Title: Properties of Roller Compacted Dam Concrete with Blended Cement Containing Slag

Author(s): Koji Sakai

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 141

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 165-182

Keywords: adiabatic conditions; blast furnace slag; compressive strength; consistency tests; consolidation; dams; mix proportioning; vibration; roller compacted concrete; slag cements; temperature rise (in concrete); tests; Materials Research

DOI: 10.14359/1196

Date: 12/1/1993

Abstract:
Recently, in Japan, application of the roller compacted dam concrete (RCD) method has increased in the construction of concrete gravity dams. The concrete for the RCD method (RCD concrete) features a very stiff consistency with low water content, which enables the use of a vibration roller for compaction. Most of the cement used so far for RCD concrete has used a combination of fly ash with moderate heat portland cement. However, the supply of high-quality fly ash for use in concrete has recently lessened in Japan. One admixture replacing fly ash is granulated blast furnace slag. In this study, properties of RCD concrete made with slag cement featuring blends of moderate heat portland cement and granulated blast furnace slag were examined. The effect of fineness of the individual slag cement components on compressive strength and adiabatic temperature rise were studied. The unit cement content in the concrete was 120 kg/m 3. The maximum size of the coarse aggregate was 150 mm. The results show that concrete with moderate low-heat slag cement can provide the same or better performance as fly ash cement concrete by employing a rational combination of fineness and slag content. Also, the advantages of slag cement at longer ages were confirmed. The results obtained in this study are now being applied to an actual dam construction.