Analysis of infiltratingwater characteristics of permeable pavements in a parking lot at full scale

Abstract

Impermeable materials are used for parking lots at apartment complexes and large stores which are concentrated in urban areas. These materials increase the amount of surface runoff by blocking infiltration, resulting in flood damage, dry stream phenomena in rivers in urban watersheds, and the depletion of ground water. In this study, a parking lot plot was constructed to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of pavements using various materials (impermeable concrete, permeable concrete, and permeable block pavement). Four scenarios of rainfall intensity were simulated using a rainfall simulator within each plot (36 mm h-1, 48 mm h-1, 60 mm h-1, 72 mm h-1). The flow was observed by monitoring the system with a bucket flow meter. The efficiency and flow characteristics of the permeable concrete and block pavement were analyzed. The results were used to calculate the ratio of the surface flow to the infiltrating flow between impermeable and permeable pavements. The permeable concrete had a ratio of 1:0.9, and the permeable block pavement had a ratio of 1:0.58.