OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit, students should learn;

 What is Embankment and cutting in road construction
EMBANKMENT
 Suitable materials to be used for embankment construction.
and CUTTING  Basic design considerations for construction of embankment over
compressible soils and compaction of embankments
 Basic design consideration for road cutting construction

Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea

 Introduction
An embankment is a man-made ridge of earth or stone that carries a road
or railway or confines a waterway. It can also be a thick wall of earth built to
carry a road or railway over an area of low ground or to prevent water from
a river or the sea from flooding the area.
Quality embankment construction is required to maintain smooth-riding
pavements and to provide slope stability. Proper selection of soil, adequate
moisture control, and uniform compaction are required for a quality
embankment.
EMBANKMENT Problems resulting from poor embankment construction have occasionally
and CUTTING resulted in slope stability problems that encroach on private property and
damage drainage structures which can be very costly for its remediation.
Purpose of EMBANKMENT
Embankments will be required
 To raise the road above flood water levels
 In sidelong ground
 Across gullies and

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 At the approaches to water crossing
 Materials in EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION
Soils for embankment projects are identified during the exploration phase
of the construction process.
The soils are tested to determine their engineering properties.
Atterberg limits are determined and in-situ moisture and density are
compared to standard Proctor values.
However, it is impossible to completely and accurately characterize soil
profiles because of the variability between boring locations.
It is necessary for field staff and contractors to be able to recognize that soil
EMBANKMENT changes have occurred and make the proper field adjustments.
and CUTTING Nearly all types of soil from sandy clays to crashed rocks can be used for
embankment construction.
However, each soil type has its own procedure to be handled and
compacted.
Material of low plasticity is preferred because such material will create
fewer problems in wet weather.
With more plastic soils, greater care is necessary to keep the surfaces
shaped and compacted so that rain water is shed quickly.
If the embankment is higher than about 6 metres, it is desirable to reserve
Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea material of low plasticity for the lower layers
 SITE Preparation in EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION
1. Clearing and Grubbing: The site should be prepared by first clearing the
area of vegetation, fencing rubbish, and other objectionable materials.
2. Stripping, Salvaging, and Spreading Topsoil: The site should be mowed
and any sod shredded by shallow plowing or blading and thorough disking
EMBANKMENT so the soil can be easily placed in a thin layer over areas to be covered.

and CUTTING An adequate amount of topsoil should be removed from the upper 12
inches of existing onsite topsoil to allow a finished grade of 8 inches of
salvaged or amended topsoil.
The topsoil may be moved directly to an area where it is to be used or may
be stockpiled for future use. If existing topsoil lacks adequate organic
content, off-site soil may be required, or existing topsoil may be blended
with compost.

Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea

 Basic DESIGN considerations in EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION
1. Slope stability evaluation (ctn)
Typically minimum factors of safety for new embankment slope design
range from 1.3 to 1.5. Factors of safety against slope instability are defined
considering the likely slope failure mode and the strength of slope soils
(vertical: horizontal).
Slacker slopes are sometimes desirable for silty and clayey soils, especially
in wet climates.

EMBANKMENT In all cases it is important to protect the side slopes from the erosive action
of rain and wind. Usually this should be done by establishing a suitable
and CUTTING cover of vegetation, however, granular materials will be needed in arid
areas.
Foundation soils and embankments provide adequate support for
roadways and other transportation infrastructure if the additional stress
from traffic loads and geo-structures does not exceed the shear strength of
the embankment soils or underlying strata .
Overstressing the embankment or foundation soil may result in rotational,
displacement, or translatory failure, as illustrated in Figure on the next
slide.
Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea
 Basic DESIGN considerations in EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION
1. Slope stability evaluation (ctn)
Typical Embankment FAILURES due to overstressing the embankment or
foundation soil

EMBANKMENT
and CUTTING

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 Basic DESIGN considerations in EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION
2. Causes of Slope instability
Stable slopes are characterized by a balance between the gravitational
forces tending to pull soils downslope and the resisting forces comprised of
soil shear strength.
The state of temporary equilibrium may be compromised when the slope is
subject to de-stabilizing forces.
The factors affecting slope stability may include those that increase the
EMBANKMENT gravitational force or those that reduce soil shear strength
Example of factors increase the gravitational force
and CUTTING
 Slope geometry
 Undercutting
 Surcharching
Example of factors that reduce soil shear strength
 Weathering
 Pore water pressure
Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea  Vegetation removal
 Basic DESIGN considerations in EMBANKMENT CONSTRUCTION
3. Stabilization Methods
A number of methods are available to stabilize slopes, including;
 regrading to flatten the slope;
EMBANKMENT  construction of stability berms;
and CUTTING  the use of lightweight fill, geofoam or shredded tires to reduce the load;
and
 structural reinforcing methods such as geosynthetic reinforcements,
stone columns, rammed aggregate piers, soil nailing, and piles

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 COMAPCTION of EMBANKMENT
In-situ soils used as subgrades for the construction of roadway pavements
or other structures and transported soils used in embankments or as
leveling material for various types of construction projects are usually
compacted to improve their density and other properties.
By Increasing the soil’s density improves its
 strength,
 lowers its permeability, and
EMBANKMENT  reduces future settlement.
and CUTTING Soil behaviours and their respective compaction method
a. Soils that do not Exhibit any Measurable Cohesion: Treat as coarse
grained soil; base compaction on the relative density.
b. Soils that do Exhibit Measurable Cohesion: Treat as fine-grained soil;
base compaction on the Proctor Density Test.
c. Inter-grade Soils: Conduct both Relative Density and Proctor Density
Tests; base compaction on the test method yielding the highest
maximum density.
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 Road CUTTING Introduction
Cuttings through sound rock can often stand at or near vertical, but in
weathered rock or soil the conditions are more unstable.
Instability is usually caused by an accumulation of water in the soil, and slips
occur when this accumulation of water reduces the natural cohesion of the soil
and increases its mass.
Thus the design and construction of the road should always promote the rapid
and safe movement of water from the area above the road to the area below,
and under no circumstances should the road impede the flow of water or form a
barrier to its movement.
EMBANKMENT SURVEY
and CUTTING Before actual cutting construction take place, its important to;
 catalogue the performance of both natural and man-made slopes in the soils
encountered along the length of the road and to identify the forms of failures
to inform the design process and to make best use of the empirical evidence
available in the area.
 defined strata appear in the parent rock, it is best to locate the road over
ground where the layers dip towards the hill and to avoid locating the road
across hillsides where the strata are inclined in the same direction as the
ground surface.
 Identify all water courses crossing the road line and the need for culverts and
Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea erosion control established.
 Road CUTTING – Design and Construction
Basic design consideration in Road Cutting construction
 Identify suitable angle of cutting faces
 Benching of the cut faces
EMBANKMENT  If ground water present in the cutting slope, it is important to control
and CUTTING it/designed with care
 It is important that provision is made to disperse surface water from the
formation at all stages of construction
 Introduce measures to alleviate the problems created by rainfall and
ground water.

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 Road CUTTING – Construction
Cut and bench fill construction method.
Cut and bench fill construction is a standard method of constructing roads in
moderate to steep hill areas.

EMBANKMENT
and CUTTING

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Bench cut to contain downslope fill material
 Road CUTTING – Construction
When should cut and bench be used?
There is no rule as it depends on the site, however use benches on slopes:
 That are too steep for side cast construction
 That are between about 40 to 70% but less depending on soil type. The
recommended fill slope for most soils is 65%
 Where there are known stability issues.

EMBANKMEN
T and CUTTING

• A bench was built because the slope was too steep

for side cast construction • A lack of benching and poor
• The fill was compacted in layers to increase fill fill compaction led to these
strength significant failures
• The bench contains all the earthwork fill
• The edge of the bench is visible, which shows it
Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea was not over filled
 1. What are some basic design consideration when designing a road
embankment? (list at least three)
2. if you are asked by a road construction company to help in designing the
cutting of a road to be constructed along a hill. What are some basic
considerations you will be considered during the designing phase? (list
Exercise at least three)
Questions 3. What are some benefits of Increasing the soil’s density during
compaction of embankments?
4. What is the purpose of embankments? (list at least three)

Prepared & compiled by Brian. Q. Inomea