Construction in RDLC and some other RCCs permits an intensively
mechanized construction process, with concrete delivered by conveyor
belt and handled by standard earthmoving and compaction plant. Con-
struction joints, if considered necessary, may be sawn through each succes-
sive layer of concrete after placing. Experience in the design of RCC
dams, including the construction procedures employed, has been pub-
lished in Hansen (1985), and an overview of early US developments is
given in Dolen (1988).
The RCC approach is best suited to wide valleys, giving scope for
unobstructed ‘end-to-end’ continuous placing. The construction savings
realized are at a maximum for high-volume dams and arise from a 25–35%
reduction in construction time as well as from reduced unit costs for the
RCC. In its low-cost ‘geotechnical’ format (e.g. RDLC) RCC is particu-
larly suited to more remote sites where importation of cement and/or PFA
is difficult or expensive.
The characteristics of the major variants of RCC are compared with
those of a conventional hearting concrete in Table 3.11.
176 CONCRETE DAM ENGINEERING
Fig. 3.22 Illustrative first-generation roller-compacted concrete (RCC)
gravity dam profiles
