The effect of mineralogy and grain size of fine aggregate and different surface textures on the durability of the RCCP surface toward abrasion conditions

Abstract

The roller-compacted concrete pavement (RCCP) surface is almost smooth and without texture due to the vibrating rollers in the construction process. The lack of texturing causes a decrease in skid resistance in RCCP. For this purpose, different scenarios were proposed to create surface texture at micro and macro levels and provide the necessary friction. To provide friction at micro-scale, siliceous and calcareous sand and a combination of 50-50 of them with broken and natural aggregate shape was used in the construction of 8 RCCP mixing designs. In addition, in order to provide macro-texture, each of the eight mixing designs was texturing by methods such as seeding (three cases), stamping (two cases), and brooming (two cases). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the durability of various micro and macro textures created on RCCP surfaces by the simulation method proposed in the ASTM C 944 standard. The results showed that different textures have almost the same abrasion resistance. Among these, the seeding texture with the grain size of 4.75-9.5 mm has the weakest, and the stamp texture of 4 x 4 cm has the most durable abrasion resistance. Changes in abrasion resistance were associated with more changes in the mixing design. This means that crushed silica sand had the highest and natural lime sand had the lowest abrasion resistance. The results demonstrated that the combination of calcareous and siliceous materials improves abrasion resistance. In this regard, the higher the fracture rates of combined sand, the better the abrasion resistance.