As a durable, economical, and low-maintenance concrete material, roller compacted concrete (RCC) is steadily becoming the preferred choice for many pavement applications. However, the fatigue models in current pavement thickness design procedures have generally been found to over-predict the RCC pavement fatigue damage under in situ heavy truck loading. In this study, a comprehensive beam fatigue test experiment was performed using field saw-cut RCC slab samples from two full-scale accelerated pavement testing (APT) sections to investigate the fatigue behavior of in situ RCC pavements. This is the first research study to investigate the fatigue behavior of field RCC beam samples prepared and constructed with a high-density asphalt-type paver and a vibratory roller. The results indicate that a well-compacted RCC pavement can achieve higher flexural strength and exhibit better fatigue life than conventional concrete pavement. Based on the beam fatigue test results and in situ fatigue performance of APT test sections, an RCC fatigue-life model was developed, providing a more accurate solution for estimating the allowable number of load repetitions of RCC pavements subjected to vehicular fatigue loading. This model could be used in RCC thickness design procedures to determine the optimum RCC design thickness and long-term fatigue performance of RCC pavements for roadway application.

The proven durability and high load-carrying capacity of roller compacted concrete pavement (RCCP), combined with its simple and cost-effective construction method and high placement speed, has created a great deal of interest from many states and local transportation agencies in the U.S. Roller compacted concrete (RCC) mixture uses less cement content and less water compared with conventional concrete mixtures, which reduces the total shrinkage strain and RCC set temperature during the hardening stage, resulting in a reduction of early-age deformation and stress developments in the RCCP. Currently, research on the early-age behavior and other thermal properties of RCCP has not been well documented. Therefore, investigations of early-age behavior and thermal properties such as coefficient of thermal expansion, ultimate shrinkage, and built-in curling are needed to understand the true behaviors of RCCP under real climatic conditions. On the other hand, the currently available RCC thickness design procedures, for example, Street-Pave and Pavement Designer, are in general short of flexibility in consideration of the combined effect of wheel and environmental loading on RCCP performance. The primary objective of this work is to investigate the early-age behavior of RCCP and to evaluate the effect of thermal properties on the design and performance of RCCP constructed in Louisiana.

No abstract