RCC dams - Advantages in economics and construction speed

"Economics and construction of speed play a significant role in the construction of the Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) dams. The concept of RCC involves placement of concrete in the dam on a continuous basis in layers of 300 mm compacted thickness. One of the purposes of evolving the method of construction of RCC dams was the use of fly ash generated from coal fired thermal plants, which had become a big environmental concern. The use of fly ash is helpful for combating alkali-silica reaction both in structural and mass concrete, while the replacement of cement by fly ash at Ghatghar project has been 60% by weight. Concrete adjoining upstream and downstream shuttering needs to produce a good surface finish and high permeability, which is achieved by producing Grout enriched Vibratable RCC (GEVR concrete). The curing of concrete on slopes is achieved by the use of wet hesian cloth of proper specifications, while curing of the lift area is done by a water spray operated intermittently."