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Transition Curve

Transition curves are used between straight and circular sections of a road to gradually introduce centrifugal force on vehicles. The three main types are spiral, Bernoulli's lemniscate, and cubic parabola curves. Spiral curves are recommended as they provide a consistent rate of change in centrifugal acceleration. The length of a transition curve is designed based on the rate of change of centrifugal acceleration, the rate of introduction of superelevation, and empirical formulas related to design speed and curve radius.

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260 views4 pages

Transition Curve

Transition curves are used between straight and circular sections of a road to gradually introduce centrifugal force on vehicles. The three main types are spiral, Bernoulli's lemniscate, and cubic parabola curves. Spiral curves are recommended as they provide a consistent rate of change in centrifugal acceleration. The length of a transition curve is designed based on the rate of change of centrifugal acceleration, the rate of introduction of superelevation, and empirical formulas related to design speed and curve radius.

Uploaded by

Prashant Thapaliya
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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A transition curve may be defined as a curve of varying radius of infinity at tangent point to a design

circular curve radius provided in between the straight and circular path in order that the centrifugal force
was gradual. This is also known as easement curve. The objectives of providing transition curve are given
below:
o To gradually introduce the centrifugal force between the tangent point and the beginning of the
circular curve thereby avoiding sudden jerk on the vehicle.
o To increase the comfort of passengers.
o To introduce designed superelevation at a desirable rate
o To enable the driver to turn the steering gradually for his own comfort and security
o To introduce designed extra widening at a desirable rate
o To enhance the aesthetic appearance of the road
o To fit the road alignment in a given alignment
To minimize the effects of centrifugal force, the speed of the vehicle should be gradually reduced or a
path should be negotiated with the gradual change of trajectory so that the radius of curvature is gradually
reduced from infinity to R or to get the combined effect of both.

Types of transition curve


The different types of transition curves are:
1. Spiral or clothoid:

This is a curve at which radius of the curve is inversely


proportional to its length.
Therefore, ρ α (1/s)
Or, ρ = c/s
Where, c is known as the constant of the spiral, ρ is the radius of curvature and s is the length of the
curve.
At the end of spiral, ρ = Rc and s = l
Therefore, c = L*Rc
IRC recommends spiral as the transition curve because
o It satisfies the ideal transition condition.
o Rate of change of centrifugal acceleration is consistent(smooth)
o The rate of change of radius along the length of the curve is constant in spiral while in other curves
radius decreases as length increases.
o Radius of the transition curve is at the straight edge and changes to R at the curve point and
calculation, setting out and field implementation is very easy and simple

2. Bernoulli’s Lemniscate:

This is a curve at which radius of the curve is inversely


proportional to the length of the chord.
Therefore, ρ α (1/Lc)

Or, c = ρ * Lc

Therefore, c = Rc * Lc

3. Cubic parabola:

This is a curve at which the radius of the curve varies inversely as its
abscissa (X).
Therefore, ρ α (1/X)
Or, c = ρ * X
Therefore, c = Rc * X

Design of transition curve


The design of transition curve consists of, among others, determining
the minimum permissible length of the given end radius. It is determined as the maximum as per three
following criteria:
RATE OF CHANGE OF CENTRIFUGAL ACCELERATION
The centrifugal acceleration is zero at the tangent point because of its infinite radius. But at the circular
curve radius has a minimum value of R. So the rate of change of centrifugal acceleration should be
chosen such that there is the comfort to the drivers. If c is the rate of change of
centrifugal accelerationthen,
Or, c = (v2 / R – 0) / t
Or, c = (v2 / R) / (Ls / v)
Therefore, c = v3 / (Ls * R)
Therefore the length of the transition curve in meters is,
Or, Ls = v3 / (c * R)
The value of c as suggested by IRC gave by an empirical formula is,
Or, c = 80 / (75 + v)
Where v is in kmph.
When speed is expressed in terms of kmph, then the equation becomes,
Therefore, Ls = v3 / (47*c*R)

RATE OF INTRODUCTION OF SUPERELEVATION


The length of transition curve should be sufficient enough to change the road surface from its cambered
shape to fully super elevated surface without any distortions. This requires that the length of the transition
curve be determined in order to ensure sufficient space for this maneuver with the desired rate.
Let the rate of change of introducing superelevation be 1 in N. The value of N typically ranges from 60-
150. For plain and rolling terrain it is 1:150 and is 1:60 for mountainous terrain.

From the figure,


Or, tan θ = H / W
Since the angle is very small,
Then, H = e * W
Now,
Or, tan α = H / Lt = 1 / N
Or, H = Lt / N
Then,
Or, Lt / N = e * W
Therefore the length of the transition curve is
given by:
Lt = N*e*W
Generally, in small radius curves, extrawidening
is applied so,
Lt = N*e*(W + We)
Where, e is the rate of superelevation, W is the width of the pavement, We are the extra widening and N
are the gradient of terrain.
This is true if superelevation was provided by rotating the pavement surface about the inner edge. If the
pavement is rotated about the center line, double effect is achieved.
Therefore, Lt = 0.5*N*e*(W + We)
EMPIRICAL FORMULAS
IRC suggest the length of the transition curve is minimum for plain and rolling terrain,
Ls = 2.7v2 / R

For steep and hilly terrain,


Ls = v2 / R
Where, v is the design speed in kmph and R is the radius of the curve in meters.
The design of the length of the transition curve is based on these three criteria. The highest value among
these three criteria is adopted as the deigned length of transition curve.
Calculation of lateral shift
Due to the application of transition curve on both sides of the circular curve, the circular curve gets
shifted towards inner side and this shift is called lateral shift and is given by:
S = Ls2 / (24*R)
Where, R is the radius of the circular curve and Ls is the designed length of the transition curve.
The length of the transition curve depends on:
o Radius of the circular curve
o Design speed
o Rate of change of centrifugal acceleration
o Rate of superelevation
o Rotation of the pavement to introduce superelevation
o Terrain conditions

Then the elements of the combined curve will be given as:


Tangent length (T) = (R + S) tan α/2 + Ls / 2

Apex distance (E) = (R + S) (sec α/2 -1)

Spiral angle (φS) = [LS / (2*R)] c = (LS*180) / (2*π*R)

Length of the circular curve (LC) = (π*R*ΔS) / 180

Where, ΔS = Angle of circular curve = α – 2*φS

Where, α is the total deflection angle.

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