{"id":2824,"date":"2024-12-28T00:12:46","date_gmt":"2024-12-28T00:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prairieprod.vcnastaging.com\/?p=2824"},"modified":"2024-12-28T00:13:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T00:13:16","slug":"smooth-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/smooth-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"Smooth ride"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Long favored by industrial builders as a super-tough surface for access lanes and truck parking areas, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) may soon be the #1 choice for low-speed surfaces of all kinds.<\/p>\n<p>A new finishing agent tested last year in 4 states has captured the attention of municipal and commercial road builders. Known as\u00a0<strong>RCC Surface Pro\u2122\u00a0<\/strong>, this spray-on solution works with power troweling to smooth and strengthen RCC\u2019s top surface, virtually eliminating the need for asphalt topping.<\/p>\n<h2>How it works<\/h2>\n<p>Developed by\u00a0<strong>Solomon Colors, Inc.\u00a0<\/strong>, RCC Surface Pro uses breakthrough technology specifically designed for RCC. The product is made with proprietary silica technology on a nanoscale smaller than silica fume.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe special formula reacts with cement and lime in the RCC mixture to promote rapid hardening and binding without affecting the water\/cement ratio,\u201d explains\u00a0<strong>John Anderson\u00a0<\/strong>, director of business development for Solomon Colors.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"RCC Surface Pro at Resurection Cemetary\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/110828597?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u200b\u200b\u200bRoller Compacted Concrete (treated with RCC Surface Pro, power trowelled, and broom finished) being installed as a road surface at the Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Chicago, IL.<\/p>\n<p>Placement methods are simple and straightforward. Crew members spray the formula onto the RCC surface immediately after the final roller pass. The surface is then power-troweled and broom-finished, giving it the same appearance as standard concrete.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cColor can be added to the formula to create red, brown or black tones in the finished surface,\u201d Anderson adds.<\/p>\n<p>The new method also helps contractors finish jobs faster. In most cases, pavements can be reopened to traffic as soon as the wax curing compound dries, usually within 24 hours of placement.<\/p>\n<h2>Tests reveal toughness<\/h2>\n<p>The idea of using RCC as a final riding surface has widespread appeal, notes Anderson. Still, the engineering community has expressed doubts about durability, especially since RCC has no air entrainment. To address these concerns, Solomon teamed up with Prairie RCC champion\u00a0<strong>Theron Tobolski\u00a0<\/strong>to gather proof.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe took 4 live samples of treated and untreated RCC from a 2014 road placement in Cook County, Illinois,\u201d Anderson says. The samples, each measuring 3\u2019 x 3\u2019, went to\u00a0<strong>Nelson Testing\u00a0<\/strong>of Schaumburg, Illinois, where experts performed ASTM tests on freeze-thaw durability, salt surface scaling, chloride penetration and abrasion resistance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe results were phenomenal,\u201d Anderson reports. \u201cAfter 300 freeze-thaw cycles, the treated surface increased in freeze-thaw durability by 15% more than the untreated RCC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On salt penetration, the troweled surface had an 85% improvement over unfinished RCC. Abrasion resistance showed a 48% improvement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis shows that surfaces densified with RCC Surface Pro won\u2019t wear away. In fact, they are essentially high-performance concrete that delivers the equivalent of 6,500 psi at the surface,\u201d Anderson says.<\/p>\n<h2>Chicago-area cemeteries try it out<\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>In Cook County, Illinois, engineering firm\u00a0<strong>Ament Design\u00a0<\/strong>has tapped the new approach in its work with\u00a0<strong>Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago,\u00a0<\/strong>which oversees some 45 cemeteries in and around the city.<\/p>\n<p>Last spring, Tobolski and the Prairie team partnered with\u00a0<strong>J &amp; R 1st in Asphalt\u00a0<\/strong>of Hickory Hills to present RCC as a pavement option to Ament Design engineers and officials from Catholic Cemeteries. After a successful demo placement at Prairie Yard 8 near O\u2019Hare Airport, J &amp; R crews used RCC to construct new roads at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, Illinois.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2825\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-cemetary-300x112.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-cemetary-300x112.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-cemetary-18x7.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-cemetary.jpg 646w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u200b \u200b\u200b\u200b\u201cThese were country-lane style roadways with no curbs. We placed a 5-inch lift of RCC which was topped with 2 inches of asphalt,\u201d says\u00a0<strong>Carmen Arvia,\u00a0<\/strong>the project engineer for Ament Design.<\/p>\n<p>The job helped J &amp; R workers get comfortable with RCC. \u201cThen, after seeing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/en-us\/Pages\/Media%20Center\/News\/Smooth-ride.aspx\/#rcc-placement\">the video\u00a0<\/a>of RCC Surface Pro being used with power-troweling, we were ready to experiment with that approach,&#8221; says Arvia. \u201cOne of the unknowns was whether use of a standard asphalt paver would achieve the same results as the projects where what we would consider a high-density paver was used.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Test job in the maintenance yard<\/h2>\n<p>Crumbling asphalt in the maintenance yard at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles, Illinois provided the perfect test site for the troweled surfaces. \u201cWe had 55,000 square feet of paving that had been damaged by heavy truck and maintenance equipment traffic,\u201d Arvia explains.<\/p>\n<p>Other contractors and owners came to watch the power-troweled placement, hoping to learn more about the method. Concrete contractor\u00a0<strong>R. Olson\u00a0<\/strong>provided a power trowel and experienced finisher to help with the work. Representatives from local\u00a0<strong>School District 15\u00a0<\/strong>and the\u00a0<strong>Illinois Tollway\u00a0<\/strong>were on hand to observe.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2826 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-surface-pro-worldwide-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"303\" height=\"461\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-surface-pro-worldwide-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-surface-pro-worldwide-8x12.jpg 8w, https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/12\/rcc-surface-pro-worldwide.jpg 264w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>J &amp; R workers and Catholic Cemeteries were surprised to find how well the treated surface took to the power trowel, Arvia says. \u201cEveryone remarked on the final appearance &#8212; it really looks like traditional, broom-finished concrete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Solomon colors had only planned to do a 50\u2019 x 70\u2019 test section, but the results were so remarkable that Catholic Cemeteries gave on-site approval to use the finish for the entire project.<\/p>\n<p>The remaining 40,000-square-foot job took 2 days to complete, followed by 3 days of curing time with a wax-based curing compound for extra strength before the heavy duty maintenance equipment was allowed on the pavement.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2014, Catholic Cemeteries began construction on the next power-trowel job at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, This time, new roads were built with a single 6-inch layer of RCC, with 90% of the 27,300-square-foot job placed in one day.<\/p>\n<p>This year J &amp; R plans to construct more roadways at St. Casimir\u2019s Cemetery on Chicago\u2019s South Side, experimenting with adding a dark grey pigment to RCC Surface Pro so the new lanes will closely resemble existing asphalt surfaces.<\/p>\n<p>Long-term cost advantages<\/p>\n<p>Arvia reports that Catholic Cemeteries saw tear-out and replacement costs about 10% higher with power-troweled RCC than with traditional asphalt, adding that this was easily outweighed by the 20-to-30 percent maintenance savings expected over the long term.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNew construction costs were actually a wash, since they were able to use a slightly thinner stone base than traditional excavation without the added cost of asphalt overlays for aesthetics,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll in all, RCC finished with RCC Surface Pro may add 30 cents per square foot to any RCC project, but the added durability and reduced construction time is well worth it,\u201d says Arvia.<\/p>\n<h2>A worldwide solution?<\/h2>\n<p>Solomon officials expect to see even wider use of RCC Surface Pro as paving contractors seek better alternatives for their customers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe formula and placement techniques were tested extensively in Ohio, Texas, Georgia and Illinois last year, and right now we\u2019re seeing some real interest from European companies as well,\u201d Solomon\u2019s Anderson says.<\/p>\n<p>In the U.S., big box stores are looking at it for drive lanes and parking lots, he adds. And the $2-billion Echowater Recovery Project near Sacramento, California will create a 96-acre water basin, constructed entirely of Surface Pro trowel-finished RCC. \u201cThat should really put the technique on the map,&#8221; says Anderson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the single greatest innovation in roller compacted concrete I have seen,\u201d says Prairie\u2019s Tobolski. \u201cIt allows smaller contractors to compete with larger contractors for thin asphalt type projects like fast food parking lots and drive throughs. And owners will benefit from the strength and durability of concrete at asphalt costs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Here in the Midwest, Prairie Material is proud to partner with Solomon Colors to offer this breakthrough technology for low-speed roads, parking lots, road shoulders, commercial driveways and many other applications. To learn more, talk with your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/contact-us\/\">Prairie sales representative<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Long favored by industrial builders as a super-tough surface for access lanes and truck parking areas, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) may soon be the #1 choice for low-speed surfaces of all kinds. A new finishing agent tested last year in 4 states has captured the attention of municipal and commercial road builders. Known as\u00a0RCC Surface Pro\u2122\u00a0, [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prairie.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}