Pervious Concrete: The Road Less Raveled

ASTM C 1754 for Pervious Concrete

Regular readers will remember that we are getting closer to having a new test standard for pervious concrete hardened density.  While it is not yet published, ASTM has assigned a number to the new standard: C 1754 - 12.  This test will be known as "Test Method for Hardened Density of Pervious Concrete".  

Looking at its applications in the next 3-5 years, it will probably be used mostly as a research tool.  It will take a few years to build up a data set that will give the ACI 522 committee guidance on proper specification limits to incorporate into ACI 522.1.  If there are any researchers looking for a project, this is one the industry needs to be able to incorporate this standard into project specifications.

ACI SP-282 The Leading Edge of Pervious Concrete

ACI has released the first compilation of peer-reviewed technical papers specifically focused on pervious concrete, "ACI SP-282 The Leading Edge of Pervious Concrete".  This compilation includes papers presented at the full-day technical session held in New Orleans.  

Edited by Charles Weiss, tHe authors include some of the big names in the world of pervious concrete: Norb Delatte, Heather Brown, Narayanan Neithalath, John Kevern, Liv Haselbach, Zhifu Yang, and Matt Offenberg.  A full listing of papers can be found here. 

UNH Pollutant Removal Efficiency of Pervious Concrete

Somehow I missed this the first time by, but it's definitely worth mention, even if it is 2 years old.

When it came to the pollutant removal efficiency of pervious concrete, all we really had to cite was this table:

The Stormwater Center at the University of New Hampshire, however, has published their data in a new table, and it shows just how good pervious concrete is in pollutant removal efficiency.  Page 11 is the highlight.

The report also discusses the practice of sealcoating asphalt parking lots and the impact on downstream water quality, "Although it is intended to remain on the pavement surface, UNHSC researchers found that much of the sealcoat flakes and then washes off during storm events, ending up in nearby streams and stormwater treatment devices. ...UNHSC field data shows that just nine months after sealing only 4 percent of the entire parking lot area, PAH levels increased in the swale receiving runoff from the entire lot to 95.7 mg/kg, double the regulatory limit of 44.7 mg/kg."  That's a 60-fold increase in Total PAH from pre sealant levels!

Also of interest, are their practical notes on how well pervious concrete performed through the tough New Hampshire winter, "While the pavement froze sooner, deeper, and for longer periods than the reference condition, the pores remained open and well-drained year round."  The authors also included some new recommendations for winter maintenance on page 17.

Pervious Concrete Presentation from 2011 Concrete Sustainability Conference

A copy of my team's presentation from the 2011 Concrete Sustainability Conference can be downloaded here.  

 

 

Pervious Concrete Paper from World of Coal Ash 2011

If you're looking for a copy of my team's paper from World of Coal Ash 2011, you can find it here.

This is a study where we looked at the impact fly ash and bottom ash have on the raveling potential of pervious concrete.

 

 

ACI Materials Journal Pervious Concrete Article

I'm disappointed.

 ACI Materials Journal

 

Cleaning Pervious Concrete Pavements

Some interesting news about more research at the EPA test site in New Jersey.  Elgin will be testing sweepers to evaluate their performance on porous pavements.

EPA Pervious Pavement Study at Edison NJ

Quoting Mike Borst from the U.S. EPA:

"EPA’s National Risk management Research Laboratory has posted the first report describing the performance of permeable surface parking lot in Edison, NJ.   

The report summarizes the infiltration rate measurements made from November through April, the first winter season, and can be found at   

http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r10083/600r10083.pdf "

Here is my favorite part of the report:

 

Pervious Concrete in the ACI Materials Journal

There are two great articles on pervious concrete in this month's ACI Materials Journal.

Dr. Haselbach and Dr. Neithalath really show what can be done with funding for pervious concrete research.

CI Article on Pervious Concrete

Congrats to Dr. Neithalath and his team for this month's article in Concrete International.  The novel approach to modeling pore geometry and correlating it to permeability will help the industry make better pervious concrete.