THE SUB-GRADE
AND SUB-BASE OF
CONCRETE
PAVEMENT
In transport engineering, subgrade is the native material
underneath a constructed road, pavement or railway track. It is
also called formation level. The term can also refer to imported
material that has been used to build an embankment.
In highway engineering, subbase is the layer of aggregate
material laid on the subgrade, on which the base course layer is
located. It may be omitted when there will be only foot traffic
on the pavement, but it is necessary for surfaces used by
vehicles.
The AASHTO Intern Guides, recommend that the subbase must
be extended from 30 to 60 centimeters outside the pavement
edge to serve as an edge support.
Concrete
proportions
1. Type I or II cement is specified for concrete
pavement.
2. Water for concrete must be clean, free from acids,
alkali, and oil.
3. If concrete is to be strong, sound and durable, the
aggregate must have similar properties.
4. The mineral aggregate of concrete is about 75% of
the volume or about 80% of the weight of normal
pavement.
5. The maximum size of course aggregate is 2 inches.
ADMIXTURE
An admixture is a material that, when used in conjunction with
portland or blended cement, contributes to the properties of
hardened concrete through hydraulic or pozzolanic activity or
both
Admixture is a substance added in mixing to change the
characteristic of concrete mixture.
WHY IS ADMIXTURE USED?
Over decades, attempts have been made to obtain concrete with certain
desired characteristics such as high compressive strength, high workability, and
high performance and durability parameters to meet the requirement of
complexity of modern structures.
The properties commonly modified are the heat of hydration, accelerate or
retard setting time, workability, water reduction, dispersion and air-entrainment,
impermeability and durability factors.
TWO TYPES OF ADMIXTURES
Chemical admixtures are the ingredients in concrete other than
portland cement, water, and aggregate that are added to the
mixture immediately before or during mixing.
Air-Entraining Admixture
Accelerating admixture
Set retarding admixture
Water reducer admixture
Plasticizer
Mineral Admixtures are insoluble siliceous materials, used at
relatively large amounts (15-20% by weight of cement).
Pozzolan
Silica fumes
AIR
ENTRAINMENT
Air entrainment is the entrapment of air in the concrete mixture in
the form of evenly distributed small bubbles. It is used to increase
the concrete resistance to surface scaling caused by deicing with
calcium or sodium chloride. Another working advantage of air
entrainment is improving its workability and reduces bleeding in
fresh concrete.
Air entrainment in concrete may be attained by using Air Entraining
Portland Cement or by Air Entraining Admixture added to each
batch of concrete while mixing.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AIR ENTRAINMENT IS TO INCREASE
THE CONCRETE DURABILITY THAT IS INFLUENCED BY:
Percentage of air present in the mixture
Grading of aggregates
Size and distribution of air bubble
CEMENT AND
WATER RATIO
The strength and other desirable properties of
concrete mixture varies depending upon the
ratio of concrete to mixing water.
AASHTO guide Specifications for highway
construction established the maximum water
cement ratio at 6 gallons per bag of cement on
normal conditions and 5 ½ gallons per bag of
cement for sever atmospheric conditions.
CONCRETE
MIXTURE
Considering the high cost of cement, the objective in
mixing concrete is to use more aggregates and as little
cement as possible, while maintaining the workability
necessary for a successful pouring and consolidation.
For structural concrete poured in inaccessible small areas
around reinforcing bars, it is necessary to over-fil the voids
or spaces around the aggregate and reinforcement using
a free flowing cement in water paste form. On the
contrary, pavement where the slab is open and thin with
an access to manipulate from the surface, a drier mixture
can be poured inside the form with ease and success.
Thus, a higher percentage of aggregate and a less fluid
cement-water paste can be used.
ON HOW TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CEMENT-
WATER PASTE AND THE COST OF THE MIXTURE WE
HAVE TO:
1.Allow the larger size of aggregate that can be
accommodated in the pavement slab.
2.Ascertain the aggregate is uniformly graded from
coarse to fine.
3.Avail of the biggest quantity of coarse aggregate
consistent with proper workability.
4.Adopt the lowest slump consistent with the proper
pouring and finishing.
TESTS IN DETERMINING CONSISTENCY
OF CONCRETE
SLUMP TEST : old traditional and most widely used
method in determining consistency of concrete. For concrete
pavement, the specified value of slump is 1-2 inches or 2-3
inches.
KELLY BALL METHOD : another way of testing the
consistency of concrete. The advantage of Kelly ball method is
that reading could be taken immediately on the concrete
being poured on the roadway.
