62 | CONCRETO & Construções
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estruturas em detalhes
Pervious concrete
pavements: materials,
drainage characteristics
and structural issues
1. INTRODUCTION
W
ith the convergence of
sustainable construction,
increasing stormwater
regulation, and developing technology,
pervious concrete is experiencing signif-
icant growth as a pavement material in
the United States (US). Now, since the
development of new test methods spe-
cifically for pervious concrete, we can
better characterize the performance of
the finished product through several cri-
teria. This paper will examine how those
test methods can help a concrete pro-
ducer select the optimal raw materials.
Additionally, drainage properties will be
discussed with respect to construction
technique and maintenance. Structural
issues will further be examined with a
focus on testing. Rather than present-
ing new research, this paper will review
the literature and discuss the state of
the technology and industry.
1.1 History of pervious concrete
in North America
While there is evidence of pervious
concrete construction in the United
Kingdom in 1852 [ACI 522R-10 - Re-
port on Pervious Concrete], it wasn’t
used in North America until the fol-
lowing century (Figure 1). The old-
est known pervious concrete in North
America dates back to about 1928
[SEEGEBRECHT, G. Reinforcing Steel
in Pervious Concrete. Concrete Interna-
tional. Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 2015]
at the Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, Il-
linois where it was used in decorative
walls around the property. Interestingly,
much of this pervious concrete that is
still standing contains reinforcing steel.
Later, as documented in Engineering
News Record in 1939 [ENGINEERING
NEWS RECORD (ENR). A Low-Cost
Concrete Building], pervious concrete
was again used in structural wall con-
struction, but this application was for a
building that was to serve as a plumb-
ing and electric shop in Washington
State. Pervious concrete was selected
to reduce the risk of fire, as opposed to
a wood-framed building, and reduced
formwork requirements.
No longer used for vertical con-
struction or structural applications,
pervious concrete is used for flatwork
today in North America. Since the
1970’s it has been used for pavement
applications. In 1975, a patent was is-
sued for this application in the United
States [MEDICO, J. Porous Pavement.
United States Patent 3870422 A.
USPTO. Washington, DC, USA. Mar
11, 1975]. This has been extended to
include sidewalks, parking lots, and
nature trails in current applications.
The construction methods for per-
vious concrete are somewhat different
from those employed in the construc-
tion of ordinary concrete flatwork [OF-
FENBERG, M.. Producing Pervious
Pavements. Concrete International.
Farmington Hills, MI, USA. March 2005,
Vol. 27, No. 3. pp 50-54. 2005]. With
this material, it must be compacted af-
ter placement to improve the ultimate
strength and raveling resistance; how-
ever, too much compaction will tighten
the voids thus slowing the flow of storm-
water through the section. Critical to
achieving success in pervious concrete,
then, is optimizing the density – that is
finding a balance between strength and
permeability. As compaction increases,
the strength of the pavement increases
MATTHEW OFFENBERG
W. R. G
race
