RCC Provides Lowest Cost, Greatest Performance for Davis Beverage

On October 22, 2010, Davis Beverage Group celebrated an unusual anniversary. The Davis staff was celebrating the first anniversary for their Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) parking area and warehouse apron that had just spent its first year proving the great durability of RCC on top of the tremendous cost savings it provided.

The Davis Beverage Group has been in existence for more than 43 years and services customers throughout Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. With its pavement areas being subjected to heavy loadings, and the asphalt in those areas in severe disrepair, the company chose to explore the possibility of replacing the asphalt with concrete. Enter Casilio Concrete and Livengood Excavating.

The team put together a package that included the placement of over 500 yards of RCC. RCC was selected because of its history of durability and economical placement costs. Those costs proved to be less than asphalt on an initial basis. An inspection of the existing pavement revealed a 5” section of asphalt and 6” of crushed aggregate base. As noted earlier, the entire asphalt pavement area was replaced with 5” of RCC. About half of the 6” aggregate base was removed and replaced. The remaining base material was rolled and left in place. The entire parking area and apron were paved in two days.

A recent visit to the project revealed that the RCC shows little sign of wear, and that the area withstood last year’s severe winter very well. Everyone involved with the project is pleased with the results and their decision to select RCC. To learn more about RCC, contact Ken Crank or Bruce Cody.

RCC Provides Many Benefits to Flat Surface Applications

Roller Compacted Concrete has the strength and performance of conventional concrete with the economy and simplicity of asphalt. It has the same basic ingredients as conventional concrete but it’s a drier mix, which creates a stiff texture, able to be compacted by rollers. Generally, RCC is constructed without joints. It doesn’t need forms or finishing, and it doesn’t require dowels or steel reinforcing during the application.

RCC is typically used for industrial applications or heavy-duty pavement due to its strength and durability. The high strength of RCC pavements eliminates common and costly problems traditionally associated with asphalt pavements. Problems such as rutting, deforming under heavy, concentrated loads, deteriorating from spills of fuels and hydraulic fluids, and softening under high temperatures are not issues when using RRC pavements.

With Roller Compacted Concrete, it’s all about performance. It has the strength to withstand heavy and specialized loads, the durability in severe climates and the versatility to take on a wide variety of paving applications. For flat surface applications, RCC is an option worth considering. To learn more about RCC contact Ken Crank or Bruce Cody.

Liberty Property Trust Finds Solution in Pervious Roller Compacted Concrete

When the executives of Liberty Property Trust decided to build a distribution center on a piece of property that they owned in Lewisberry, Pa, they knew just who to call—Hanover-based Conewago Enterprises, who had recently built the 705,000 sq. ft. building next door. “We have experience in tilt-up design, which is what they wanted for the project,” explains Don Smith, president of the design/build and general construction contractor.

The choice of contractor turned out to be a smart decision for Liberty Property Trust. Using four different concrete construction techniques, Conewago was able, not only to construct the distribution center that its client wanted, but also to make use of some valuable land that would have otherwise been unavailable because of water quality restrictions. Read more.

Ask the Expert?

Question: Our firm owns a distribution warehouse that includes an asphalt parking area and loading dock. The pavement is in bad shape and we would like to replace it with RCC. The engineering firm we are working with has referred to a Solar Reflectance Index (SRI). Does RCC have the same SRI as conventional concrete?

Answer: RCC is designed to handle heavy loads and is a perfect choice for your project. While not only providing superior durability, RCC also possesses the “green” qualities that are inherent in concrete.

Until recently, no testing had been performed to determine the Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of Roller Compacted Concrete pavements. However, a recent report prepared by CTLGroup, Skokie, Ill., shows that the SRI of RCC pavement is similar to SRI of conventional concrete. Both conventional concrete and RCC pavements provide high solar reflectance, which helps mitigate the urban heat island effects. The SRI of conventional concrete pavements decreases with age from about 38 when new to about 30 at ages beyond 10 years.

Although the data is limited and additional SRI evaluations of RCC pavements covering different regions of the country and different applications are needed, it is believed that the SRI of all new RCC pavements would meet the minimum of 29 needed to earn a point toward the sustainable sites credit of the LEED rating system.