PAVEMENTS

Thickness Design of a Roller-Compacted

Concrete Composite Pavement System

Many agencies continue to investigate ways of optimizing pavement Table 1. Material Properties and ESAL Characteristics
designs to save money while still providing a durable pavement
structure. One such structure that is gaining popularity is the use Layer Elastic Poisson’s Modulus of
of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) base with a hot-mix asphalt Modulus (ksi) Ratio Rupture (psi)
(HMA) overlay. The RCC provides the primary structural support with RCC 4000 0.15 650
HMA surfacing applied to improve ride quality. Such a pavement
HMA 500 0.35
structure has been referred to as a composite system. When dealing
with a composite pavement, one challenge is in determining the Aggregate
50 0.35
Base Course
structural contribution of the HMA overlay. The state of the practice
for most agencies in designing pavement structure layer thicknesses Low PI Clay 8 0.40
is through the use of the American Association of State Highway and ESAL Characteristics
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide for the Design of Pavement
Total Axle Load Radius of Loaded Tire Contact Distance between
Structures ('93 Guide). This methodology in essence utilizes a
(kips) Tire (inch) Pressure (psi) Dual Tires (inch)
Structural Number needed and structural layer coefficients associated
with certain pavement materials to determine the pavement thickness 18 3.78 100 12.0
necessary to support a selected equivalent single axle load (ESAL).
RCC is not addressed as a pavement material in the '93 Guide. To illustrate the procedure, the following examples are provided.
Material properties and loading conditions used in the examples are
RCC-Pave, a pavement design software program developed by the given in Table 1. Utilizing layered elastic analysis, the critical stress
Portland Cement Association (PCA) is widely used in determining the and strains were determined for various pavement configurations
thickness of RCC pavements. However, the program makes no provision and the results plotted in a set of graphs (Figures 1 through 4).
for an HMA overlay. By using layer elastic theory and performance For these examples, a low plasticity index (PI) clay subgrade with a
models developed by the PCA and the Asphalt Institute, the structural 6.0-inch aggregate base course, and a low PI clay foundation with
contribution of an HMA overlay with a RCC base can be determined. no base course were two of the structures considered.

0.4 10

0.35 9
8
0.3
7
ESALS (millions)

ESALS (millions)

0.25 6 4.0” RCC

0.2 5 4.5” RCC
4.0” RCC 5.0” RCC
4.5” RCC 4 5.5” RCC
0.15
5.0” RCC 3 6.0” RCC
0.1 6.5” RCC
2
0.05 1

0 0
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
Asphalt overlay (inch) Asphalt overlay (inch)

Figure 1. RCC with 6.0-inch aggregate base course Figure 2. RCC with 6.0-inch aggregate base course
and low PI clay subgrade and low PI clay subgrade

www.cement.org/pavements
 0.4 4.0

0.35 3.5

0.3 3.0

ESALS (millions)
ESALS (millions)

0.25 2.5
4.0” RCC
2.0 4.5” RCC
0.2 4.0” RCC
5.0” RCC
4.5” RCC
1.5 1.4” 5.5” RCC
0.15 5.0” RCC
overlay 6.0” RCC
5.5” RCC 2.5” 6.5” RCC
1.0
0.1 overlay
0.5
0.05
0
0 0 1 2 3 4
0 1 2 3 4 Asphalt overlay (inch)
Asphalt overlay (inch)

Figure 3. RCC with low PI clay foundation Figure 4. Equivalent sections of RCC with low PI clay foundation

Table 2. Traffic Scenarios Using Figure 4 and assuming a traffic loading of 700,000 ESAL, a
6.0-inch RCC pavement without an HMA overlay is equal to a 5.5-inch
Residential Layer Thickness ESAL Design RCC pavement with an approximately 1.4-inch HMA overlay. Also from
ESAL Traffic (inch) Life Figure 4, a 5.0-inch RCC pavement with an approximately 2.5-inch
HMA overlay is equal to the unsurfaced 6.0-inch RCC pavement.
RCC 4.5
4,100
Low PI Clay Infinite Finally, Table 2 gives various design options for traffic conditions
HMA 1.5 representative of three typical roadway classifications. These
Aggregate Base 6.0 5,100 examples show an HMA surface can provide some structural capacity
Low PI Clay Infinite in a RCC composite design. By utilizing the RCC-Pave software
program and layer elastic theory and performance models developed
HMA 1.5 by the PCA and the Asphalt Institute, a designer can equate
RCC 4.0 5,800 pavement sections of RCC with and without an HMA overlay.
Low PI Clay Infinite
It’s important to recognize that these examples are for illustration
Collector Layer Thickness ESAL Design
purposes only and should not be used for design. The figures
ESAL Traffic (inch) Life
generated are based on material properties and loading conditions
RCC 6.0 given in Table 1 and the curves in the figures will vary depending
795,000
Low PI Clay Infinite on changes in material properties and loading characteristics. In
addition, it is assumed a rut resistant asphalt layer will be used
HMA 6.75
and that ride quality will be acceptable upon application of the
Aggregate Base 6.0 810,000
calculated asphalt overlay.
Low PI Clay Infinite

HMA 1.5
RCC 5.5 860,000 More Information
Low PI Clay Infinite
PCA offers a broad range of resources on cement-based applications for
Minor Arterial Layer Thickness ESAL Design pavements. Visit our Web site at www.cement.org/pavements
ESAL Traffic (inch) Life for design and construction guidelines, technical support, and research
on conventional concrete, roller-compacted concrete, pervious concrete,
RCC 6.5
cement-modified soil, cement-treated base, and full-depth reclamation.
Aggregate Base 6.0 5.5 million
Low PI Clay Infinite For local support, tap into the cement industry’s network of regional
HMA 8.0 groups covering the United States. Contact information is available
Aggregate Base 10.0 5.8 million at www.cement.org/local.
Low PI Clay Infinite

HMA 1.5
RCC 6.0
6.0 million An organization of cement companies to improve and
Aggregate Base 6.0 extend the uses of portland cement and concrete
Low PI Clay Infinite through market development, engineering, research,
education, and public affairs work.

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PL633