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UNIVERSITY OF ANBAR
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DAMS & WATER RESOURCES
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Roller Compacted Concrete

and Its Applications

: Presented by
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ayad A. Sulaibi

2
19/12/2018
Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC)
A Different Kind of Concrete
 ? What is Roller-Compacted concrete

• Roller-compacted concrete,
or RCC, takes its name from
the construction method
used to build it. It's placed
with conventional or high-
density asphalt paving
equipment, then
compacted with rollers.
 ? What is Roller-Compacted concrete

• Roller-compacted concrete
has the same basic ingredient
as conventional concrete:
cement, water, and aggregates,
such as gravel or crushed stone.
• But unlike conventional concrete, it's a drier mix
—stiff enough to be compacted by vibratory
rollers.
 Tough, Fast, Economical
• These qualities have taken
roller-compacted concrete
From specialized applications
to mainstream pavement.
• RCC is used for any
type of industrial or heavy-duty
pavement. The reason is simple.
 Simple, Fast, and Economical
• Typically, RCC is constructed without
joints. It needs neither forms nor
finishing, nor does it contain dowels or
steel reinforcing. These characteristics
make roller-compacted concrete
simple, fast, and economical. 
 Roots in Logging
• RCC got its start in the Seventies, when the
Canadian logging industry switched to
environmentally cleaner, land-based log-sorting
methods. The industry needed a strong
pavement to stand up to massive loads and
specialized equipment. Yet economy was equally
important: log-sorting yards can span 40 acres or
more. RCC met this challenge and has since
expanded to other heavy-duty applications. 
 Roots in Logging

• RCC is used when strength, durability,

and economy are primary needs: Port,
intermodal, and military facilities;
parking, storage, and staging
areas; streets, intersections, and low-
speed roads.
 Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC)
Case Histories
1. Roller-Compacted Concrete Rescues Failed
Truck Route in Chester, South Carolina
• In 1974, when the South Carolina Department
of Transportation (SCDOT) built the J.A. Cochran
Bypass in an undeveloped area around
Chester, South Carolina, minimal traffic used
the route. Today, the bypass serves as a
major truck route shortcut between two
interstates and connects to Chester’s main
shopping area, all making it the second busiest
road in Chester County.
2. Georgia’s
Port of Savannah Chooses Roller-Compacted Co
ncrete For
Its Ocean Terminal Expansion
 In the fourth quarter of 2012,
the Georgia Port Authority selected to
expand the capabilities of its
Ocean Terminal off the banks of
the Savannah River in Savannah,
Georgia, and provide more storage
3. Local
Dry-Batch Ready Mix Operation Provides Roller-C
ompacted Concrete Pavement for Tennessee
School 
•Local NRMCA member
Sequatchie Concrete Services
provided roller‐compacted
concrete (RCC) paving
material for the new Marion
County Regional Institute of
Technical Excellence in
Kimball, Tennessee.
4. Roller-Compacted Cement Placement
Continues at Volkswagen Plant in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
•Automakers have used roller-
compacted concrete (RCC)
for its low cost, high construction speed,
high strength and low maintenance in
parking areas and access roads. The
latest example is the use RCC is Volkswagen at a plant in
Chattanooga, Tennessee.
5. Consultant
Picks RCC for Honda Plant in Lincoln,
Alabama

 The job called for

a pavement that could
Economically cover large
areas of at least 10 acres,
and hold up to heavy-
duty abuse from large equipment.
6. Roller-Compacted Concrete is Pavement of C
hoice for Maine Paper
Mill
A hard surface would be necessary to keep
the new equipment in a clean environment to
improve the operating efficiency and lower
maintenance costs.
 7. Roller-Compacted
Concrete Provides Strong Platform for Queb
ec Recycling Facility
Roller-compacted concrete is

often the material of choice for

this type of application because
of its high strength and durability, and large areas can be
constructed with significant cost savings.
8. Roller-Compacted
Concrete Pavement Provides Performance and Eco
nomy at
Denver International Airport

The Denver International

Airport (DIA) Concourse
CRON Project used 20,862
square yards of eight-inch
roller-compacted concrete for pavement adjacent to the
concourse apron areas. These are areas excess snow from
around the DIA concourses is piled during heavy snow events.
9. Roller-Compacted
Concrete Proves its Versatility with the SCDOT
The South Carolina Department of
Transportation (SCDOT) recently
witnessed the versatility of
roller-compacted concrete  along
US-78 near Charleston.
To repair a heavily rutted five-lane section, the SCDOT decided
to use a semi-rigid pavement system composed of two inches
asphalt surface and10 inches of RCC as a base to repair the
roadway and eliminate any future rutting.
 Main Advantages
• No Rutting, No Pot Holes
• The high strength of RCC pavements eliminates common
and costly problems traditionally associated with asphalt
pavements.
• Resist rutting.
• Span soft localized subgrades.
• Will not deform under heavy, concentrated loads. 
• Do not deteriorate from spills of fuels and hydraulic fluids. 
• Will not soften under high temperatures.
 Unique Mix, Unique Construction
• RCC owes much of its economy to high-volume, high-speed
construction methods. Large-capacity mixers set the pace.
Normally, RCC is blended in continuous-mixing pug mills at
or near the construction site. These high-output pug mills
have the mixing efficiency needed to evenly disperse the
relatively small amount of water used.
• Dump trucks transport the RCC and discharge it into an
asphalt paver, which places the material in layers up to 10-
inches thick and 42-feet wide.
• Compaction is the most important stage of
construction: it provides density, strength,
smoothness, and surface texture. Compaction
begins immediately after placement and continues
until the pavement meets density requirements.
• Curing ensures a strong and durable pavement.
As with any type of concrete, curing makes
moisture available for. A water cure sprays or
irrigates the pavement to keep it moist. A spray-on
membrane can also be used to seal moisture
inside.
• When appearance is important, joints can
be saw cut into the RCC to control crack
location. If economy outweighs
appearance, the RCC is allowed to crack
naturally.
• Once cured, the pavement is ready for use.
An asphalt surface is sometimes applied
for greater smoothness or as a riding
surface for high-speed traffic.
 Economy, Performance, Versatility
• For RCC, economy was the mother of invention. The
need for a low-cost, high-volume material for industrial
pavements led to its development.
•  Low cost continues to draw engineers, owners, and
construction managers to RCC. But today's RCC owes
much of its appeal to performance:
• The strength to withstand heavy and specialized loads;
the durability to resist freeze-thaw damage; and the
versatility to take on a wide variety of paving
applications.
 Use of Chemical Admixtures in Roller Compacted Conc
rete for Pavements
By: ,Hazaree, Chetan V.; Ceylan, Halil; Taylor, Peter; Gopalakrishnan, Kasthurirangan;Wang, Kejin, and
Bektas, Fatih, SN3243, Portland Cement Association, 2010.

This research attempts to resolve some of the problems in using roller

compacted concrete. Ten most widely used chemical admixtures were
tested in a typical RCC mixture. It is observed that each admixture offers
distinct benefits and improves different properties of fresh RCC including
changing the setting behavior and finishibility. A set of recommendations
is offered along with precautions for using these admixtures  individually.
 It is anticipated that this work will lead to the better characterization of
different properties of RCC and use of chemical admixtures with greater
confidence.
Concluding remarks and recommendations:
• This work has developed some test methods for characterizing
the fresh properties of RCC. These include methods for
consistency, compactibility, shearing resistance and cohesion.
• All these methods have good discriminating power and are
recommended for field use. Further fine tuning of some of these
methods may be necessary to adopt these better for RCC. For
example, the gyratory compactor needs to have the ability of
reducing the confining pressure below 200 kPa. There is a need to
standardize these test methods and accommodate them into
ASTM and other standards.
• The applicability of different chemical admixtures was evaluated
through lab testing. It is observed that different admixtures can
enhance different aspects of fresh RCC.
• The use of these admixtures can also help improve mixer
efficiency, especially that of pugmills and transit trucks.
• Water reducers can save the cement costs
greatly and because of significant reduction in
the water/binder ratio enhance the durability
and life of the pavement.
• Air entrainment is possible, if the admixture
chemistry is properly selected. This in-turn
means that RCC can be made more freeze-
thaw durable.
• The dry cast products are helpful in improving
some of the fresh properties, while offering a
less expensive admixture solution.
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