to
conventional granular drainage layer. 18
4. Drainage Composite-Horizontal Application
Drainage
Composite

Source: Maccaferri

Proposed Solutions
Subsurface Capillary rise
Drainage Problems

Surface Water Frozen roads

Source: Maccaferri
 Benefits of Geosynthetics

• Initial cost reduction with use of Geosynthetics may vary

between 9 % to 15% depending on usage

• In low volume roads advantage is by increasing design life with

reduced maintenance.

• Life cycle cost reduction can be 26% to 40%

• Durability increase of 30 % to 50% for similar traffic load and

pavement layer thickness .

• Traffic load carrying capacity will improve significantly with the

use of Geosynthetics, when compared to conventional roads
 Issues and Concerns
• Selection of suitable materials / technology
• How to characterize the new materials / industrial waste
materials for application in pavement design?
• Long term performance depends on initial design
• What if, the new materials / technology fails?
• Are schedule of rates available for the new materials?
• What are the quality control issues?
• Monitoring the performance and periodic reporting – additional
task – reluctance from agencies
• Will new materials / technology result in sustainable, long lasting
pavements at low life cycle cost
• What are the benefits to the agency / society?
Performance Assessment of Roads
Constructed Using Waste Plastics in
Wearing courses
Use of Waste Plastics in Wearing Courses
• NRIDA has sanctioned 20,491 km of PMGSY roads under
waste plastic category and about 13,139 km length of roads
have been completed.
• IRC brought out SP-98- 2013/2020 guidelines for the use of
waste plastics in Hot Bituminous Mixes (Dry Process) in
Wearing courses.
• Waste plastics increase the durability of the roads – need to
evaluate the performance under actual traffic, climate and
environmental conditions
• Will the use of waste plastics improve the performance? Are
the distresses in road sections constructed with waste
plastics less? Will the maintenance requirements be low?
What will be the benefits to the agency/society in terms of
reduced maintenance / life cycle cost?
 Objectives and Scope
• To evaluate the performance of PMGSY roads constructed using
conventional pre-mixed carpet wearing course and premixed
carpet with waste plastics
• Quantify the performance of the roads and based on the choice
of technology adopted.
• To predict the performance of conventional and waste plastic
mix wearing courses and estimate the road maintenance
requirements and compare their performance and cost
• To study the costs incurred for the construction and
maintenance activities and estimate the Net Present Value
(NPV) / Life cycle costs for both the technologies.
 Field studies / Lab studies
Field Studies Lab Studies
• Visual surface condition • Wet Sieve Analysis
assessment • CBR
• Videos and Image recording • Lab density
survey
• Index properties
• MERLIN for Unevenness
• moisture content
• Camber checks
• PI of shoulder material
• Drainage, Shoulder condition
survey • Grading of aggregates
• Traffic survey • Aggregate Impact value
• Test pits – 30x30cm – • Coating & Stripping of
thickness of layers, material Aggregate
procurement • Bitumen Binder content
• DCP test on subgrade • Plastic content
• BBD
 Cold Mix and Waste Plastic Projects

03-08-2023 26
 Findings- Waste Plastic Roads
• IRI in most of the plastic mix asphalt surface roads were
found to be better compared to hot mix asphalt surface
roads..
• Ravelling at some locations were found in plastic mix
asphalt surface roads. Less potholes
• Low severity cracks along the wheel path.
• Workability of plastic asphalt mix and hot asphalt mix were
similar.
• Need to relate the waste plastic content as well as the
bitumen content on the performance
• IITBBS has developed a technology to determine the plastic
content, that can be used for quality control.
Life Cycle and Performance
Assessment of Roads
Constructed Using Cold Mix
Technology
 Need and Importance of Project
 Cold mix roads have been laid
under the PMGSY program:
Primary objective is to reduce the
GHG emissions.
 NRIDA intends to scale up the
cold mix technology on a wider
scale: Information about long term
performance is desired.
 NRIDA undertook a Life Cycle
Assessment of Hot Mix and Cold
Mix technologies for Construction
and Maintenance of Rural roads
through TERI during 2017.
 The study inferred that more
detailed study comparison
between the two technologies
should be carried out to come to
a robust conclusion.
 To assess the suitability of cold
mix technology, it is important to
perform a detailed evaluation of
life cycle cost analysis (LCCA)
and performance of the road
section.
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 Objectives
• To study the relative performance of hot mix and cold mix
technology applications in PMGSY roads under varied
conditions across different states in the country
• The study shall undertake Life Cycle Assessment and
performance assessment of the PMGSY roads completed
using hot and cold mix technologies.
 Methodology
• Calculation of Pavement Condition Index (PCI) based
on each distress type (IRC-82-2015) – severity and
extent
• Prediction of performance and remaining service life
estimation
• Assessing Construction Quality Index (CQI) and
correlating it with performance.
• Prediction of maintenance requirements: Routine,
Periodic.
• Assessment of LCCA and development of GHG
emission calculator
 Work-plan
Task – 1: Selection of study Roads – Finalization
• The selected roads will be from various years of maintenance.
• The proportion of length of roads taken up under cold-mix and
conventional will be 80%:20%.
Task – 2: Field Study – Data Collection to assess performance and LCCA

• Life Cycle Assessment of Roads Constructed Using Cold Mix Technology

• Performance Assessment of Roads Constructed Using Cold Mix Technology

Life Cycle Assessment Performance Assessment

Analysis will be done per kilometre of road Field data collection is proposed
section. The following parameters will be to have three components
quantified:
 Asset inventory
 Energy consumption and CO2 emissions  Pavement distress
and Material consumption, Labour Cost measurements, and
 GHG emissions and criteria pollutants and  Field and laboratory testing
Health impact
 NPV of life cycle costs 33
 Observations-- Cold Mix Roads
• Performance of cold mix asphalt surfaced roads are found to be at par with the hot
mix asphalt surfaced roads; some roads have better riding quality than the
conventional pavements.
• A few of the cold mix roads in Odisha subjected to inundation during flooding for 3-
4 days have been found to be performing better than a nearby hot mix surfaced
roads.
• Ravelling and hungry surface have been found as common distresses in the cold
mix roads, which may be attributed to the presence of dust in the aggregates or
inadequate bitumen content.
• Residual Bitumen content was found to be less in OGPC layer for the cold mix
roads.
• As inquired from the contractors, the setting time varied from 24-48 hours up to a
week; need to link the source of emulsion and its quality to performance
• From earlier studies carried out by TERI, it is clear that the GHS emission and
energy requirement are less in case of cold mix.
• Cold mix may be considered for 100% of the PMGSY roads constructed with
OGPC or other thin surfacing layers.
Importance of Quality Control –
FDR Projects
Importance of Quality Control –
FDR Projects
Importance of Quality Control –
FDR Projects
Why Shear Deformation?
 Performance of
Cell-Filled Concrete Pavements
 Example on Importance of
Quality Control
Tests on subgrade soil:
• Grain size analysis of soil including hydrometer
analysis.
• Determining the Liquid, Plastic limit, Plasticity Index of
soil.
• Determining the Optimum moisture content(OMC) and
Maximum dry density(MDD) of soil using Modified
Proctor test.
• Determination of 4-day soaked CBR values by varying
the compaction levels with 56,45,30 blows per layer
and moisture content.

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 Experimental Results On Soil Testing
• Basic properties of soil determined from lab tests :
SOIL RED SOIL
PROPERTY 100
Particle size distribution

Liquid limit 30.95% 80

Plastic limit 18.55% 60

% Passing
Plasticity Index 12.40% 40

% Gravel 0%
20

% Sand 76%
0

% Silt 8%
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
Particle Diameter (mm)

% Clay 16%
Soil classification CLAYEY SAND
(SC) 1
 Test Matrix On Subgrade Soil

Compaction Moisture Content

levels(%) (%)

100
97 OMC-2% OMC OMC+2%
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• A total of eighteen 4-day soaked CBR tests were conducted on
subgrade soil considering the variability in moisture content and the
compaction levels and considering two trials for each combination.

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 Summary Of CBR Test Results
(Average)
Moisture
Compaction
content(%)
levels (%)
OMC- 2% OMC OMC+2%

100 9.01 9.83 6.31

97 7.27 7.71 5.23
94 5.38 5.81 3.49

• CBR value at OMC and 56 number of blows = 9.8.

• CBR value at OMC+2% and 30 number of blows = 3.4.

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 Estimation Of
Resilient Modulus Of Subgrade
• The resilient modulus values of subgrade soil are
estimated using IRC:37-2018 empirical equations:

MR (Mpa) = 10* CBR for CBR ≤ 5%

MR (Mpa) = 17.6* (CBR)0.64 for CBR > 5%

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 Estimation of
Resilient Modulus of Subgrade
Resilient
Sr.no Number of Moisture CBR modulus
blows content (MR)
(%) Mpa
1 56 OMC-2% 9 72
2 56 OMC 9.8 76
3 56 OMC+2% 6.3 57
4 45 OMC-2% 7.2 63
5 45 OMC 7.7 65
6 45 OMC+2% 5.2 51
7 30 OMC-2% 5.4 52
8 30 OMC 5.8 55
9 30 OMC+2% 3.5 35
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 Estimation of Resilient Modulus of
Granular Layer

• Resilient modulus values of granular layer is estimated

using IRC:37-2018 empirical equation:
MR granular =0.2*h0.45 *MR subgrade

• Thickness of granular layer is considered as 450mm for

all traffic conditions.

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 Estimation of Resilient Modulus Of
Granular Layer
Sr.no CBR MR subgrade Granular layer MR granular
(%) (Mpa) thickness(h), mm) (Mpa)
1 9 72 450 225
2 10 76 450 238
3 6 57 450 179
4 7 63 450 196
5 8 65 450 203
6 5 51 450 159
7 5 52 450 162
8 6 55 450 170
9 4 35 450 110 1
Impact Chart on Rut Life

Air voids(%) Binder content(%)

3% 3%

Moisture content(%) Max dry

40% density(gm/cc)
54%

1
Impact Chart on Fatigue Life

Binder content(%)
21%
Max dry
density(gm/cc)
36%

Air voids(%)
13%

Moisture content(%)
30%

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Conceptual structure of compacted
material using static roller
Conceptual structure of compacted
material using vibratory roller
Amplitude
Low Frequency High Frequency

Impact Spacing

Frequency

DIRECTION OF TRAVEL
 Suggested Frequency And
Amplitude For Vibratory Compaction
Nature of Soil/ Frequency Amplitude (mm) Thickness of
Materials (CPM) Compaction,
mm
Rock 1800-2500 1.2 – 1.5 750

Sand/ Gravel 1800-2000 0.8 – 1.2 500

Sandy/clay 1600-2000 0.8 – 1.2 600

/clayey
Clay 2000-2500 0.8 – 1.0 400

Asphalt 2500-3500 0.4 – 0.6 50 – 75

CHECKING DENSITY
 PASS

• Each time the roller goes over the entire pavement area is ONE
PASS.

• How many passes of the roller are needed to achieve the

desired density?
 ROLLER PASS

1
CROWN
2 2-lanes @
3.7 meters
3 (12 ft)

5
Drum Width
4 = 1.8 meters
(6 ft)
Relation between lift thickness and relative
compaction for static and vibratory rollers
 High

Passing
Density
Density

Low
1 2 3 4 5 6

Roller Passes
 Roller Pattern Problem

Compaction Curve

100
Compaction (%)

96

92

88
1 2 3 4 5 6
Number of Passes

Decreasing Temperature
Compaction of Embankment
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 Sampling Location

 Random Locations

x Biased Locations

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Random Sampling

With simple random

Sampling, All samples
could end Up in one
section of a Roadway lot

Roadway Lot
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 Sublot 1- Sample Location

Longitudinal (X)

Transverse (Y)

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 RANDOM
NUMBER
Sublot 2 Sublot 4 TABLE
Sublot 1 Sublot 3

74 60 01 27 43 X

29 21 78 01 43 Y

28 37 00 49 97

73 08 87 32 97

72 14 09 70 41

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Sublot 1
Coordinate X = .74 x 1000 = 740 m
Coordinate Y = .29 x 12 = 3.5 m

740 m 14 m

3.5 m

1000 m

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 Effect of Sampling Location on
Gradation Variability
Standard Deviations

6 Coldfeeds (n=45)
5 Loose HMA (n=45)
4 Cores (n=46)
3
2
1
0

#16

#30

#50

#100

#200
#4

#8
3/4"

1/2"

3/8"

Sieve Size

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 Typical Industry Standard
Deviations
Based on extraction:
• Asphalt binder content: + 0.25 %
• % Passing 4.75 mm (No. 4) and larger sieves: + 3 %
• % Passing 2.36 (No 8) to .150 mm (No 100) sieves: + 2 %
• Passing the 0.075 mm (No 200) sieve: + 0.7 %

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 Typical Industry Standard
Deviations (cont.)
Compacted mix:
• Air voids: + 1.0 %
• Voids in Mineral Aggregate (VMA): + 1.5 %
• Voids filled with asphalt (VFA): + 5 %

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 Way Forward
• New materials and technology are to be adopted for sustainable
rural road infrastructure
• New materials and technologies are expected to reduce virgin
aggregate consumption, improve performance, lower
maintenance and life cycle cost
• Alternate materials are environmentally sustainable
• Performance of alternate materials are to be periodically
evaluated and documented; create a centralised data base.
• Quality control plays an importance role on performance
• Non-Destructive Test Equipment to be used for improved quality
control – more tests are possible; reduced testing time
 Way Forward
• Improved compaction level and better mix design will ensure
improved performance
• Decision on new materials and technologies should not be based
on initial cost, but should be based on life cycle cost.
• Projects evaluation process : Consider and assign weightage for
environmental benefits of adopting new materials &
technologies;
• Green rating norms and not based on the lowest construction
cost, ignoring environmental and sustainability issues.
• IRC: SP: 122-2019
 Thankful acknowledgements to
• Dr. I.K. Pateriya, Director, NRIDA
• Dr Umesh Sahoo, IIT, Bhubaneswar
• Dr Jaya, RASTA, Bangalore
• Dr V. Sunitha, NITT
• Mr. H.S. Bhatia, AAI
• Mr. Uday Sagar, IITM
• Dr Anjan Kumar, IITG
• Dr Rajib Basu Mallick, UTEP
THANK YOU