6.

DESIGN STANDARDS
6.1 INTRODUCTION
Detailed design standards are formulated in order to avoid any inconsistency in
design from one section to the other and to provide desirable level of service and
to ensure safety. The adopted design standards depend upon the minimum
requirements stipulated by IRC, KIIFB Guidelines, MoRT&H Circulars, State PWD
Code and Manual. The standards have been framed to meet the objectives of the
project road.
The standards adopted for design of cross section, geometry, drain and road safety
as per KIIFB Guidelines and IRC pertaining to this type is discussed in subsequent
sessions.

6.2 GEOMETRIC DESIGN STANDARDS

6.2.1 TERRAIN CLASSIFICATION
Indian Road Congress (IRC) has classified the terrains into four categories,
namely plain, rolling, mountainous, and steep based on the cross slope as given in
Table 6-1. Based on the type of road and type of terrain the design speed varies.
Table 6-1: Terrain classification

Terrain classification Cross slope (%)

Plain 0-10
Rolling 10-25
Mountainous 25-60
Steep >60

6.2.2 DESIGN SPEED

Design Standards have been extracted from KIIFB Guidelines conforming to
minimum design speeds. At some portions of rolling terrain where there are sharp
curves and reverse curves, the speed is limited to a smaller value for minimizing
the deviations from existing right of way in built up areas. However, if restrictions
are to be imposed on the speed, speed limit signs boards shall be provided to warn
the road users. The design speed for various categories of roads is given in Table 6-
2.
 Table 6-2: Recommended design speeds (km/hr)

SI Design Speed (km/h)

No Plain Rolling Mountainous Steep
Nature Corresponding
Classification Ruli category in IRC
Min. Ruling Min Ruling Min. Ruling Min
ng

Coastal ODR in Non-

1 65 50 50 40 30 25 25 20
Highway Urban Highways
MDR / MDR in
2 Hill Highway 80 65 65 50 40 30 30 20 Hill Roads
State
Highways / By
3 Pass / Ring
100 80 80 65 50 40 40 30 State Highway
roads (NH &
SH)

Other KIIFB ODR in Non-

4
Roads (ODR) 65 50 50 40 30 25 25 20 Urban Highways

Other KIIFB MDR in Non-

5
Roads(MDR) 80 65 65 50 40 30 30 20 Urban Highways

6.2.3 CAPACITY STANDARDS

The capacity analysis provides a means of assessing the traffic carrying ability of
the number of traffic lanes provided under the prevailing roadway and traffic
conditions. Main reference for the determination of standard capacities for Rural
Roads is IRC: 64-1990. Table 6-3 summarizes the capacity standards (design
service volume) for Two lane roads.
Table 6-3: Design service volume for Two lane roads

Design Service Volume in

S.No. Type of PCU/Day
Terrain Low curvature High Curvature

1 Plain 15000 12500

2 Rolling 11000 10000

3 Hilly 7000 5000

6.2.4 ROADWAY WIDTH
As per IRC 73:1980, roadway width is the sum total of carriageway width and
shoulder width on either side. The width of roadway for single- and two-lane roads
in plain and rolling terrain shall be given as in Table 6-4.

Table 6-4: Roadway width

Highway classification Road way

(a) National highways and state highways (single lane) 12

(b)Major district Roads (single lane /Two lane) 9.0

(c) Other District Roads

(i) Single lane 7.5

(ii) Two lane 9.0

(d) Village roads (single lane) 7.5

6.2.5 RIGHT OF WAY

As per IRC 73:1980, the desirable widths of road land i.e., ROW for various
categories of roads in Plain and Rolling terrain is given below Table 6-5.
Table 6-5: Desirable Right of Way (m)

SL Open Areas Built up Areas

Road Classification Normal Range Normal Range

No.

1 NH & SH 45 30-60 30 30-60

2 MDR 25 25-30 20 15-25

3 ODR 15 15-25 15 15-20

4 Village roads 12 12-18 10 10-15

6.2.6 CAMBER
The camber/ cross fall on straight section of carriageway shall be as
recommended in Table 6-6 based on the surfacing provided. For a given surface
type, the steeper values of camber should be adopted in areas having high intensity
of rainfall and lower values where the intensity of rainfall is low.

Table 6-6: Camber for pavement

Surface Type Camber (Percent)

Earth Roads 3-4

WBM and Gravel Road 2.5 - 3.0

Bituminous Surfacing 2.00 – 2.5

Concrete pavement 1.7-2.0

As per IRC: 86 – 2018, for shoulders cross fall should be 0.5% steeper than the
slope of pavement with a minimum of WBM 3%, Gravel 4% and Earth 5%. Steeper
values should be used for high rainfall areas i.e. >1500mm/year. On super elevated
sections, the shoulders should normally have the same camber as that of the
pavement.

6.2.7 SIGHT DISTANCES

Visibility is an important requirement for safety on roads. For this, it is
necessary that sight distance of adequate length should be available in different
situations to permit drivers enough time and distance to control their vehicles so
that there are no unwarranted accidents. Design values of Stopping and
Intermediate Sight distances as per IRC 73-1980 are given in Table 6-7.

Table 6-7: Design values of Sight Distances

Design Values (m)

Speed (Km/h)
Stopping Sight Distance Intermediate Sight Distance

20 20 40
 25 25 50

30 30 60

40 45 90

50 60 120

60 80 160

65 90 180

80 120 240

100 180 360

6.2.8 JUNCTIONS
The junctions are to be designed by giving primary considerations to safety,
smooth and efficient flow of traffic. The main objective is to minimize the
number and severity of potential conflicts between cars, buses, trucks,
bicycles and pedestrians. For minimizing conflicts to a great extent, junctions
are designed by providing channelizing islands and traffic signals. Design at
intersections for various intersection elements is generally 40% of approach
speed in built up areas and 60 % in open areas. The radius at intersections
depends on the turning characteristics of the design vehicles, their numbers
and speed at which vehicles exit the intersection area. IRC SP-41 gives the
relationship of inner curve radius for larger range of design speed as given in
Table 6-8 below.

Table 6-8: Relationship of inner radius with design speed

Design Speed (km/hr) Inner radius (minimum in m)

13.5 18

15 23

20 27

30 32

40 37
 50 41

75 50

100 57

125 62
As per IRC 93-1985, signalized intersections are given if the major street
has a traffic volume of 650 to 800 vehicles per hour (both directions) and
Minor Street has 200 to 250 vehicles per hour in one direction only.

6.3 HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT

The horizontal curves consist of a circular portion flanked by spiral transition at

both ends. Design speed, super elevation and coefficient of side friction affect the
design of circular curves. The horizontal alignment should be fluent and blend well
with the surrounding topography. The horizontal alignment should be coordinated
carefully with the longitudinal profile. Length of transition curves is determined on
the basis of rate of change of acceleration or of the rate of change of super
elevation.

For this project, the horizontal alignment is designed for a design speed of 25/30
kmph as per standards and as per the direction of the Chief Engineer, Roads, in
order to avoid huge cutting and filling at some locations, the vertical profile is not
designed as per standards. The alignment approved from the Chief Engineer; roads
is used in the project. Proper traffic safety measures are to be adopted along the
stretch for avoiding accidents.

6.3.1 SUPER ELEVATION

Centrifugal force corresponding to three forth of the design speed is to be

balanced by super elevation and the rest is counteracted by side friction. It is
required to be provided at horizontal curves to counter the effects of centrifugal
force and is calculated by the formula:
 Where,
e - Superelevation in metre per metre width of roadway

V- Speed of vehicle in kmph

R- Radius of curve in metres

IRC specifies a maximum super-elevation of 7 percent for plain and rolling terrain,
while that of hilly terrain is 10 percent and urban road is 4 percent. The minimum
super elevation is 2-4 percent for drainage purpose, especially for large radius of
the horizontal curve.

6.3.2 EXTRA WIDENING

Extra widening refers to the additional width of carriageway that is required on

a curved section of a road over and above that required on a straight alignment.
This widening is done due to two reasons: the first and most important is the
additional width required for a vehicle taking a horizontal curve and the second is
due to the tendency of the drivers to ply away from the edge of the carriageway as
they drive on a curve. The first is referred as the mechanical widening and the
second is called the psychological widening.

6.3.3 MINIMUM RADIUS OF HORIZONTAL CURVES

Based on permissible value of super elevation, radii for horizontal curves

corresponding to ruling minimum and absolute minimum design speeds as per IRC
73-1980 is shown in Table 6- 9.

Table 6-9: Minimum radius of horizontal curves

Classification Plain terrain Rolling Terrain

of
Ruling Min Absolute Min (m) Ruling Min
Roads Absolute Min (m)
(m) (m)

NH and SH 360 230 230 155

 MDR 230 155 155 90

ODR 155 90 90 60

Village Roads 90 60 60 45

Transition curves are necessary for vehicle to run smoothly from a straight
section to a circular curve or in between curves of different radius. The transition
curves also improve the aesthetic appearance of the road and permit a gradual
application of the super elevation and extra widening of carriageway needed at the
horizontal curves. Spiral curves should be used for transitions. IRC Geometric
Design Standards for Rural Highways IRC 73-1980, suggest that the minimum
length of the transition curve should be determined on the basis of following two
considerations and the larger of the two values should be adopted for design.

The rate of change of centrifugal acceleration should not cause discomfort to the
drivers. From this consideration, the length of transition curve is given by:

Ls = 0.0215V3/CR

where,
Ls = Length of transition in meters
V = Speed in Km/hr.
R = radius of circular curve in meters
C = 80 / (75+V) (Subject to a maximum of 0.8 and minimum of 0.5)

The rate of change of super elevation should be such as not to cause

discomfort to travelers or to reduce the road visibility, Rate of change should not
be steeper than 1 in 150 for roads in plain and rolling terrain, and 1 in 60 in
mountainous/steep terrain. The formula for minimum length of transition on this
basis is:
For Plain and Rolling Terrain: Ls = 2.7 V2/R
For Mountainous and Steep Terrain: Ls =1.0 V2/ R
With regard to the above considerations, the minimum transition lengths for
different speeds and curve radius are given below
Table 6-10: Minimum transition lengths

Mountainous and Steep Terrain

Curve Design Speed(km/h)

Radius(m) 50 40 30 25 20

14 NA 30

20 35 20

25 NA 25 20

30 30 25 15

40 NA 25 20 15

50 40 20 15 15

55 40 20 15 15

70 NA 30 15 15 15

80 55 25 15 15 NR

90 45 25 15 15

100 45 20 15 15

125 35 15 15 NR

150 30 15 15

170 25 15 NR

200 20 15

250 15 15

300 15 NR

400 15

500 NR
NA= Not Applicable NR=Not Required
6.3.4 WIDENING AT CURVES

It is necessary to widen the carriageway for safe passage of vehicles at sharp

horizontal curves. Since such curves are required to be provided in this project,
extra width on curves is applicable to the main carriageway and also for approach
roads at junctions as according to the table given below. The Extra width should be
given by increasing the width at uniform rate along transition curve and full width
given along the circular curve. On curves having no transition, widening should be
achieved in the same way as the super elevation i.e., two-third being attained on
the straight section before start of the curve and one-third on the curve. The
widening should be applied equally on both sides of the carriageway, except that
on hill roads it will be preferable if the entire width is done only on the inside. The
extra width of carriageway to be provided at horizontal curves is given in Table 6-
11.

Table 6-11: Widening of pavement at curves

Extra width (m) Radius of Curve (m)

Upto 20 21-40 41-60 61-100 101-300 Above 300

Two-Lane 1.5 1.5 1.2 0.9 0.6 Nil

Single Lane 0.9 0.6 0.6 Nil Nil Nil

6.4 VERTICAL ALIGNMENT

The vertical alignment should be provided for a smooth longitudinal profile
consistent with the road type and layout of the terrain. Grade changes should not
be too frequent as to cause kinks and visual discontinuities in the profile. The
vertical alignment should be coordinated suitably with the horizontal alignment.

6.4.1 GRADIENT

Gradients up to the ruling gradient may be used as a matter of course in design.

The limiting gradients may be used where the topography of the place compels this
course or where the adoption of gentler grades would add enormously to the cost.
Exceptional gradient is meant to be adopted only in very difficult situations and for
short lengths not exceeding 100 m at a stretch. Successive stretches of exceptional
gradients must be separated by a minimum length of 100 m having gentler/flatter
gradient.
Table 6-12: Recommended gradients

Ruling Limiting Exceptional

S.No. Terrain
Gradient Gradient Gradient

1 Plain or rolling 3.3 percent 5 Percent 6.7 percent

Mountainous having 5 percent 6 percent 7 percent

elevation more than
2 3000m above MSL
Steep terrain up to 6 percent 7 percent 8 percent
3000m height above
3 MSL

6.4.2 VERTICAL CURVES

Vertical curves are introduced for smooth transition at grade changes. Both
summit as well as valley curves are designed as square parabolas. The length of the
vertical curves is controlled by sight distance requirements, but curves with
greater length are aesthetically better. As per the IRC 73-1980, the minimum
length of vertical curves should be as indicated in Table 6-13.
Table 6-13: Minimum length of vertical curves

Design Speed (Km/h) Maximum Grade Change Minimum Length of

(%) Not Requiring a Vertical Curve
Vertical Curve

Up to 35 1.5 5

40 1.2 20
 50 1.0 30

65 0.8 40

80 0.6 50

100 0.5 60

6.4.3 Summit curves

The length of summit curves is governed by the choice of sight distance, whether
stopping sight distance or intermediate sight distance as indicated in Table.

The length of the curve is calculated from the following formula:

For safe stopping distance

When the length of the curve exceeds the required sight distance S, i.e. L>S

L = NS2
4.
4

When the length of curve (L) is less than the required sight distance, i.e. L<S

L = 2S - 4.4
N

For Intermediate or Overtaking Sight Distance,When the length of the curve

exceeds the required sight distance S, i.e. L>S

L = 2S -NS2 /
9.6

When the length of curve (L) is less than the required sight distance, i.e. L<S

L = 2S – 9.6 / N
 Where,

N = deviation angle, i.e. the algebraic difference between the grades

L = Length of parabolic curve in metres
S = Sight distance in metres

6.4.4 Valley Curves

The length of valley curves should be such that for night travel, the headlight beam
distance is equal to the stopping sight distance. The length of curve will be
calculated by the following two criteria: -

When length of the curve (L) exceeds the required sight distance (S) L>S

L= NS2 / (1.5+0.035S)

When the length of curve (L) is less than the required sight distance

L = 2S- (1.5+0.035S)
N
Where

N = deviation angle i.e., the algebraic difference between two grades

L= Length of parabolic vertical curve in meters
S= Stopping sight distance in meters.
It may be pointed out that the road improvement being proposed will not be able
to overcome all the geometric deficiencies, since that would include many
realignments, large scale land acquisition and provision of bypasses etc which is
not feasible. Hence the geometries will be improved to the maximum extent
possible.

6.5 SURFACE DRAINAGE

Poor road drainage system and improper maintenance of shoulders causes failure
of road surface. At few chainages, the existing road has longitudinal earthen/CC
drains in some locations near the boundary, which are to be reconstructed. As part
of the standardization of the project road, reinforced concrete closed drains are
proposed at junctions and for the remaining areas CC/earthen shoulders are
proposed along the side of road for effective drainage. These drains are to be
connected to the adjacent CD structures. Covered RCC drain has to be proposed at
main junctions. The road side drains for rural section will be designed as per IRC:
SP- 42 - 2014 (Guide lines on Road Drainage) adopting the design period as 15
years.

Basic principles to be adopted in order to meet IRC standards are

 The surface water from the carriageway, shoulders, embankment slopes and
the adjoining land must be effectively drained off without allowing it to
percolate into the sub grade.

 The side drains must have sufficient capacity and adequate longitudinal slopes
to drain away the entire collected surface water to the nearest natural surface
stream, river or nallah.

 The side drains must be constructed on both sides depending upon the slope
profile of the adjacent ground.

 When the road passes through a valley or cutting and where the general
ground slope is towards the road the drain shall be constructed on both sides of
road.

 Where the road obstructs the smooth free flow of the storm water the drain
shall be constructed on the steeper side of the ground depending on the cross-
slope profile of the ground.

 Combination of longitudinal drains and chute drains are for high

embankments.

6.5.1 Design Parameters

Longitudinal gradient A minimum longitudinal slope of 1:500 is considered for the

design based on Clause 6.2.3 of IRC SP 73 2015
Drain inlets Drain inlets are provided at intervals of 10 m.

Free board As per clause 6.8.4 IRC SP 50 2013, bed width beyond 300mm and
up to 900mm a minimum free board of 150mm is to be provided.

Start depth/forced drop Start depth is considered as 640 mm.

Drain invert level Upstream and downstream drain invert levels are
calculated based on the FRL at the Edge of the Carriageway where drain starts

6.5.2 Actual discharge from catchment area to the drain

Design peak runoff rate (q)

"The rational formula (IRC SP 50 2013) for estimating Peak Run-off Rates is

Q = 0.028PAIc

Where:

Q = Design peak runoff rate in cum/sec

P = Runoff coefficient for catchment characteristics

A = Catchment area (ha)

Ic = Critical rainfall intensity (cm/hr)"

Runoff coefficient (p)

As per Table 6.5 of IRC SP 42 2014, coefficient of run off is considered as 0.9

Catchment area (a)

Catchment area is taken as the are between the road center and the ROW for one
side in normal camber sections and distnace between ROW in superelevated
locations

Critical rainfall intensity (ic)

"Critical rainfall intensity is calculated using the following formula given in IRC SP
50

Ic=(F/T)*((T+1))/((t+1) )

Where:

Ic = Critical rainfall intensity (cm/hr)

F = Total rainfall in a storm in cm falling in duration of storm of “T” hours

t = Smaller time interval in hours within the storm duration of “T” hours"

Total rainfall (f)

Adopted 11 cm/hr rainfall for the design, which is compliant to Moderate rainy
regions

Smaller time interval (t)

"Empirical formula (IRC SP 50 2013) used to determine the time of concentration

is,

t= (0.87) *(L^3/H) ^ (0.385)

Where:

t = Time of concentration in hours

L = Distance of critical point to the drain in km

H = Fall in level from the critical point to the drain level in meters"

6.5.3 Theoretical rate of flow in the drain

Theoretical Rate of Flow / Discharge (Q)

"Theoretical discharge (q) calculated using Manning’s formula is,

q=(A/n) *R^ (2/3) *S^ (1/2)

Where:

q = flow rate (m3/s)

A = cross sectional flow area (m2)

R = hydraulic mean radius of flow area (m - flow area/wetted perimeter)

S = hydraulic gradient (m/m)

n = Manning’s roughness coefficient (friction factor)

Manning’s roughness coefficient (n) value for design as per Table 7.1 of IRC SP 42
guidelines for random stone in mortar, where adopted value is 0.015"

Efficiency Of Drain
 For the efficiency to be 100%, theoretical and actual discharge should be equal (Q
=q ).

6.6 TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES

Road markings and road sign standards are to be provided as per IRC
35-2015 and IRC 67-2012. The road markings are to be provided by
considering the safe stopping sight distance.
6.6.1 SAFETY BARRIERS

W-beam crash barrier should be provided on the outer edges of

roadway where the embankment height is 3m and more. These shall be of
metal beam with metal posts with steel posts. Guard stones with reflectors
are provided for height less than 3.0m.

6.6.2 UTILITY SERVICES

Utility services as per IRC 98-2011 may be provided. Utility services include
water supply lines, sewer lines, electric cables, telephone cables, etc.

6.7 STRUCTURES

6.7.1 General
Limit state design method is adopted for the design of the structures. In this
method, each member of the structure is designed to satisfy serviceability criteria
and ultimate collapse criteria. This ensures satisfactory behaviour and low
probability of failure.

6.7.2 Design Standards & Code of Practice

The following table gives the list of codes will be referenced throughout the
design.
Table 6.14: Design standards and codes of practice

CODES DESCRIPTION
IRC: 5-2015 Standard Specification and Code of Practice for Road Bridges
 – Section I - General Features of Design
IRC: SP 13:2004 Guidelines for the Design of Small Bridges and Culverts
Standard Specification and Code of Practice for Road Bridges
IRC: 6-2017
– Section II - Loads and Stresses
Standard Specification and Code of Practice for Road Bridges
IRC:78-2014
– Section VII - Foundation and Substructure
IRC:112-2019 Code of Practice for Concrete Road Bridges
Explanatory Handbook to IRC:112-2011 Code of Practice for
IRC: SP:105-2015
Concrete Road Bridges
IRC: SP:52-1999 Bridge Inspectors Reference Manual
Guidelines on Repair, Strengthening and Rehabilitation of
IRC: SP:40-2019
Concrete Bridges

6.7.3 Maintenance and Durability consideration

General
The structures shall be designed to have minimum maintenance and long durable
life by considering the following aspects during the design process.
 Proper concrete covers
 Minimum concrete grade
 Minimum cement content in concrete
 Proper detailing of reinforcement.
 Ensuring proper drainage for storm water from the structure

Environmental Exposure

As per IRC: 112-2019 (Amendment No.8/IRC:112/August,2019), ‘Moderate’

exposure condition has been considered for all structures along the project
highway.
Cover to Reinforcement
In view of ‘Moderate’ condition of exposure, the cover to any reinforcement shall be
as below:

Abutment stem/ Return wall / Retaining wall / Dirt wall– 75mm (Earth face) &
40mm (Surfaces not in contact with earth)

Foundation - 75 mm

RCC Drain – 50mm

Box culvert:

End walls – 75mm on earth face & 40mm on exposed face

Bottom slab – 75mm on bottom face and 50mm on top face

Top slab – 40 mm

6.7.4 Requirements for Mix Proportions

For ‘Moderate’ exposure conditions for cross drainage structures, the requirements
for concrete mix as per Table 14.2 of IRC: 112-2019 is given below.

Maximum water/cement ratio – 0.45

Minimum cement content – 340 kg/m3

Minimum grade of concrete (for RCC works) – M25

Minimum grade of concrete (for PCC works) – M20

6.7.5 Material Properties

Grade of Concrete

Following grades have been followed in general for various components:

Grade of concrete in deck slab and diaphragm: M30 (for RCC Bridges)

Pedestals: M30

Substructure & Foundation: M35 / M30

Box Culverts: M30

Crash Barrier: M40

 RCC Railings: M30

 RCC Retaining Wall: M30

 PCC Retaining Wall: M20

RCC Drain: M25

Leveling course: M10 – 100mm thick

Young’s Modulus

Young’s Modulus of Concrete shall be taken from Table 6.5 of IRC: 112-2019. The
values of different grade of concrete are given as below:

 M30 Grade - 31000 MPa

 M25 Grade - 30000 MPa

 M20 Grade - 29000 MPa

Unit weights of the Materials

The following unit weights will be considered:

Reinforced concrete =25 kN/m3

Structural steel =78.5 kN/m3

Bituminous wearing coat = 22 kN/m3

Dry density of earth = 18 kN/m3

Saturated density of earth = 20 kN/m3

Density of water = 10 kN/m3

Poisson’s Ratio

Poisson’s Ratio for all uncracked concrete elements shall be taken as 0.2 and cracked
elements shall be taken as 0 as per Clause 6.4.2.5 of IRC: 112-2019.

Thermal Expansion Coefficient

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion shall be 1.2 x 10-5 /°C as per Clause 215.4 of IRC:
6-2017.

Reinforcement

The grade of steel proposed is Fe500D (HYSD) conforming to IS: 1786 except for
mesh reinforcement which shall be MS bar Grade designation Fe-240 conforming to
IS432 Part-I for Mild steel.

Yield Stress of reinforcement shall be 500 MPa

Elastomeric Bearing

Elastomeric bearings shall be as per the specifications of IRC-83(Part-II): 2015.

Shear modulus of elastomeric bearing shall be taken as 1 MPa.

6.7.6 Loads

Dead Loads

The dead load of the structure is estimated based on unit weight of 25 kN/m 3 for
reinforced concrete members. The appropriate loads based on the cross-sectional
areas will be calculated and applied to the analysis model.

Super Imposed Dead Load

Superimposed dead loads consist of essentially two components namely

 Wearing coat – 50 mm thick bituminous concrete with 3 mm thick asphalt

seal wearing coat is applied on the deck surface. But for design calculation,
2.0kN/m2 is taken as the weight.
 RCC Crash Barrier / Parapet wall on either side of carriageway as applicable -
Load intensity is 7.5 / 6.75 kN/m respectively.
 Live Loads

Live Loads shall be considered in accordance with IRC: 6 – 2017. The design loads
and stresses shall be as per IRC: 6 appropriate for the width of the carriageway. The
live load combinations as per IRC: 6-2017 is tabulated in the Table 6.15.

Table 6.15: Live Load Combinations

No. of
Sl. Carriageway Lanes for
Load Combinations
No. Width (m) Design
Purposes
One lane of class A considered occupying
1 Less than 5.3m 1 2.3m. The remaining width of carriageway
shall be loaded with 500 kg/m2
5.3m and above but One lane of class 70R OR two lanes of class
2 2
less than 9.6m A
One lane of class 70R for every two lanes
9.6m and above but
3 3 with one lane of class A on the remaining
less than 13.1m
lane OR 3 lanes of class A
13.1m and above
4 4
but less than 16.6m One lane of class 70R for every two lanes
16.6m and above with one lane of class A for the remaining
5 5
but less than 20.1m lanes, if any, OR one lane of class A for each
20.1m and above lane.
6 6
but less than 23.6m

For design purpose following live load is considered:

 Live Load Combinations:

(a) 1 lane of 70R OR 1 lane of Class A, whichever governs.

(b) 2 lanes of Class A.

 Impact factor is considered as per clause 208 of IRC: 6-2017

 As the project area is not close to ports, heavy industries, mines etc., and not
 susceptible to congestion of heavy vehicles, vehicle congestion factor is not
considered in the design. Moreover, the intensity of traffic is seen to be very
less along the project stretch.

 Loading due to Special Vehicle (SV) is not warranted along the stretch as
understood from the authority. None of the bridges in this locality is recorded
to be considered for applying this load.

Longitudinal Forces

 Braking Force shall be considered as percentage of axle load of trains as per

Clause 211 of IRC: 6 – 2017.

 The braking force is assumed to be act at a height of 1.2m above the road
surface.

Wind Loads

 The Basic Wind Speed for the stretch shall be 39 m/s as per Fig. 6 of IRC: 6 –
2017.

 Due consideration shall be given to altitude and location of the bridge while
computing wind pressure intensity.

 Wind Loads shall be calculated and applied on both superstructure and

substructure as per Clause 209 of IRC: 6 – 2017.

Temperature

 The variation in daily temperature in this region is as under CL 215 of IRC

6:2017.

 Maximum & Minimum air shade temperature for the stretch shall be 37.5°C &
17.5°C respectively.

 The coefficient of thermal expansion is taken as 12.0 x 10-6 as per IRC: 6 2017.

 The superstructures shall be designed for effects of distribution of temperature

across the deck depth as per Clause 215.3 of IRC: 6 – 2017.

Creep and Shrinkage

Creep and Shrinkage cause deformation in the superstructure. Creep and Shrinkage
strain are derived as per clause 6.4.2.7 and 6.4.2.6 respectively of IRC: 112-2019
based on the strength of concrete and maturity of concrete. Relative humidity shall
be considered as per location of the bridge.

Seismic Loading

The project stretch lies in Zone III as per IRC: 6-2017 and the forces and moments
are estimated as per the provisions stipulated in the code. Following are the values
of parameters used in calculation of seismic forces wherever required.

Zone factor = 0.16

Importance factor = 1.2

Response Reduction Factor = 1.0 for substructure and foundation (as elastomeric
bearing is proposed) (As per Table 20 of IRC: 6-2017)

Seismic force due to live load shall not be considered in traffic direction and in the
direction perpendicular to traffic shall be calculated using 20% of live load
(excluding impact factor) as per clause 219.5.2 of IRC: 6 – 2017.

Horizontal forces due to Water Currents

Water current forces shall be considered as per clause 210 of IRC 6-2017. The
velocity of flow and scour depth is taken from the hydraulic calculation.

6.7.7 Load Combinations

All members shall be designed to sustain safely the most critical combination of
various loads and forces that can coexist. Combinations for Limit State Design shall
be considered as per Annexure B of IRC: 6 -2017.

6.7.8 Method of Analysis for Structures

Box Culverts:

Box culverts are analyzed per meter width of strip for self-weight and
superimposed loads. For live load analysis, effective width method recommended
by IRC:6 is used for calculating the dispersion. The section design is done for
critical values of loads and combinations from the output of the analysis.

STAAD Pro. Software will be used for the 2D frame analysis of box culverts. For box
culverts with skew angle more than 20 degrees, additional design will be carried
out for the skew portion with skew span and the reinforcement will be provided
accordingly. Box structures with or without the cushion shall be designed with
constant height of side walls and the cross slope will be attained by varying the
height of cushion / wearing coat.