Influence of Compaction Methods on the Optimum Moisture Content and Performance of Roller Compacted Concrete Pavements

Abstract

Despite numerous advantages, there are a few challenges associated with the designing and fabrication of roller compacted concrete pavement (RCCP) specimens—compaction mechanisms employed in the RCCP mix proportioning, specimen fabrication, and actual pavement construction are different in principle, leading to significant disparity between the field and laboratory performance. To reconcile this discrepancy, an effort has been made to study the effect of compaction on the performance of RCCP. Initially, the effect of different compaction types, namely vibrating table, vibrating hammer, modified Proctor, and gyratory compactor (GY) on the optimum moisture content of RCCP was investigated, then the roles of moisture content and compaction type on dry density, mechanical aspects (compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, and flexural strength), rideability, and transport properties (porosity and absorption) of RCCP were elucidated. Also, alternative methods for quantifying the workability and compactability of GY compacted specimens are proposed. The findings from this study suggest employing a particular compaction mechanism both for the mix proportioning as well as specimen fabrication to avoid the under- or overestimation of RCCP performance.