Investigation of In Situ Thermal Properties and Early-Age Pavement Behavior in the Design and Performance Evaluation of Roller Compacted Concrete Pavement in Louisiana, U.S

Abstract

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.