CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL

Permeable concrete pavement is a special type of concrete pavement with a high porosity used for

concrete flatwork applications that allows water from precipitation and other sources to pass

through it, thereby reducing the runoff from a site and recharging ground water levels.

Permeable concrete pavement consists of coarse aggregate, cement, water and possibly

admixtures. Unlike traditional Portland cement concrete, it contains little or no fines. This lack or

reduction of fine aggregate gives the pavement its open void structure and produces a permeable

concrete. Voids ratio depends on its application. Permeable concrete pavement possesses some

positive features like increased skid resistance and high permeability but lacks the high strength

required for highly trafficked roads. It has properties suitable for use in parking lots, sidewalks,

path ways and low volume traffic roads and also not difficult to place, but it is different from

conventional concrete, and appropriate construction techniques are necessary to ensure its

performance.

A porous concrete pavement allows the transfer of water and air to root systems allowing trees to

flourish. For a given rainfall intensity, the amount of runoff from a porous concrete pavement

system is controlled by the soil infiltration rate and the water storage capacity available in the

porous concrete and aggregate sub base under the porous concrete. Generally, for a given set of

materials, the strength and infiltration rate of Porous concrete are a function of concrete density.

Greater the density, higher is the strength and lower the infiltration rate.

Porous concrete had its earliest beginnings in Europe. In the 19th century Porous concrete was

utilized in a variety of applications such as load bearing walls, prefabricated panels and paving. It

was not until 1923 when Porous concrete resurfaced as a viable construction material. Its use

began not as a cheaper substitute for conventional concrete, but for its permeability
1