WBM (Water Bound Macadam) Roads

• WBM means, the pavement base course made of crushed or

broken aggregates mechanically interlocked by rolling and
voids to be filled with screenings and binding material with
assistance of water.
• WBM can be used as a sub-base, base course or surfacing.
• Thickness of each layer of WBM ranges from 10.0 cm to 7.5
cm depending on size and gradation.

Specification of Materials
1. Type of Coarse aggregate
2. Properties of Coarse
aggregate
3. Size and Grading
requirements
4. Screenings
5. Binding Material
WBM
Construction Procedure Checking of Surface
Evenness and
Rectifications
1. Preparation of Foundation for
receiving WBM course.
2. Provision of lateral confinement.
3. Spreading of Coarse aggregate.
4. Rolling
5. Application of Screenings.
6. Application of Binding Material.
7. Setting and Drying.
 Specifications of Materials
• Type of coarse aggregate: Good quality crushed aggregates or
broken stones can be used. Soft aggregates like over burnt bricks,
soft aggregates like kankar or laterite, crushed slag can also be
used.
• Properties of coarse aggregates: Aggregates should be hard,
durable and of acceptable shape(free from flaky and elongation).
Property Requirements for pavement layer
Sub-base Base course Surfacing Course
Los Angeles abrasion value (max, %) 60 50 40
Aggregate impact value (max, %) 50 40 30
Flakiness index (max, %) - 15 15
 Grading Size Range, mm Suitability Thickness Sieve size, % passing by
mm weight
Grading 90 to 40mm sub base course Thickness of 100 100
No. 1 compacted layer 80 65-85
is 100mm
63 25-60
40 0-15
20 0-5
Grading 63 to 40 mm base course or Thickness of 80 100
No. 2 surfacing compacted layer
is 75mm 63 90-100

50 30-70

40 0-15

20 0-5

Grading 50 to 20 mm base course or Thickness of 63 100

No. 3 surfacing compacted layer
is 75mm 50 95-100

40 35-70

20 0-10

10 0-5
Size and grading requirements: aggregates should conform to either of 3 gradings.
• Screenings: these are used to fill up the voids in the compacted layer of
coarse aggregate. Screenings consists of aggregate of smaller size.

Classification Size of Sieve size, mm % passing by

grading Screenings, mm weight
A 12.5 12.5 100
10.0 90-100
4.75 10-30
0.15 0-8
B 10.0 10.0 100
4.75 85-100
0.15 10-30

• To reduce cost of construction, predominantly non-plastic materials

such as kankar, moorum or gravel can be used as screening material.
Liquid limit and plasticity index must be less than 20% and 6.0%. %
fines passing 0.075 mm sieve must be less than 10%.
• Binding material: To prevent ravelling fine grained materials are
used for binding. Kankar or lime stone dust can be utilized.

• Binding Material of plasticity index 4 to 9% is used in WBM surface

course. Plasticity index must be less than 6.0% when WBM used as
base course or sub-base course.
 CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE
• Preparation of foundation for receiving WBM course:
– The foundation for receiving WBM layer may be subgrade or sub-
base or base course. Foundation layer must be of required grade,
chamber and free from loose materials.
– On existing pavement depressions and pot holes are filled and
corrugations are removed and reshaping the surface to required
grade and chamber.
– If the existing surface is bituminous surface, furrows of 50mm depth
and 50mm width are cut at 1.0m interval and at 45% to centreline of
carriageway before laying coarse aggregate.
• Provision of lateral confinement:
– Lateral confinement is provided by construction of shoulders in advance to a
thickness equal to that of compacted WBM layer and trimming the inner
sides vertically.
• Spreading of Coarse aggregate:
‒ CA are spread uniformly to proper profile to even thickness upon the prepared
foundation. WBM is normally constructed to a thickness of 75mm except in
WBM sub-base course.
• Rolling:
– After spreading, compaction is done by a three wheeled power roller of
capacity 6 to 10 tonnes or by vibratory roller.
– Rolling started from the edges, the roller is run forward and backward until
proper compaction is done, the run is then gradually shifted towards
centreline of road uniformly overlapping rear wheel track by one half width.
– On super elevated portion, rolling is done from inner edge and progressed
gradually towards the outer edge of the pavement.
• Application of Screenings:

– After coarse aggregate are rolled adequately, dry screenings are

applied gradually over the surface to fill the voids in three or more
applications. Dry rolling is continued as screenings are being spread
and brooming is carried out.

• Sprinkling and grouting:

‒ After application of screenings, the surface is sprinkled with water,

swept and rolled. Wet screenings are swept in voids using hand
broom. Additional screenings are applied and rolled till the coarse
aggregate are well bonded and firmly set.
 Application of binding material:
• After application of screening and rolling, binding material is
applied at uniform and slow rate at two or more successive thin
layers.

• After application of binding material, the surface is sprinkled with

water and wet slurry swept with brooms to fill voids.

• Rolling with 6 to 10 tonnes roller is done and water is applied to

wheels to wash down the binding materials that stick to rollers.

• When crushable type screenings like moorum or gravel are used,

there is no need to apply binding material.
 Setting and drying:

• After final compaction, the WBM course is allowed to set over-night.

• On the next day “hungry spots” are located and are filled with screenings
or binding material, lightly sprinkled with water if necessary and rolled.

• No traffic is allowed until WBM sets and dries out.

• In case of WBM base course, the layer is allowed to dry and then
bituminous surfacing is laid.
 Checking for Surface Evenness and
Rectification
• The surface evenness of longitudinal direction is checked of with 3.0 mt
straight edge and number of undulations exceeding 1200 in case of WBM
grading no.1 and 10mm in case of grading no.2 & 3 are recorded for a
length of 300m.

• The maximum number of undulations permitted in each case is 30.

• The cross profile is checked for chamber and maximum variation should
not exceed 1200 for grading no.1 and 8mm for grading 2& 3.

• When unevenness exceeds limits, the area of 10 sq.mt is scarified,

reshaped with added material and compacted.