Volume 3 · Issue 6 (2026)
DOI number:
10.66521/2938-9933-2026063002
Construction Technologies for Roller-Compacted Concrete Dams: Development, Engineering Validation, and Future Trends
Zeyu Wang, Guangwen Guo, Ying Yu, Zhihua Cheng
China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430033, China
Abstract: Roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dams are widely used in hydropower and water conservancy projects because of their high construction efficiency and suitability for large-volume placement. With the continuous increase in dam height, placement intensity, and construction scale, modern RCC construction faces growing challenges related to workability stability, placement continuity, lift-joint quality, and temperature-induced cracking. Traditional experience-based control approaches are increasingly inadequate for projects that require both rapid construction and consistent quality performance. This paper reviews the development of RCC dam construction technologies from early exploratory applications to large-scale engineering practice and systematically summarizes key technologies from an engineering perspective, including Vebe-consistency-based workability control, high-efficiency delivery and placing systems, continuous lifting formwork technologies, and temperature control using embedded cooling water pipes. Representative engineering applications are used to demonstrate how these technologies function under practical construction constraints and how their coordinated implementation improves construction efficiency, structural integrity, and crack resistance. Finally, future development trends of RCC dam construction are discussed, with emphasis on green and low-carbon construction, material-structure compatibility, and the integration of digital and intelligent construction management.
Keywords: Roller-compacted concrete dams; Construction technology; Vebe consistency; Delivery and placing systems; Continuous lifting formwork; Cooling water pipes; Temperature control
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