Cold Roller-Compacted Concrete for Roads and Hardstands on Army Installations in Cold Regions

Cold roller compacted concrete Cold-RCC is the result of merging the RCC paving technology with Cold Weather Admixture Systems CWAS technology. It extends the use of RCC paving beyond the traditional construction season. A laboratory investigation was conducted to produce a suitable Cold-RCC mixture capable of producing adequate strength at low temperature, have workability compatible with RCC pavers, and result in acceptable surface finishing. The 7-day average unconfined compressive strength of cylindrical Cold-RCC laboratory test specimens cured at a constant temperature of 23 deg F was 3,600 psi. The Cold-RCC mixture was used in a full-scale field demonstration at Ft. Drum, New York, where the ambient air temperature was 31 deg F at the time of placement. A 75 ft x 20 ft hardstand was constructed using the Cold-RCC mixture with standard RCC mixing and placing equipment and quality control procedures. The 7-day average unconfined compressive strength of the field mixture reached 4,400 psi when cured at 23 deg F in the laboratory. The feasibility of building RCC pavements for military hardstands in cold weather was demonstrated by a full-scale pavement test section that sustained truck traffic within a few hours of placement in an environment near the freezing point of water.