Finished phase of RCC at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Automakers have a love for roller-compacted concrete (RCC) pavements. Beginning with the General Motors Saturn Plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, constructed from 1988 to 1989, automakers have used RCC for its low cost, high construction speed, high strength and low maintenance in parking areas and access roads. Building on the success with Saturn, RCC pavements have been constructed for automobile manufacturing plants in Lincoln, Alabama (Honda), Vance, Alabama (Mercedes), Montgomery, Alabama (Hyundai), and LaGrange, Georgia (Kia). BMW joined the list by finishing over 200,000 square yards of RCC for an expansion at its Greer, South Carolina, plant. Also using RCC was Volkswagen at a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee
RCC placed with a high-density paver at Volkswagen
Placement of 4-inch and 8-inch RCC layers continued until October of 2010. Over 500,000 square yards was placed for use in parking areas and access roads for the plant itself and a training facility. Robert Smith, Inc. and Stein Construction placed the RCC with high-density pavers. Both companies were Chattanooga-based and experienced RCC contractors. The placement of the 4-inch RCC was the nation’s first large scale placement of such a modest thickness. The subbase for the RCC was graded aggregate or a cement-stabilized soil depending on in-situ soil conditions. In addition to placement of RCC within the plant site, the access road into the facility (Enterprise Drive) used nine inches of RCC with a 4.5-inch surface of asphalt. The RCC was placed by Highways, Inc. of Cookeville, Tennessee. All the RCC placed at Volkswagen was produced by Sequatchie Concrete Service.
The use of RCC has definitely found a home with automakers for its low cost, high construction speed, high strength and low maintenance in parking areas and access roads. Please refer to Automakers Drive Acceptance of Roller-Compacted Concrete for case studies on historical placement of RCC at auto production plants in the United States.
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