Geometric Design of Highways

and Streets
Chapter 4 - Highway Earth Work Quantities and
Mass Haul Diagram
 Highway Grades and Terrain
 Grade, Cut, and Fill ---- Terrain

 Attempt to minimize the 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 the embankment
 Earthwork
 Clearing, grubbing, roadway, and drainage excavation,
 Excavation for structures, embankments, borrow, overhaul,
machine grading, subgrade scarifying, rock fill,
 All the operations of preparing the subgrade foundation for
highway or runway pavement.
 Earthwork calculation
 Volume (m3) of excavation in its original position

 It uses field cross-sectional data

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

Cost Increases
 Shrinkage
Material volume increases during Excavation
Decreases during compaction
Shrinkage factor – 15 – 20%
 Varies with Silty Clay,
Sand
– soil type
– fill height
V2<V0<V1
– cut depth M

M M
Excavation Compaction

V0 V1 V2
 Swell
 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
Steps in Computation of Earthwork Quantities

 End area calculations

 Earthwork calculations
 Preparation of mass haul diagram
 Balancing earthworks using the mass haul diagram
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 cut and fill areas for each
section.
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
Group Assignment 2, May 13, 2023

5-6 Students per group

 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
Planimeter method
CL

End Area

Station 0+000
 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)
 End Area - Three-Level Section

 A = ½ [d(x1 + x2) + ½ b(h1 + h2)]

For uniform
slope

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

Areas =
1
 y1 ( x2 − xn ) + y2 ( x3 − X 1 ) + y3 ( x4 − x2 ) + ..... + yn ( x1 − xn−1 )
2
 Volume of Earthwork
 Average End Area Formula (Trapezoidal)
 Volume = V = ½ (A1 + A2)L

 Presmoidal
 V = L/6 (A1 + 4Am + A2)
 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
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 at the beginning of 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.
 Uses of Mass Haul Diagram
 The mass haul diagram can be used to determine:
 Proper distribution of excavated material
 Amount and location of the waste
 Amount and location of borrow
 Amount of overhaul in kilometer-cubic meters
 Direction of haul.
 Where to use certain types of equipment.
 Definitions
 Bulking: An increase in the 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 center 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 meter. (1000 – 2000 m)
 Overhaul Distance: The extra distance of transport of earthwork volumes beyond the
free haul distance.
 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
 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)
 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
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, and 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
Example
 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 vise 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.
 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
 Example
 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 and fill is
there?
 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}].
 Example
Given the following end areas for cut & fill, complete the earthwork
calculation using a shrinkage of 10%. Then draw the M.H.D. and the
longitudinal profile of the earthworks & find the following:
a) Limit of Economic Haul (L.E.H.).
b) Free haul volume (F.H.V.).
c) Overhaul volume (O.H.V.).
d) Waste volume.
e) Borrow volume.
f) Total cost of the earthworks.

Given that:
- Cost of overhaul = 30 ID/m3.station.
- Cost of borrow = 120 ID/m3.
- Cost of free haul = 70 ID/m3.
- Free haul Distance (F.H.D.) = 200m = 2 stations.
 Solution
Notes:
→1100 = [(10+12)/2]*100 (by using average area method).
→ 350 = [(14+0)/2]*[100/2]
→ 275 = 250 * (1.10) (Correction by shrinkage factor).
→ 75 = 350 - 275
→ 80 = 300 - 220
- Economic overhaul limit (L) = (cost of borrow/cost of overhaul) =
(120/30) = 4 stations.
- Therefore, Limit of Economic Haul (L.E.H.) = Free haul distance +
Economic overhaul limit = 2 + 4 = 6 stations.
Com Vol
(m3) Mass Haul Diagram
6000

5000

4000

3000

Mass Haul Curve

2000

1000

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

-1000
Stations
 - Free haul volumes = (FHV1+FHV2) =475+ 535
 - Overhaul volumes = (OHV1+OHV2) = 3400+1000
 - Waste volume = 1600
 - Borrow volume = 200
 - Total cost of the earthworks
= [cost of free haul*(FHV1+FHV2)] + [cost of waste*waste vol.]
+ [cost of borrow*borrow vol.] + [cost of free
haul*(OHV1+OHV2)] + [(cost of overhaul*OHV1*(average
hauling distance1-FHD)) + (cost of overhaul*OHV2*(average
hauling distance2-FHD)]
 Example
 Given the following end area for cut & fill. Complete the
earthworks using shrinkage of 10% then prepare the M.H.D. &
find the following:
 a) Limit of economical haul.
 b) Free-Haul volume.
 c) Over-Haul volume.
 d) Waste volume.
 e) Borrowing volume.
 f) Direction of hauling.
 g) Total cost of the earthwork.
 Giving that cost of Over-Haul = 30 I.D./m3.sta.
 Cost of Free-Haul = 70 I.D./m3
 Cost of borrow = 120 I.D./m3
 Free-Haul distance = 200 m.
Thank You