Skip to content
GEOTECH – home
Search the website
Menu

Road & Pavement Testing

Durable roads depend on tested materials and correct design. We test bitumen and bituminous products, road aggregates and sub-grade soils (including soaked and unsoaked CBR), carry out Benkelman Beam deflection tests for overlay design, and design pavements from CBR and traffic data as per IRC and MoRTH.

Get a QuoteWhatsApp Us

Material Testing for Roads

Road construction materials vary in their properties depending on location and source, and these properties directly determine the quality of the finished road. Testing is therefore essential to assure and guarantee the quality of road works.

Each constituent material used in road construction should be tested for its engineering properties to ensure stable, long-lasting roads that meet stability, density and other requirements as per codal provisions, mainly the MoRTH specifications. Proper quality control checks, including bituminous mix design, are required for all types of roads. This includes the design of Bituminous Macadam (BM), Dense Bituminous Macadam (DBM), Mix Seal Surfacing (MSS), Semi-Dense Bituminous Concrete (SDBC) and Bituminous Concrete (BC), among others.

What We Test

Tests & Standards

  • Aggregates (Coarse and Fine)

    No. 22

    IS 383IS 2386

    Grading / fineness modulus; silt content; impact value; crushing value; abrasion value; specific gravity; water absorption; flakiness index; bulk density; stripping test; soundness test; deleterious materials; organic impurities; alkali–aggregate reactivity; ten percent fines value

  • Soil

    No. 28

    Particle / grain size analysis; Cu and Cc values; Atterberg limits; dry bulk density (DBD) of in-situ soil by core cutter; DBD of in-situ soil by sand replacement method; standard Proctor compaction test (MDD and OMC); modified Proctor compaction test (MDD and OMC); laboratory CBR (unsoaked and soaked); field CBR; all index and engineering properties of soil for evaluation of bearing capacity

  • Bitumen and Bituminous Products

    No. 29

    IS 73IS 702

    Penetration, softening point, ductility, specific gravity, flash point, solubility

  • Bituminous Mix Design (as per MoRTH Specifications, 4th Revision / IRC)

    No. 30

    Marshall test for the design of dense bituminous macadam, semi-dense and asphaltic concrete; design of mix seal surfacing; density of compacted layer; gradation of aggregates; binder / bitumen content

  • Benkelman Beam Deflection Test on Road Pavements

    No. 31

    IRC 81

    Benkelman beam test on road pavements for overlay design

  • Pavement Design Based on CBR / Traffic Data

    No. 32

    IRC 37

    Collection of soil samples from site, laboratory tests including CBR, and design of pavement

Standards Followed

  • Bitumen (21)

    • IS 1201:1958

      Sampling

    • IS 1202:1958

      Specific Gravity

    • IS 1203:1958

      Penetration

    • IS 1204:1958

      Residue of Specified Penetration

    • IS 1205:1958

      Softening Point

    • IS 1206:1958

      Viscosity

    • IS 1207:1958

      Equiviscous Temperature (EVT)

    • IS 1208:1958

      Ductility

    • IS 1209:1958

      Flash Point and Fire Point

    • IS 1210:1958

      Float Test

    • IS 1211:1958

      Water Content (Dean and Stark Method)

    • IS 1212:1958

      Loss on Heating

    • IS 1213:1958

      Distillation Test

    • IS 1214:1958

      Matter Insoluble in Benzene

    • IS 1215:1958

      Matter Insoluble in Toluene

    • IS 1216:1958

      Solubility in Carbon Disulphide

    • IS 1217:1958

      Mineral Matter (Ash)

    • IS 1218:1958

      Phenols

    • IS 1219:1958

      Naphthalene

    • IS 1220:1958

      Volatile Matter Content

    • IS 73:1961

      Specification for Paving Bitumen

  • Key IRC Specifications (19)

    • IRC 5:1985

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section I – General Features of Design (Sixth Revision)

    • IRC 6:1985

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section II – Loads and Stresses (Third Revision)

    • IRC 15:1981

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Construction of Concrete Roads (Second Revision)

    • IRC 18:1985

      Design Criteria for Prestressed Concrete Road Bridges (Post-Tensioned Concrete)

    • IRC 19:1977

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Water Bound Macadam (Full Grout)

    • IRC 20:1966

      Recommended Practice for Bituminous Penetration Macadam (Full Grout)

    • IRC 21:1987

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section III – Cement Concrete (Plain and Reinforced) (Second Revision)

    • IRC 22:1986

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section VI – Composite Construction (First Revision)

    • IRC 36:1970

      Recommended Practice for the Construction of Earth Embankments for Road Works

    • IRC 37:1984

      Guidelines for the Design of Flexible Pavements (First Revision)

    • IRC 40:1970

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section IV – Brick, Stone and Block Masonry

    • IRC 45:1972

      Recommendations for Estimating the Resistance of Soil Below the Maximum Scour Level in the Design of Well Foundations of Bridges

    • IRC 49:1973

      Recommended Practice for the Pulverisation of Black Cotton Soil for Lime

    • IRC 56:1973

      Recommended Practice for the Treatment of Embankment Slopes for Erosion Control

    • IRC 58:1988

      Guidelines for the Design of Rigid Pavements for Highways (First Revision)

    • IRC 73:1980

      Geometric Design Standards for Rural (Non-Urban) Highways

    • IRC 78:1983

      Standard Specifications and Code of Practice for Road Bridges, Section VII – Foundation and Substructure (First Revision)

    • IRC 81:1981

      Tentative Guidelines for Strengthening of Flexible Road Pavements Using the Benkelman Beam Deflection Technique (BBDT)

    • IRC 86:1983

      Geometric Design Standards for Urban Roads in Plains

  • Key IRC Special Publications (5)

    • IRC SP:11:1988

      Handbook of Quality Control for Construction of Roads and Runways (Second Revision)

    • IRC SP:13:1973

      Guidelines for the Design of Small Bridges and Culverts

    • IRC SP:18:1978

      Manual for Highway Bridge Maintenance and Inspection

    • IRC SP:19:1978

      Manual for Survey, Investigation and Preparation of Road Projects

    • IRC SP:20:1979

      Manual for Route Location, Design, Construction and Maintenance of Rural Roads (Other District Roads and Village Roads)

  • Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) Publications (1)

    • MoRTH 2001

      MoRTH Specifications for Road and Bridge Works, 2001 (Fourth Revision)

Equipment Used

Laboratory & Equipment

Soil Testing

  • CBR test apparatus for unsoaked and soaked conditions, for the design of flexible road pavements(40 nos.)

Bitumen, Aggregates and Road Materials

  • Bitumen test apparatus: (a) penetration test, (b) softening point test (ring and ball method), (c) bitumen extractor, (d) ductility test, (e) viscosity, etc.
  • Aggregate test apparatus: (a) crushing value, (b) impact test, (c) flakiness and elongation test, (d) soundness, (e) stripping value, (f) water absorption, (g) specific gravity, (h) ten percent fines value, etc.
  • Marshall test apparatus mould
  • Testing kit for paving asphalts as per IS requirements
  • Testing kit for bituminous emulsions as per IS requirements
  • Marshall stability test apparatus for the design of asphaltic concrete and Dense Bituminous Macadam mixes as per MoRTH/IRC requirements
  • Testing apparatus for the design of granular sub-base and wet mix as per MoRTH/IRC requirements
  • Test apparatus for determining the relative degree of field compaction of road sub-grade
  • Modulus of sub-grade reaction (k-value) test apparatus as per IS requirements
  • Benkelman beam apparatus for deflection tests on existing pavements, for strengthening or overlay design as per IS code

Related Projects

1 listed project.

View on Projects page

  • Geotechnical

    Laboratory investigation of sub-grade soil samples from various roads in the Fazilka and Zira areas, District Ferozepur (Punjab).

    Location
    Ferozepur, Punjab
    Sector
    Government

How We Work

  1. 01

    Tell us your requirement.

  2. 02

    We carry out the site investigation or collect your samples.

  3. 03

    We test as per IS, IRC and MoRTH standards.

  4. 04

    You receive a detailed report with recommendations.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which standards do you follow?

    The relevant Indian Standards (IS codes), Indian Roads Congress (IRC) codes and MoRTH specifications.

  • How do I get a quotation?

    Fill in our quote form, call us or send a WhatsApp message with your project location and requirements.

Planning a project? Get your soil and materials tested right.

Get a QuoteWhatsApp Us

  • Mix Design

    Cement concrete mixes to IS 10262 and IS 456, and Marshall bituminous mix design to MoRTH and IRC.

  • Construction Material Testing

    Material properties vary from source to source, and poor-quality material can weaken a structure for its entire life.