Conceptual design and performance evaluation of high strength pervious concrete

Abstract

This study proposes a novel design concept of high strength pervious concrete, aiming at improving its compressive strength with adequate permeability. An ultra-high performance paste was developed and used as the binder of the high strength pervious concrete. The effects of aggregate characteristics and membrane-forming ability of the paste on the performance were investigated and their compatibility was evaluated. The experimental results showed that the use of ultra-high performance paste, improvement of homogeneity and compatibility between the paste and the aggregates by elimination of coarse aggregates could improve the mechanical properties. The combined use of aggregates with two-size ranges also resulted in an increase of compressive strength due to the increase of homogeneity and interlocking effect between the aggregates. The enhancement of the membrane-forming ability could optimize the bonding area and thickness of the cement paste between the aggregates. Therefore, the application of the proposed design concepts was able to produce a high strength pervious concrete with a compressive strength of 60.93 MPa and a water permeability of 0.37 mm/s, which would potentially broaden the scope of application of pervious concrete.