The Design, Construction and Heavy Vehicle Simulator Testing Results on Roller Compacted Concrete Test Sections at the CSIR Innovation Site and on a Full-Scale Test Road at Rayton

Abstract

Although the use of Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is not new in South Africa, the use of it to construct roads is not that well known or studied. The Gauteng Provincial Department of Roads and Transport (GPDRT) in conjunction with the CSIR Built Environment and Cosal Consultants CC started a research programme in the use of RCC technology for roads. Whereas RCC is normally constructed with a relatively low labour component using heavy mechanical equipment, one of the aims of this investigation is to evaluate the structural performance of RCC constructed with a relatively high labour component using hand-operated equipment. The evaluation was done using the Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) of the GPDRT. This paper briefly details two investigations, one conducted at the CSIR innovation site and the other test on a full-scale test road close to Rayton, Gauteng. The second investigation started in July 2013, and this paper deals mainly with the construction and initial test results of this test.Through HVS testing it has been shown that this type of pavement performed well in the dry state, even when constructed on a substandard support system. Test results indicate that this type of pavement exceeded its predicted performance. The use of hand labour for layer compaction is discouraged as this can lead to layer densities of lower than acceptable standards which result in poor performance. The importance of proper RCC mix design to mitigate the negative effects of shrinking and crack forming is highlighted in this study. 165

Evaluation of two nano-silane-modified emulsion stabilised pavements using accelerated pavement testing

“…The work also included laboratory testing to characterise the materials before and after modification. The HVS programme and its impact has been demonstrated both in South Africa (Rust et al 1997, Du Plessis et al 2008 and internationally (Nokes et al 1996, Harvey et al 1999. This article provides a summary of laboratory results as well as the results from HVS testing and measurements on two pavement structures: a light pavement designed for 3 million Equivalent Standard Axle Loads (ESALs) and a medium traffic pavement, designed for 10 million ESALs.…”