Transport for NSW QA Specification R44 Earthworks (R44)
specification, published by Transport for NSW, Edition 6 / Revision 0, June 2023. New South Wales.
Read the full text from TfNSW. This page holds the obligations in it, not the document.
Same question as MRTS04, different table, different characteristic value, different state. Where conformity is not achieved the lot is reworked or re-checked.
Demiton watches obligations in this document on live jobs, against the registers they already keep. Book a 30-minute call.
The numbers R44 sets.
Read from Edition 6 / Revision 0, June 2023. The document itself is free from Transport for NSW, and your contract's annexures are what bind.
Minimum characteristic relative compaction
Table R44.7, cl 7.2.4
| Row | Lot location | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Earth mounds. Spoil stockpiles. | 90.0% |
| (b) | Each layer replacing unsuitable material under embankments. Foundation treatments under embankments (except Types E2 and E5). | 95.0% |
| (c) | Each layer replacing unsuitable material in cuttings. Foundation treatments in cuttings. | 98.0% |
| (d) | Each layer in formation up to the underside of the Selected Material Zone, including Shallow Embankments and the Cut/Fill Transition Zone. Each layer in verges, or in medians up to topsoil level. | 98.0% |
| (e) | Each layer in a spill-through bridge abutment zone. | 100.0% |
| (f) | Each layer in the Selected Material Zone. | 102.0% |
| (g) | Other areas not specifically mentioned. | 98.0% |
The figure is the lot's minimum (lower limit) characteristic value, calculated per TfNSW Q, with each result and the characteristic value rounded to 0.1% (cl 7.2.3). Relative compaction is calculated per T166, with the maximum density adjusted for oversize retained on the 37.5 mm sieve (T105 Appendix A). A lot that falls short is reworked, or re-checked for homogeneity and re-nominated for testing (cl 7.2.4). Test frequency is set by TfNSW Q, not by R44 (Annexure R44/L).
Which field density test to use
Table R44.6, cl 7.2.2
| Fill material | Test method |
|---|---|
| 20% or less by mass retained on the 37.5 mm sieve | T173 (nuclear gauge) or T119 (sand replacement) |
| More than 20%, up to 40% retained on 37.5 mm | T119 (sand replacement) only |
| More than 40% retained on 37.5 mm | Report the % oversize only. Relative compaction is not valid, and the material is not earth fill under cl 5.2.1 |
| Fine to medium grained cohesionless, single size or gap graded | T165 (fixed volume extractive) |
Do not use the nuclear gauge where the layer is thicker than 300 mm. Use one test method for the whole lot: results from different methods are never combined in one lot's statistics.
Layers, moisture and deflection
cl 5.2.2, 7.1, 7.5, 7.6; Annexures R44/A4 and A5
| What | Where | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Earth fill layer, compacted | cl 5.2.2 | 100 mm to 300 mm. Up to 500 mm if the Principal authorises it where over 25% by volume is rock larger than 150 mm |
| Moisture at compaction | cl 7.1, A5 (default) | 60% to 90% of optimum moisture content at standard compactive effort, across the whole lot |
| Selected Material Zone thickness | cl 6.1.2, A4 (default) | 300 mm |
| Selected Material Zone layer, compacted | cl 6.1.2, A4 (default) | 150 mm maximum |
| Verge layer, compacted | cl 6.2, A4 (default) | 100 mm to 200 mm |
| Upper Zone of Formation thickness | cl 6.1.1, A4 (default) | Cutting 300 mm. Embankment 600 mm. Shallow embankment and cut/fill transition 1,200 mm |
| Proof rolling | cl 7.5, T198 | Every lot in the Selected Material Zone and within 1.5 m below it, within three days of compaction testing. No visible deformation, rutting or yielding |
| Benkelman Beam characteristic deflection | cl 7.6.5, A4 (default) | Where the annexure calls for it: 1.2 mm at the underside of the Selected Material Zone, 1.0 mm at the top. At least 12 points a lot, within three days of compaction testing, and a standard deviation of 0.2 mm or less or a coefficient of variation of 25% or less |
A row marked default is the R44 template's value, which the tender documenter may change for the project. Your contract's Annexures R44/A4 and A5 are the ones that bind.
Hold points and witness points
Annexure R44/C
| Clause | Type | What is held or witnessed |
|---|---|---|
| G71 | Hold | Notification of joint survey |
| 2.5.3, G71 | Hold | Survey Report submitted and set-out presented |
| 2.6.1 | Hold | Area where unsuitable material was removed, before backfilling |
| 3.2 | Hold | Each lot of floor of cutting, with CBR and PI results if required |
| 3.3 | Hold | Each lot of embankment foundation after topsoil removal, with CBR and PI results if required |
| 4.2 | Hold | Cleaned cutting batter and bench or floor surfaces, for geotechnical inspection |
| 4.6.1, G36 | Hold | Vibration and Airblast Management Sub-Plan and building condition inspection reports |
| 4.6.2 | Hold | Blasting details for each blast |
| 6.1.1 | Hold | Details of Upper Zone materials, including Selected Material, before delivery. If imported, proof that on-site sources are exhausted or allocated |
| 6.1.2 | Hold | Conformity of stockpiled Selected Material |
| 6.1.2 | Hold | Conformity of each lot of Selected Material Zone placed, with test and survey reports |
| 6.2 | Hold | Details of verge material before delivery. If imported, proof that on-site sources are exhausted or allocated |
| 7.4.2 | Hold | Conformity of the rock fill trial sections and the nominated compaction procedure, before the remaining rock fill |
| 7.6.5 | Hold | Placing each lot of Selected Material Zone, or of pavement where there is none: deflection results, Survey Report and conformity of each lot tested, at least three working days ahead |
| 7.4.2 | Witness | Construction of each rock fill trial section, notified three working days ahead |
| 7.5.2 | Witness | Proof rolling of any lot, notified one working day ahead |
| 7.6.3 | Witness | Benkelman Beam testing, notified one working day ahead |
Annexure R44/C lists 15 hold points and 3 witness points. The G-numbered ones are called up from the general specifications. TfNSW Q defines what a hold point and a witness point are.
Finished surface level tolerances
Table R44.8, cl 7.7.1
| Surface | Tolerance |
|---|---|
| Designed floor level in cutting: C1 loosen and recompact, C3(I) stabilised working platform | +10 mm / −40 mm |
| Designed floor level in cutting: C4 geotextile and geogrids | +0 mm / −40 mm |
| Foundation level in cutting: C2 excavate and backfill, C3(II) imported stabilised platform | +10 mm / −40 mm |
| Foundation level in cutting: C5 drainage layer in rock cutting | +10 mm / −150 mm |
| Foundation level in cutting: C5 drainage layer, other than rock cutting | +10 mm / −40 mm |
| Foundation level at shallow embankment and cut/fill transition | +50 mm / −150 mm |
| Floor of benches in cutting | +50 mm / −50 mm |
| Underside of Selected Material Zone, over a drainage layer in a cutting | +20 mm / −40 mm |
| Underside of Selected Material Zone, all other cases | +0 mm / −40 mm |
| Top of the lower Selected Material Zone layer | +10 mm / −40 mm |
| Top of the upper 150 mm Selected Material Zone layer, or top of formation where there is none | +0 mm / −20 mm |
| Surface of verges | +0 mm / −20 mm |
Where the pavement over it is not in the contract, a Selected Material Zone below −20 mm may still be accepted, with a deduction per cubic metre at the Annexure R44/A4 rate (cl 7.7.2).
1 obligation, clause by clause.
One obligation watched: the lot compaction minimum, read against whichever row of Table R44.7 the lot sits in. The numbers above are the document's; this is the one Demiton checks.
| Where it is written | The obligation | Window | If missed | Disease |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cl 7.2.3, 7.2.4, Table R44.7 | Compact each earthworks lot so its characteristic relative compaction is not below Table R44.7held in the inspection test result register | none set | a breach of contract | Rework |
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Watch R44 on your own jobs.
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What this page is, and is not.
It is the clause text this library holds for this document, with the window and the consequence. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the document you signed.
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Common questions
What does R44 cl 7.2.3, 7.2.4, Table R44.7 require?
Compact each earthworks lot so its characteristic relative compaction is not below Table R44.7. Missing it: a breach of contract. The clause sets no day count. Demiton watches it against the inspection test result register.
What relative compaction does TfNSW R44 require?
It depends on where the lot is. Table R44.7 sets a minimum characteristic value of 90.0% for earth mounds and spoil stockpiles, 95.0% for replacement layers and foundation treatments under embankments, 98.0% for cuttings, general formation and verges, 100.0% in a spill-through bridge abutment zone, and 102.0% in the Selected Material Zone.
What compaction does R44 require in the Selected Material Zone?
A minimum characteristic relative compaction of 102.0% for each layer (Table R44.7 row f). By the template's Annexure R44/A4 defaults the zone is 300 mm thick, laid in compacted layers of 150 mm or less, proof rolled, and, where the annexure calls for Benkelman Beam testing, held to a characteristic deflection of 1.0 mm at its top. Your contract's annexure may set different thicknesses.
What moisture content does R44 require at compaction?
The range in the contract's Annexure R44/A5, which defaults to 60% to 90% of optimum moisture content at standard compactive effort. Material wetter than the range is not compacted until it dries. Drying by aeration, or with lime where the Principal approves, is at the contractor's cost (cl 7.1.3).
What happens if an R44 lot fails compaction?
The lot is not conforming. Under cl 7.2.4 the contractor either reworks it, or re-checks it for homogeneity and re-draws its boundaries, then re-nominates the lot, or the parts of it, for testing again.
How many hold points are in R44?
Fifteen, listed in Annexure R44/C1, from the joint survey and the floor of each cutting through to Selected Material Zone conformity and deflection results. There are three witness points: rock fill trial sections, proof rolling and Benkelman Beam testing.
Does Demiton hold every obligation in Transport for NSW QA Specification R44 Earthworks?
No library of law is complete, and Demiton never says this one is. An obligation the library does not hold, and you did not add, is not protected. You can add your own to any job.
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