Hydrotech, nical Constr~J, ction, l/bl. 3~. No. 5.

2000
C O N S T R U C T I O N O R G A N I Z A T I O N A N D P R O C E D U R E S
CONS TRUCTI ON OF DAMS F ORMED F ROM ROLLER- COMP ACTED CONCRETE.
ANALYS I S OF S TATE OF THE ART AND P ROS P ECTS F OR DEVELOP MENT
E. A. Ko g a n
The search for effective methods of controlling temperature-induced cracking in concrete dams was initiated
as early as the 1950s. The situation was fbund diffictflt, since this problem is directly associated with such important
indicators as tile completion date of co~struction, its cost, and iabor outl~\ys expended in concreting operations. Over
the years, attempts to resolve tile cracking problem by increasingly strengthening measures for temperature regulation
have only resulted in further degradation of the above-noted indicators. Attempts to reduce exothermal warming
of eoncrete by use of pozzuolanic additives, especially where it has t)een required to provide for impermeability
and frost resistance of tile concrete, have also failed to produce the required effec.t. The first successes appeared
only after a principal change in the methods employed for concrete placement: dangerous cracks were successfully
avoided in constructing tile Alpa-Gera and Chivaira del Miniera (Italy), and Toktogul and Kurpsa Dams (USSR)
owing to conversion to the layer-by-la.ver method of concrete placement with tile maximum degree of mechanization
in concreting operations. Use of low blocks (with a height of 0.5-0.75 m) and new approaches to sectioning of tile
dam (transverse joints have been installed without the use of traditional tbrmwork) have made it possible to utilize
a concrete-placement procedure similar to tile procedure used to place earth fills. A more complete solution of the
indicated problem was ultimately found on the basis of conversion to lean concrete mL'~es of stiff consistency, which
submitted to compaction under vibratory rollers, i.e., just as earth structures are compacted. It is interesting to note
that motivation for the search for new methods of concrete placement has gradually converted from a crack-control
problem to a plane tbr development of a procedure that will make it possible to reduee significantly tile cost and
completion time of the construction of concrete dams and render them competitive with dams formed fl'om local
materials. Experience gained in recent years has demonstrated t hat this situation has created premises fi)r successflfl
use of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) in dam construction: significant reduction in concrete-placement times and
appreciable simplification of concreting procedures make it possible to lower the construction cost of concrete dams
so much that they are becoming more advantageous than rock-fill clams.
The 89-m-high Si madzi gawa Dam in Japan, which was completed in i981. was the first large dam formed
rein roller-compacted concrete. From tile very outset and until recently, tile Japanese method of constructing roller-
compacted dams (RCD method) has, in fact, been the method used for construction of the Alpa-Gera Dam with the
difference being t hat the concrete was compacted not with deep vibrators, but by vi brat ory roller. The remaining
elements of the procedure and design of the dam - the height of the blocks, pauses between placement of tile blocks.
seetioning by transverse joints, and requirements for tile treatment of horizontal joints - are sinfilar to construction
practice employed for gravity dams by tile layer-by-layer method [ 1 ] .
Tile construction of dams completely, or to a significant degree from roller-compacted concrete h~.s been a
principal innovation in the United States, Australia, and Spain. Six of these dams had been constructed by the close
of 1985: Willow Creek, Middle Fork, Winchester, and Galesville Dams in tile United States. the Copperfield Dam in
Austr~dia. and the Castile-Blanco Dam in Spain. The accelerated spread of this method of dam construction began
in 1936: eight RCC dams were constructed during this year. By the close of 1993, 112 of these dams had been
constructed in 18 conntries, an(l at least another 27 dams were under construction [3J.
The dynamics of the (levelopmc.nt of 1R.CC dam construction c~m l)e readily traced by comparing data for
mid-1995 and dat a for the close of 1998. According to N. t2.. H. Dunstan. the nuIuber of I~.CC dams constructed
with ~t height of more than 15 m b.v nfid-1995 had reached 130, and a.nottler 31 dams were ill the construction stage.
By the ck)se of 1998, 184 RCC dams had 1)eei1 constructed and named, and 25 dams were yet to be constructed
[9]. The w)lume of tile constructed (lares was more than 57 nfillion m 3, including the w)lume of roller-('ompacted
Translated from Gidrotekhnieheskoe Stroitel' stvo, No. 5, pp. 30-40. May, 2000.
0018-8220/00/3405-02-13525.00 @2000 I,[luwer Academic/Plenunl Publishers 243
TABLE 1. Nu mb e r of Co n s t r u c t e d Da ms An d Da ms Un d e r Co n s t r u c t i o n by Cl ose of 1998 [9[
Count r y
Chi na
. lapan
Kirgiz
Thai l and
Indonesi a
Tot al in Asia.
Spain
France
Greece
Rumani a
It al y
Russia
Tot al in Eur ope
United St at es
Canada
Tot al in Nort h Amer i ca
Brazil
Const -
ruct ed
31)
32
1
l
64
21
6
3
2
33 1
29
2
31
14 2
Under con-
st ruct i on
10
I
15
Tot al
40
36
1
1
1
79
2l
6
3
2
1
1
34
29
2
31
16
Count r y Const,- Under con-
r ut t ed st r uct i on
Mexico 5 5
HoJld uras '2 '2
Col umbi a '2 '2
Ar gent i na l 1
Chile l l
Domi ni can Republ i c 1 1
French Gui ana l 1
Venezuela 1 1
Tot al in Cent r al and 25 5 30
Sout h Amer i ca
Sout h Afri can Republic 13 1 14
Morocco 8 1 9
Angol a t l
Algiers 1 1
Er i t r i a 1 I 1
Tot al in Af r i ca " 2 " 2 4 26
Aus t r al i a 9 !)
Tot al 184 25 209
concr et e, whi ch was e qua l t o 35 mi l l i on m 3. Th e t o t a l n u mb e r of d a ms dur i ng t i l e t hr e e ye a r s h a d i ncr eas ed f r om
161 t o 209. The s e d a t a r e p r e s e n t onl y da ms mo r e t h a n i 5 m hi gh, whi ch had been c o n s t r u c t e d , or were unde r
cons t r uct i on. Wi t h o u t t he s e c ons t r i c t i ons , t he t o t a l l i st of RCC d a ms is s ome wha t gr e a t e r . Ac c or di ng t o our d a t a
bank. whi ch i ncl udes c o n s t r u c t e d da ms , da ms u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n , d a ms unde r desi gn, and d a ms s chedul ed fbr des i gn.
t he c ompl e t e count a mo u n t e d t o 212 da ms l)y mi d- 1995. Thi s c ount i ncl udes not onl y d a ms c ons t r uc t e d of r ol l er -
c ompa c t e d concr et e, b u t al so d a ms in whi ch r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e was us ed ei t her t br s t r e n g t h e n i n g (fbr e xa mpl e ,
t he ar ch d a m of t he Gi b r a l t a r Da m i n t he Un i t e d St a t e s ) . or onl y for i ndi vi dua l s mal l e I e me n t s (fbr e xa mpl e , t he
I t a i pu Da m in Br azi l ) .
R,CC d a ms t h a t ha ve been c ons t r uc t e d, or a r e u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n a r e di s t r i but e d t h r o u g h o u t t he entire, wor l d
under a b r o a d r a nge of c l i ma t i c c ondi t i ons in b o t h d e v e l o p e d a n d de ve l opi ng count r i es. Th e s e d a ms were uni f or ml y
d i s t r i b u t e d by c ont i ne nt i n 1995: a p p r o x i ma t e l y f our i n No r t h Ame r i c a , f bur in Asi a, f bur i n Eur ope . and f our in
ot her r egi ons. Th e g e o g r a p h y of t he d a ms ha d c h a n g e d by t he cl ose of 1998: 38% of t he d a ms wer e f onnd in Asi a. 16%
in Eur ope , 15% i n No r t h Ame r i c a , 14% in Ce n t r a l a n d S o u t h Ame r i c a , a nd 12% in Af r i ca. T h e d a ms c ons t r uc t e d or
un(l er c o n s t r u c t i o n e n c o mp a s s 28 count r i es of al l t h e wo r l d ' s c ont i ne nt s ( Tabl e 1).
Si nce t he t wo l e a d i n g c ount r i e s i n t he c o n s t r u c t i o n of RCC d a ms ( Chi na at t d J a p a n ) a r e l ocat ed i n As i a,
i t is pr eci s el y t hi s r e gi on t h a t occupi es t he l e a di ng p o s i t i o n wi t h r e s p e c t t o number of d a ms c o n s t r u c t e d and d a ms
s chedul ed for c o n s t r u c t i o n . I t is pos s i bl e t o i s ol a t e t he f bur l e a di ng c ount r i e s Chi na, J a p a n , Uni t e d St a t e s , a nd
Spai n - whi ch c o n t a i n a p p r o x i ma t e l y 60% of t he t o t a l n u mb e r of d a ms wher e r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d concr et e has be e n
used.
RCC d a ms ha ve b e e n c ons t r uc t e d in va r i ous c l i ma t i c zones, i nc l udi ng zones wi t h hi gh a nd low ai r t em-
pe r a t ur e s a nd unde r e x t r e me l y humi d c ondi t i ons . Fo r e xa mpl e , t he 120- met er Ven Kh a r u n Da m wi t h a vol ume
of 1, 690, 000 m 3 was c o n s t r u c t e d i n Al gi er s at a n a i r t e mp e r a t u r e a b o v e 43C. The Up p e r St i l l wa t e r Da m wi t h a
hei ght of 91 m a nd v o h i me of 1. 125, 000 m a a nd t he 4 0 - me t e r Ro b e r t s o n La ke Dani wi t h a vol uni e of 28.000 ni a wer e
c ons t r uc t e d, r es pect i vel y, i n t h e Uni t e d St a t e s a n d Ca n a d a , a t a mb i e n t wi nt e r - a i r t e mp e r a t u r e s t o mimes 35C. I n
t he l l 3 - m- h i g h Pa n g u e Da m i n Chi l e wi t h an RCC v o l u me of 660, 000 m a, c o n c r d e was p l a c e d over a pe r i od of 13
mont hs wi t h a t o t a l p r e c i p i t a t i o n of 4. 436 mm ( i n c h l d i n g t hr e e mo n t h s when 3.130 mm of r a i n fel l ) [9].
A new t y p e of l e a n - c o n c r e t e d a ms - d a ms f o r me d f r om a st i f f fill ( " har df i l l " ) - have r e c e n t l y a p p e a r e d [2]. I n
fact . c e me n t - s t r e n g t h e n e d r ock- f i l l d a ms s i t ua t e d, for e x a mp l e , i n r egi ons wi t h a hi gh s ei s mi c l oad, or on r e l a t i v e h
weak f omnl a t i on beds , ma y be cl as s ed anl ong t he s e d a ms . Th e f i r st l ar ge "har df i l l da m" was conl i ) l et ed ill 1993
( t he Ma r a p h i a Da m i n Gr e e c e ) . A s ome wha t s ma l l e r cl am ut i l i zi ng t he s a me c ons t r uc t i on i de a s was bui l t on a weak
f i mnda t i on be d in 1989 [3].
I t c a n be c o n c h t d e d t h a t t he new me t h o d of c o n s t r u c t i n g d a ms of rol k, r-(-on~pact ed c onc r e t e has j us t i f i e d
i t sel f by now. Ce r t a i n t r e n d s , whi ch have been p r o v e n in pr a c t i c e , ar e, uncondi t i omdl y, s t a bl e , a nd a l t hough l ar ge
di fferences wi l l r e ma i n i n c e r t a i n de t a i l s a nd a p p r o a c h e s c o r r e s p o n d i n g t o t he br oa d s p e c t r u i n of condi t i ons un( l er
244
120
ll0
1 O0
90
~, 80
E
r~
70
60
-~ 50
4O
30
20
10
/
J
/ / 1
/ 3
Year compl et ed
Fi g. 1. To t a l lllllnl~cr ~t'~l;,lub c o n s t r u c t e d a n n u a l l y wi t h var i ous t yt ) es of r ol l er -
c o mp a c t e d coucr~,|~ , I,,,t~l~- pr i or t o 1994): 1) hi gh pa s t e cont ent ; 2) me d i u m
pa s t e c ont e nt : 3) . I , l ) an 11(' [)): 4) l ow p a s t e c ont e nt : 5) "har df i l l " t y p e of d a m.
whi c h t he da ms ar e c o n s t r u c t e d , r ~ t , v it ix a,~w pos s i bl e t o f o r mu l a t e basi c r e s ul t s of e xpe r i e nc e ga i ne d wi t h t he
c o n s t r u c t i o n of RCC da ms .
Cla,s.si:ficatio'n a r t d Dc s i g' n P r i m i / d , , ,,] R C C D a r n s . Th e de ve l opme nt of d y n a n f i c a p p r o a c h e s t o de s i gn
pr i nc i pl e s and me t hods of RCC d a m c,m.-t r m, i~m. whi ch have be e n a p p r o v e d in va r i ous c o u n t r i e s at t d unde r di f f er ent
c ondi t i ons , was c ompl e t e d wi t hi n 1)lincilml I~,mu~laries a p p r o x i ma t e l y by 1992; t hi s e n a b l e s us t o d i v i d e d a ms i nt o
t he f ol l owi ng t ypes, whi ch have nmintaitw~l ;, ~lal~Ie d i s t r i b u t i o n wi t h r es pect t o p e r c e n t a g e i n r ecent ye a r s [9]:
da ms t~brmed f r om l e a n roll~,r-c~ m, t J~,~l~., 1('~ m(' I' et e i n whi ch t he cont ent of t he b i n d e r ( c e me nt pl us p o z z u o l a n a )
is l ess t h a n 100 k g / m a - - 12%;
d a ms bui l t in a c c o r d a n c e wi t h the' R( ' C me t h o d , ms is done i n J a pa n, ms a r ul e, ha ve a b i n d e r c o n t e n t of
120- 130 k g / m 3 - 18%;
da ms f br med f r om r o l l e r - c o mp mwd c~mcret e wi t h an ~werage bi nder c ont e nt of 100-150 k g / m 3 - 22%; a nd,
da ms f or med f r om r ol l er - compa( t ~' ~l c~mcret e wi t h a hi gh b i n d e r cont ent ( mor e t h a n 150 k g / m a - 46%.
Da ms wi t h a hi gh b i n d e r cont (' nt ar c de s i gne d wi t h i mp e r me a b l e l aver s t h a t c ohe r e wel l one t o t he ot he r .
A b i n d e r cont ent of 150 k g / m 3 was (let<' rmim.,I as t he l evel a t whi ch i mp e r me a b i l i t y of t h e i n- s i t u r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d
c o n c r e t e (al so i ncl udi ng t he hor i z ont a l j oi nt s ) is e qui va l e nt t o t he i mp e r me a b i l i t y of c o n v e n t i o n a l c onc r e t e i n g r a v i t y
d a ms ( a per meabi l i t . y of t i m o r d e r of 1()-i~) m/ s e e ) . Fi g u r e 1 s hows a pl ot of t he i nc r e a s e i n t he t ot a l n u mb e r o f t he
di f f e r e nt t ypes of da ms c o mp l e t e d by t he (.los~, of each ye a r ( pr i or t o 1994). One c a n see t h a t si nce 19~9, t he n u mb e r
of d a ms compl et ed each y e a r ha d aver aged a p p r o x i ma t e l y 16, of whi ch 10 had been c o n s t r u c t e d wi t h a hi gh b i n d e r
c o n t e n t , and six were of t he o t h e r t ypes [:31 .
Ap p r o x i ma t e l y t wo - t h i r d s of al l RCC da ms COl l st r uct ed i n r ecent year s pos s es s c o n c r e t e wi t h a hi gh b i n d e r
c o n t e n t . Al l I / CC da ms i n Spa i n an(l ( ' s s e nt i a l h t he ma. i or i t y of d a ms i n Chi na c o n t a i n c o n c r e t e wi t h a hi gh b i n d e r
e o n t e n t . Al l dams in J a p a n use t he RCD md h o d d e v e l o p e d by t he J a p a n e s e Mi n i s t r y of Co n s t r u c t i o n a n d r ef l ect
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c J a pa ne s e f bat ur es . Us(~ of a l m) ad s p e c t r u m of accet ) t aI ) l e t ypes of d a ms is c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of t he Un i t e d
St a t e s . Af t er 1986 ( da ms c o n s t r u c t e d u I) t o t ha t t i me can be c ons i de r e d f i r s t - ge ne r a t i on ( l anl s) , 21 danl b ha ve be e n
c o n s t r u c t e d in t he Uni t e d St a t e s : of t hese dams . t wo wer e f br me d fl ' om l ean c onc r e t e ( 9. 5%) , seven wi t h a me d i u m
c e me n t cont ent (35.5~)), a n d 12 wi t h a hi gh bi nde r c ont e nt ( 57%) . The s ame p r o p o r t i o n s a r e r e p e a t e d fbr d a ms
c o n s t r u e t e d t hr oughout t he e nt i r e worl(t ( oxcl udi ng t he d a ms i n J a p a n ) .
Use of r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d concr et e t h r o u g h o u t t he e nt i r e vol ume of t he b o d y of t h e d a m, or mi n i mi z a t i o n of
t he v o l u me of convent i onal c onc r e t e has been an i ndi s i ) ut a bl e t r e n d of r ecent year s. Th i s t r e n d is c o mb i n e d wi t h use
of a n e l e va t e d bi nder c o n t e n t whi l e r e t a i ni ng a stiff' c ons i s t e nc y of t he concr et e mi x.
2 4 5
TABLE 2. Parameters of Most Outstanding Dams Constructed of R.oller-Compacted Concrete
Record dam indicator
Highest dam
Greatest volume
Greatest length of dam
along (:rest.
Dam
Urayama
.k [iyagase
Kapanda
Country
Japan
Japan
Angola
Height, m
[56
155
110
Length, m
372
400
1203
" ~' ohl l t l e~
thousands
O| ' 1II 3 .
12.9.I (~860)
t5;~7 (2001)
757 ( l i 5 - ~ )
Volume of reser-
voir. millions
Of I I l 3
58
19
4795
Co mme n t : * - the vohnne of roller-compacted concrete: the total vohnne of the dam is given
in the parentheses.
Of tile four countries in which the greatest nmnber of RCC dams have been constructed, three have therefore
selected their own special approach, which is the most acceptable for their conditions, and one (United States) uses
a broad range of the construction methods employed throughout the entire world.
Advantages of RCC Darns. As compared with other construction methods, economy and rate of construction
are the two basic ~ulvantages of dams formed from roller-compacted concrete. Practice has demonstrated that a
dam formed [:rom roller-compacted concrete is usually 25-40% cheaper than a gravity dam formed from conventional
concrete, 5-15% less expensive t han an arch dam tbrmed from conventional concrete, and 0-25% less expensive t han
a rock-fill dam. Thus, the installation of an RCC dam on a good foundation bed is ahnost always the least expensive
niethod of construction.
The rapid rate at which roller-compacted concrete is placed provides many advantages: it pernfits the con-
struction of a comparatively high dam in a single dry season, and therefore reduces the need to discharge water during
operations, or to construct a dam in a single summer in a severe climate, where construction is limited with respect
to time. A cost reduction for bot h the client, and also the contractor, and a rapid return of capital expenditures for
the project are, however, the principal advantages.
Figure 2 shows the duration of concrete placement in a dam. There are several examples of dams of sufficient
height, which were built in a very short time, for example, the Stage Coach Dam (United States) with a height of 46
m and 34,000-m 3 volume of roller-compacted concrete, which was constructed in not nmch more than :37 days [3].
The average placenmnt rate, however, is approximately 6 m of height per month. Thus, ~ 100-meter dam is usuallv
constructed in 16 months, and within the range between 11 months for high placement rates and 20 months for lower
rates. As compared with the average rate of construction of other types of dams, dams built in accordance with the
RCD method take approximately twice as long to constrtlct. It is possible that this is dictated by the more complex
method of construction.
Certain information on the most outstanding R.CC dams is presented in Table 2.
Design.s of RCC Dams. The dimensions of the dams varied little on average fbr the first 10 years, right up
to 1994.
The average height of dams constructed anmlally fluctuated from 40 to 50 m with the dam containing an
average vohlme ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 m :3. Beginning in 1995. however, an increase is observed in the
dimensions of dalns fbrmed from roller-compacted concrete (Fig. 3). During the next three years, and also for dams
under construction, the dimensions averaged throughout the years were as follows; a height of 60-80 m, and a vohnne
of 270,000-450,000 m a [9].
The traditional triangular profile of the gr~vity dam is considered the most appropri at e profile for use of
roller-compacted concrete to the maxinmnl extent right u t) to 1()0~ with respect to vohnne, i.e., built completely of
RCC. Figures 4, 5. and 6 show the actual profiles of dams in certain comltries, from which a difference is seen in the
approaches taken in these cotlntries. Solutions closest to the classical triangular profile are characteristic of dams
built in Spain (Fig. 6) [ 7 ] . Broadening of the lower section of the dam by inclining the thrust face in the lower third
of its height is employed in Japanese Dams (Fig. 5). Sitnilar solutions are also characteristic of gravity dams formed
from conventional concrete, in Japan: this is associated with elevated seismicity and the quality of the foundation
beds. In Chinese RCC dams (Fig. 4) [5], originality of adopted structm' al sohttions is probably associated with the
need to pass high flow rates of water through spillways. Nonstandard design sohltions fi)r RCC dams have been used
in Morocco and Australia. It should be i)ointed out that the diversity of structural solutions employed, especially in
sonic methods of fbrming the external faces, vertical transverse joints, and other elements of the dam, is increasing
as the technology of roller-compared concrete develops. Several principally new structural solutions will be discussed
below in greater detail.
Ternperat'a'rc-Sh'~97.kage Joi'nts. By the end of 1987, almost 70% of the dams constructed did not have
246
150-
E 1 0 0 -
g
5 0 -
I t I I I I
6 12 18 24 30 36
D u r a t i o n o f c o n c r e t e p l a c e m e n t i n m o n t h s
Fi g. 2. Cons t r uc t i on r a t e of RCC d a ms as f unct i on of t he i r
hei ght ( s t at us pr i or t o 1994).
I 4 0 ~
1 9 8 3 8 5 8 7
~
500
400

200
~ 0
8 9 9 1 9 3 9 5 9 7 Under
c o n s t r u c t i o n
Fi g. 3. Change in a ve r a ge d i me n s i o n s of RCC d a ms con-
s t r u c t e d a nnua l l y [9].
t r a n s v e r s e .joints. Thi s p e r c e n t a g e t hen d r o p p e d t o 35% i n 1988-1989, a nd in 1990-1993, onl y 12% of t he RCC d a ms
di d n o t have j oi nt s i n s ome f or m. Thus, t he r e is a s i gni f i cant r a n g e of s ol ut i ons used i n t hi s r e s pe c t : f r om d a ms bui l t
wi t h o u t j oi nt s t o da ms i n whi c h .joints ar e i ns t al l ed f r om t i l e u p s t r e a m t o t i l e d o wn s t r e a m f aces. I n J a p a n e s e dat ns .
s e c t i o n i n g by t e mp e r a t u r e - s h r i n k a g e j oi nt s in FICC d a ms is e mpl oye d es s ent i al l y i n t h e s a me ma nne r as i n d a ms
f o r me d f r om convent i onal concr et e, wi t h t he di f f er ence be i ng t h a t j oi nt s ar e c r e a t e d i n r o l l e r <: o mp a c t e d c o n c r e t e by
f o r mi n g a not ch wi t h a v i b r a t o r y bl ade a nd e mb e d d i n g a p l a s t i c or me t a l pl at e. I n r e c e n t ye a r s , bl i nd j o i n t s - n o t c h e s .
or not c he s - c r a c k i ni t i a t or s ha ve come i nt o i nc r e a s i ngl y b r o a d e r use, i ncl udi ng in a r c h d a ms .
"'Hardfill'" Darns. Th e a bove - me nt i one d "' har df i l l " d a ms s houl d be cl assed a mo n g t he newes t t r e nds . I n 1992,
Lo n d e a n d Li no [2] p r o p o s e d a new desi gn of 1RCC d a ms wi t h a s y mme t r i c t r a ns ve r s e pr of i l e a nd an a n t i - f i l t r a t i o n
s hi el d on t he u p s t r e a m s l ope. Use of a l ean r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e cal l ed " har df i l l " e n s u r e d l ow- cost c o n s t r u c t i o n .
Th e s y mme t r i c cr os s - s ect i onal profi l e i nst i l l s hi gh r e l i a b i l i t y as c o mp a r e d wi t h a c o n v e n t i o n a l gr a vi t y d a m. re(luc(, s
s t r e s s e s i n t he body of t he d a m. and make.s i t pos s i bl e t o c o n s t r u c t t he d a m on a weak t bun( t a t i on bed, or i n hi ghl y
s e i s mi c r egi ons. A pr of i l e of t r i a ngul a r conf i gur at i on wi t h s l opes of 1:0.7 oil. t he u p s t r e a m a n d d o wn s t r e a m s i des is
s u g g e s t e d as t he most r e l i a bl e sol ut i on. I n t hi s case, t he r e s u l t a n t of t he h y d r o s t a t i c l o a d a n d de a d wei ght is l o c a t e d
at t h e cent er of t he s u p p o r t sect i on, c r e a t i ng c ondi t i ons for t h e mos t uni f or m s t r es s d i s t r i b u t i o n al ong t he c o n t a c t
wi t h t h e f bunda t i on bed.
Th e aut hor s of t hi s pr opos a l t r e a t t he new ma t e r i a l " ha r di i l l " -- as s o me t h i n g s i mi l a r t o soi l c e me n t
or rol l er-c, o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e wi t h modi f i cat i on of r i gi d t e c hni c a l r equi r ement s , whi c h a r e us ua l l y t he s a me as t he
247
7467
7401
~,oo ~"7 ~ ~cc"~
Shaibenshui X i n ' a n j i a n g
v~47
7220
7114
l , o . 3 I
Jiangya
7449
V 12(
RCC " ' , ~ '
'7565
!V 335
/
55 63 ;
$hanxi Zhuning
s2
Silin
91
v
i " ~ a u a n g z h o u D z h e ib e s n ;u
% 0 791 - - V I I.___.~
R200 ,
i 7 68 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
86 -i .~ 32 ~ ~. 33 J.
82
Mianhuatan Daochaoshan M en teich en Shaimenten
Wenquanpu
71158
6 4 ~ . . , , ,
-
I
z583 ~ " : 71'
Khaibin
~583 71077
b )
1~ RI50
t ~ 28.24
Puding
238
40
2"
Beilian'ya
Shaipai
Fi g. 4. Da ms of Chi na: a) g r a v i t y : b) ar ch.
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s for t r a d i t k ma l c onc r e t e . Modi f i cat i on of t he c onc r e t e r e q u i r e me n t s makes i t p o s s i b l e t o use a ma t e r i a l
t h a t is be s t s ui t e d for low s t r es s : t hi s . in t ur n, s u p p o r t s a s y mme t r i c d a m pr of i l e [2]. Th e f i r s t d a m of t hi s t y p e
Ma r a p h i a - was c ons t r uc t e d i n Gr e e c e in 1992-1993. I t has a h e i g h t o f 26 m, a l engt h of 265 m, a nd a c o n c r e t e
vol ume of 33, 000 m 3. The u p s t r e a m and d o wn s t r e a m s l opes a r e 1: 0. 5. Ti l e r ol l ed l ayer s a r e 0. 3 m t hi ck, a n d t h e
c o n s mn p t i o n of bi nder s is a ~btlows: 55 k g / m 3 of c, e me nt a n d 15 k g / m 3 of poz z uol a na . Th e An o Me r a Da m i n Gr e e c e
wi t h a he i ght of 32 m, whi ch was c o n s t r u c t e d i n 1994, is s i mi l a r [3].
248
Normal
support ~ 290,0
Mi yagase I : x \ \ . <
H = 1 5 5 m ~ = = ~ ~ ' ~ a "
2 '\'>
/ ; _ _g . . . . . . .
, ~ 120,3 j e 3 0 J ,
V 578,0
r"" '1
V 476,5
, " " \ "4
~7 247,0
'7 2 2 9 ,0 ~ ) o o
Asakhi-Ogawa ~
tt =84 m
67,2
Vig. 5. Dams of . Japan.
Arch. Dams. Ex p a n s i o n of t h,, r a ng, ' , ~t" I l sr of r ol l e r - c ompa c t e d c onc r e t e t o ar ch d a ms c a n be cal l ed t i l e s econd
i nnova t i on of r ecent year s . Al t h o u g h tw,~ , r ( . h - g r a v i t y dams ( Kn e l p o r t a nd Uol vdans ) wi t h a hei ght of 50 a nd 70
m, r es pect i vel y, ha d been p r e v i o u s I y c(mst rm-tc,(1 i n t i l e Sout h Af r i c a n }Republic, a nd a p r o g r a m for t he c o n s t r u c t i o n
of o t h e r p u r e l y ar ch d a ms h a d been a, hr r t i ~, d, t h e fi rst ar ch d a m - t he Pudi ng Dar n wi t h a hei ght of 75 m was
c o n s t r u c t e d i n Ch i n a i n 1993. I n vi(,w of t l w i mp o r t a n c e of t hi s p r o b l e m, l et us ci t e d e t a i l e d d a t a c onc e r ni ng t hi s
d a m [4].
Th e P u d i n g Da m is l o c a t e d in a r c hl t i ve l y nar r ow Callyorl ( L/ H = 2) of n o n s y mme t r i c s ect i on i n a r egi on
wi t h a s u b t r o p i c a l c l i ma t e i n t he mons oon zone. The aver age ai r t e mp e r a t u r e is 14. 7C, a nd t he a ve r a ge wa t e r
t e mI ) e r a t u r e is 16. 5C. T h e a v e r a g e ('Oml)Ut(,d t e mp e r a t u r e of t he c onc r e t e iIl t i l e d a m d u r i n g i t s s er vi ce l i fe has been
16. 4C. Th e h y d r o p r o j e c t is be i ng used t ot wa t e r power , i r r i gat i on, wa t e r suppl y, a nd r e c r e a t i on. Th e v o l mn e of t i l e
r e s e r voi r is 421 mi l l i on m a. T h e da m. whi ch ha s a cr est l engt h of 196 m, has a t a p e r e d ar ch wi t h a s i ngl e - c e nt e r e d
conf i gm' at i on: t i l e t hi c kne s s i s 28. 3 m ahmg t i m f o u n d a t i o n bed. a nd 6.3 m at t he cr est ( except for t i l e c e n t r a l s pi l l way
p o r t i o a ) . Th e bl i nd s e c t i ons o f t he d;./iii have a s l ope of h0. 35 on t he d o wn s t r e a m face. Th e spillw~\y p o r t i o n of t he
d a m has a p r a c t i c a l pr of i l e i n t h e Ul)lmr e l e va t i ons , a nd a. ver t i cal d o wn s t r e a n l Nee j us t be l ow i t . The u p s t r e a m face
of t he d a m is ver t i cal , wi t h t he exceI~tion of t h e zone ad.ja('(mt t o t he f ounda t i on bed, whe r e i t has a s l i ght a dve r s e
gr a( l i ent . De s pi t e i t s n e a r l y 200- nl e t e r l engt h, t h e r e ar e no t e mp e r a t u r e - s h r i n k a g e j oi nt s i n t he da m. a nd onl y t hr ee
j o i n t s - n o t c h e s wer e i ns t a l l e d on t he u p s t r e a m s i de.
I n t he Pu d i n g Da m, r ol l e r - ( ' omi mc t e d c o n c r e t e was used in a p r e d o mi n a n t p a r t of i t s vol ume: 103, 000 m :~ of
t he t ot a l vol mne of 137, 000 m a. Conve nt i ona l c o n c r e t e was used on t he l ower sm' f ace i n a n a p p r o x i ma t e l y t wo- me t e r
zone. on t he spi l l way, a n d i n t h e bul war ks of t h e f bur spans in t he c e nt e r of t he da m.
Two c o mp o s i t i o n s of r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e were used: alI_ NS- 2 c ompos i t i on on t he si de of t he t hr us t
face. a nd a n NS- 3 c o mp o s i t i o n i n t he r e ma i n i n g zone. The compos i t i oms of t he c onc r e t e s a nd t hei r bas i c i ndi c a t or s
a r e p r e s e n t e d i n Tabl e :3. A Cl a s s 525 c e me nt wi t h art MgO cot r t ent of 2. 3%, whi ch has a weak t e n d e n c y t o e xpa nd.
was e mpl oye d: t hi s s houl d pr e s uma l ) l y c o mp e n s a t e fi)r tit(, c onc r e t e ' s shr i nkage. Th e fl y as h c o r r e s p o n d e d t o t he
249
Santa Eugenia
6,5
209.0
RCC2
CC i 75
RCC I ~
130,0
Val
620,0 ~ ; %. ~29,
l__.._.~5
- - l 0.8
!. ~--]i
~ i Ventilation pipe
~ . ~ / . Bottom discharge
Conventional ~,~,~--~\~N~-~.~X / /
concrete ~ ~.~N~'~,~,~'Nv-~N-~-'~.~X " / I 55
~ Gate chamber J
~ > ' - " ' ~ x x ? " ' ~ \ " v > " t x " i ' d J . . . . g [ . . . . . 1. ~ 7 '
. . . . . . . . . & l . . . . t . . . . m " i ,
~-' Conventional concrete
0 , 7 5
1
334 25v2, [q
T ~-"
3310 y t
lO,
0,0
l l -
Serra Brava
6,5 o ,7 5 1 l 336.67
~1
"~1 N~ ~ 3 q 0"3k) 0 ' 0 4 5
" N , . 00s
Senza
8
Detail 1
1335,8 " . D e t a i l 1 . . . . . " ~ "
O,a,na o . . . .
0, 4,
~%"~,'~NN%XNx~.~ Conventional
~ - - - - ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ concrete
: ( ' / : " X . ' . . " '
1 2 9 4 ~
CC
Rialp
w436,0
1 0 ~ . ~ ' ~ %' ~ " / - %~ ' ~ 359,8
339,0 " [ ' L~' ] 1~" Drainage
Grout curtain1"7 =P I
Fi g. 6. Da ms of Spain.
Cl ass I I s t a nda r d. Cr us hed l i me s t one havi ng a l ow coefficient of l i near expansi on (5.5 - 10- ( $/ deg C) was us e d as
coar s e aggr egat e; this a ggr e ga t e was consi der ed s ui t a bl e for t he pr event i on of t hernml cracki ng.
Th e concr et e mi x was pl a c e d in l ayers each a0-a5 cm t hi ck pr i or t o compact i on, l evel ed by bul l dozer , a nd
c o mp a c t e d wi t h t wo " Bo ma g " v i b r a t o r y rollers. The r egi me empl oyed fbr vi br at or y- r ot t er c o mp a c t i o n cal l ed for t wo
2 5 0
T ABL E 3. Ty p i c a l Co mp o s i t i o n s of Ro l l e r - Co mp a c t e d Co n c r e t e
i n P u d i n g Ar c h Da m ( Chi na)
( ' har act er i s t i c NS-2 coli'l- NS-3 com-
posi t i on posi t i on
( ' ompr essi ve st r engt h at l er 90 days, MPa
Tensile st r engt h, MPa
Shear st r engt h, MPa
Permeabi l i t y, re~see
Cont ent :
cement , k g / / l t I 3
fly ash, kg/ m a
wat er, kg/ m a
sand, kg/ m a
crushed st one < 20 mm. kg/ m :~
crushed st one < ,10 ram. kg/m:"
crushed st one < 80 ram, kg/ m "~
addi t i ves, %
Stiffness of concret e mix. sec
Vv~ter-binder r at i o
Cont ent of sand in aggregat e mi xt ure
20
~> t . 5
2
10- s
8.5
103
94
836
830
554
0.85
1 0 5
0.5
0.38
t5
1.5
2
1 0 - ~s
5-1
99
84
768
454
604
-i54
0.85
I 0 + 5
0.55
0.34
pas s es wi t h o u t vi br a t i on a t t h e o u t s e t a n d t e r mi n a t i o u , a nd si x i n t e r me d i a t e passes wi t h vi br a e i on (2 + 6 + 2). Two
ma n u a l v i b r a t o r y c ompa c t or s Wi t h a (2 + 24-30 + 2) c o mp a c t i o n r e gi me r e s ul t i ng in a l ayer t hi cknes s of 25-30 c m af t er
c onq) a c t i on were used on t he c onc r e t e mi x p l a c e d near f or mwor k. A 15-20 t oni unde r l yi ng c e me n t / f l y - a s h g r o u t was
pl a c e d t o i nl pr ove cohesi on b e t we e n t he l ayer s of r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e . Th e c onc r e t e was pl aced in t i l e d i r e c t i o n
froi n t h e downs t r e a m t o t i l e u p s t r e a n l f ace wi t hi n t he l i mi t s of t he s t r i p wher e t he f b r mwo r k had been i ns t a l l e d. A
nl et al l i c cant i l ever f or m 4 m hi gh was used.
Ac c or di ng t o t echni cal s peci f i cat i ons , t he t e mp e r a t u r e of t he c onc r e t e mi x b e i n g pl a c e d s houl d not exceed
15C. Dur i ng moni t or i ng i n t i l e cour s e of c ons t r uc t i on, t he t e n l p e r a t u r e of t he c onc r e t e di d not exceed 16. 4C at
t he t i me of i t s pl acement . A ma x i n mm c onc r e t e t e mp e r a t u r e of 30. 8 C was r ecor ded. No une xpe c t e d c r a c ks wer e
obs e r ve d.
Dur i ng c ons t r uc t i on, t he s pr i ng f l ood of 1992 was pas s ed t h r o u g h t he u n c o mp l e t e d d a m in c o n f o r mi t y wi t h
des i gn. I n t ha t per i od, t he fl ow of wa t e r was u n i n t e r r u p t e d : t hi s l owe r e d t he p r o b a b i l i t y of t e mp e r a t u r e - i n d u c e d
c r a c ki ng mar kedl y. Car ef ul i n s p e c t i o n r e v e a l e d t h r e e j o i n t / n o t c h - i n i t i a t e d cr acks t h a t h a d de ve l ope d as t he c o n c r e t e
g r a d u a l l y cool ed and dur i ng i mp o u n d me n t of t i l e r es er voi r . On t he o t h e r ha nd, however , no cr acks were d e t e c t e d i n
ot he r a r e a s wher e t hey coul d have a p p e a r e d [4]. De s pi t e t he f act t i t a t t h e j oi nt s - c r a c ks wer e not gr out e d, t h e y di d
not p l a y a negat i ve rol e. a nd t i l e Pu d i n g Da m is f unct i oni ng n o r ma l l y as a r e gul a r a r c h s t r u c t u r e [9].
Th e pos i t i ve e xpe r i e nc e ga i ne d wi t h c o n s t r u c t k m of t he P u d i n g ar ch d a m has o p e n e d pr os pe c t s for use of
r ol l er - compact exl concr et e i n o t h e r ar ch d a ms , i ncl udi ng t hose wi t h a he i ght t o 100 me t e r s . I n Chi na. for e x a mp l e ,
p l a c e me n t of r ol l e r - c ompa c t e d c onc r e t e i n t i l e 132- met er Sha pa i a r c h d a m wi t h a r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d - c o n c r e t e v o l u me
of 3!)3.()(10 m a was begun i n 1998.
F()vr~m~io'r~, qf Da m Fa, ces. For t he ma j o r i t y of d a ms wher e r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c o n c r e t e is empl oyed, t he e x t e r n a l
faces a r e t br med by pl a c i ng c onve nt i ona l v i b r a t e d c onc r e t e ne a r t i l e f or mwor k. ( ) t i l e r me t h o d s used t o f or m t he
u p s t r e a m a nd downs t r e a nl f aces a nd s pi l l wa ys ill tRCC d a ms a r e al so k n o wn at t i l e s a me t i i ne. The p r o p o r t i o n of
t hos e ( l ar es wher e 100% of t he s t r u c t m' e cons i s t s of r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e , t he p l a c e me n t of whi ch i nc l ude s t i l e
t or nr ot ( , behi nd t he fi )rmwork on t i l e u p s t r e a m a nd d o wn s t r e a m faces, ha s i ncr eas ed i n r e c e nt year s. Thi s is e s pe c i a l l y
m) t i ccal He in Spani s h da ms . whe r e t he use of a hi gh bi nde r c ont e nt ma ke s i t pos s i bl e t o o b t a i n good r es ul t s .
St e p p e d thces b o t h on t i l e l ower b u h v a r k a nd s pi l l ways a r e r a t h e r p o p u l a r a nd ha ve been used ill 37~X~ of t he
d( ~uus t r c a m faces and 35(~, of t i l e st ) i l hvays. For t i l e d o wn s t r e a m f aces, s t e ps otti~r a nd n u mb e r of a dwmt a ge s , si nce
t hey ar~' easi er t o form t ha n al l i ncl i ned face: i t is eas i er t o bui l d s pi l hva ys wi t h s t e ps i n t he upl ) cr sect i on, whe n i t
is ad< h,~l t at er as a s e p a r a t e s t r u c t u r e ; s t e ps c r e a t e a c ha r a c t e r i s t i c f e a t m' e t h a t is p l e a s i n g t o t he eye, a n d offer e a s y
a c c e s s i hi l i t y for per k) di e i ns pe c t i ons of t i l e d a m. A ma j o r a dva ut a ge , whi ch deal s wi t h e n e r g y di s s i pa t i on a t r e l a t i ve
low lh~w r at es over t he s ur f ace ar ea, is of f er ed hy such a spi l l way. Wh e n t he di s c ha r ge d fl ow is less t h a n 25 m3 / s e c
per r u l mi n g met er , use of s t e ps ma ke s i t pos s i bl e t o c o n s t r u c t a t oe ba s i n of s ma l l e r di me ns i ons , at t d in t hi s ma n n e r ,
t o g e n e r a t e a si gni f i cant s a vi ng of r es our ces [3].
251
TABLE 4. Cohe s i on ( MPa) al ong .Joints i n Rol l e r - Compa c -
t ed Conc r e t e (9{}-Day Concr et e) [81
Cement cont ent , kg/ m :~ 70 i 00 t25
Joint "' mat uri t y. " 125(7 - h 0.55 0.95 1. i
Same, 325C - h 0. l 0.85 1.15
Same, 600C , h 0.35 0,70 1.0
Same with set retarder. 1. 05 1.75 2.3
~ 0 0 C - h
Same with underlying layer. 1.3 2.i 2.7
1200 C - h
One of t he latest i nnovat i ons is a gr out - enr i ched vi br at ed r ol l e r - c ompa c t e d concr et e ( GEVR [9]), whi ch was
first used i n t he cons t r uct i on of t he J i a n g y a Dar n in Chi na (128 m hi gh, vol ume of 1,060,000 m3). I n actuality, it has
been pr opos e d t o i nt r oduce a cement gr out t o a n RCC t ype of concr et e mi x for GEVR c onc r e t e prior to and af t er
its pl acement so t hat it is r ender ed s ui t abl e for use of i nt er nal (deep) vi br a t or s . Thus, modi f i ed r ol l er - compact ed
concr et e is beeonfi ng an effect i ve mat er i al ~br placeme~lt in t he vi ci ni t y of f or mwor k in t he u p s t r e a m and downs t r e a m
faces, or near tile abut ment s of t he d a ms t owa r d t he fl anks. I n t he l a t t e r case, t he g r o u t is di st r i but ed on t he
a but me nt , and t he r ol l er - compact ed concr et e is t hen pl aced. On t he whol e, t he concr et e mi x is worked by deep
vi br at or al ong t he abut ment . Th e pr i nci pal a dva nt a ge of GE VR c onc r e t e is t h a t t her e is no need to t r a ns por t a
concr et e mi x of plastic consi st ency, whi ch ma y become segr egat ed, and onl y t h e gr out need be delivered. The l at t er
can be t r a ns por t e d in a mi xer, or t r ans f er r ed b y pump. Use of GE VR c onc r e t e is a pr omi s i ng soht t i on, since i t is
possible t o s i mpl i ~ t he pr ocedur e used t o pl ace t he r ol l er - compact ed concr et e.
Treatment of Surface of Horizontal Joints Between Layers and Their Quality. Sur f ace t r eat ment of t he
j oi nt s bet ween layers of r ol l er - compact ed c onc r e t e r emai ns a uni que p r o b l e m i n whi ch no t r e n d can be t r aced i n
t he c ons t r uc t i on of RCC dams. The degr ee of t r e a t me nt f l uct uat es f r om i t s t ot a l absence t o use of freshly t r i mme d
( " gr een- cut " ) j oi nt s a n d / o r t hei r coat i ng by an u n d e r t , mg l ayer of g r o u t (as in RCD s t r uc t ur e s ) . The l i nfi t i ng
" ma t ur i t y" of t he j oi nt s, or t he t i me t o t he s t a r t of their t r e a t me nt , wi t h t he el apse of whi ch t he sur f t ce is cl eaned,
a n d / o r t he under l yi ng l ayer s houl d be pl aced, ar e speci al l y i ndi cat ed for c e r t a i n dams. Th e l i mi t i ng " ma t u r i t y "
f l uct uat es f r om 200 t o 700C h or f r ont 6 t o 24 h at a t e mpe r a t ur e of t he or de r of 30C [3]. "With ot her condi t i ons
equal, it is obvi ous t hat a mor e easi l y pl aced concr et e will ensur e a b e t t e r i nt er l ayer b o n d t h a n a concret e t h a t is
mor e difl=icult t o plac, e.
I t has been de mons t r a t e d t h a t cer t ai n s ur f a c e - t r e a t me nt meas ur es ma y act ual l y r e duc e t he negat i ve effect of
j oi nt s. Accor di ng to Schr ader [8], j oi nt " ma t u r i t y " and use of an unde r l yi ng l ayer or a concr et e composi t i on wi t h t he
addi t i on of a set r et ar der exer t s a mar ked i nf l uence on t he cohesi on al ong t he j oi nt s (Tabl e 4).
Accor di ng t o t hese dat a, t he a ddi t i on of a set r et ar der and use o f a n under l yi ng l ayer i ncr eases cohesi on by a
f act or of t wo- t hr ee, but here, t he coeffi ci ent of f r i ct i on is vi r t ual l y u n c h a n g e d a nd r emai ns equal t o uni t y on aver age.
I t is also possi bl e t o make not e of t he pos i t i ve rol e pl ayed by an i ncr eas e i n cement c ons umpt i on. Schr ader [8]
i ndi cat es t h a t i n addi t i on t o t hese f act or s, o t h e r ci r cums t ances al so exer t a n i nf l uence on t he qua l i t y of t he hor i zont al
join~,s in r ol l er - compact ed concr et e: a ggr e ga t e s egr egat i on on t he s ur f ace o f t he j oi nt , pr e c i pi t a t i on in t he f or m o f
rainfall, t he wetness, densi t y, and r oughnes s o f t he surface, t he means by whi ch t he concr et e mi x is delivered, et c. A
poi nt s ys t e m of evahl at i ng j oi nt qual i t y, a c c or di ng t o whi ch five convent i onal eval uat i ons ar e s et f or t h for j oi nt qua l i t y
as a f unct i on of a j oi nt - qual i t y i ndex equal t o t he s um of t he poi nt s def i ned for ei ght gr oups of effective fact ors, has
been pr opos e d in this connect i on. Mor eover , cor r ect i on f act or s for t he des i gn s t r e ngt h of t he concret e, whi ch t a ke
i nt o a c c ount t he different effect of j oi nt qua l i t y on t he coni pressi ve at t d t ensi l e s t r engt hs , cohesi on, and coefficient of
friction, ar e i nt r oduced as a f unct i on of t he j oi nt - qual i t y i ndex. Thes e c or r e c t i on f act or s ar e di f f er ent for two var i et i es
of r ol l er - compact ed concr et e (Tabl e 5).
Accor di ng t o our exper i ment s on cor es r emoved fronl t he b o d y of t he Ka p a n d a Da m, a pr onomi ced i ncr eas e
ill tlle shear s t r engt h of t he j oi nt s is obs er ved wi t h ;-tit under l yi ng layer: a n i ncr eas e of f r om 0. 33 t o 1.(}6 an(l fl' om 1.0
t o 1.23 MP a in t he cohesi on att(l coef f Ment of fri ct i on, r espect i vel y [6]. Th e r e ar e al so d a t a i ndi cat i ng t hat nei t her
cl eani ng of t he sm' face, nor under l yi ng l ayer s i nl pr ove t he i ul per nl eabi l i t y of t he concr et e pl aceni ent [3].
Placeability of Concrete ll~i:c. An i ncr eas e i n t he pl aceabi l i t y of t he cot i cr et e mix, whi ch is usual l y de t e r mi ne d
by tile VeBe i net hod or in accor dance wiU1 t he VC me t hod of t est i ng, equi val ent t o t he J a pa ne s e s t andar d, r epr esent s
a general t r e nd for r ol l er - compact ed concr et es. I n t he niid-1980s, pl aceabi l i t y c or r e s pondi ng t o a shuni~ t i me of f i ' om
a ppr oxi ma t e l y 30 t o 35 see was t he gener al t r e nd for r ol l er - compact ed concr et es . Mor e mo d e r n r ol l er - compact ed
concr et es now have a pl aceabi l i t y c or r e s pondi ng t o a slutllp t i me of a p p r o x i ma t e l y 15 see [ 1 3 1 .
252
T ABL E 5. Co r r e c t i o n Fact or s for De s i g n St r e ngt h of Year - ol d Ro l l e r - Co mp a c t e d Conc r e t e as
Fu n c t i o n of . l o i n t - Qu a l i t y I ndex [8]
Eval uat i on of
j oi nt qual i t y
Type of rol l er-eompact ed concr et e
Very poor
LJ QI < - 6
Joi nt - qual i t y Lean wi t h no underlying layer Lean wi t h under l yi ng layer or wi t h
i ndex ( LJQ[ ) r et ar der and no l mderl yi ng layer
(' ompressi on, coet - (' ohesio,l. tension ( ' ompr es s i on. coe]- (' ohesi on. t ensi on
ficient o[ [ri ct i on ficient of tYiction
Excel l ent 3 1.03 1.1 1.03 I. [
L.JQI > l 2 1.02 1.07 1.02 1.07
1 1.01 1.04 1.01 [. 04
Good 0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
- 1 0.99 0.95 0.99 0.97
Sat i s f act or y - 2 0.98 0.9 0.98 0.92
- 3 0.96 0.84 0.97 0.87
- , 4 0.94 0.76 0.95 0.8
Poor - 5 0.91 0.67 0.93 0.75
- 6 0.88 0.56 0.9 0.7
- 8 0.8 0.32 0.83 0.57
-- [0 0.7 0. l 0.75 0.-12
La~ler Thickness. Di s r e ga r di ng RCD d a ms , whi ch have t hi cker l ayer s of f r om 500 t o 1000 mm. t i l e o p t i ma l
l a ye r t h i c k n e s s is 300 mm i n t he ma j or i t y of o t h e r dams ~brnLed f r om r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e ( a p p r o x i ma t e l y
70%) . I n t i l e r e ma i ni ng d a ms , t i l e l ayer t hi cknes s f l uct uat es bet ween 250 ( t he ma j o r i t y of d a ms in t i l e Sou~h Af r i c a n
Re p u b l i c ) a n d 400 r am. Al l d a ms compl et ed i n 1993 had a l ayer t hi ckness of 300 r a m, wi t h t he e xc e pt i on of t he 1-{CD
(l &nl s.
Select'ior~, of Basic Para'm, eter'.s of Roller- Co're, patted Concrete. Ba s e d on a n a l y s i s of t i l e s t a t e of t he a r t a n d
t r e n d s i n d a m c o n s t r u c t i o n us i ng r o l l e r < o mp a c t e d concr et e, t he f ol l owi ng p a r a me t e r s a nd a ppr oa c he s , whi c h a r e
r e c o mme n d e d as an o p t i ma l a l t e r n a t e scheme i n c e r t a i n publ i c a t i ons [3], c a n be t e r me d mos t wi des pr ead:
t h e p r i o r i t y is t o de l i ve r qual i t y a nd c o n s t r u c t i o ~ r at e, and t o a l esser de gr e e , t o r e duc e cost ;
a b i n d e r c ont e nt r a n g i n g from 150 t o 225 kg/ m' ~:
a ma j o r p a r t of t he b i n d e r (from 50 t o 75%) is l ow-al kal i fty ash ( or o t h e r pozzuol am~) :
t h e c onc r e t e nf i x b e i n g r ol l ed shoul d ha ve a pl a c e a bi l i t y c or r e s pondi ng t o a s l u mp t i me of t he or de r of 15-25
sec on t h e VeBe i ns t r mne nt ;
t h e f aces ar e f o r me d by pl aci ng c o n v e n t i o n a l v i b r a t e d concr et e b e h i n d f or ms , a l t h o u g h r ecent l y, r ol l er -
c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e has b e e n pl a c e d all t he mo r e f r equent l y di r e c t l y be hi nd f or ms wi t h o u t cover concr et e:
i f t h e speci fi c fl ow r a t e on t he s pi l l way is l ess t ha n 25 m3 / s e c / m, t he s p i l l wa y f ace c a n be s t e ppe d:
i t is be s t t o i nst Mi t h r o u g h t r ans ver s e t e mp e r a t u r e - s h r i n k a g e j oi nt s s p a c e d 20 t o 45 m on cent er s:
t h e l ayer t hi cknes s a f t e r c ompa c t i on is, as a rul e, 30 cm: and,
t h e me t h o d of t r e a t i n g t he surface b e t we e n l ayer s of concr et e is s e l e c t e d as a f unc t i on of t he r e qui r e d q u a l i t y
of c o n c r e t e pl a c e me nt ; i t ma y f l uct uat e fi ' om a t o t a l absence of t r e a t me n t t o t he p l a c e me n t of an unde r l yi ng l ayer .
Concl'usions
An a l y s i s of a h n o s t 20 year s of e xpe r i e nc e wi t h t he use of r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d c onc r e t e i n d a m c o n s t r u c t i o n
e n a b l e s us t o concl ude t h a t i n desi gni ng a c o n c r e t e d a m f br med fl' om r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d concr et e, i t is al ways pos s i bl e
t o c a l c u l a t e for t he s e l e c t i on of opt i ma l s ohl t i ons , at l east f'ron~ a n u mb e r of s o l u t i o n s t h a t have been p r o v e n fbr
o t h e r d a ms . Ex p o s e d t r e n d s a n d t he most wi d e s p r e a d condi t i ons for use of r o l l e r - c o mp a c t e d concr et e, i nc l udi ng t he
p r o c e d u r a l e l e me nt s of i t s p l a c e me n t , r equi r e t h e i r own a( [ j us t ment and a d a p t a t i o n i n each des i gn i n c onf or nl i t y wi t h
t i l e s peci f i c c i r c mns t a nc e s of t h e pr oj ect . De s p i t e t he pr e domi na nc e of t he s e t r e n d s , t he y s houl d be r et br r ed t o as
c r i t i c a l , s i nc e d a ms f or med f r om r ol l e r - c ompa c t e d concr et e ar e t mi que an(l s h o u l d r e s p o n d t o sI)ecific c ondi t i ons , mi d
t he s e l e c t i o n of di f f er ent s o l u t i o n s shoul d c o r r e s p o n d t o t echni cal r e qui r e me nt s of t he des i gn. Th e mos t p r e v a l e n t
c o n d i t i o n s unde r whi ch r ol l e r - c omi ) a c t c d c o n c r e t e is used in danl s s houl d not t h e r e f o r e be c ons i de r e d uni ve r s a l ;
l nor e ove r , ni nny ot he r a l t e r n a t e schemes of s t r u c t u r a l and i ) r ocedur al s oht t i ons a r e al s o a p p r o v e d in a c t ua l p r a c t i c e .
Ti l e mo d e r n p r a c t i c e of c ons t r uc t i ng d a ms f r ont r ol l e r - c ompa c t e d c o n c r e t e ha s a c c u n ml a t e d a whol e a r s e n a l of
p r o v e n s ohl t i ons , whi ch o p e n b r o a d pos s i bi l i t i es a n d pr os pect s t br t he des i gn a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n of r el i abl e s t r u c t u r e s .
At t i l e s a me t i me, i t is not e x c l u d e d t hat in a s peci f i c case, s ome cont r over s i al mo me n t s i na y ar i s e whe r e t he p l a c e l n e n t
of c o n c r e t e ill t es t blo(' lcs p r i o r t o t he s t a r t of c o n c r e t i n g for t he d a m will be r e q u i r e d for i t s s ol ut i on.
253
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254