What is Camber

• Camber is the slope provided to the road surface in the transverse direction to drain off the Rainwater from the road surface.
• It is also known as the cross slope of the road.

• The purpose of the camber is to drain out the rainwater from the road surface around the edges.
• In the highways the median part of the road surface is elevated with regards to the edges. This slope from the diagonal direction is known as the Camber.

Purpose of Providing Camber on Road

The primary purposes of providing camber in the pavements are as follows.

1. To drain off or remove rainwater from the surface of the pavement.
2. To block the access of water into the layer of bitumen.
3. To stop the entrance of water to the subgrade of the road.

1. For quick drying of the road surface after rainfall, to avoid accident due to skidding.
2. To assure the quality performance and durability of the road.

You can Also read :-

What is superelevation in Highway

Type of Camber In Road

There are the following types of camber are.

1. Straight or Sloped Camber
2. Parabolic or Barrel Camber
3. Composite Camber

1. Straight or Sloped Camber

• It consists of two straight slops from the edge joining at the center of the carriageway.
• This type of camber is very simple and can be easily constructed and maintained.

2. Parabolic or Barrel Camber

• It consists of a continuous curve either elliptical or parabolic.
• It provides a flat road surface in the middle and is steeper toward the edges.
• On account of the steeper edge, this type of camber provides better drainage properties.
• This camber is therefore preferred by fast-moving vehicles and suggested for urban roads.
• This type of camber is difficult to construct and maintain.

• The barrel camber has steeper edges which are inconvenient to use.
• Moreover, the steeper edges are errored quickly and hence additional curbs are to be provided.

3. Composite Camber

• It consist of two straight slops from the edges with a parabolic or circular crown in the center of the camber.
• This type of camber can be easily constructed and maintained.

Advantages of Camber

1. Camber makes the pavement durable by draining out the water from the road surface.
2. Camber blocks the formation of a water pool on the road surface to eliminate the subgrade damage due to water percolation.
3. Camber allows smooth traffic flow and prevents accidents due to skidding by draining water from the road surface and making it dry quickly.

Method of Providing Camber on Road

• Normally, the camber is provided on straight roads by raising the center of the carriageway with respect to these edges, forming a crown or highest point on the center line.
• At horizontal curves with superelevation, the surface drainage is effected by raising the outer edge of the pavement with respect to the inner edge while providing this desired superelevation.

Recommended value of Camber for different types of road surfaces by IRC

You can Also read :-

What is superelevation in Highway

What is lime Concrete

What is Concrete

What Is Superelevation In Highway Engineering

Ductility Test of Bitumen 

What is Cement And It’s Type

Grade of Cement