Performance of Roller Compacted Concrete Pavements in Spain

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) began to be used in Spain in 1984 on roads bearing heavy and medium traffic. Up to now more than 250 km of RCC pavements have been constructed. A significant portion is subjected to the combined effect of heavy traffic and servere temperature gradients. Joints are customarily created in RCC using different systems. An asphalt concrete wearing course has been placed to obtain an adequate surface evenness, and different measures have been adopted to avoid joint and crack reflection. This paper reports on the performance of the different stretches built according to these techniques. Joint spacing has been revealed as a determinant factor. Where joints were placed 10 to 15 ni apart, very important distresses, concerning both crack reflection and slab rocking, were noticed. Conversely, the performance of stretches where joints have been wet-formed every 2.5 to 3.5 m is excellent.