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Effect of Sandwich Layer System of Pavement for Subgrades
of Low Bearing Capacity by Means of Soil Cement
E ffet d u systèm e à c o u ch e in tercalée p o u r la c o n stru c tio n des rev êtem en ts su r les sols à faible c a p acité
p o r ta n te réalisés à l’a id e de so l-cim en t
T. YAM ANOUCHI, DR. E N G ., Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japon
SUM M ARY
The author describes the sandwich layer system, which involves
increasing the rigidity of a pavement on a subgrade of low
bearing capacity by placing a relatively rigid layer directly on
the subgrade. The author has found soil cement to be best
suited for the lower rigid layer. In this paper, the author is con­
cerned with pavement design on volcanic ash soils of low bear­
ing capacity. The study consists of comparative elastic approxi­
mations and model experiments of both static and dynamic
repeated loading on both the conventional progressive layer
system and the sandwich layer system.
C O N S ID E R A T IO N S O F S A N D W IC H L A Y E R S Y S T E M
at present is based on a system in which
p a v e m e n t d e s ig n
the modulus of elasticity, or the rigidity of a layer pro­
gressively increases upward. On a subgrade of low bearing
capacity, an excessive total thickness is often necessary,
leading not only to increased construction costs, but also to
various structural defects such as a large plastic accumulative
settlement due to the dynamic action of repeated wheel
loads. The author has considered the possibility that a more
suitable pavement can be obtained, with smaller total thick­
ness, by placing a layer with a certain degree of rigidity
directly on the subgrade, constituting a sandwich structure
with the surface course or upper base course, hereafter
referred to as the “sandwich layer system of pavement.”
G ranular materials are not well suited for use as the
lower rigid layer because their compactive effect is low.
Such materials as Portland cement may be used to good
purpose, since they acquire rigidity with time. The use of
ordinary concrete, however, leads to shrinkage cracks on
hardening and the intrusion of subgrade soil through the
cracks. Soil cement, therefore, is most useful because of its
semi-rigid nature and low cost. The soil cement placed in
the lower layer will give satisfactory results, even for poor
mixtures, and also affords fair resistance against piping and
other phenomena.
Where soil cement is used as sub-base, it can also be
used in the upper layer. In such cases, the pavement
becomes a “sandwich layer system by soil cement.” Schnitter
and Bollier (1961) have demonstrated that soil cement is
more effective from the structural viewpoint when used in
the sub-base instead of in the upper layer, a concept with
which the author agrees.
E X A M P L E O F A C T U A L S IT E C O N D IT IO N S
A growing number of highways are being developed lately
in the areas of typical weak volcanic ash soils in Kyushu.
213
s o m m a ir e
L’auteur décrit le système à couche intercalée comportant
l’augmentation de la rigidité d’un revêtement en plaçant une
couche relativement rigide directement sur le terrain de fonda­
tion. L’auteur a trouvé que le sol-ciment est le matériel le plus
propre à être utilisé pour la couche rigide inférieure. Le pointe
de départ de cette étude était l’analyse du revêtement d’un sol
composé de cendres volcaniques ayant une faible capacité
portante. L’étude consiste en calculs théoriques et en essais de
charges répétées, statiques et dynamiques, sur le système clas­
sique à couche progressive et sur le système à couche intercalée.
For instance, the Beppu-Aso highway, to be completed in
1964, runs through a zone of volcanic ash soils with a high
content of humic organic m atter called Kuroboku, where
a value of CBR = 1 .8 per cent was required as the standard
bearing capacity of subgrade for pavement design. For the
progressive layer system, this leads to thicknesses of more
than 70 cm for medium traffic and more than 90 cm for
heavy traffic. In addition to the problem of cost, there is also
an extreme shortage of crushed stone and sand in the area.
A volcanic ash soil called Shirasu is readily available in the
district as base material of soil cement. Shirasu contains
little organic matter, although some pumice is present, and
shows comparatively good stabilization effects with Portland
cement (Yamanouchi, 1963).
Though it is almost impossible to adjust the excessive
moisture content of Kuroboku, Shirasu can be placed at
optimum moisture content. A progressive system section
78 cm in total thickness has been used for the purposes of
comparison (Fig. 1). In practice, for the Beppu-Aso high­
way, a system was used in which the crushed stone layer
was reduced to 15 cm, adopting the idea of stage con­
struction.
T H E O R E T IC A L A P P R O X IM A T IO N S
Fig. 1 shows a suggested pavement section, 65 cm thick,
of sandwich system by soil cement that has poor soil cement
in the lower layer, with the standard provided to assure
cost reduction in contrast to the progressive system section.
The cost of construction is estimated at 2,065 yen/sq.m. for
the progressive system having 6 per cent soil cement as upper
base course, and 1,747 yen/sq.m . for the sandwich system
with the same upper base course and 2 per cent soil cement
as lower sub-base on the subgrade. In the latter case, a cost
reduction of 58 yen/sq.m. occurs because of the decrease in
the amount of earth work.
Values of an appropriate modulus of elasticity and
 E las. Modu. E I a s. Modu. V e rtica l displacement (mm) V e rtic a l stre ss (kg/cm") R a d ia l stress (kg/cm1)

o (kg/cm1) Ê (kg /erri5)

ZSM As. con. ml ?mn A s. con.

6000 Soi I — 6000 Soi I -

cement cement

Crushed Crushed
1000 stone stone
800
í-
Shirasu
800 soil

Soi I— Shirasu
2500 cement 400 so i I

Kuroboku
50 soil
CBR
Kuroboku
1.8% soil
1.8%
Sandwich system

fig. 1. Comparison between sandwich and progressive layer systems by theoretical approximation.

Poisson’s ratio were assigned for each layer of both sections
based on the author’s investigations to date. These pave­
ments can be solved approximately by calculating equivalent
moduli of elasticity and be reducing multi-layer problems
to two-layer problems. Distributions of vertical displace­
ment and vertical stress according to Boussinesq and radial
stress according to Odemark (1949) with respect to pave­
ment section, both against surface load with 15-cm radius
of contact and 6.0 kg/sq.cm. load intensity, were calculated
and are shown in Fig. 1.
From this theoretical approximation it was discovered
that, for the sandwich system, despite its smaller total thick­
ness, both vertical displacement and radial stress, over the
whole depth are reduced, with vertical stress remaining
almost the same. However, since, in practice, a pavement
behaves in a plasto-elastic manner when subjected to
repeated wheel loads, such elastic calculation will be sig­
nificant for the experimental studies to be described later.
STA TIC LO ADING E X P E R IM E N T S M A D E ON M O D E L P A V E M E N T S
The two different types of model pavements made, using
the actual construction materials and reduced from their
actual dimensions as shown in Fig. 2, were built in con­
crete boxes, with inside dimensions 1.40 m by 1.40 m square
by 1.00 m deep, chosen to accommodate loading tests using
a circular plate 20 cm in diameter. Soil cement mixtures
were mixed at optimum moisture content in a pot-type mixer.
Each pavement layer was uniformly compacted using a
tamping rammer with vibration. After voids in the surface
of crushed stone layer were filled with crushed stone
smaller than 30 mm, a prime coating of asphalt emulsion
was applied to this surface as well as to that of the upper
soil cement layer at the rate of 1.5 litres/sq.m. Vertical
displacement meters and earth pressure meters of 7 k g /
sq.cm. capacity were installed as shown on Fig. 2. A static
loading test was performed using a rigid plate of 10 cm
radius on each layer not only during placement but also
on a portion dug out after 28 days. The purpose of these
tests was to evaluate the modulus of elasticity of each layer
from the relation of load intensity-deflection using the
method by Palmer and Barber (1940). The results are shown
on Fig. 2. The modulus of elasticity of the lower soil-
cement layer in sandwich section was 23 per cent of that of
the upper layer at age 28 days. The value of K 15, obtained
by dividing K.,n on each layer by 3.1, are also shown on
Fig. 2. Both moduli are, however, rated to 1.25 mm deflec­
tion, this value being chosen to avoid excessive layer
deflection.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the distribution of vertical displace­
ment and vertical stress with depth respectively for the two
sections. It will be noted from Figs. 3 and 4 that the
sandwich section is statically superior to the progressive
system section over the whole testing age, and therefore that
it is possible to reduce the total thickness of the former,

k Vertical dis - Vertical d is­

Loadina placement meter placement meter Modulus of elasticity (k g / c m 2)
plate I 0 j cm ----- * — 10 cm
1 $000 10,000 15,000 0 5,000 10,000 15.000
6 % Soil- 6 % Soil-
cement cement
Crushed Crushed
stone store Cumulative
^Kls curing temp.
Shirasu
soil (°C day)
\Viju Shirasu
2% 7th day 30 0 day of age
soil 14th .. 68
I i _soil-cement 28th " 172 28th day of age
Kuroboku soil
CBR 1.8% ( i ) Sandwich system
1 Kuroboku soil ( i i ) Progressive system
CBR 1.8%
i ) Sandwich system 10 20
(ii) Progressive system 30 10 20 30

( a ) Cross-section of model pavement Modulus of subgrade or base reaction : K75 (kg/cm )

(b ) Constitution of modulus of elasticity

and K75 value

f ig . 2. Static experiment: (a) cross-section of model pavement; (b) constitution of modulus of elasticity and K-- value.

219
 V e r t i c a l displacem ent ( I/IOO mm )

0 50 100

f ig . 3. Vertical displacem ent under the centre

of load in static experiment.

V ertical stress in (fx/p (p=6.0 kg/cmz)

_ 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 f ig . 5. A utom atic test apparatus of repeated loading to model
pavement.

Modulus of e la s t ic it y of la y e r (kg/cm2)

o e^ o o o iq p o o o 5 ,0 0 0

f ig . 4. Vertical stress distribution under the

centre of load in static experiment.
for the same static performance. With this static loading
test, however, there is no cumulative displacement con­
tained except the residual plastic deflection for a single
loading, beside elastic settlement. I-------- 1-------- 1_____ 1_____ I I_____ I_____ I_
0 10 20 30 40 0 10 20

D Y N A M IC R E P E A T E D L O A D IN G E X P E R I M E N T S O N M O D E L Modulus of subgrade or bose reoction - K 75 (kg/cm5)

PA V EM EN TS
f ig . 6. C onstitution of modulus of elasticity and K value of
In order to determine the effect of repeated loading on m odel pavem ent in the first repeated loading test.
each of the model pavements, a test machine was set up
to produce continuous repetitive loadings (Fig. 5) on sample
pavements of the same dimensions as used for static loading
test. This apparatus has a self-repeating piston mechanism Lood applications
of the oil-pressure type, giving exact trapezoidal piston
pressure to a time axis. By manipulating the timer we can 10 io 2 I03 \0A 1
VJ 1 1 1
get the desired period, endurance time ratio of loading and
unloading, and voluntary thrust pressure of piston to the E 1 1 st test
E
loading plate according to the magnitude of oil pressure. '— 2nd test
2 _
Imposition of repeated loading of six-second periods in­ o
3 -
cluding a two-second application of 6.4 kg/sq.cm. was o
a>
started at an age of seven days, using a loading plate, 20 <u
4 - 1st te s t
■o \ \ \ — \
cm in diameter, on the surface of pavement, a loading 2nd test \ \ N v-- >
CD 5 \ \ s
condition more severe than the actual one. The modulus of o
o At the \ \ '
elasticity of the system was evaluated by the same process 6 - moment o f \ Ss
V) loading
as in the preceding section and the result is given in Fig. 6 a) 7
_ | Sandwich system
> ---- unloading
together with K value. The modulus of elasticity of the
o
lower soil cement layer in the sandwich system was 17 per 3 ---- loading Progressive system
E 1
cent of that of upper one at an age of 14 days. ---- unloading
o
This test allows the determination of the difference be­
tween the two pavement types with respect to the accumu­ f ig . 7. Increase of surface deflection at the centre of
lated state of plastic displacement which appears under load by repeated loading test.

220
repeated loading of a plasto-elastic body. Comparative tests
were carried out twice under the same conditions, to obtain
the relationship shown in Fig. 7. The heavy lines in the
figure show total displacement, the thin lines cumulative
displacement, and the difference of both the coordinates,
elastic displacement.
In both tests, the progressive system section showed
greater accumulation of residual plastic displacement than
the sandwich system section. The progress of displacement
in the sandwich system was gradual and, even after a
total of nearly one hundred thousand cycles, the pavement
surface appeared in good condition. In the progressive
system, on the other hand, displacement rapidly increased
after about six thousand cycles in the first test and after
about fifteen hundred cycles in the second test, and the
surface soil cement gradually broke up, so that the modulus
of elasticity of the layer after the test could not be obtained.
C O N C L U S IO N S
By the results of studies involving theoretical approxima­
tions, and by both the static and dynamic repetition loading
tests to model pavements, the author concludes that a
pavement of sandwich layer system using soil cement thinner
than that in the conventional progressive system serves the
purpose well, using the pavement project on the volcanic
ash soils of low bearing capacity typical in Kyushu as an
example of the practical problems. The relative effect of
sandwich layer system will be larger for lower subgrade
bearing capacities. It is considered that the method is
similarly applicable to the case of alluvial soft subgrade,
since the principle is the same in either case, though the
present study has been confined to pavement design on
volcanic ash soils.
Since one of the important characteristics of soil cement
with respect to its use in a sandwich layer system is that
it acquires hydraulic hardness with time, unlike granular
materials, it can be useful even on a subgrade that cannot
support compaction with granular materials. On the weak
subgrade, the requirements of construction vehicle traffic
generally make it advisable in any case to perform stabiliza­
tion by cement at the same time. Even if the work may be
in some degree defective on the weak subgrade, construction
of the sandwich layer system will compensate for this to
a certain extent because of the property of hydraulic harden­
ing. This study demonstrates that the structural effect of
a soil cement layer contributes much to the slab effect due
to semi-rigidity. The layer, which is monolithic and free
from joints, is also very effective in preventing harmful
action such as the intrusion of subgrade soil.
Though we can reduce total thickness of pavement by
the sandwich-layer system, the total cost is not reduced in
proportion to total thickness, since the cost of the lower
soil cement layer is increased. However, the reduction in
the crushed stone layer, together with the decrease in the
amount of earth work required will offset this somewhat.
The author believes that this study ought to be carried
further by developing a quantitative design method for
pavement thickness by this system, through a parameter
of the sandwich ratio of modulus of elasticity.
ACKNOW LEDGM ENTS
The author is much indebted in carrying out the present
study to the Fukuoka Branch of the Japanese Highway
Public Corporation, the Fukuoka Branch of Nihon Hodo
Co. Ltd., and also to Messrs. M. Ishido, T. Miura, and
S. Tokitsu of the laboratory of Kyushu University, and
wishes to express his gratitude to them all for their co­
operation.
REFERENCES
Odemark, N. (1949). XJndersbkning av elasticitetsegenskaperna
hos olika jordarter samt teori for bercikning av beldggningar
enligt elasticitetsteorin. Stockholm, Statens Vaginstitut, Med.
77.
Palm e r , L. A., and E. S. B a r b e r (1940). Soil displacement
under a circular loaded area. Proc. Highway Research
Board, Vol. 20, pp. 279-86.
S c h n i t t e r , G., and A. B o l l i e r (1961). Stabilized soil founda­
tions for runways on soils of low bearing capacity. Proc.
Fifth International Conference on Soil Mechanics and
Foundation Engineering, Vol. 2, pp. 309-13.
Y T. (1963). Stabilizing effects o f additives to vol­
a m a n o u c h i,
canic ash soils. Proc. Second Asian Regional Conference on
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 1, pp.
359-63.
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