Application of pervious concrete for pavements: A review

Abstract

Pervious concrete also called porous concrete, permeable concrete is a special type of concrete with a high porosity which allows water from precipitation and other sources to pass directly through, thereby reducing the runoff and allowing groundwater recharge. Pervious concrete is made using large aggregates with little to no fine aggregates. The concrete paste then coats the aggregates and allows water to pass through the gap between coarse aggregates. Pervious concrete is traditionally used in parking areas, areas with light traffic, residential streets, pedestrian walkways, and greenhouse. It is an important application for sustainable construction and is one of many low impact development techniques used by builders to protect water quality. Pervious concrete pavement is a unique and effective means to meet growing environmental demands. It is instrumental in recharging groundwater and in reducing stormwater runoff. This paper reviews the research developments in pervious concrete. The experimental investigations performed to know the various properties of pervious concrete like mechanical properties, hydrological properties have been reviewed. It helps to eliminate retention ponds, swales and reducing the cost by not using a huge area for this purpose. Pervious concrete can be used for many numbers of applications, but its primary usage is in pavement industry. It is very useful for rural pavements and has a wide scope for further research, which will be a promising roadway material in future to recharge ground water.