Design and Construction Considerations for Hydraulic Structures

Roller-Compacted Concrete Second Edition

U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center Denver, Colorado September 2017

MISSION STATEMENTS

The U.S. Department of the Interior protects Americas natural

resources and heritage, honors our cultures and tribal communities,

and supplies the energy to power our future.

The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop,

and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and

economically sound manner in the interest of the American public.

Cover photos: (top) Aerial view of Upper Stillwater Dam, Utah, the Bureau of Reclamations first

RCC gravity dam; (right) Upper Stillwater Dam during construction.

Design and Construction Considerations for Hydraulic Structures

Roller-Compacted Concrete

Second Edition

U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Technical Service Center Denver, Colorado September 2017

PREFACE

Since Upper Stillwater Dam was designed and constructed in the 1980s, the

Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has used roller-compacted concrete (RCC)

for a wide variety of applications, including stability buttresses for masonry

gravity and concrete arch dams, overtopping protection and upstream slope

protection for embankment dams, new gravity dams, new spillways and spillway

stilling basins, tailrace dikes, and overflow weirs.

This manual provides guidelines for the design and construction of various types

of dams and hydraulic structures using RCC, based largely on the experience

gained by Reclamation engineers from RCC projects completed over the past

30 years. The information provided herein is intended to emphasize the

importance and versatility of RCC as both a material and a construction method.

It can serve as a starting point for the design of hydraulic structures using RCC;

however, this information is basic and is not intended to serve as a comprehensive

design guide.

The information is organized as follows:

Chapter 1: Definition of RCC and scope of the manual

Chapter 2: Background information, including history, philosophy, and

practical uses of RCC

Chapter 3: Discussion of RCC materials

Chapter 4: Design requirements for RCC mixtures, including

RCC properties and mixture proportioning procedures

Chapter 5: Construction methods, from batching through final testing

Chapter 6: Design considerations for new RCC gravity dams

Chapter 7: Design considerations for RCC buttresses for concrete dam

modifications

Chapter 8: Design applications for embankment dams, including

overtopping protection, upstream slope protection, water barrier, and

replacement structures

Chapter 9: Other design applications for RCC

Chapter 10: Case histories that illustrate the design, construction, and

performance of a variety of RCC projects

Design and Construction Considerations for Hydraulic Structures

In addition, appendices are included that contain guide specifications for RCC

construction (appendix A), a summary of RCC costs (appendix B), and samples of

adiabatic temperature rise tests of RCC (appendix C).

This manual was developed by Reclamation authors and contributors. Authors of

the first edition included (in alphabetical order) Tim Dolen, Tom Hepler, Daniel

Mares, Larry Nuss, Doug Stanton, and John Trojanowski. Elizabeth Cohen and

Chuck Cooper provided additional information for the case histories. Betty

Chavira prepared the RCC guide specifications. John LaBoon and Gregg Scott

provided the peer review. Lelon A. Lewis performed technical editing of the

manual.

Authors of the second edition included (in alphabetical order) Jeff Allen,

Veronica Madera, Daniel Mares, and Jerzy Salamon. Walt Heyder and Janet

White provided the peer review. Teri Manross performed technical editing of the

manual. Nancy Arthur compiled the revised RCC guide specifications, which are

in appendix A.

Funding for this manual was provided by Reclamations Dam Safety Office,

Technical Service Center, and Office of Policy. The authors would like to thank

these offices for their joint effort in support of the development and publication of

this manual.

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

% percent

C degrees Celsius

F degrees Fahrenheit

ACI American Concrete Institute

AEA air-entraining admixture

AFP Annualized Failure Probability

ALL Annualized Life Loss

ASR alkali-silica reaction

ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials

C:P cement to pozzolan (ratio)

C+P cement plus pozzolans

CRB Consulting Review Board

DOT Department of Transportation

FE Finite Element

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

ft3 cubic feet

ft3/s cubic feet per second

GERCC grout-enriched roller compacted concrete

GEVR grout-enriched vibratable roller compacted concrete

GMSS Gravity Method of Stress and Stability

lb pounds

lb/ft3 pounds per cubic foot

lb/in2 pounds per square inch

lb/yd3 pounds per cubic yard

LOI loss on ignition

MCE maximum credible earthquake

MWD Maricopa Water District

NEPA National Environmental Policy Act

NMSA nominal maximum size aggregate

PMF probable maximum flood

PVC polyvinyl chloride

RCC roller-compacted concrete

Reclamation Bureau of Reclamation

USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers

USFS United States Forest Service

w/cm water to cementitious materials

WRA water-reducing admixture

yd3 cubic yards

yd3/d cubic yards per day

yd3/hr cubic yards per hour

2D two-dimensional

3D three-dimensional

1. Definition and Scope...................................................................................... 1 1.1 References ........................................................................................... 2

2. Background .................................................................................................... 3 2.1 History of RCC Development ............................................................. 3 2.2 Concrete Mix Design Philosophy........................................................ 4 2.3 Practical Applications of RCC ............................................................ 5 2.4 References ........................................................................................... 6

3. RCC Materials ............................................................................................... 7 3.1 Water ................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Cementitious Materials........................................................................ 7

3.2.1 Cement ......................................................................................... 7 3.2.2 Pozzolan .................................................................................. 8

3.3 Admixtures .......................................................................................... 9 3.3.1 Chemical Water-Reducing Admixtures .................................. 9 3.3.2 Air-Entraining Admixtures.................................................... 10

3.4 Aggregates......................................................................................... 10 3.4.1 Aggregate Grading ................................................................ 11 3.4.2 Aggregate Quality ................................................................. 13 3.4.3 Aggregate Production, Stockpiling, and Testing................... 13

3.5 References ......................................................................................... 14

4. RCC Mixture Design Requirements ............................................................ 15 4.1 Properties of Fresh RCC.................................................................... 16

4.1.1 Vebe Consistency .................................................................. 16 4.1.2 Segregation Potential............................................................. 20 4.1.3 Temperature........................................................................... 20 4.1.4 Density................................................................................... 20

4.2 Properties of Hardened RCC............................................................. 20 4.2.1 Compressive Strength and Elastic Properties........................ 21 4.2.2 Cement Plus Pozzolan Content and Cement to Pozzolan

Ratio........................................................................................... 24 4.2.3 Thermal Properties ................................................................ 24 4.2.4 Durability............................................................................... 26

4.3 Bond Between Lifts........................................................................... 26 4.4 Field Adjustments During Construction............................................ 30 4.5 Mixture Proportioning Procedures for RCC ..................................... 34

4.5.1 Mixture Proportioning........................................................... 34 4.5.2 Steps in Proportioning RCC Mixtures................................... 35

4.6 References .........................................................