Experimental Study of RCCP Durability under Freeze Thaw Conditions

Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is one of the most durable and economic types of concrete, which is used prolifically for heavy duty pavements. In this research, 12 specimens, comprising three mix designs, were prepared and compacted with a gyratory compactor. The gyratory compactor may be used to replace other methods, such as the modified Vebe apparatus, the vibrating table and the vibrating hammer, which are currently used for preparing RCC specimens. The effect of gyrations and the watercement ratio on the lost weight of specimens under freeze-thaw conditions were tested by the ASTM C666 Procedure A method and evaluated. For the industrial pavements investigated, approximately 60 gyrations accurately replicated field conditions, but mass loss differences for the 50 and 90 gyration samples for each set of cycles were nearly the same. Mass loss caused by freezing and thawing increased as the water-cement ratio increased. Among the three RCCP mixtures, only one set of specimens could complete 302 cycles with a mass loss of less than 9%, which were made with a water-cement ratio of 0.4 and were denser than the others. Freeze thaw resistance of RCC specimens first depends on the amount of cement paste and water-cement ratio, and then the number of gyrations.