Subgrades and Subbases January 2008

Subgrades and Subbases

Subgrades and Subbases
for Concrete Pavements
Presented to Ninth Annual
Pennsylvania Concrete
Conference
January 29, 2008
Robert Rodden
Director of Technical Services
Roadbed (subgrade and subbase) design is key
to long-term performance and smoothness of
concrete pavements.
Terminology
Design Principles
Subgrades
Subbases

Terminology Terminology

A concrete pavement structure typically consists Why the difference in terminology?

of a concrete surface and subbase(s) placed
upon a prepared subgrade.
A “base” is part of an asphalt pavement
structure, while a subbase is an optional element
of a concrete pavement structure.
Pressures imposed on a base (under asphalt) are
dramatically different than those imposed on a
subbase (under concrete) due to differences in
moduli (stiffness).
Material requirements for a subbase may be relaxed
when compared to a base.

Design Principles Design Principles

Roadbeds for a concrete pavement structure should: Because of the rigid nature
Be free from abrupt changes in character of the materials of concrete pavements,
(should be uniform and constructed of a material that will loads are distributed over
provide requisite stability over the life of the pavement) relatively large areas,
Resist erosion greatly reducing stresses
Be engineered to control subgrade soil expansion and frost on the subgrade/subbase;
heave. thus, concrete pavements
Above all other design concerns, uniformity is of do not necessarily require
utmost importance. exceptionally strong
foundation support.
UNIFORMITY >> STRENGTH

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Subgrades and Subbases
Design Principles
Proof of the point: Concrete pavement design thickness
is relatively insensitive to support stiffness (modulus of
subgrade reaction), so it is improper engineering to make
a subgrade/subbase stronger or thicker in an attempt to
decrease concrete pavement thickness…
Design Principles
Subgrade/subbase design is engineering:
The pavement design engineer should consider all
subgrade/subbase types (stabilized or unstabilized)
and available materials (recycled or virgin) for each
pavement design; there is no standard recommended
subgrade/subbase combination for any concrete
pavement.
Subgrade/subbase selection/engineering is
the designer’s option!
Subgrades
General guidelines for a good subgrade:
A minimum CBR of 6 in the top 24 in. (610 mm) of
subgrade provides an adequate working platform for
construction, while limiting subgrade rutting under
construction traffic to ½ in. (13 mm) or less.
Typically, a specified percentage of compaction of 95
percent (AASHTO T99) will provide an adequate
working platform for construction equipment and for
excellent in-service performance of the subgrade
portion of a concrete pavement structure.
Design subgrade for uniformity, not strength!
9th Pennsylvania Concrete
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January 2008
Design Principles
Overzealous engineering of a roadbed could have
a negative effect once all loads are considered.
Subgrades
Options for any subgrade:
Unstabilized
Chemically Stabilized – Cement, Lime, etc.
Soil classification systems such as the AASHTO and/or
ASTM (Unified) Soil Classification Systems will help the
pavement design engineer determine factors such as the
California Bearing Ratio (CBR) or modulus of subgrade
reaction (k-value), but the engineer must be mindful of
the preferred soil classification method for each project
because conversion between methods is not intuitive.
Subgrades
Obtain uniform support by controlling:
Expansive soils
Frost-susceptible soils (frost heave)
Pumping
Wet Soils
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Subgrades and Subbases January 2008

Subgrades Subgrades

What is frost heave?

Subgrades Subgrades

Frost-susceptible soil types: Controlling frost heave:

Compaction and moisture control
Drainage, grade and water table elevation
Selective Grading and Mixing
Removal of silt pockets
Protection for utilities located in the subgrade
Non-frost susceptible cover

Subgrades Subbases

Non-frost susceptible cover: AGAIN: Concrete pavement design thickness is relatively

insensitive to support stiffness (modulus of subgrade
reaction), so it is improper engineering to make a
subgrade/subbase stronger or thicker in an attempt to
decrease concrete pavement thickness…

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Subgrades and Subbases
Subbases
Pumping of concrete pavements
Subbases
Do you need a subbase?
Pavements that are expected to carry 200 trucks or fewer per
day (or less than 1,000,000 18-kip (80 kN) ESAL’s over the
course of the service life of the pavement) do not typically
require a subbase to prevent pumping.
A subgrade soil that is naturally free draining typically will not
pump.
Subgrade soils with less than 45% passing a No. 200 (75 μm)
sieve and with a PI of 6 or less are adequate for moderate
volumes of heavy truck traffic without the use of a subbase
layer.
Subbases
Regardless of subbase type, the best results are
obtained by:
Selecting materials that prevent pumping
Selecting materials that will not contribute to excessive
deflections and will remain stable over time
Treating the subbase surface (if necessary) to prevent bond to
the concrete pavement
Specifying material gradation that will ensure a reasonably
consistent (and uniform) subbase across an individual project
Building the subbase to grade controls that foster a consistent
concrete pavement thickness and smoothness
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Subbases
For pumping of a subbase to occur, several conditions
must exist:
The pavement must have undoweled joints or joints with poor
load transfer
Water must be present
The roadway must have fast moving, heavy loads
The subgrade must be a fine-grained material or the subbase
must be an erodible material
Eliminating one or more of these casual factors should
mitigate pumping.
Subbases
Subbase Types:
Unstabilized (granular) - 4 in. (100 mm) min. thickness
Stabilized
Cement-Stabilized
Cement-Treated (CTB) - 4 in. (100 mm) min. thickness
Lean Concrete (LCB) - 4 in. (100 mm) min. thickness
Asphalt-Stabilized (ATB) - 2 in. (50 mm) min. thickness
With any subbase type, it is possible to utilize
waste material (i.e., recycled concrete) as
aggregate.
Unstabilized Subbases
Unstabilized subbases must have:
A 4 in. (100 mm) min. thickness
A maximum particle size of no more than 1/3 the subbase thickness
Less than 15 percent passing the No. 200 (75 μm) sieve
An in-place density of 95 percent according to AASHTO T99
A Plasticity Index (PI) of 6 or less
A Liquid Limit (LL) of 25 or less
A L.A. abrasion resistance of 50% or less
A grade tolerance of ± ½ in. (± 12 mm) by a 10 ft (3 m) straightedge
A target permeability of about 150 ft/day (45 m/day), but no more than 350
ft/day (107 m/day) in laboratory tests (free-draining, NOT PERMEABLE)
Of these, limiting the percent of fines passing the No. 200 (75 μm)
sieve is of utmost importance to creating a long-lasting
unstabilized subbase that will prevent pumping.
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Subgrades and Subbases January 2008

Unstabilized Subbases Unstabilized Subbases

Typical job control tolerances from the target Be sure to consolidate to spec!
gradation for unstabilized subbases are:
±10% for materials 1 in. (25 mm) and larger.
±8% for materials between 1 in. and No. 4 (25 mm
and 4.75 mm).
±5% for materials No. 4 (4.75 mm) and smaller.
The finished tolerance of the unstabilized subbase
should be ±1/2 in. (± 12 mm) of the design profile
grade.

Unstabilized Subbases Unstabilized Subbases

Be sure to consolidate to spec! And at the proper thickness!

Stabilized Subbases Stabilized Subbases

Stabilized subbases generally refer to subbase materials
that are bound by either cement or asphalt.
The higher degree of support offered by a stabilized
subbase will not alter the required concrete pavement
slab thickness appreciably, but it will add pumping
resistance and increase the overall strength of the
pavement structure, spreading loads over larger areas
and reducing strains.
On a cement-treated subbase, the loss of support
occurs at a much slower rate. In this study it stabilized
around one-half million load applications; even after 1
million loads, joint effectiveness remains at a level of
almost 80 percent.

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Subgrades and Subbases
Stabilized Subbases
Other benefits of stabilized subbases:
An excellent, stable all-weather construction platform
Bound subbase surfaces drain water quickly
Aid in improving the final pavement smoothness
Minimize post-construction subbase consolidation
Minimize intrusion of hard granular particles into the
bottom of pavement joints
Provide an erosion resistant subbase
Permit greater use of local materials
Stabilized Subbases: CTB
Gradation for minimum cement requirements:
Stabilized Subbases: LCB
Typical LCB specifications include:
Minimum thickness of 4 in. (100 mm)
Compressive strength of 750 to 1,200 psi (5.2 to 8.3 MPa)
Cement factors from 200 to 350 lb/yd3 (119 to 208 kg/m3)
Slump of 1 to 3 in. (25 to 75 mm)
Air content between 6% and 8%
Maximum aggregate size of 1 to 2 in. (25 to 50 mm)
A grade tolerance of ± ¼ in. (± 6 mm) by a 10 ft (3 m) straightedge
Strength of a lean concrete subbase should be limited to 1,200 psi
(8.3 MPa) or less to keep the subbase from getting too stiff,
minimizing curling and warping stresses in pavement slabs. If this
strength is exceeded, measures may need to be taken (i.e.,
scoring joints into the lean concrete subbase) to mitigate the
potential problems.
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Stabilized Subbases: CTB
Cement-treated subbases typically require:
A minimum thickness of 4 in. (100 mm)
About 2 to 5 percent cement, by weight
Granular material per AASHTO M147 or Soil Classification Groups A-1, A-
2-4, A-2-5, and A-3
No more than 35 percent passing the No. 200 (75 μm) sieve
A Plasticity Index (PI) of 10 or less
A maximum particle size of ¾ to 1 in. (19 to 25 mm)
A grade tolerance of ± ½ in. (12 mm) by a 10 ft (3 m) straightedge
There is typically no strength requirement for cement-treated
subbases (CTB) because a CTB is best controlled using
compaction and/or density requirements. However, when
specified, a target compressive strength range of 300 to 800 psi
(2.1 to 5.5 MPa) is typical to ensure long-term durability to
repeated cycles of wetting and drying or freezing and thawing,
while keeping the layer from getting too stiff.
Stabilized Subbases: LCB
Contain more cement than CTB but less than
conventional concrete.
Appearance and consistency like conventional
concrete, requiring consolidation by vibration
Typically uses relaxed concrete specifications
Can utilize recycled concrete or asphalt
Often referred to as “econocrete”
Stabilized Subbases: ATB
Typical ATB specifications include:
Minimum thickness of 2 in. (50 mm)
Asphalt cement content of about 4 to 4.5%
A maximum aggregate size of ¾ in. (75 mm)
A watered or whitewashed surface before paving
A grade tolerance of ± ¼ in. (± 6 mm) by a 10 ft (3 m)
straightedge
It is often difficult to place an ATB to the desired
grade, resulting in cost overruns on concrete.
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Subgrades and Subbases January 2008

Stabilized Subbases: Precautions Stabilized Subbases: Precautions

High friction Other means to reduce bond:

between the
pavement and the
subbase.
Increased curling
and warping
stresses in the
pavement.

Permeable Subbases Permeable Subbases

Permeable subbases (subbases with a permeability of 350 ft/day Loss of support due to aggregate breakdown:
(107 m/day) or greater in laboratory tests) have had a problematic
history in the field.
The reasons include:
Instability as a construction platform
Loss of support caused from aggregate breakdown
Early age cracking caused from penetration of concrete mortar into the
subbase voids during paving
Intrusion of fines from underlying layers into the permeable subbase voids
Loss of support caused from infiltration of the subgrade into the subbase
Cost effectiveness
Various other overall field performance problems

Permeable Subbases Permeable Subbases

Loss of support due to infiltration: SR 22 – Loss of uniform support:

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Subgrades and Subbases January 2008

Permeable Subbases Permeable Subbases

SR 22 – …and loss of stability: Cost effectiveness:

Permeable Subbases Permeable Subbases

More than just initial cost… Thus, permeable subbases are no longer
Repair Cost Distribution (2003)
$9 recommended for concrete pavement structures.
Free-draining subbases (subbases with a
$8
$7
Replace Slab
permeability between 50 and 150 ft/day (15 and
Million $ Needed

$6 6 Foot Patch

$5 DBR
46 m/day) in laboratory tests) and daylighted
$4 subbases are the reasonable alternatives to
$3
$2
rapidly draining permeable subbases.
$1
$-
1 2 3 4 5 9 10 12
District
Source: Pennsylvania Interstate System, Premature OGS Related Mid-Slab Cracking Repair Needs
Report

SR 22 Replacement Upcoming Webinars and Courses

Upcoming webinars and training courses include the

following;
Webinar #2, Texturing Concrete Pavements, January 31.
Webinar #3, Introduction to the M-E PDG, February 18.
Webinar #4, Joint Layout and Design, March 4.
Concrete Pavements 101, April 8-10, Tampa Florida.
2008 Professor’s Seminar, June 16-19, Chicago, Illinois.
Please refer to the ACPA website at
www.pavement.com for a complete listing of upcoming
courses for 2008.

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Subgrades and Subbases January 2008

Thank you!

Questions?

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