Abstract
Roller compacted concrete (RCC) is frequently used to construct both gravity dams and stepped spillways and to armor earthen embankments for passing extreme floods. Early experiments on RCC dam applications in the 1980s showed a tendency for seepage to develop along the lift lines. Therefore, RCC dam designers started including an upstream facing system as a watertight barrier. An alternative facing material that has been used extensively overseas and is starting to gain more widespread acceptance in the United States is Grout Enriched RCC (GERCC). The grout enriched method of face construction has been shown to be less expensive than other facing options, particularly on larger dam projects. However, in the United States, the use of GERCC technology has been fairly limited, primarily due to concern over the material’s freeze-thaw resistance. The objective of this project is to develop a grout formulation and construction technique that allows the production of air entrained GERCC. The study includes four phases to systemically achieve this objective: optimizing grout formulation including type and dosage of chemical admixtures, evaluation of small scale laboratory samples of RCC and grout combined in a mixer, evaluation of large scale laboratory samples of RCC and grout combined using field construction techniques, and conducting a field trial. The results show that when the grout and RCC are combined in a mixer, good freezethaw resistance can be achieved; however, when combined using field techniques, the amount of vibration must be carefully controlled to avoid loss of performance.
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