• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.445-469
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• 2024

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has recommended the use of AASHTOWare Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical Design (PMED) software for Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) pavement design, but specific calibration for RCC is missing. This study investigates the software's capacity to predict the long-term performance of RCC roadways within the framework of conventional concrete pavement calibration. By reanalyzing existing RCC projects in several U.S. states: Colorado, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas, and Illinois, the study highlights the need for specific calibration tailored to the unique characteristics of RCC. Field observations have emphasized occurrence of early distresses in RCC pavements, particularly transverse-cracking and joint-related issues. Despite data challenges, the AASHTOWare PMED software exhibits notable correlation between its long-term predictions and actual field performance in RCC roadways. This study stresses that RCC applications with insufficient joint spacing and thickness are prone to premature cracking. To enhance the accuracy of RCC pavement design, it is essential to discuss the inclusion of RCC as a dedicated rigid pavement option in AASHTOWare PMED. This becomes particularly crucial when the rising popularity of RCC roadways in the U.S. and Canada is considered. Such an inclusion would solidify RCC as a viable third option alongside Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements (JPCP) and Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements (CRCP) for design and deployment of rigid pavements. The research presents a roadmap for future calibration endeavors and advocates for the integration of RCC pavement as a distinct pavement type within the software. This approach holds promise for achieving more precise RCC pavement design and performance predictions.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 1994.10a
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• pp.393-398
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• 1994

Roller compacted concrete(RCC) has been attracted due to its growing application to pavement concrete construction. In this study optimum mixing formation of RCC was explored and characterized its properties forcusing on reducing try and error for actual application to construction of pavement. The concrete used for roller compacted concrete pavement (RCCP) has very low water content per unit volume, so that it develops early high strength. This high early strength development makes pavement constructed open early. This concrete also showed very reduced crack formed on the surface because of expensive cement.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 2010

The roller compacted concrete (RCC) is supposed to be isotropic, whereas the compaction of this material, which is achieved using the same machines used for the soil, appears only unidirectional, making the RCC an anisotropic material. In this experimental work, the influence of the phenomenon of compaction on the isotropy of the RCC is studied. This study was carried out through an evaluation of the compressive strengths and ultrasonic tests which were used for measurements of the elastic modulus and the dynamic Poisson's ratio of the RCC as well as a qualitative judgement of the RCC aspect at the hardened state. The results of this work proved the anisotropy of the RCC and they showed the sensitivity of the mechanical strengths and the elastic modulus to the compaction direction.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.1117-1123
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• 2016

Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavement (RCCP) is a type of pavement that shares conventional concrete pavement material characteristics and asphalt pavement construction characteristics. Even though RCCP is compacted in the same way and have similar aggregate gradation to asphalt pavements, its materials and structural performance properties are similar to those of conventional concrete pavement. With cement hydration and aggregate interlock, Roller-Compacted Concrete or RCC can provide strength properties equal to those of conventional concrete with low cement content. Therefore, compaction ratio of RCC can highly influence on its strength. In general, 95% of compaction ratio is required for proper strength development. RCC strength can be highly influenced by compaction energy which depends on compaction equipment and compaction method. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the relationship between compressive strength and compaction ratio of RCC. RCCP specimens were produced at different compaction ratio by using different compaction methods and energies. The compaction ratio was defined by the ratio of the specimen's dry density and its maximum dry density. The maximum dry density was obtained from Modified Proctor test. 28 days compressive strength corresponding to each compaction ratio case was tested. Finally, the relationship between compressive strength and compaction ratio can be analyzed. For application of roller-compacted concrete in domestic construction site, the relationship is important for field compaction management.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2017

PURPOSES : The main purpose of this study is to develop a high elastic modulus and low-shrinkage roller-compacted concrete base (RCCB) in order to prevent fatigue cracking and reflective cracking in the asphalt surface layer of composite pavement. Using a rigid base material with low shrinkage can be a solution to this problem. Moreover, a strong rigid base with high elastic modulus is able to shift the location of critical tensile strain from the bottom of the asphalt layer to the bottom of the rigid base layer, which can prevent fatigue cracking in the asphalt layer. METHODS : Sensitivity analysis of composite pavement via numerical methods is implemented to determine an appropriate range of elastic modulus of the rigid base that would eliminate fatigue cracking. Various asphalt thicknesses and elastic moduli of the rigid base are used in the analysis to study their respective influences on fatigue cracking. Low-shrinkage RCC mixture, as determined via laboratory testing with various amounts of a CSA expansion agent (0%, 7%, and 10%), is found to achieve an appropriate low-shrinkage level. Shrinkage of RCC is measured according to KS F 2424. RESULTS : This study shows that composite pavements comprising asphalt thicknesses of (h1) 2 in. with E2 > 19 GPa, 4 in. with E2 > 15 GPa, and 6 in. with E2 > 11 GPa are able to eliminate tensile strain in the asphalt layer, which is the cause of fatigue cracking in this layer. Shrinkage test results demonstrate that a 10% CSA RCC mixture can reduce shrinkage by 84% and 93% as compared to conventional RCC and PCC, respectively. CONCLUSIONS : According to the results of numerical analyses using various design inputs, composite pavements are shown to be able to eliminate fatigue cracking in composite pavement. Additionally, an RCC mixture with 10% CSA admixture is able to reduce or eliminate reflective cracking in asphalt surfaces as a result of the significant shrinkage reduction in the RCC base. Thus, this low-shrinkage base material can be used as an alternative solution to distresses in composite pavement.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2009

The present work deals with the prediction, through models and experimental evaluation, of the bending strength of roller compacted concrete (RCC) for pavement applications. This concrete was manufactured using low cement proportioning (150 to $250\;kg/m^3$). The characterization of hardened RCC was carried out by experimental measurements of bending strengths. The predictions of these characteristics were achieved using empirical models. Comparison, of the values found in experiments with those empirically obtained, was made in order to choose and to propose the adapted and the most reliable models of prediction. The study showed that the bending strengths of the RCC mixture, experimentally found, can be also identified by models.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.489-498
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• 2020

This paper investigates mechanical properties of roller compacted concrete (RCC) involving reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). In this way, a set of 276 cylindrical RCC specimens were prepared with different RAP sizes (i.e., fine, coarse & total) at various ratios (i.e., 10%, 20%, and 40%). Results reveal that incorporation of RAP decreases unconfined compressive strength (UCS), modulus of elasticity (E), and indirect tensile (IDT) strength of RCC. For each RAP size, a regression model was used to maximize RAP content while satisfying the UCS lower limit (27.6 Mpa) mentioned by ACI as a minimum requirement for RCC used in pavement construction. Moreover, UCS of RAP incorporated mixes, dissimilar to that of control mixes, was found to be sensitive and insensitive to the testing temperature and curing time after 7 days, respectively. The results also demonstrate that the higher amounts of RAP, the more flexibility in RCC is. This issue was also proved by the results of modulus of elasticity test. In addition, the toughness index (TI) shows that increase in RAP content leads to up to 43% increase in energy absorbance capacity of RCC.

• 한국도로학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.97-100
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• 2009

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.537-548
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• 2022

It is important to design the pavement thickness considering heavy-duty traffic loads, which can cause excessive stress and strain in the pavement. Port-rear roads and industrial roads have many problems due to early stress in pavement because these have a higher ratio of heavy loads than general roads such as national roads and expressways. Internationally, composite pavement has been widely applied in pavement designs in heavy-duty areas. Composite pavement is established as an economic pavement type that can increase the design life by nearly double compared to that of existing pavement while also decreasing maintenance and user costs. This study suggests a thickness design method for composite pavement using roller-compacted concrete as a base material to ensure long-term serviceability in heavy-duty areas such as port-rear roads and industrial roads. A three-dimensional finite element analysis was conducted to investigate the mechanical behavior and the long-term pavement performance ultimately to suggest a thickness design method that considers changes in the material properties of the roller-compacted concrete (RCC) base layer. In addition, this study presents a user-friendly catalog design method for RCC-base composite pavement considering the concept of linear damage accumulation for each container trailer depending on the season.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.149-165
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• 2011

In this paper, the effects of both pozzolans and (steel and poly-propylene) fibers on the mechanical properties of roller compacted concrete are studied. Specimens for the experiments were made using a soil-based approach; thus, the Kango's vibration hammer was used for compaction. The tests in the first stage were carried out to determine the optimal moisture requirements for mix designs using cubic $150{\times}150{\times}150$ mm specimens. In the tests of the second stage, the mechanical behaviors of the main specimens made using the optimal moisture obtained in the previous stage were evaluated using 28, 90, and 210 day cubic specimens. The mechanical properties of RCC pavements were evaluated using a soil-based compaction method and the optimum moisture content obtained from the pertaining experiments, and by adding different percentages of Iranian pozzolans as well as different amounts of steel fibers, each one accompanied by 0.1% of poly-propylene fibers. Using pozzolans, maximum increase in compressive strength was observed to occur between 28 and 90 days of age, rupture modulus was found to decrease, but toughness indices did not change considerably. The influence of steel fibers on compressive strength was often more significant than that of PP fibers, but neither steel nor PP fibers did contribute to increase in the rupture modulus independently. Also, the toughness indices increased when steel fibers were used.