IS :1498 - 1970 ( Reaffiied 1997 )

CLASSIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF SOILS FOR GENERAL ENGINEERING PURPOSES ( First Revision )
Seventh Reprint OCTOBER 1999

3.8 Relative Suitability for General Engineering Purposes - Table 5 gives the characteristics of the various soil groups pertinent to roads and airfields. Table 6 gives the characteristics pertinent to embankments and foundations. Table 7 gives the characteristics pertinent to suitability for canal sections, compressible, workability as construction material and shear strength. The information given in these tables should be considered as guidance only for treating a soil for a particular engineering purpose.

_________________________________________ Ministry of Surface Transport

SPECIFICATIONS FOR ROAD AND BRIDGE WORKS

(Third Revision)

Published by Indian Roads Congress New Delhi

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301.3.12 Backfilling: Backfilling of masonry/concrete/hume pipe drain excavation shall be done with approved material after concrete/masonry/hume pipe is fully set and carried out in such a way as not to cause undue thrust on any part of the structure and /or not to cause differential settlement. All space between the drain walls and the side of the excavation shall be refilled to the original surface making due allowance for settlement, in layers generally not exceeding 150 mm compacted thickness to the required density, using suitable compaction equipment such as mechanical tamper, rammer or plate compactor as directed by the Engineer. Density requirements for backfilling shall be in accordance with Table 300-2.
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305. 305.1. General

EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION

305.1.1. Description:These Specifications shall apply to the construction of embankments including subgrades, earthen shoulders and miscellaneous backfill with approved material obtained from roadway and drain excavation, borrow pits or other sources. All embankments, subgrades, earthen shoulders and miscellaneous backfills shall be constructed in accordance with the requirements of these Specifications and in conformity with the lines, grades, and cross-sections shown on the drawings or as directed by the Engineer. 305.2 Materials and General Requirements 305.2.1. Physical requirements: 305.2.1.1. The materials used in embankments, subgrades, earthen shoulders and miscellaneous backfills shall be soil, moorum, gravel, a mixture of these or any other material approved by the Engineer. Such materials shall be free of logs, stumps, roots, rubbish or any other ingredient likely to deteriorate or affect the stability of the embankment/subgrade. The following types of material shall be considered unsuitable for embankment: a) Materials from swamps, marshes and bogs; b) Peat, log, stump and perishable material; any soil that classifies as OL, OI, OH or Pt in accordance with IS : 1498;

c) Materials susceptible to spontaneous combustion; d) Materials in a frozen condition; e) Clay having liquid limit exceeding 70 and plasticity index exceeding 45; and f) Materials with salts resulting in leaching in the embankment. 305.2.1.2. Expansive clay exhibiting marked swell and shrinkage properties (free swelling index exceeding 50 per cent when tested as per IS : 2720 Part 40) shall not be used as a fill material. Where an expansive clay with acceptable free swelling index value is used as a fill material, subgrade and top 500 mm portion of the embankment just below subgrade shall be non-expansive in nature. 305.2.1.3 Any fill material with a soluble sulphate content exceeding 1.9 grams of sulphate (expressed as SO3 ) per litre when tested in accordance with BS : 1377 Test 10, but using a 2:1 water-soil ratio shall not be deposited within 500 mm or other distance described in the Contract, of concrete, cement bound materials or other cementitious materials forming part of the Permanent Works. Materials with a total sulphate content (expressed as SO3) exceeding 0.5 percent by mass, when tested in accordance with BS : 1377 Test 9 shall not be deposited within 500 mm, or other distances described in the Contract, of metallic items forming part of the Permanent Works. 305.2.1.4. The size of the coarse material in the mixture of earth shall ordinarily not exceed 75 mm when being placed in the embankment and 50 mm when placed in subgrade. However, the Engineer may at his discretion permit the use of material coarser than this also if he is satisfied that the same will not present any difficulty as regards the placement of fill material and its compaction to the requirements of these Specifications. The maximum particle size shall not be more than two-thirds of the compacted layer thickness. 305.2.1.5. Ordinarily, only the materials satisfying the density requirements given in Table 300-1 shall be employed for the construction of the embankment and the subgrade.

TABLE 300-1. DENSITY REQUIREMENTS OF EMBANKMENT AND SUBGRADE MATERIALS _______________________________________________________________________

S.No Type of Work

Maximum laboratory dry unit weight when tested as per IS : 2720 (Part 8)

_______________________________________________________________________ 1 Height, not subjected to Extensive flooding 2 Embankments exceeding 3 less than 16.0 kN/cu. m metres height or embankments of any height subject to long periods of inundation 3 verges/backfill Subgrade and earthen shoulders/ Not less than 17.5 kN/cu. m Not Embankments up to 3 metres Not less than 15.2 kN/cu. m.

Notes: (1) This Table is not applicable for lightweight fill material e.g. cinder, fly ash etc. (2)The Engineer may relax these requirements at his discretion taking into account the availability of materials for construction and other relevant factors. (3) The material to be used in subgrade should also satisfy design CBR at the dry unit weight applicable as per Table 300-2 305.2.2. General requirements:

305.2.2.1. The materials for embankment shall be obtained from approved sources with preference given to materials becoming available from nearby roadway excavation or any other excavation under the same Contract. The work shall be so planned and executed that the best available materials are saved for the subgrade and the embankment portion just below the subgrade. 305.2.2.2. Borrow materials: Where the materials are to be obtained form designated borrow areas, the location, size and shape of these areas shall be as indicated by the Engineer and the same shall not be

opened without his written permission. Where specific borrow areas are not designated by the Employer/the Engineer, arrangement for locating the source of supply of material for embankment and subgrade as well as compliance to environmental requirements in respect of excavation and borrow areas as stipulated, from time to time by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and the local bodies, as applicable, shall be the sole responsibility of the Contractor.

Borrowpits along the road shall be discouraged. If permitted by the Engineer, these shall not be dug continuously. Ridges of not less than 8 m width should be left at intervals not exceeding 300 m. Small drains shall be cut through the ridges to facilitate drainage. The depth of the pits shall be so regulated that their bottom does not cut an imaginary line having a slope of 1 vertical to 4 horizontal projected from the edge of the final section of the bank, the maximum depth in any case being limited to 1.5 m. Also, no pit shall be dug within the offset width from the toe of the embankment required as per the consideration of stability with a minimum width of 10 m. Haulage of material to embankments or other areas of fill shall proceed only when sufficient spreading and compaction plant is operating at the place of deposition. No excavated acceptable material other than surplus to requirements of the Contract shall be removed from the site. Should the Contractor be permitted to remove acceptable material from the site to suit his operational procedure, then he shall make good any consequent deficit of material arising therefore. Where the excavation reveals a combination of acceptable and unacceptable materials, the Contractor shall, unless otherwise agreed by the Engineer, carry out the excavation in such a manner that the acceptable materials are excavated separately for use in the permanent works without contamination by the unacceptable materials. The acceptable materials shall be stockpiled separately. The Contractor shall ensure that he does not adversely affect the stability of excavation or fills by the methods of stockpiling materials, use of plants or siting of temporary buildings or structures. The Contractor shall obtain representative samples from each of the identified borrow areas and have these tested at the site laboratory following a testing programme approved by the Engineer. It shall be ensured that the subgrade material when compacted to the density requirements as in Table 300-2 shall yield the design CBR value of the subgrade.

TABLE 300-2 COMPACTION REQUIREMENTS FOR EMBANKMENT AND SUBGRADE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Type of work/material Relative compaction as percentage of max. laboratory dry density as per IS:2720 (Part8)

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1. 2. 3.

Subgrade and earthen shoulders Embankment Expansive Clays a) Subgrade and 500 mm portion just below the subgrade

Not less than 97 Not less than 95

Not allowed

b) Remaining portion of embankment

Not less than 90

The Contractor shall at least 7 working days before commencement of compaction submit the following to the Engineer for approval: (i) The values of maximum dry density and optimum moisture content obtained in accordance with IS : 2720 (Part 7) or (Part 8), as the case may be, appropriate for each of the fill materials he intends to use. (ii) A graph of density plotted against moisture content from which each of the values in (i) above of maximum dry density and optimum moisture content were determined. (iii) The Dry density-moisture content - CBR relationships for light, intermediate and heavy compactive efforts (light corresponding to IS : 2720 (Part 7), heavy corresponding to IS : 2720 (Part 8) and intermediate inbetween the two) for each of the fill materials he intends to use in the subgrade. Once the above information has been approved by the Engineer, it shall form the basis for compaction.