The use of roller compacted concrete for agricultural applications
Loading...
Date
1995
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Roller compacted concrete (RCC) is concrete that has a very dry consistency. It is predominately made of coarse aggregate, and has just enough cement and water to bind the aggregates together. It was traditionally used as a fill material for large gravity dams, but its uses have become more widespread as the economic benefits are realised. More recently, RCC has been used in log-sorting areas, haul roads, warehouse floors, and arterial roads.
RCC is generally mixed in a pug mill or a central batch mixer and is transported to the construction site in dump trucks. At the site, it is placed with an asphalt spreader and compacted with a heavy roller. It is becoming common practise in western Canada to use RCC for pavements, but it has not yet been adopted in New Brunswick.
This report proposes a method of mixing RCC in-place using a conventional soil tiller. It is aimed towards reducing the cost of paving small areas on farms, such as feedlots, that would otherwise be impractical for a farmer to pave. A cost analysis was completed for a proposed test section at the University of New Brunswick which compares this method to conventional concrete pavement. From the analysis it appears that the cost of constructing the slab is much less using the RCC mix in-place method. If this method is proven successful, and cost efficient, it will have several benefits in the field of agriculture.