Chapter V
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
Tewodros N.
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tedynihe@[Link]
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
INTRODUCTION
• Provision of adequate drainage is an essential part of pavement design.
– Protection of pavement structure
– Improves road safety
• Can be categorically studied in three parts:
1. Surface Drainage
• Drainage on the adjoining land and roadway surface
• Side Drainage and Cross Drainage
2. Sub-surface Drainage
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
INTRODUCTION
• Effects of water on the pavement structure
• Presence of moisture causes:
o Reduction in the stability of the soil mass.
o Considerable variation in volume of subgrade in clayey soils.
o Waves and corrugations failure in flexible pavements.
o Stripping failure in flexible pavements.
o Mud pumping failure in rigid pavements.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
• Can be divided into three phases:
i. Estimation of the quantity of water that can reach any element
of the system.
ii. Hydraulic design of each element of the system.
iii. Comparison of alternative systems and materials
• Criteria-Lowest annual cost alternative
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
1. Computation of Runoff
• Rain water expelled from the road surface
i. Runoff
ii. Infiltration
iii. Evaporation- insignificant
• Runoff depends on:
• Nature of the ground, degree of saturation, and slope of the
surface
• Rate of runoff greater on smooth surfaces.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
• Infiltration depends on:
• Type and gradation of soil.
• Soil covers, moisture content of the soil.
• Presence of impervious layers near the surface.
• Rate of infiltration on bare soil is less than on a turfed soil.
• Frozen soil is impervious.
• Rate of infiltration is assumed to be constant during any
specific design storm.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
• Rational Formula- accurate way of estimating runoff up to areas of
0.5 km2
Q = 0.00278 ⋅ CIA Q = 0.00278 ⋅ CCfIA
C1 A1 + C 2 A2 + • If the water shade is made
C =
A1 + A2 + up of different surfaces
• Q= runoff (m3/sec)
• C=coefficient, representing ratio of runoff to rainfall
• I= intensity of rainfall (mm/hr) for a duration equal to the time of concentration
• A= catchment area tributary to the design location, ha
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
2. Rainfall Intensity
• Runoff is obtained by considering expected sever storm.
Return period of 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100 years
• Quantity of runoff depends on intensity and duration.
• Duration= Time of Concentration
• The time required for water from the remotest place to reach a
specific point on the drainage system.
• =T1+T2
• T1= over land flow time
• T2= time of flow in the longitudinal drain
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
• tc=distance/velocity of flow
• tc is then used to determine
the rainfall intensity (I)
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
• This chart can also be
alternatively used to
determine tc.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
Source: ERA Manual, 2002
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
Source: ERA Manual, 2002
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SIDE DITCHES AND OPEN CHANNELS
• The Manning’s Formula
• Once the quantity of runoff is known, the design of ditches and
similar structures is based on the principles of open channel flow.
• Mannings’s formula assumes steady flow in a uniform channel.
1 2 / 3 1/ 2
V = R S Q =V ⋅ A
n
Where:
• V= mean velocity (m/sec)
• R= hydraulic radius (m)= Area/wetted perimeter
• S=slope of the channel (m/m)
• n=Manning’s roughness coefficient
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SIDE DITCHES AND OPEN CHANNELS
• The Manning’s Formula
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SIDE DITCHES AND OPEN CHANNELS
• Capacity of a Trapezoidal Channel
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
DESIGN OF SIDE DITCHES AND OPEN CHANNELS
Examples:
1. A 250m section of a rural trunk road is constructed adjacent to an area
characterized by short grass pasture and the slope of adjacent land is
6%. The coefficient of runoff for the adjacent land is 0.24. the
hydraulically remotest point is 160m away from the side ditch and the
area of the adjacent land is 0.48ha. The total width of roadway and the
shoulder drainage to the side ditch is 10m. The roadway and shoulder
are paved and the coefficient of runoff for asphalt is 0.8.
The longitudinal slope of the side ditch is 1.5%. Concrete will be used
for its construction and the manning’s coefficient is 0.03. Design a
trapezoidal section for the side ditch with a base width, B=0.8m and
the side slope 1V:3H. Assume 15 years return period.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
1. Lowering of Water Table
• Highest level of water table should be below the subgrade.
• Practically 1.0 to 1.2 m below subgrade
• Relatively permeable soil-
• Longitudinal drains are mainly used
• Impermeable soils-
• Transverse drains may be necessary in addition to longitudinal
drains
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
1. Lowering of Water Table
Fig. Symmetrical longitudinal drains used to lower the groundwater table
and to collect water infiltrating the pavement.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
• Lowering of Water Table
Longitudinal
Drain
Transverse
Drains
Fig. Lowering of water table using Transverse Drains (Plan
View)
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
2. Seepage Control
• If seepage zone is at a depth less than 0.6 to 0.9 m below
subgrade level,
• Use longitudinal pipe drain in trench with filter
material to intercept the seepage flow.
• This phenomenon can be explained using figures.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
2. Seepage Control
Groundwater seeps through the slope where the water table intersects the
land slope, and
Groundwater flows beneath the pavement while also entering the pavement
foundation materials.
Fig. (A) Illustration of ground water flow along a sloping impervious layer toward
a roadway.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
2. Seepage Control
Fig. (B) Illustration of interceptor drain on the drawdown of the groundwater
table.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
2. Seepage Control
Fig. Longitudinal interceptor drain used to cut off seepage and lower the
groundwater table.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
2. Seepage Control
Fig. Longitudinal collector drain used to remove water seeping into
the pavement structural section.
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
3. Control of Capillary Rise
Capillary rise can be controlled by
Using a layer of granular material of suitable thickness.
Using a layer of impermeable capillary cutoff.
Capillary water should not rise above the thickness of the granular layer
Granular material
Capillary rise
Highest water table
Fig. Granular capillary cutoff
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
3. Control of Capillary Rise
• Bituminous layer or other geo-textiles can be used as an impermeable
layer.
Impermeable layer
Capillary rise
Highest water table
Fig. Impermeable layer capillary cutoff
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
4. Design of Filter Material
Proper filter material should be used for:
Subsurface drainage system and backfilling the drainage trenches and
Criteria:
Permeability and Piping
D15 of filter
>5 Permeability criteria
D15 of foundation
D15 of filter
<5 Piping criteria
D85 of foundation
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE
4. Design of Filter Material
DP=size of perforation in drain pipe
D85 Filter = 2DP
100
○ 2DP The area between the
80
two red curves
Percent passing
60 Foundation soil
represents the filler
40 Filter Material material.
5D15
20
5D85 ○ ○
0.0
1.0 1.0 0.1 0.01 0.001
Particle size (mm), log scale
Fig. Design of Filter Material
Thank You!