Freeze–thaw and thermal cycle durability of pervious concrete with different aggregate sizes and water–cement ratios

Abstract

ABSTRACT Use of pervious concrete (PC) for permeable pavements can help avoid urban waterlogging and urban heat islands. However, PC typically has low strength and poor durability owing to its special porous structure. The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of aggregate size and water–cement ratio (w/c) on PC under different environmental conditions (freeze–thaw and thermal cycles). The experiment designed a PC made with five aggregate sizes (3–5 mm, 5–7 mm, 7–9 mm, 9–11 mm, 11–13 mm) and five w/c values (0.21, 0.25, 0.29, 0.33, 0.37). The mass loss, compressive strength and life of all mixtures were tested under freeze–thaw and thermal cycles. Results indicated that aggregate size and w/c were identified as important factors determining the properties of PC and were evaluated using survival analysis to determine the optimal mixture. As the number of freeze–thaw cycles increased, mass loss and risk of damage increased while compressive strength decreased. As the number of thermal cycles increased, mass loss increased and compressive strength first increased and then decreased. After thermal cycling, high w/c had better frost resistance, contrary to the results for direct freezing–thawing.