Self-Consolidating Concrete—Applications for Slip-Form Paving: Phase I (Feasibility Study)

Disclaimer Notice The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Federal Highway Administration, Iowa Department of Transportation , or any other sponsor. The sponsors assume no liability for the contents or use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The sponsors do not endorse products or manufacturers. The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the information presented herein. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the contents or use of the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufactur-ers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.sion of the PCC Center is to advance the state of the art of portland cement concrete pavement technology. The center focuses on improving design, materials science, construction, and maintenance in order to produce a durable, cost-effective, sustainable pavement. Over-consolidation is often visible as longitudinal vibrator trails in the surface of concrete pavements constructed using slip-form paving. Concrete research and practice have shown that concrete material selection and mix design can be tailored to provide a good compaction without the need for vibration. However, a challenge in developing self-consolidating concrete for slip-form paving (SF SCC) is that the new SF SCC needs to possess not only excellent self-compactibility and stability before extrusion, but also sufficient " green " strength after extrusion, while the concrete is still in a plastic state. The SF SCC to be developed will not be as fluid as the conventional SCC, but it will (1) be workable enough for machine placement, (2) be self-compacting with minimum segregation, (3) hold shape after extrusion from a paver, and (4) have performance properties (strength and durability) compatible to current pavement concrete. The overall objective of this project is to develop a new type of SCC for slip-form paving to produce more workable concrete and smoother pavements, better consolidation of the plastic concrete, and higher rates of production. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of designing a new type of SF SCC …