SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENVIROMENTAL

ENGINEERING

HIGHWAY ENGINEERING I
CENG 3202

Chapter IV
Highway Earth Work Quantities
and Tamru T.
Mass Haul Diagram
2012EC (2019/20) 2nd Sem
1
Highway Grades and Terrain
 Grade, Cut and Fill ---- Terrain
 Attempt to minimize amount of earthwork
necessary
• Set grade line as close as possible to
natural ground level
• Set grade line so there is a balance
between excavated volume and volume of
embankment

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Earthwork
 Clearing, grubbing, roadway and drainage
excavation,
 Excavation for structures, embankments, borrow,
overhaul, machine grading, sub grade scarifying, rock
fill,
 All the operations of preparing the sub grade
foundation for highway or runway pavement.

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Earthwork calculation
 Volume (m3) of excavation in its original
position

 It uses field cross-sectional data

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Classification of Excavated Material
 Common excavation: earth
 Loose rock: rock which can be removed with
pick and bar
 Solid rock: comprises hard rock that can be
removed only by the use of drilling and blasting
equipment.

Cost
Increases
5
Shrinkage
Percent shrinkage = (1 – (wt. bank measure / wt. compacted)) *100

% sh. = ( 1 – (γB / γC) ) * 100

 Material volume increases during Excavation

 Decreases during compaction
 Shrinkage factor 15 – 20% Silty Clay, Sand

 Varies with
• soil type M

• fill height M M
Excavation Compaction
• cut depth
V0 V1 V2
V0<V2<V1 6
 Swell
Percent swell = ( (wt. bank measure / wt. loose measure) – 1 ) * 100
% sw. = ((γB / γL ) - 1 ) * 100

 Excavated rock used in embankment occupies

more space
 May amount to 30% or more Rock

M
M
M
Excavation Compaction

V0 V1 V2

V2<V1
V2>V0 7
Steps in computation of earthwork
quantities

 End area calculations

 Earthwork calculations
 Preparation of mass haul diagram
 Balancing earthworks using the mass haul
diagram

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Cross-sections and templates
 Each cross-section should
show the location or
station of the original
ground section and
template section, the
elevation of the proposed
grade at the station, and
the areas of cut and fill for
each section.

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Cross-Section Data Format
 F – Fill
 C – Cut
 CL – Center line
 Xr – Distance to the
right CL
 Xl – distance to the
leftof CL
 Yc – height at the
center
 Yr – height at right
 Yl – height at left

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End Area Calculation
 Planimeter Method
 Mathematical Formula
• For level ground
• For three level section
• Coordinate method
Electronic Computer Method: it employs the
above methods using programs

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Planimeter method
A small device called planimeter is used for
measuring areas of a graphically represented
planar region.
CL
End Area

Station 0+000

For example if your square is 300 square feet and the planimeter
measures it as 1.5 square meter then
1 m2= 200 feet square
Thus multiplying the final reading of the planimeter in m2 by 2 will
give you the reading in square feet. 12
End Area – for level ground

 b = width of base AB
 d = center cut (or fill)
 s = slope of banks = MD / AM = NE / BN
 Area = d(b + sd)

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End Area - Three-Level Section

 A = ½ [d(x1 + x2) + ½ b(h1 + h2)]

For uniform
slope

 A = ½ (h1x’’ + h2x’)
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End Area – Coordinate Method

Areas 
1
 y1 ( x2  xn )  y2 ( x3  X 1 )  y3 ( x4  x2 )  .....  yn ( x1  xn1 )
2

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Volume of Earthwork
 Average End Area Formula (Trapezoidal)
– Volume = V = ½ (A1 + A2)L

 Presmoidal
– V = L/6 (A1 + 4Am + A2)

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Example 1
Given the end areas below, calculate the volumes of
cut and fill between stations 351 + 00 and 352 + 50.
If the material shrinks 12%, how much excess cut or
fill is there?

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Mass Haul Diagram
 The mass haul diagram is a curve in which the abscissas
represent the stations of the survey and the ordinates represent
the algebraic sum of excavation and embankment quantities
from some point of beginning on the profile.
 The plot can be to any scale, depending on the quantities
involved.
 The mass haul diagram shows excavation (adjusted) and
embankment quantities from some point of beginning on the
profile, considering cut volumes positive and fill volumes
negative.
 At the beginning of the curve the ordinate is zero, and ordinates
are calculated continuously from the initial station to the end of
the project. 18
Uses of Mass Haul Diagram
 The mass haul diagram can be used to
determine:
• Proper distribution of excavated material
• Amount and location of waste
• Amount and location of borrow
• Amount of overhaul in kilometre-cubic meters
• Direction of haul.
• Where to use certain types of equipment.

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Definitions
 Bulking: An increase in volume of earthwork after
excavation
 Shrinkage: A decrease in volume earthwork after
deposition and compaction.
 Haul distance (d): The distance from the working face of
the excavation to the tipping point.
 Average haul distance (D): The distance from the centre
of gravity of the cutting to that of the filling.
 Free haul Distance: The distance, given in the Bill of
Quantities, included in the price of excavation per cubic
metre. (1000 – 2000 m)
 Overhaul Distance: The extra distance of transport of
earthwork volumes beyond the free haul distance. 20
Definitions
Haul: The sum of the product of each load by its haul
distance. This must equal the total volume of excavation
multiplied by the average haul distance, i.e. Σ vd = VD

Overhaul: The product of volumes by their respective

overhaul distance. Excess payment will depend upon
overhaul.
Station Metre: A unit of overhaul, viz. 1 m3 x 100 m.
Borrow: The volume of material brought into a section
due to a deficiency.
Waste: The volume of material taken from a section
due to excess
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 Calculation of MHD
 Limit of Profitable (Economical) Haul (LEH): distance beyond

which it is more economical to borrow or waste than to haul from

the project

LEH = FHD + Ecomomic Overhaul distance

= FHD + (Cost of Borrow / Cost of Overhaul)

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Mass Haul diagram

 The cumulated volume of earthwork at the

horizontal axis (Y=0) is 0
 When a horizontal line intersects two or more
points along the curve, the accumulated
volumes at those points are equal
 A negative value at the end of the curve
indicates that borrow is required to complete
the fill
 A positive value at the end of the curve indicates
that a waste operation will be the net result
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Mass Haul diagram

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Mass Haul diagram

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Mass Haul diagram

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To construct the Mass Haul
Diagram manually:
 Compute the net earthwork values for each station,
applying the appropriate shrink factor

 Net cuts have a positive value, net fills have a negative

value

 The value at the first station (origin) = 0

 Plot the value of each succeeding station which

equals the cumulative value to that point, i.e., the
value at i = net cut/fill a+b+c+…i
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Example 2

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Characteristics of Mass Curve
1. Rising sections of the mass curve indicates areas where
excavating exceeds fill, whereas falling sections indicate where
fill exceeds excavation.
2. Steep slopes reflect heavy cuts & Fills, while flat slopes indicate
areas fro small amount of earthwork.
3. The difference in ordinates between any two points indicate net
excess of excavation over embankment or vies versa.
4. Any horizontal line dawn to intersect two points within the same
curve indicates a balance of excavation (cut) and embankment
(fill) quantities between the two points.
5. Points of zero slope represent points where roadway goes from
cut to fill or from fill to cut.
6. The highest or the lowest points of the mass haul diagram
represents the crossing points between the grade line (roadway
level) and natural ground level.

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Analysis of MHD
 Identify the resulting balanced sections, which are bounded by
points that intersect the X-axis

 Draw a horizontal line midway between the peak or valley and the
X-axis. The scale length of that line is the average length of haul
within that balanced section

 Determine earthwork volumes within each balanced section

 Determine whether there is an overall balance, waste or if borrow

is required

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Calculation of total cost of earthworks:
 Cost of free haul = cost of free haul per m3 * Volume of free haul.
 Cost of borrow = cost of borrow per m3 * Volume of borrow.
 Cost of waste = cost of waste per m3 * Volume of waste.
 Cost of overhaul = [cost of free haul per m3 * volume of overhaul] + [cost of
free haul per m3.station * volume of overhaul * {average hauling distance-
free haul distance}].

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Mass Haul Diagram – Interpretation - Example
Assumption:
FHD = 200 m
LEH = 725 m

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Between
Stations
0 + 00 and 0
+ 132, cut and
fill equal each
other, distance
is less than
FHD of 200 m

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38
Between
Stations
0 + 142 and
0 + 867, cut
and fill equal
each other,
distance =
LEH of 725
m

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Between Stations 0 + 960 and 1 + 250, cut and fill
equal each other, distance is less than LEH of 725 m
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Example 3
Volume of (m3)
Chainage Distance Cut Fill
732+20 0 0 0
732+40 20 1600
732+55 15 572.8
732+85 30 355.91 69.83
733+00 15 114
733+20 20 18.72 321
733+40 20 18.72 1156
734+00 60 6731.1
Find the cost of the earth work, allowing 15% shrinkage for material
excavated and placed in embankment. Borrow should be expressed in
fill meters and waste in cut meters.

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 Unit cost and additional information

Take
Free haul distance= 300 m
Excavation costs (including 300 m free haul) = (Free haul cost)= 60 Birr /m3.
Borrow (including cost of hauling)= 73 Birr/m3.
Cost of overhaul= 0.4 Birr/m3.stn
Cost of waste = 57 Birr/m3
1 station = 20 m

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QUESTIONS?

QUESTIONS?

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