Scribd
Upload
172 views

Vertical Curve Part I

This document provides guidance on designing vertical curves for roads and highways. It discusses the different types of vertical curves (crest and sag curves), design considerations for sight distance, drainage, passenger comfort and appearance. It provides equations and recommendations for minimum lengths of vertical curves based on design speed to meet safety and operational needs. Design of sag vertical curves also considers headlight sight distance at night in addition to other factors.

Uploaded by

ALI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
172 views

Vertical Curve Part I

This document provides guidance on designing vertical curves for roads and highways. It discusses the different types of vertical curves (crest and sag curves), design considerations for sight distance, drainage, passenger comfort and appearance. It provides equations and recommendations for minimum lengths of vertical curves based on design speed to meet safety and operational needs. Design of sag vertical curves also considers headlight sight distance at night in addition to other factors.

Uploaded by

ALI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 36

High Diploma of Eng.

And Airports
Master of Eng. And Transportation

Asst. Prof. Dr. AHLAM KHUDHAIR RAZZAQ AL-


ZERJAWI . 2020-2021 1
 Vertical curves to effect gradual changes between
tangent grades may be any one of the crest or sag types
 Vertical curves should be simple in application and
should result in a design that enables the driver to see
the road ahead, enhances vehicle control, is pleasing in
appearance, and is adequate for drainage.

 it is recommended that all vertical curves should be


designed to provide at least the stopping sight distances

 This consideration is most important in sag vertical


curves where gravitational and vertical centripetal
forces act in opposite directions. Appearance also
should be considered in designing vertical curves.
G1 and G2 = Tangent Grades in Percent
A = Algebraic Difference in Grade
L = Length of Vertical Curve
E = Vertical Offset at the VPI
Recommended standards for maximum grades, percent

Type of terrain Freeways Rural highway Urban highway

Level 3–4 3–5 5–8

Rolling 4–5 5–6 6–9

Mountainous 5–6 5–8 8–11


• Drainage of curbed roadways on sag vertical curves
(Type III in previous figure needs careful profile design
to retain a grade of not less than 0.5 percent or, in some
cases, 0.30 percent for the outer edges of the roadway.
Although not desirable, flatter grades may be
appropriate in some situations.
• The quantity L/A, termed “K,” is useful in determining the
horizontal distance from the Vertical Point of Curvature
(VPC) to the high point of Type I curves or to the low
point of Type III curves.
• This point where the slope is zero occurs at a distance
from the VPC equal to K times the approach gradient.
The value of K is also useful in determining minimum
lengths of vertical curves for various design speeds.
Minimum lengths of crest vertical curves based on sight distance criteria generally
are satisfactory from the standpoint of safety, comfort, and appearance.
When the height of eye and the height of object are 1.08 and
0.60 m [3.50 ft and 2.00 ft], respectively, as used for stopping
sight distance, the equations become:
To recognize the distinction in design speed and to
approximate the range of current practice, minimum
lengths of vertical curves are expressed as about 0.6
times the design speed in km/h,
Lmin = 0.6V
where V is in kilometers per hour and L is in meters,

or about three times the design speed in mph,


[Lmin = 3V
where V is in miles per hour and L is in feet.
Design values of crest vertical curves for passing sight distance
differ from those for stopping sight distance because of the
different sight distance and object height criteria.

Using the 1.08-m [3.50-ft] height of object results in the following


specific formulas with the same terms
At least four different criteria for establishing lengths of sag
vertical curves are recognized to some extent.
These are
(1) headlight sight distance,
(2) passenger comfort,
(3) drainage control, and
(4) general appearance

Headlight sight distance has been used directly by some


agencies and for the most part is the basis for determining the
length of sag vertical curves recommended here.

When a vehicle traverses a sag vertical curve at night, the


portion of highway lighted ahead is dependent on the position
of the headlights and the direction of the light beam.
A headlight height of 0.60 m [2 ft] and a 1-degree
upward divergence of the light beam from the
longitudinal axis of the vehicle is commonly
assumed. The upward spread of the light beam
above the 1-degree divergence angle provides
some additional visible length of roadway, but is not
generally considered in design.

Since the headlight mounting height (typically about 0.60


m [2.00 ft]) is lower than the driver eye height used for
design (1.08 m [3.50 ft]), the sight distance to an
illuminated object is controlled by the height of the
vehicle headlights rather than by the direct line of sight.
The effect on passenger comfort of the change in vertical direction is
greater on sag than on crest vertical curves because gravitational and
centripetal forces are combining rather than opposing forces.
Comfort

Limited attempts at such measurements have led to the broad


conclusion that riding is comfortable on sag vertical curves when the
centripetal acceleration does not exceed 0.3 m/s2 [1 ft/s2
Drainage affects design of vertical curves of Type III where
curbed sections are used. An approximate criterion for
sag vertical curves is the same as that expressed for the
crest conditions (i.e., a minimum grade of 0.30 percent
should be provided within 15 m [50 ft] of the level point).

Lmax= 51 A metric
Lmax=167 A feet
The drainage criterion differs from other criteria in that the
length of sag vertical curve determined for it is a
maximum, whereas, the length for any other criterion is a
minimum. The maximum length of the drainage criterion is
greater than the minimum length for other criteria up to
100 km/h [65 mph].
For improved appearance of sag vertical curves,
previous guidance used a rule-of-thumb for

L min =30A metric


L min = 100A Feet

A design speed of approximately 80 km/h [50 mph].


On high-type highways, longer curves are
appropriate to improve appearance.
Sight distance on the highway through a grade separation
should be at least as long as the minimum stopping sight
distance and preferably longer.

Design of the vertical alignment is the same as at any


other point on the highway except in some cases of sag
vertical curves under passing a structure as illustrated in
following figure..
Using an eye height of 2.4 m [8.0 ft] for a truck driver and
an object height of 0.6 m [2.0 ft] for the taillights of a
vehicle, the following equations can be derived:
I hope it has achieved the benefit for all

Asst. Prof. Dr. AHLAM KHUDHAIR RAZZAQ


AL-ZERJAWI 36

You might also like