B

lock, pipe, and precast plants

are w ell-accustom ed to the pro-
duction of no-slum p concrete in
the m anufacture of their prod-
ucts. O n occasion, the ready m ixed con-
crete supplier m ay be called upon to fur-
nish no-slum p concrete for sp ecial
applications. N o-slum p concrete can range
from a dense, closed graded m aterial to a
porous, open- or gap-graded m aterial. The
m ost com m on dense, closed graded m ateri-
al is roller-com pacted concrete (RCC). It
derives its nam e from the fact that it is
com pacted or consolidated by roller; sim i-
lar to those used in earthw ork and asphalt
construction. O n the other end of the spec-
trum of no-slum p concrete is open-graded,
porous, no-fines concrete w hich is fre-
quently referred to as pervious concrete.
Applications
Roller-com pacted concrete has been used
in slab and pavem ent construction and in
the m odification of w ater-retaining struc-
tures. RCC is a rapid m ethod of construc-
tion, and, therefore, usually requires a large
volum e of concrete in a short period of
tim e. W hile m any applications such as
dam s or large storage areas require on-site
plants w ith dedicated production, som e
projects are w ell-suited for no-slum p con-
crete produced by a ready m ix supplier.
These applications include the paving of
streets and parking lots and m inor m odifi-
cations to local earthen dam s to provide
overtopping or increase spillw ay capacity.
Pervious or popcornconcrete has seen
m ore w idespread use in parking lot pave-
m ents in Florida than in any other area be-
cause of governm ent regulations on storm
w ater retention. It has adequate strength to
resist dam age from traffic, but resistance of
pervious concrete, w hen saturated, to freeze-
thaw cycles is low . Therefore, it is usually
not recom m ended for use in severe expo-
sure conditions. H ow ever, it does have ex-
cellent free-draining and structural properties
that m ake it ideal for subbase pavem ents
even in very harsh clim ates. It is interesting
to note that no-fines concrete has been used
in Europe and Canada in load-bearing w alls
for single and m ultistory structures w here
Tips for
roller-
compacted
and
pervious
concrete
By Gary R.
Mass
Producing no-slump concrete
A
l
l

p
h
o
t
o
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

G
a
r
y

R
.

M
a
s
s
A common application for no-slum p concrete is for roller-com pacted concrete. Roller-com pacted concrete is typically used in the construc-
tion or rehabilitation of dam s. The spillw ay of the dam in the photo is being m odified.
econom y, higher insulative value, low er
shrinkage, and low er w eight provide advan-
tages over conventional concrete.
Mixtures
At present, the Am erican Concrete Insti-
tute standard ACI 211.3 does not specifical-
ly address the proportioning of either
roller-com pacted or pervious concrete. A
revision of this docum ent is under w ay and
w ill soon be published that w ill add proce-
dures for these specialized m aterials.
Roller-compacted concrete. A s w ith
conventional concrete, Abram s law applies
to RCC: As w ater-to-cem ent ratio increases,
strength decreases. For m ost RCC applica-
tions, the content of cem entitious m aterials
usually ranges from 6% to 17% correspond-
ing to approxim ately 200 to 600 pcy. The
m inim um cem ent content for pavem ent ap-
plication is around 10% in order to provide
sufficient paste for surface sm oothness.
The best m ethod for selecting the w ater
content of RCC m ixtures for sm all projects is
by the m oisture density relationship that is
used for determ ining optim um m oisture con-
tent and m axim um density of soil m ixtures.
Laboratory testing should be used to establish
these values based on the content of cem en-
titious m aterial and grading of the aggregate.
D uring actual production, the m oisture
content should be adjusted so that the m ix-
ture w ill support the w eight of the roller
during com paction. If a heavy, sm ooth
drum , vibratory com pactor is used, a slight
roll or pressure w ave of m aterial should be
seen in the front of the roller drum . If the
vibratory drum appears to ride on the sur-
face or jum p w ithout bringing up m ortar
for a surface seal, the m ixture is too dry.
W orking w ith the m aterial w ill soon estab-
lish the desired lim its for m oisture content.
W here the com pacted surface of the RCC
w ill be the finished surface of a pavem ent
and w here surface sm oothness and ride
quality are im portant, the nom inal m axi-
m um size of coarse aggregate should be
3
4
inch. ASTM C33 Size N o. 67 coarse aggre-
gate should be com bined w ith fine aggre-
gate to produce a total aggregate grading
w ithin the follow ing lim its:
Sieve size Percent passing
1 in. 100
3
4 in. 83-100
1
2 in. 72-93
3
8 in. 66-85
N o. 4 51-69
N o. 8 38-56
N o. 16 28-46
N o. 30 18-36
N o. 50 11-27
N o. 100 6-18
N o. 200 2-8
W here RCC pavem ent sm oothness is not
critical and in applications for hydraulic
structures, the nom inal m axim um size of
coarse aggregate can be as large as 1
1
2
inches. The 1
1
2-inch m ixture should contain
at least 52% to 56% w ell-graded coarse ag-
gregate by absolute volum e. The rem aining
volum e of the m ixture w ill then consist of
cem entitious m aterial, w ater, and fine ag-
gregate. If 1-inch nom inal m axim um size
aggregate is used, the content of coarse ag-
gregate should be 48% to 54% by absolute
volum e. Entrapped air in these m ixtures
usually ranges betw een 1% and 2% .
Chem ical adm ixtures such as air-entrain-
ing or w ater-reducing adm ixtures can be
used. Their effectiveness, how ever, in no-
slum p concrete m ixtures is questionable.
D espite a lack of properly entrained air,
RCC has perform ed very w ell in pavem ents
even in the severe clim ate of Canada. Re-
sistance appears to relate to the m ixture
proportions and com pacted density of this
m aterial. W ater-reducing adm ixtures are
com m only used in RCC m ixtures.
Pervious concrete. N o-slum p pervious
concrete m ixtures com m only use a single
coarse aggregate size consisting of A STM
C33 size N o. 8 (
3
8 inch to N o. 8), although
aggregate sizes N o. 7 and N o. 67 have been
used. This creates a void content in the
m ixture of 15% to 25% . The content of
Pervious concrete is
another form of no-
slum p concrete and it is
used in pavem ents to fa-
cilitate drainage.
coarse aggregate per cubic yard is
based on the dry rodded unit
w eight of the aggregate tim es 27 cu-
bic feet in a cubic yard. The cem ent
content is in the range of 400 to 600
pcy.
The w ater content of pervious
concrete is critical and is usually
confined to a narrow range. If the
w ater content is too low , a poor
paste-to-aggregate bond and loss of
strength occurs and it is difficult to
get the m aterials properly m ixed. If
the w ater content is too high, the
paste w ill not adhere to the aggre-
gate and w ill flow dow nw ard,
blinding the void structure and also
causing a loss in strength.
The correct w ater content gives
the m ixture a w et-m etallic appear-
ance, or sheen, w ith all coarse ag-
gregate particles coated w ith paste.
N orm ally, the w ater-to-cem ent ratio
of pervious concrete w ill range
from 0.35 to 0.45. The strength
properties of pervious concrete can
be im proved w ith the addition of
sm all am ounts of fine aggregate up
to about 20% by w eight of total ag-
gregate, but this w ill reduce the
perm eability of the m aterial. Som e
experim entation is recom m ended
to determ ine the appropriate m ix-
ture for a specific application.
Batching and mixing
The production of a w ell-m ixed,
no-slum p concrete requires special
attention. B lock and precast pro-
ducers are aw are of the difficulty in
producing a continuous supply of a
consistent and uniform m ixture and
usually em ploy specialized m ixing
equipm ent to m eet their specific
needs.
A s w ith any concrete, no-slum p
concrete m ixtures com ing out of
the plant w ill only be as uniform as
the m aterials entering the plant.
Therefore, the quality control of
m aterials should follow the norm al
recom m ended practices including
handling and storage to prevent
segregation or contam ination.
M ost roller-com pacted concrete is
produced in continuous pugm ill
m ixing plants or by central batching
and m ixing plants. For large projects,
the plant is generally located on-site
and has dedicated production as
m entioned. The prim ary reason for
having an on-site plant is the high
production necessary w ith the rapid
construction of RCC. H ow ever, this
does not exclude the use of ready
m ixed concrete w hen haul distance
is reasonable and adequate produc-
tion can be m aintained.
It is som etim es advantageous to
schedule such w ork at night to
avoid interference w ith norm al cus-
tom er dem ands. Central m ixing is
recom m ended over truck m ixing
because of the difficulty in m ixing
and discharge of no-slum p concrete
w ith truck m ixers. H ow ever, truck
m ixers have been used on at least
tw o projects, O coee N o. 2 D am in
Tennessee and the Rosebud D am
in South D akota.
At O coee N o. 2, em ergency w ork
w as needed to repair the existing
tim ber crib dam . The nearest con-
crete supplier w as approxim ately
40 m iles from the project. N o-slum p
concrete w as dry-batched into a
truck m ixer w hich m ixed the con-
crete at the plant. The truck m ixer
then discharged the m ixture into
end dum p trucks for transportation
to the site. Because of the distance
involved, close coordination of all
activities w as required.
Approxim ately 4,700 cubic yards
of RCC w as truck-m ixed for over-
topping protection on Rosebud
D am . A sm all test section w as used
to dem onstrate the feasibility of this
approach. The no-slum p concrete
w as p roduced in 8-cubic-yard
batches in trucks w ith m ixing ca-
pacities of 8
1
2 to 10
1
2 cubic yards. A
m inim um of 120 revolutions at m ix-
ing speed w as required. The truck
m ixers discharged onto a conveyor
w hich w as used to place this con-
crete. The peak production rate
w as 85 cubic yards per hour and
averaged approxim ately 70 cubic
yards per hour. The typical truck
discharge tim e w as eight m inutes
w hen the front axle w as elevated
on a ram p.
It is im portant to note that w hen
truck m ixing is used, special atten-
tion should be given to the m ixture
proportioning to assure that the no-
slum p concrete can be m ixed to the
necessary degree of uniform ity and
can be discharged at a reasonable
rate. Reference N o. 4 on propor-
tioning should be consulted w hen
truck-m ixed RCC is contem plated.
Pervious concrete can be pro-
duced by either a central m ixing
plant or truck m ixing w ithout m ajor
difficulty. Som e experim entation
m ay be required to determ ine the
am ount of w ater to be added to
truck m ixers, prior to batching oth-
er m aterials, to prevent head pack-
ing. The am ount of w ater appears
to be related to the rate at w hich
the trucks are charged. Faster
charging rates w ill usually require
m ore initial w ater in the drum .
R egardless of the m ethod of
batching or m ixing equip m ent
used, the m ost consistent no-slum p
concrete m ixture w ill be produced
w hen all m aterials are ribbon fed
into the m ixer during charging.
N orm al m ixing tim e appears to be
adequate. If it is questionable, rou-
tine m ixer perform ance tests can be
m ade to determ ine the m inim um
m ixing tim e.
Producers should be aw are that
no-slum p concrete tends to build
up on equipm ent faster than con-
ventional concrete, and m ore fre-
quent cleaning m ay be required.
Testing
B y definition, the aspect of no-
slum p concrete w hich separates it
from m ost other concrete w ork is
the m easurem ent of consistency.
A CI 211.3 is a procedure for pro-
portioning no-slum p concrete and
includes various test m ethods
w hich have been used to m easure
the consistency of no-slum p con-
crete m ixtures. In 1991, ASTM ap-
p roved and p ublished A ST M C
1170, Standard Test M ethods for
D eterm ining Consistency and D en-
sity of Roller-Com pacted Concrete
U sing a V ibrating Table,w hich
now provides a standard test for
m easuring the consistency of this
concrete. U nfortunately and unlike
the slum p test, ASTM C 1170 is not
suitable for field use because of the
equipm ent requirem ents.
O n large roller-com pacted con-
crete projects, w here a field labora-
tory can be justified, ASTM C 1170
is usually specified to m easure con-
sistency. H ow ever, on m ost sm aller
projects that are suited to ready
m ixed concrete, the producer and
user m ay have to rely on other
m ethods of m onitoring and m ain-
taining uniform ity in the consisten-
cy of concrete delivered to the
w ork. These m ethods include visual
appearance of the m aterial itself, vi-
sual appearance of the m aterial un-
der action of vibration, or the m ea-
surem ent of m oisture content of the
m aterial.
Com pressive strength specim ens
can be cast for both RCC m ixtures
and pervious concrete m ixtures us-
ing slightly m odified procedures
from those used w ith conventional
concrete. Steel m olds should be
used and the m aterial should be
com pacted in layers. C om pactive
effort should be applied to each
layer by m eans of a rigid steel plate
that just fits inside the m old and a
hand-held pneum atic or electric
tam per. Com pactive effort should
continue until each layer is consid-
ered w ell-com pacted. Excess m ater-
ial should be struck off, and the top
of the specim en finished as sm ooth
as possible. There is no standard
test m ethod for p rep aration of
strength specim ens of no-slum p
concrete m ixtures.
Gary R. Mass, P.E., is a concrete and
materials consultant affiliated with
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. in
Denver. He is also past chairman of
Committee 211, Proportioning Con-
crete; Committee 309, Consolidation of
Concrete; and Committee 304, Measur-
ing, Mixing, Transporting, and Placing
Concrete. He is also a member of ASTM
C 9, Concrete and Concrete Materials.
References
1 . AC I C o m m itte e 2 1 1 , Sta n d a rd
P ra ctice fo r Se le ctin g P ro p o rtio n s
fo r N o -Slu m p C o n cre te AC I 2 1 1 . 3 -
7 5 ) R e vise d 1 9 8 7 ) R e -a p p ro ve d
1 9 9 2 ) , Am e rica n C o n cre te I n sti-
tu te , D e tro it, 1 9 9 2 , 1 9 p p .
2 . AC I C o m m itte e 3 2 5 , Sta te -o f-
th e -Art R e p o rt o n R o lle r-C o m p a ct-
e d C o n cre te P a ve m e n ts AC I 3 2 5 -
1 0 R -9 5 ) , A m e ri c a n C o n c re t e
In stitu te , D e tro it, 1 9 9 5 , 3 2 p p .
3 . R C C N e w sle tte r, R o lle r-C o m -
p a cte d C o n cre te D e sig n a n d C o n -
stru ctio n , P o rtla n d C e m e n t Asso ci-
a tio n , Sko kie , V . 9 , N o . 2 , Win te r
1 9 9 3 , 4 p p .
4 . C a n n o n , R . W. , P ro p o rtio n in g
N o -Slu m p C o n cre te fo r E xp a n d e d
Ap p lica tio n s, Concret e Int erna-
t ional, V . 4 , N o . 8 , Au g u st, 1 9 8 2 ,
p p . 4 3 -4 7 .
5 . C o n stru ctio n o f P o rtla n d C e -
m e n t P e rvio u s P a ve m e n t, F lo rid a
C o n cre te a n d P ro d u cts A sso ci a -
tio n , P a vin g In fo rm a tio n B u lle tin ,
5 p p .
6 . M e in in g e r, R . C . , N o -F in e s P e rvi-
o u s C o n cre te fo r P a v i n g , Con-
crete International, V. 1 0 , N o . 8 ,
Au g u st 1 9 8 8 , p p . 2 0 -2 7 .
7 . M a lh o tra , V. M . , N o -F in e s C o n -
cre te I ts P ro p e rtie s a n d Ap p lica -
tio n s, ACI Journal, P ro ce e d in g s
V . 7 3 , N o . 1 1 , N o ve m b e r 1 9 7 6 ,
p p . 6 2 8 -6 4 4 .
PUBLICATION #J 960039
Copyright 1996, The Aberdeen Group, All rights reserved