PERVIOUS CONCRETE

WHAT IS PERVIOUS CONCRETE?

Pervious concrete is a zero-slump, open-graded material consisting of hydraulic cement, coarse aggregate, admixtures and water. Because pervious concrete contains little or no fine aggregates such as sand, it is sometimes referred to as no-fines concrete. When the cement and water are com ined, it forms a paste that inds the coarse aggregate together in a hardened product with connected pores that allow water to pass through easily. !he pores can range from "."# to ".$% inches &% to # mm', and the void content usually ranges from ()* to %)* with compressive strengths of +"" to +""" psi &%.# to %# ,Pa'. -owever, strengths of ."" psi to ()"" psa &%.# to (" ,Pa' are more common. ,any of the void spaces are interconnected, forming channels that let water and air pass through the pavement. !he draining rate of pervious concrete pavement will vary with aggregate size and density of the mixture, ut will generally fall within the range of % to (# gallons/minute/foot% &#( to 0$" liters/minute/m%'. !he density and flow rate depends on the properties and proportions of the materials used. !herefore, mix designs must ta1e into account the different aggregates used in each geographic locality.

PERVIOUS CONCRETE MIX DESIGN

2s mentioned a ove, pervious concrete uses the same materials as conventional concrete, except that there is usually little to no fine

aggregate. !he 3uality, proportions and mixing techni3ues affect many of the properties of pervious concrete, in particular the void structure and the strength. 4reshly mixed pervious should e plastic and capa le of eing shaped li1e modeling clay when s3ueezed y hand. 5t should hold its shape without slumping. 2ggregate !he size of the coarse aggregate used is 1ept fairly uniform in size &most common is size #6, or $/# inch' to minimize surface roughness and for a etter aesthetic. !he use of the pervious concrete will dictate the size of the aggregate used, and sizes can vary from 7-inch to 8inch &..$)mm-(%.0mm' in size. 2ggregate can e rounded li1e gravel or angular li1e crushed stone and still ma1e for a good mixture. !he decision a out the est aggregate for any pro9ect is usually a 9oint decision etween the producer and the contractor. Part of that decision-ma1ing process has to do with the compaction e3uipment, the availa ility of materials, the production capa ilities and economic concerns. 5t is good to remem er that rounded aggregate re3uires less compactive effort than angular aggregate, and can produce higher strength pervious concrete. Water Water that is pota le is generally fine for use in the mix. :oarse aggregate should e 1ept damp efore atching, especially if the weather is very hot with low humidity in order to ensure consistency and uniformity from atch to atch of plastic pervious concrete. 5f the aggregate is too dry efore eing mixed, the mixture will not place or compact well. But excess free water on aggregates contri utes to the overall mixing water and will create a wet, soupy mix in which the paste flows off, and the voids are filled. Water to cement ratios should e etween ".%0 and ".$" including
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any chemical admixtures. ;atios as high as ".$+ to ".+" have also een used successfully. <nli1e the relation etween strength and water-to-cement ratios in regular concrete, the relationship for pervious is not as well defined. 5n pervious, the total paste content is less than the voids content etween the aggregates, so ma1ing the paste stronger may not relia ly lead to increased overall strength. =eedless to say, the water content should e tightly controlled so that the mixture has a sheen to it without it eing so soupy that it flows off the aggregate. >ptimum water content produces a fully wetted cement paste with a high viscosity that can e descri ed as stic1y. :ementitious ,aterials Portland cements and lended cements may e used in pervious concrete. ?upplementary :ementitious ,aterials &?:,s' such as fly ash, pozzalans and last-furnace slag may also e used. !hese added materials will affect the performance, setting time, strength, porosity and permea ility of the final product. !he overall dura ility of the pervious concrete is increased with the use of silica fume, fly ash and last-furnace slag due to the decrease in permea ility and crac1ing. 2dmixtures ?ome of the same admixtures used in regular concrete can e used with pervious concrete. ,any of these admixtures are retarders, or hydration-sta ilizing due to the 3uic1 setting time with pervious concrete. ?ome of these include water-reducing admixtures &W;2', retarders, hydration sta ilizing admixtures &-?2', viscosity modifying admixtures &@,2' and internal curing admixtures &5:2'. 2ir-entraining admixtures reduce freeze-thaw damage and are used in climates with cold wet winters. 2 new, proprietary admixture called -ydro,axA facilitates the placement and protection of pervious pavements y significantly speeding up the discharge
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process while reducing the need for plastic sheeting. -ydro,axA is a viscosity modifying, internal curing admixture that allows an increase in the waterBcement ratio without affecting the mix consistency, and while retaining moisture for the curing of the concrete. The National Ready-Mix Concrete Association provides the following chart of Typical Ranges of Materials Proportions in Pervious Concrete MATERIALS Cemen ! !"#$ m% e&!%'$ Agg&eg% e W% e&0Cemen &% !" 1by m%$$2 Agg&eg% e04emen &% !" 1by m%$$2 5!ne04"%&$e %gg&eg% e &% !" 1by m%$$2 >ne of the distinct and challenging characteristics of pervious concrete mixtures is its low water content that ma1es it stiffen up much faster than conventional concrete which has a higher slump. 4or this reason, the use of retarders to extend the setting time and allow for longer delivery and placement times is critical to a successful placement. 5t is also a consideration to facilitate the discharge from and prevent uild-up in the mixer truc1s. PRODUCTION METHODS
+

PROPORTIONS Kg/m3 ()* " +,,,.* " ,+/* *3() " *33+ + " +3-0,

PROPORTIONS Lb/yd3 +-* " )** (*** " (-** *3() " *33+ + " +3-0,

* " ,0,

* " ,0,

Pervious concrete can e truc1 mixed or central mixed at a atching plant. -aving the mixture prepared at the plant can save time when the delivery schedule is demanding, particularly when an efficient material spreader such as a Caser ?creedD is eing used for placement. Pervious concrete, due to its stiffer 3uality, ta1es more time to discharge the contents of each truc1. !he time etween each truc1 full &eight cu ic yards/six cu ic meters' should e carefully calculated. Pervious does not flow as easily down a chute as conventional concrete, ut truc1 placement and mix designs can e ad9usted to increase the flow properties to approximately () minutes per truc1 load. Pervious concrete is perisha le after it is atched, and must e discharged within ." minutes. TOOLS %nd E6UIPMENT !he techni3ues used for placement and compaction of pervious concrete are critical to the overall drainage function of the pervious concrete. !he vi ration impact must e 1ept low to 1eep from sealing the surface ?mall Eo 2 small 9o is usually less than one acre &.+ hectares' and may involve small strips of pavement for a driveway or sidewal1 or par1ing stalls. ?tri1e-off may e done y hand or with a small roller screed. Water should e at hand for moist curing. Carge Eo Carge 9o s are those that re3uire more than one day to complete and include multiple passes or strips of pavement. Because pervious concrete is too stiff to e pumped, the handling time for fresh concrete may e longer and the contractor should e sure to prevent the concrete from drying out or hardening too soon. ,aintaining a 9o site that is
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free from loose dirt is very important, as it can harm the pervious concrete if construction de ris contaminates the fresh pour. F3uipment ?ome of the hand tools used in conventional concrete placement and finishing are not appropriate for placing and finishing pervious concrete, such as ull-floats, dar ies, 9itter ugs, hand trowels, fresnoes or power-trowels. Any tool that might close the surface void space of pervious concrete should be not be used. 5t is o1ay to use larger hand tools such as rollers and roller-9ointers to place a compacted smooth surface without closing the void space. !hese rollers can e made out of steel pipe and can weigh from $"-+" pounds per foot &($..-(# Gg'. ;oller ?creed ;ollers are used to finish the surface of pervious concrete to consolidate it to the re3uired grade level, and to create a smooth surface. !he rollers are typically sections of steel pipe that span the width of the section eing placed, with handles on either end for manually rolling the pipe. !ime is always a factor, and roller finishing must e accomplished with the %"-minutes time frame for placing and finishing. @i ratory ?creed ?tri1e off may e done y a vi ratory screed. <sing mechanical e3uipment to stri1e-off is preferred. 2 full-width vi ratory truss screed may e used with a roller screed that compacts as it stri1es off. !he vi ration impact must e 1ept low to 1eep from sealing the surface, and rolling should e performed immediately after stri1e off.

Caser ?creedD
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Carge placements, such as par1ing lots and extended areas of pavement, are most efficiently and accurately poured using a large laser-guided screedH the ?IPA Caser ?creedD is a patented machine only manufactured y ?omero Fnterprises, 5nc. !he ?IP is most often used with conventional concrete, especially for large warehouses where floor flatness, levelness and high tolerances are specified. 2 special pervious head attachment has een designed specifically for the uni3ue characteristics of pervious concrete, to ensure rapid and even placement. Because of rapid hardening and high evaporation rates, consolidation should e achieved within () minutes of placement to avoid pro lems. ?everal modifications were made to the pervious head attachment in order to function with the zeroslump, stic1y characteristics of pervious. !he pervious head design includesB a plow to move excess material, an auger that cuts the concrete to a desired compaction, spinning rollers that also cut to grade and compact the pervious concrete to desired compaction, a floating/compacting roller that 1noc1s down and smoothes the surface of any standing aggregate left ehind the spinning roller, eliminating cross rolling the sla , a spray ar that coats the floating roller with a release agent after each screeded pass to prevent pervious concrete from stic1ing to the roller. !he spray ar can also e used to spray concrete sealer on the sla while screeding each pass. <nli1e the multiple passes re3uired when using a roller screed, the pervious head on the ?IP can screed pervious concrete in one pass, 9ust as with conventional concrete. !he faster placement time is very important given the
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short amount of time efore pervious starts to set-up. !he ?IP can screed %+" s3uare feet &%%.$ s3uare meters' per minute to a precise laser-guided level on grade.

PREPAREING THE 7ASE OR SU7GRADE

5n order for the pervious concrete to drain properly, the ase and su grade materials must e permea le, even if highly compacted. 5t is important for the concrete and the ase materials to have a greater permea ility than the underlying soil. !he thic1ness of the ase materials can vary depending on the planned use of the pervious pavement. Par1ing area designs usually have six-inch &().%+ cm.' ase thic1ness. 5f storm water volume storage needs demand it, then the ase thic1ness may e more than six inches.

?torm Water ?torage :apacity

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Jetermining the storm water storage capacity of a pervious concrete pavement system is not difficult. !he storm water storage is calculated from the two layers of the pavementKthe ase and the pervious concrete. 5f a pavement has a six-inch aggregate ase &+"* voids' and a six-inch pervious concrete layer &%"* voids', the storage capacity would e figured as %.+ inches in the ase &.-inches I ".+"' and (.% inches in the pervious &.-inches I ".%"'. !he total storm water storage volume would e $.. inches in a storm event. ?torm drains may e entirely eliminated given a properly designed and constructed pervious pavement storm water system.

WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS
-ot Weather 2s with conventional concrete, pervious concrete can e placed and finished in all sorts of weather conditions, with the same types of precautions ta1en. -ot weather concreting techni3ues should e used if the weather is hot such as a motorized sprayer with a fogging nozzle to retain moisture and ma1ing sure the grade material is damp efore placing. 2dditional amounts of retarding admixtures are necessary to delay the setting time until the pavement can e covered. 2dding ice to the load to 1eep it cool can e done, provided the added water from the melting ice is accounted for. :old Weather :ontrary to many misconceptions, areas that experience extreme freeze-thaw cycles can have successful placements of pervious concrete. !he critical component to this success is in how well the ase drains efore or during a freeze cycle. !he use of thermal lan1ets to cover the pavement to protect it from freezing during the first three to seven days is
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recommended. !he same techni3ues used with conventional concrete are employed during the installation of pervious concrete in extreme weather conditions.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL 7ENE5ITS O5 PERVIOUS CONCRETE

5n the simplest terms, the est environmental enefit of pervious concrete is that it returns rain water to the ground, recharging ground water and a3uifers, and eliminating storm water run-off. !he <nited ?tates Fnvironmental Protection 2gency &FP2' recognizes pervious concrete as a Best ,anagement Practice for providing first flush pollution control and storm water management. By allowing the first flush of rainfall to percolate into the ground, any pollutants are naturally treated via the soil chemistry. ?ince pervious concrete allows all the rainwater to pass through it, the runoff from paved areas is reduced, which reduces the need for separate storm water retention ponds and allows for using smaller capacity storm sewers. 5t also acts as a natural filter and can reduce pollutants from entering streams, ponds and rivers. Pervious concrete can reduce the impact of development on trees y allowing oth water and air to infiltrate a treeLs root system. !rees offer shade and produce a eneficial cooling effect on their own. Plus, the lighter color of concrete pavements a sor s less heat from solar radiation than dar1er pavements, such as asphalt. 5n addition, the open pore structure of pervious prevents it from storing as much heat as asphalt, there y helping to lower the heat island effects in highly developed areas. ?afety is another enefit of pervious concrete during rainstorms since it eliminates ponding, glare at night, and the ris1 of hydroplaning. 5n freezing
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temperatures, the elimination of standing water on the surface of pavement also prevents the danger of thin coatings of ice, called lac1 ice. En8!&"nmen %' 7ene9! $ C:e4;'!$ 2llows storm water to infiltrate into the ground to replenish ground water a3uifers. ;etains storm water so that retention ponds are not needed for par1ing lots. Geeps pavement surfaces dry even in wet situations, such as greenhouses. 2llows par1ing lots to e ice-free in freeze/thaw areas since snow melt immediately drains off the surface. 2llows water and air to get to the roots of trees within a par1ing area. 2ero ic acteria that develop within the pavement and ase can rea1 down oil and remove other pollutants from the water that washes off the surface. Cight reflectivity is higher than with asphalt surfaces, reducing any heat island effect. 2llows a pro9ect to claim CFFJD points. &Ceadership in Fnergy and Fnvironmental Jesign is a rating system developed y the <.?. Mreen Building :ouncil to evaluate the environmental performance of a uilding.' :an collect irrigation and retain water to e used for irrigation.

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ECONOMIC 7ENE5ITS O5 PERVIOUS CONCRETE

2 par1ing lot properly constructed from pervious concrete has a life span ten times as long as an asphalt lot, there y providing excellent long term enefits. 5t is true that the initial costs for pervious pavement may e slightly higher due to the preparation of the su - ase, ut those who loo1 long term will realize the economic enefits. 2s far as the material goes, pervious concrete is installed in a thic1er 3uantity than conventional concrete, usually six-inches &() cm.' vs. four-inches &(" cm.'. -owever, one must loo1 eyond the costs per s3uare foot, at the overall system. Pervious concrete is a sustaina le product that saves money in the long run for the following reasonsB Cower installation costs due to the elimination of costly cur s, gutters, storm drain outlets and retention asins that cost two to three times more to construct than pervious. Cess money will e needed for la or, construction and maintenance of ponds, pumps, drainage pipes and other storm water management systems. 2llows for the use of existing storm sewer systems for new developments. 5ncrease land utilization since there is no need to purchase additional land for large retention ponds and other filtering systems. Cand developers can get a etter return on investment with efficient land use that does not have to allow for large detention ponds since the pavement itself acts as a detention area. Cower life-cycle costs e3ual to that of conventional concrete that if properly constructed will last for %" to +" years. Pervious re3uires
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fewer repairs than asphalt, and can e recycled once it has reached its lifecycle. ;ecent reports from multiple regions around the <.?. indicate that the cost for asphalt inder has recently increased as much as )"* and more, resulting in dramatic cost increases for asphalt pavement. Fasy maintenance that consists primarily of prevention of clogging through pressure washing and power vacuuming. ?upports local economies y having its mix design adapt to different regions, ma1ing use of availa le materials for coarse aggregates. ?ince time is a critical factor after the atching, local companies are used for transportation and materials Re9e&en4e$ 2sphalt Price 5ncreases Boost :oncrete Pavement >pportunities. =;,:2 F-=ews. %( Euly %""#. www.nrmca.org 4isher, Jale, President and :F>, P:5 ?ystems, CC:. !elephone and email correspondence. Euly %""#. =ational ;eady ,ixed :oncrete 2ssociation &=;,:2', !ext ;eference for 4e ruary %""0. > la, G., Pervious :oncrete for ?ustaina le Jevelopment, ;ecent 2dvances in :oncrete !echnology, Washington, J:. ?eptem er %""0.
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Pervious :oncrete :ontractor

:ertification, =;,:2 Pu lication N%PP:;!, ?ilver ?pring, ,aryland,

Palmer, Er., William J. :oncrete that Jrains, :oncrete :onstruction, @olume ), =um er ., Eune %""). pg. ++-+). Pervious :oncreteB When it ;ains it Jrains, www.perviouspavement.org !orvinen, Eeff W., Fngineer, ?omero Fnterprises, 5nc. !elephone and email correspondence. Euly %""#.

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