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Verification of Pervious Concrete Drainage Characteristics using Instrumentation

Abstract

Pervious concrete pavement is a Low Impact Development pavement alternative. A pervious concrete pavement structure generally involves a pervious concrete surface and a base reservoir layer on a permeable subgrade. The design of a pervious concrete pavement structure in freezethaw climates, such as Canada, assumes that water drains quickly through the surface layer and accumulates in the reservoir layer. The accumulated water in the reservoir layer then infiltrates into the subgrade, maintaining the natural hydrological cycle. It is also feasible to provide alternate drainage from the reservoir layer by including a pipe network. In a Canada-wide study of the performance of pervious concrete pavement by the University of Waterloo, Cement Association of Canada and industry members field sites were constructed and laboratory testing was completed. Subsurface instrumentation was included in some of the pavement structures. Moisture gauges, commonly used for agricultural applications, were placed at various depths throughout the pavement structure of field sites. The permeability of the pervious concrete pavement was measured on the surface throughout the more than two year evaluation period. The data collected from the instrumentation was used to verify the assumed drainage characteristics of pervious concrete pavement. On-site and Environment Canada weather data was combined with the moisture gauge data to track the movement of moisture through the pervious concrete pavement structures. Within this research a method was developed to analyze and interpret the moisture gauge data. The analysis of the collected instrumentation data verified the assumed, effective, drainage characteristics of pervious concrete pavement. This paper discusses one of the field sites that was instrumented during construction. The data analysis process developed in this research is presented in the paper. The analyzed data will be used to verify the assumed drainage characteristics of pervious concrete pavement. The data and findings presented in the paper provide information not previously available regarding the subsurface drainage of pervious concrete pavement. The results of this research can be used in refining pervious concrete pavement designs in the future.

Conference Paper Details

Session title:
INNOVATION IN THE USE OF INSTRUMENTATION IN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Author(s):
Vimy Henderson
Susan L. Tighe
Year:
2013