CAMBER

“Camber”

• it is the transverse slope provided to the road surface to drain off

the rainwater from the road surface.
• the slightly convex or arched shape of a road or other horizontal
surface.
• The convexity or curvature of the road to avoid staying of water
• also called as “cross-slope”
FUNCTIONS OF CAMBER
1) To drain off rainwater from carriageway to the gutters quickly.

Drainage of the rainwater is necessary:

(a) To maintain the safe value of the friction between the road surface and the tyres
(b) To maintain the strength and durability of the surface concrete
(c) To maintain the durability and strength of the sub-grade soil which can be harmed if the
infiltration of the water takes place to it.

2) To regulate the traffic to their proper line.

3) To improve the architectural appearance of the road.

CAMBER
• At horizontal curves camber is
provided by raising the outer edge
of the carriageway instead of
raising the center.

• On the straight roads, camber is

provided by raising the center of the
carriageway with respect to the
edges, thus forming a highest point
or “crown” on the center line of the
carriageway.
The rate of camber is usually designated by 1 in n which
means that the transverse slope is in the ratio of 1 vertical
to n horizontal or in percentage.

Amount of camber mainly depends on:

(1) Amount of rainfall
(2) Type of road surface
EXCESSIVE CAMBER IS NOT DESIRABLE BECAUSE OF THE
FOLLOWING REASONS:
1) Rapid flow of water results into formation of cross cuts.
2) Problems of toppling over of highly laden bullock carts.
3) Due to excessive camber there is tendency of most of
the vehicles to travel along the center line.
4) During overtaking operation, vehicles tend to drag,
causing uncomfortable conditions.
5) Faster wear of the road surface along the edges than the
central part.
Cambers are generally provided in three shapes:

1) Straight Line or Sloped Camber

2) Parabolic Camber
3) Composite Camber
1) Straight Line Camber

• It is arranged with two equal homogeneous straight line

slopes at both sides of the crown
• also called as plane cross slopes.
• They are normally adopted for very flat slopes like PCC or
RCC Pavement.
Where:
L = width of the pavement
R = difference in elevation between crown & edge

By ratio & proportion:

1 𝑅
=
𝑛 𝐿
2

𝐿
𝑅=
2𝑛
or

𝐿 × 𝑁%
𝑅=
200
2) Parabolic Camber

• In parabolic camber, the cross slope remains in the shape

of simple quadratic parabola. Here, the ordinate Y
fluctuates as the square of abscissa X (simple parabola
equation).
• Parabolic cambers are designed for fast moving highways.
A favourable condition for overtaking operation is provided
due to the curved cross slope. As the slope increases
outward to the road edge, the flow of surface water away
from the pavement is enhanced. One disadvantage of
parabolic cambers is that they are very difficult to construct
In the parabolic equation, 𝑥 2 = 𝑎𝑦

Where:
x = horizontal distance from the crown
y= corresponding ordinate
a= constant
To find out the value of a, assume width of the pavement as L and camber slope as 1 in n.
∴ 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛
𝐿
𝑥=
2
𝐿
𝑦=
2𝑛
 𝐿 2
𝑥2 2
𝑎= =
𝑦 𝐿
2𝑛
𝑥 2 𝐿2 2𝑛
= ×
𝑦 4 𝐿
2𝑥 2
𝑦=
𝑛𝐿
3) Composite Camber
• Composite camber may be composed of partly parabola
and partly straight line or two straight lines having different
slopes. Generally central part of the road is made
parabolic and provided with straight slopes near edges.
This helps to decrease in intensity of pressure by
increasing the contact area of the wheel.
 Road Camber as per I.R.C.
S. No. Type of road surface Range of camber

Heavy rainfall Light rainfall

1 High bituminous and cement 1 in 50 or 2% 1 in 60 or 1.7%

concrete surfaces

2 Thin bituminous surfaces 1 in 40 or 2.5% 1 in 50 or 2%

3 Water bound macadam, gravel 1 in 33 or 3% 1 in 40 or 2.5%

surfaces

4 Earth road 1 in 25 or 4% 1 in 33 or 3%
EXAMPLE

1) If the distance between the edges of a pavement is 9m

& its crown is 7.5cm. What is the camber of cement
concrete pavement?
Given:
L=9m
R=7.5cm
Req’d:
1 in n=?
SOLUTION
𝐿
R=
2𝑛
100𝑐𝑚
𝐿 9𝑚
1𝑚
n= =
2𝑅 2×7.5𝑐𝑚
n=60
So:
Camber = 1 in 60
EXAMPLE:
2)Find the camber (%) of the given road section.

Given:
L= 6m
Elevation of crown: 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣2= 98.35m
Elevation of two edges: 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣1=98.25m &
𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣3 =98.255m
Solution
(𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣1 +𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣3 ) (98.25m+98.255)
R=𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣2 − =98.35𝑚 −
2 2
R=0.0975m

𝐿 6𝑚
n= = =30.77
2𝑅 2(.0975)
1 100%
Camber= × 100% = =3.25%
𝑛 30.77
EXAMPLE
3) In a locality where the rainfall is heavy, it is proposed to construct a Other District Road of
W.B.M. pavement, 3.6m wide, a Major District Road of bituminous concrete pavement, 7m wide,
and a Provincial Highway of cement concrete pavement, 7m wide. Find out the height of the
crown with respect to the edges.

Given
a) L=3.6m (W.B.M. pavement)
b) L=7m ( bituminous concrete pavement)
c) L=7m (cement concrete pavement)

Required
Height of crown for each road type
SOLUTION
Let for a heavy rainfall area following camber rates are to be provided
Type of road surface Range of camber
Heavy rainfall
Water bound macadam (W.B.M.) 1 in 33 or 3%
Thin bituminous surfaces 1 in 40 or 2.5%
High bituminous and cement concrete surfaces 1 in 50 or 2%

a) Rise of crown with respect to the edges for W.B.M. roads

use: 1 in 33 or n=33

𝐿 3.8𝑚
𝑅= =
2𝑛 2 × 33
𝑅 = 0.0576𝑚
b) Rise of crown with respect to the edges for bituminous concrete roads
use: 1 in 40 or n=40
𝐿 7𝑚
𝑅= =
2𝑛 2 × 40
𝑅 = 0.0875𝑚
c) Rise of crown with respect to the edges for cement concrete roads
use: 1 in 60 or n=60
𝐿 7𝑚
𝑅= =
2𝑛 2 × 60
𝑅 = 0.0583𝑚
EXAMPLE
4) Design camber templates for the following conditions.
a) Straight line camber for a two lane cement concrete pavement in a heavy rainfall area.
b) Parabolic camber for a two lane bituminous concrete pavement in a heavy rainfall area.
L=7m
SOLUTION
a) Camber Template for cement concrete pavement.
• width of two lane pavement, L=7m
• Provide a straight line camber of 1 in 1 in 50 for heavy rainfall, n=50
100𝑐𝑚
𝐿 7𝑚
1𝑚
𝑅= =
2𝑛 2 × 50
𝑅 = 7𝑐𝑚
• Hence the following will be the dimensioned sketch of
camber template.
b) Camber Template for bituminous concrete pavement.
• width of two lane pavement, L=7m
• Provide a camber of 1 in 40 for heavy rainfall, n=40

The various values of y for assumed distances from the crown are given below:
x in meters 2𝑥 2
𝑦=
𝑛𝐿
𝐿 7 2
7
= 𝑚 2 𝑚 100𝑐𝑚
8 8 8
𝑦= × = 0.547𝑐𝑚
40 × 7𝑚 1𝑚
𝐿 7 2
7
= m 2 𝑚 100𝑐𝑚
4 4 4
𝑦= × = 2.1875𝑐𝑚
40 × 7𝑚 1𝑚
3𝐿 3 × 7𝑚 2
21
= 2 𝑚 100𝑐𝑚
8 8 8
𝑦= × = 4.92𝑐𝑚
40 × 7𝑚 1𝑚
𝐿 7 2
7
= 𝑚 2 𝑚 100𝑐𝑚
2 2 2
𝑦= × = 8.75𝑐𝑚
40 × 7𝑚 1𝑚
• Hence the following will be the dimensioned sketch of
camber template.