OPTIMIZATION OF RCC MIXES USING EASTERN SAUDI MATERIALS

Asphalt pavements in some highways and expressways in Saudi Arabia hav e experienced a high level of wheel track rutting attributable to an i nterplay of several factors including the high ambient pavement temper ature, the high number of loaded trucks and the viscoelastic behavior of the asphalt pavement. One of the proposed solutions is to use rolle r-compacted concrete (RCC) pavements. A comprehensive and rational des ign of RCC mixes depends largely on the sources of materials and their properties, methods of preparation, placement, compaction, curing and , most importantly, the prevailing environmental conditions. In order to optimize mix design proportions for RCC pavements using indigenous eastern Saudi materials, this investigation was carried out to assess the effects of-water-to-cement ratio, coarse-to-fine aggregate ratio a nd total aggregate-to-cement ratio on rollability, density, and streng th of RCC using three compactive efforts. Results of this investigatio n were statistically analyzed to develop a regressive model capable of predicting the flexural strength of RCC mixes.