Whither Roller Compacted Concrete for Dam Construction?

Dunstan, Malcolm R. H.; ,

Whither Roller Compacted Concrete for Dam Construction?

by Malcolm R. H. Dunstan, Malcolm Dunstan & Associates, Newton Abbot, England,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Roller Compacted Concrete II

Abstract:

During the formative years of the roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam, three different approaches to the design have evolved; the lean RCC dam, the RCD (rolled-concrete dam) method and the high-paste content RCC dam. It has been shown that the concrete used in all three approaches conform to the same relationships and that the engineer is able to design RCC to perform as well as any conventional concrete as used in dams. There are indications that the seepage through some of the early lean RCC dams has lead some designers to modify the essentially simple method of construction and complications have been added to the design in order to try to overcome these problems. The introduction of these complications may lead to a move away from the essential simplicity of roller compaction of concrete for dams which is one of the main advantages of the method of construction. The paper concludes that designers should try to again revert to the essential simplicity and speed of construction, that was conceived for RCC by the originators of the method of construction. This can be done by looking at the whole concept of RCC and improving the performance of the concrete.

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