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New approach to proportion pervious concrete

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DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.03.025

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Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

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journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

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New approach to proportion pervious concrete

Ammar Yahia, K. Daddy Kabagire
Department of Civil Engineering at Universit de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de luniversit, J1K 2R1 Sherbrooke, Qubec, Canada

h i g h l i g h t s

! ASTM C29 method resulted in relatively higher packing density.

! There is no relationship between Uc and Cc coefficients and packing density index.
! Indeed, as can be observed, the compressive strength decreases when D10 increases.
! The permeability is shown to follow a polynomial relationship with porosity.
! The minimum porosity to achieve a permeability of 1 mm/s is found to be around 19%.
3
! PV/IPV percentage of less than 60% showed a density lower than 2050 kg/m .

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of aggregate size and gradation as well as the paste
Received 23 October 2013 volume on unit weight, compressive and tensile strength, porosity, and permeability of pervious concrete
Received in revised form 17 March 2014 (PC). Three different coarse aggregate (CA) types with nominal maximum size of 2.5/10 mm (CA-10), 5/
Accepted 18 March 2014
14 mm (CA-14), and 10/20 mm (CA-20) were used. Binary combinations of these aggregate were opti-
Available online 14 April 2014
mized to provide a wide range of uniformity coefficients (Uc) and packing density values. All PC mixtures
were proportioned with a fixed water-to-cement ratio (w/c) of 0.30. For each aggregate gradation, the
Keywords:
inter-particle void index was determined and used as a design parameter. Various PC mixtures were pro-
Aggregate gradation
Conformity coefficient
portioned using different ratios of paste volume (PV) to inter-particle void (IPV). Test results indicated
Mechanical properties that the increase in PV/IPV ratio increased strength and density, but decreased porosity and permeability
Packing density of PC. A PV/IPV ratio value comprises between 30% and 60% seems to be an optimum range to achieve
Permeability good balance between mechanical properties and permeability of PC. In general, as the packing density
Pervious concrete of the aggregate increased, the strength increased, whereas the permeability decreased. Furthermore, test
Porosity results showed the beneficial effect of fine particles on strength development of PC.
! 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contents

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2. Research significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3. Experimental program and testing methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.1. Materials properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.2. Aggregate packing density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.3. PC mixtures proportions and mixing sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.4. Porosity measurements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.5. Permeability measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4. Test results and discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.1. Aggregate gradation characteristics and packing density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.2. Effect of paste volume on mechanicals properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.3. Relationship between strength, permeability, and porosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5. Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 8199933078.

E-mail addresses: ammar.yahia@usherbrooke.ca (A. Yahia), d.kabagire@usherbrooke.ca (K.D. Kabagire).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.03.025
0950-0618/! 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 Author's personal copy
A. Yahia, K.D. Kabagire / Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
1. Introduction
Pervious concrete (PC) is a special type of concrete with a high
interconnected pore structure. The void content of PC typically
ranges between 15% and 35%. Porous structure and interconnectiv-
ity of pores allow efficient drainage of water through its matrix and
can offer sustainable drainage solutions. PC has gained wide accep-
tance, especially after the Second World War, to emphasis on con-
servation of non-renewable mineral resources and energy [1].
Nowadays, PC is considered as one of the best management prac-
tices [2] and most important environmentally materials for man-
aging storm-water runoff, recharging groundwater, and
improving water quality [3].
The use of PC in specific applications requiring high permeabil-
ity is very attractive. There is also an increasing interest for PC in
low-traffic roads, parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks to reduce
the risk of flash flooding runoff [4,5]. PC can also be used for sus-
tainable constructions because of its high insulation performance
and noise reduction [6,7]. The reduction of heat islands in town
is another attractive property of PC [6,8]. In terms of environmen-
tal performance, PC can be also used to filter contaminants, such as
chemicals and heavy metals within the pervious structure [9,4,10].
PC mixtures with porosity and permeability values of 15% and
0.1 cm/s (0.04 in./s), respectively, are shown to achieve functional
properties [3].
The porosity and pores interconnectivity of PC are tailored gi-
ven the application type and rainfall intensity. The pores size and
interconnectivity are affected by the type, size and gradation of
aggregate, paste volume, and consolidation energy [3]. For a given
paste volume, the porosity of PC is proportional to consolidation
energy, aggregate shape, texture, and gradation characteristics
(i.e. uniformity coefficient) [11]. PC mixtures are usually propor-
tioned with water to cementitious materials (w/cm) ratios rang-
ing between 0.28 and 0.40 [12]. Too much water will cause
paste drain down, while too little water can hinder strength
development and lead to a premature surface raveling. Although
the permeability of PC is the greatest concern, which is maxi-
mized with the use of single-sized aggregate, the strength of PC
cannot be ignored. Indeed, when it is properly designed, pervious
concrete can achieve both good permeability and high
performance.
Aggregates conforming to ASTM C 33 and ACI committee E-701
recommendations are suitable to produce PC with adequate prop-
erties [13,14]. The use of a well gap-graded aggregate and little or
no-fine aggregates can achieve a continuous void network. The
gradation of aggregate is usually characterized using the unifor-
mity (Uc) and curvature coefficients (Cc). The design approach of
PC is mainly based on proper selection of well graded aggregate
varying the paste volume until the targeted properties are
achieved. The Uc is shown to have an important influence on
Table 1
Physical properties of different types of coarse aggregate.
Single-size
CA-10
Saturated Surface Dry (SSD) density 2.73
Apparent density 2.75
Absorption (%) 0.34
Uniformity coefficient (Uc) 1.81
Conformity coefficient (Cc) 1.03
39
mechanical properties of PC [15]. It is also reported that the perme-
ability and effective porosity of PC decreased as Uc increased [15].
This approach may necessitate several trial batches before obtain-
ing good balance between permeability and strength development.
In contrast to Uc and Cc coefficients, the packing density provides
useful information on inter-particles void, which is a key parame-
ter affecting properties of PC.
The objective of this study is to establish a new methodology to
facilitate design of PC mixtures with targeted properties. The study
consists in using the inter-particle void of aggregate as a design
factor to determine optimum paste volume and achieve good bal-
ance between permeability and strength given the application on
hand. The proposed approach aims to simplify the design proce-
dure to optimize a given PC formulation to achieve optimum bal-
ance between permeability and strength performance.
PC mixtures were proportioned using different coarse aggregate
gradations with three nominal maximum aggregate sizes of 10, 14,
and 20 mm.
2. Research significance
Studies conducted on PC have mainly focused on how to en-
hance its porosity and drainage performance, hence leading to
the use of single-sized aggregates. For a given aggregate gradation,
the mix design procedure consists in adjusting the paste volume
until the required permeability is achieved. This may require sev-
eral trials before achieving targeted properties. The proposed ap-
proach based on packing density of aggregate is used to facilitate
proportioning design of PC with targeted properties.
3. Experimental program and testing methods
3.1. Materials properties
All PC mixtures investigated in this study were systematically proportioned
with a general use (GU) cement type complying with ASTM C150 [16] (C3S = 54%;
C2S = 19%; C3A = 7.2%; C4AF = 7.4%), a fixed watercement ratio (w/c) of 0.30, and
various coarse aggregate (CA) contents. Three different single-size aggregate with
nominal maximum sizes of 2.5/10 mm (CA-10), 5/14 mm (CA-14), and 10/20 mm
(CA-20 were employed. The nominal maximum size correspond to the size of the
sieve where the passing is comprises between 95% to 100%. Furthermore, three
optimized binary combinations of single-size aggregates, corresponding to 1/2CA-
10+1/2CA-14, 3/4CA-14+1/4CA-20 and 1/4CA-10+3/4CA-20 were also investigated.
These combinations were optimized to cover a wide range of gradation and packing
density values. The coefficients 1=4 , , 3=4 correspond to the proportion of each single
aggregate in binary mixes. The physical properties of aggregate are summarized in
Table 1. All the investigated aggregates grading curves lay, in general, within the
CSA limit specifications as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The uniformity and conformity
coefficients as well as the packing density values are presented in Table 1.
3.2. Aggregate packing density
In addition to physical properties, the packing density of investigated aggregate
was determined using the ASTM C29 [17] test, and a modified procedure of gyratory
Binary combinations
CA-14 CA-20 1/2CA-10+1/2CA-14 3/4CA-14+1/4CA-20 1/4CA-14+3/4CA-20
2.74 2.77 2.74 2.76 2.75
2.76 2.79 2.75 2.79 2.78
0.43 0.39 0.39 0.40 0.42
1.92 1.20 1.72 3.33 2.17
0.90 0.95 0.89 0.93 1.84
 Author's personal copy

40 A. Yahia, K.D. Kabagire / Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846

Indeed, shear movement under constant pressure allows particles to move and
packed closer to reach a higher packing density. On the other hand, shear is gener-
ated by the gyratory movement of the cylinder during testing.
For both methods, the packing density is calculated as the ratio between the dry
rodded density (Vs) and the dry density (V) as given in (Eq. (1)). The inter-particles
void content is determined by subtracting the aggregate packing density to a unit
cubic volume of the same aggregate, as provided by (Eq. (2)).

Vs
Ic 1
V

IPV 1 % Ic 2
3
where Ic is packing density index, Vs is the dry rodded density (kg/m ), V is the dry
density of aggregate kg/m3.
Due to the wall effect, the measured packing density can be correct using Eq. (3)
[19] as follow:

I0c 1 % 1 % kw V p 'Ic 3

Fig. 1. Particle-size distribution of single-size aggregates. I0c

where is the corrected packing density index, kw is a constant depending on aggre-
gate particle angularity (kw = 0.88 for rounded aggregate and 0.77 for angular aggre-
gate), Vp is the disturbed volume due to the wall effect, and Ic is the measured
packing density. The disturbed volume due to wall effect is comprises between
the content internal side and a distance of d/2, therefore given by Eq. (4):
2
V p p=4D2 H % D % d H % d=2' 4

where D is the internal diameter of the container (mm), d is the mean diameter of
aggregate (mm), and H is the height of the container (mm).
The measured packing density of the three single sized aggregates (CA-10, CA-
14, and CA-20) was used to determine the corrected I0c and evaluate whether the
wall effect is significant or not. The obtained results are summarized in Table 3.

3.3. PC mixtures proportions and mixing sequence

Fig. 2. Particle-size distribution of binary combinations.
compactor (GC) method [18]. The modified procedure consist of sampling 1.3 kg of
aggregate in a metallic cylinder, then subject it to compaction by a continuous
kneading action consisting of axial pressure of 0.2 bar and shear action. The com-
paction is given by combining two distinct actions: pressure and shear movement.
Given the inter-particle void (IPV) for each aggregate type, various PC mixtures
were proportioned by varying the paste volume (PV) as function of the IPV. Various
PV/IPV percentages ranging between 30% and 80% were investigated. This resulted
in PC mixtures with paste volumes ranging between 12% and 33% and coarse aggre-
gates content between 1500 kg/m3 and 1700 kg/m3.
All PC mixtures were prepared in 50-l batches using a rotating drum mixer. The
temperature of the mixing water was set at 15 1 "C to secure a temperature of
20 2 "C at the end of mixing. The batching sequence consisted of mixing a small
amount a cement with aggregate (less than 5%), then adding half of the batching
water and mix for one minute. Then, introduce the remaining materials into the
mixer for 3 min. After 3 min of rest, an additional mixing of 2 min was applied. Fol-
lowing the mixing operation, fresh unit weight, temperature, and consistency were
assessed. Once the consistency of the mixture is judged satisfied, various
100 ( 200 mm cylinders were sampled to determine porosity, permeability, and
mechanical properties of concrete. Each sample is filled in three different layers

Table 2
Packing density values of investigated coarse aggregate.

Single size Binary combinations

CA-10 CA-14 CA-20 1/2CA-10+1/2CA-14 3/4CA-14+1/4CA-20 1/4CA-14+3/4CA-20
ASTM C29 Dry density (kg/m3) 2763 2733 2723 2748 2726 2731
Density (kg/m3) 1588 1595 1547 1600 1590 1633
Inter-particules void (%) 42.5 41.7 43.2 41.8 41.7 40.2
GC method Packing density, Ic (%) 57.5 58.3 56.8 58.2 58.3 59.8
GC density (ICT) (kg/m3) 1590 1594 1517 1638 1506 1602
Packing density, Ic (%) 57.6 58.3 55.7 59.6 55.3 58.7

Table 3
Data for the wall effect calculation (kw = 0.75).

ASTM C 29 GC
CA-10 CA-14 CA-20 CA-10 CA-14 CA-20
d (mm) 7 8 15 7 8 15
H (mm) 214 214 214 95 95 95
D (mm) 202 202 202 140 140 140
Vp (mm3) 571,607 650,700 1,186,703 191,210 217,097 388,625
V (mm3) 27,432,563 27,432,563 27,432,563 5,849,645 5,849,645 5,849,645
Vp/V (%) 2 2 4 3 4 7
Ic (%) 57.5 58.3 56.8 57.6 58.3 55.7
I0c (%) 57.2 58.0 56.2 57.1 57.8 54.8
 Author's personal copy
A. Yahia, K.D. Kabagire / Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846
Graduated
standing pipe
PC Sample
Bottom valve
Fig. 3. Falling-head permeability setup.
and each layer is compacted with 25 strokes. Each cylinder is also vibrated for 5 s
for each layer on a chock table to ensure high consolidation energy and density.
The applied vibration corresponds to vibration amplitude of 0.76 mm and 60 Hz
of frequency.
The samples were demolded 24 h after casting and conserved in a controlled
humidity and temperature room till the age of testing (temperature of 22 2 "C
and 100% relative humidity). Compressive and tensile strength were determined
at 28 days after casting, according to ASTM C39 [20] and ASTM C496 [21] standards,
respectively.
3.4. Porosity measurements
The porosity of PC mixtures was determined on cylinders that were oven dried
at 50 "C for 3 days or until constant weight. The determination of the weight after
drying and immerse in water is then used to calculate the porosity according to Eq.
(5):
! "
W2 % W1
Vr 1 % 100% 5
qw Vol
where Vr is the total volume of voids in concrete, W1 is the weight of concrete sam-
ples after drying, W2 is the weight of concrete samples in water, qw is the density of
water at 20 "C, and Vol is the volume of sample.
3.5. Permeability measurements
The permeability is one of the most crucial characteristics to qualify pervious
concrete. Because of the lack of standardized permeability test method, falling-head
apparatus is adopted to determine permeability of PC [13]. The test apparatus
shown in Fig. 3 is similar to that used in soil mechanics.
Prior to measurements, each specimen is sealed with petroleum jelly and put
into a latex membrane to prevent leakage along their sides during testing. The
sealed sample was placed into the specimen holder at the bottom of the standing
pipe. Samples were then saturated with water to a level above the concrete speci-
men sample. Water was allowed to flow through the specimen by opening the bot-
tom valve. Initial head was fixed at 305 mm above the specimen, and the time
needed to reach a final head of 50 mm was recorded. The measurement is repeated
three times for each sample to determine a mean value. The hydraulic conductivity
k is then calculated according to Eq. (6) [22].
#
aL
$ # $
h0
k ln 6 14 aggregates resulted in almost similar compressive and tensile
At h1
where k is the hydraulic conductivity coefficient in mm/s, a is the cross section of the
graduated standing pipe above the sample in mm2, L is the length of the sample in
mm, A is the cross section of the sample mm2, t is the time for head drop from h0 to
h1 in sec, h0 is the initial head of 305 mm, and h1 is the final head of 50 mm above the
sample.
4. Test results and discussion
4.1. Aggregate gradation characteristics and packing density
Grading or particle size distribution of aggregate is usually de-
scribed by coefficient of uniformity (Uc) and coefficient of confor-
mity (Cc). These characteristics affect some properties of concrete,
such as voids content, workability, segregation, and durability. For
41
example, its well established that uniformly distributed aggregate
produce pervious concrete (PC) with less permeability [15]. Con-
trarily to Uc and Cc coefficients describing the gradation curve,
the packing density is a property that depends on particles size dis-
tribution, shape of particles, and the compaction method. Table 2
provides density and packing density index values of investigated
aggregate. The gradation characteristics of the six aggregate types
are compared with packing density values obtained using ASTM
C29 and GC methods.
As expected, the packing density values determined using both
methods are shown to be consistent, but slightly different. This dif-
ference can be explained by the wall effect that may be greater in
the GC test compared to the ASTM C29, especially with the larger
aggregate size (CA-20). In general, ASTM C29 method resulted in
relatively higher packing density values compared to those ob-
tained with GC test method. This trend is also observed with com-
bined aggregates. As can be observed in Table 3, higher disturbed
volume (4%) was indeed observed with CA-20 aggregate compared
to 2% observed with other aggregate types. In the case of GC meth-
od, the variation is lying between 3% for small aggregate and 6% for
coarser aggregate. The proportioning of PC mixtures is carried out
using the ASTM C29 packing density measurements for its
simplicity.
As can be observed on Figs. 4 and 5, there is no relationship be-
tween Uc and Cc coefficients and packing density index of the
investigated aggregate, regardless of the measurement technique
used for the packing density. The worst relationship is obtained
for packing density determined with GC test method. Although
the gradation characteristics (Uc and Cc) indicate uniformity of
grading curve, they do not take into account the shape and texture
of particles, which has a significant effect on packing density. It is
evident that these characteristics cannot provide useful informa-
tion on the inter-particle void (IPV) of aggregate.
4.2. Effect of paste volume on mechanicals properties
The variation of compressive and tensile strengths with PV/IPV
percentages are presented in Figs. 69.
As expected, test results show that the paste volume (i.e. PV/IPV
percentage) has a significant effect on mechanical properties of PC,
regardless of the aggregate gradation in use. Indeed, the increase in
paste volume (PV/IPV) resulted in improving the mechanical prop-
erties, regardless of the aggregate size. For a given paste volume,
the use of lower maximum size aggregate (MSA) resulted in higher
strength values than those of higher MSA. For example, CA-10 and
CA-14 aggregate resulted in higher strength values than those of
CA-20 aggregate. Furthermore, the combinations of CA-10 and
CA-14 (higher packing density) resulted in higher mechanical
properties than those obtained with single aggregate. This may
be due to the relatively lower packing density of CA-20 compared
to CA-10 and CA-14 aggregate. On the other hand, CA-10 and CA-
strength values.
For low PV/IPV (640%), PC mixtures developed relatively similar
compressive strength values, regardless of the aggregates combi-
nations (single versus binary). However, in the case of PV/IPV
greater than 50%, the difference seems to be important. 34CA-
14+14CA-20 combined aggregate achieved the highest strength va-
lue, while 14CA-14+34 CA-20 resulted in the lowest values among
the binary blended aggregates. PC mixtures made with 34CA-
14+14CA-20 aggregates and PV/IPV percentage higher than 60%
achieved better mechanical properties. This may be due to the
presence of high amount of fine particles, which can be important
in case of 34CA-14+14 CA-20 (10% of particles have less than
3.3 mm). This suggests that the use of aggregate with high amount
of larger MSA (i.e. lower contact surface) resulted in weaker
 Author's personal copy

42 A. Yahia, K.D. Kabagire / Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846

Fig. 4. Relationship between packing density, Uc and Cc coefficients (GC test method).

Fig. 5. Relationship between packing density, Uc and Cc coefficients (ASTM C29).

Fig. 6. Variation of 28-day compressive strength with PV/IPV percentages of single size aggregates.

transition zone and lower strength development. Indeed, observa- (low PV/IPV value and higher contact surface). For PC specimens
tion carried out on samples after testing indicates that the failure made with PV/IPV lower than 40%, the failure occurs at the inter-
occurs at the interface between aggregate and thin paste layer face between aggregate and paste layer. In the case of specimens
 Author's personal copy

A. Yahia, K.D. Kabagire / Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846 43

Fig. 7. Variation of 28-day compressive strength with PV/IPV percentages of binary combine aggregates.

Fig. 8. Variation of 28-day tensile strength with PV/IPV percentages of single size aggregates.

Fig. 9. Variation of 28-day tensile strength with PV/IPV percentages of binary combine aggregates.

made with higher paste volume, the failure occurs across the
aggregates, which means that the cement paste develop higher
strength than the aggregate.
The variation of compressive strength with D10, where D10 cor-
responds to particles size for which 10% is passing. Indeed, as can
be observed, the compressive strength decreases when D10 in-
creases. This is more pronounced with mixtures containing high
volumes of paste, corresponding to PV/IPV of 60% and 80%. How-
ever, the D10 did not have a significant effect for low paste volume
(PV/IPV < 50%). Aggregate with low value of D10 < 5 mm containing
paste volume greater than 60% PV/IPV, D10 fraction have the same
effect like adding a certain volume of sand in the mixtures,
 Author's personal copy
44 A. Yahia, K.D. Kabagire / Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846
Fig. 10. Variation of 28-day compressive strength with D10.
Fig. 11. Relationship between porosity and PV/IPV.
resulting in enhancement of compressive strength therefore
mechanical properties. For D10 greater than 5 mm and PV/
IPV > 60%, the effect of coarse aggregate and ITZ (interfacial transi-
tion zone) is more pronounce than for the previous case, though
the compressive strength remains quasi-constant as showed on
Fig. 10.
Fig. 12. Permeability and 28-day compressive strength variation with porosity of PC.
4.3. Relationship between strength, permeability, and porosity
The variation of porosity with PV/IPV percentages is shown in
Fig. 11. As can be observed, the porosity decreases linearly with
PV/IPV. It appears that the use of PV/IPV percentages lower than
60% can provide functional PC mixtures with porosity of 19%. On
the other hand, some PC mixtures with porosity of 19% revealed
permeability of 1 mm/s and 28-day compressive strength of
22 MPa.
The relationship between porosity, permeability, and compres-
sive strength is presented in Fig. 12. Permeability is shown to fol-
low a polynomial relationship with respect to porosity. Similar
trends with exponential relationship were reported by Kevern
et al. [13]. On the other hand, linear relationship is observed
between porosity and 28-day compressive strength, its decreases
linearly with porosity. The minimum porosity to achieve a perme-
ability of 1 mm/s is found to be around 19%. According to Wang
et al., this permeability (i.e. 1 mm/s) is found to be the minimum
value to provide functional PC mixtures for cold weather climate
[23]. This porosity value is relatively higher than the widespread
minimum value of 15%, which was proposed based on National
Aggregate Association (NAA) and National Ready Mixed Concrete
Association (NRMCA) recommendations. It is reported that pervi-
ous mixtures with 15% porosity can provide an acceptable perme-
ability of approximately 1 mm/s [13]. This discrepancy (19% versus
15%) may probably due to the relatively higher consolidation en-
ergy (combination of rodding and vibrating table) used in this
study and packing density of used aggregate.
The 28-day compressive strength values obtained laid between
6 and 41 MPa, which covers PCs compressive strength values re-
ported in literature. Also, PC mixtures which develop 28-day com-
pressive strength over than 27 MPa provide porosity value of less
than 15%, most of all these specimen had permeability of less than
1 mm/s and this value dropped to 0 mm/s for all mixtures done
with 80% PV/IPV. According to the used materials and sampling
consolidation energy, these mixtures did not have enough porosity
to build a connected porosity which is necessary for percolation.
For our case the connected porosity gave satisfactory value of per-
meability at 19% of effective porosity. The proposed approach al-
lowed to design PC mixtures with relatively high compressive
strength, while achieving high porosity and functional permeabil-
ity (>1 mm/s).
Test results showed that density values obtained in this study
comprises between 1800 kg/m3 for the lowest paste volume
 Author's personal copy
A. Yahia, K.D. Kabagire / Construction and Building Materials 62 (2014) 3846
Fig. 13. Density relation between 28-day compressive strength and porosity.
content and 2400 kg/m3 for the highest one. Mixtures with density
greater than 2200 kg/m3 did not show any percolation while the
highest permeability (16 mm/s) were obtain with lowest value of
density. Correlations between density, porosity and unit weight
showed satisfactory relationship. Work conducted by Yang and
Jiang [24] reported PC mixture with density value around
2300 kg/m3 that achieved functional permeability of 2.29 mm/s,
which is not with agreement with previous results for the simple
reason that they used different materials (sand, very narrow aggre-
gate; 35 mm) and conditions of sampling (consolidation energy).
As observed earlier in Figs. 1113, PC mixtures proportioned
with PV/IPV percentage of less than 60% showed density lower
than 2050 kg/m3. Lower density values are adequate to ensure PC
mixtures with porosity greater than 19% and therefore provide
functional properties. Given the fact that compressive strength
and effective porosity of PC is related to its density (linear relation-
ship, R2 = 0.88), it can be used as field test for simple validation of
PC mixtures with batching material of given properties [11].
5. Conclusions
New design approach based on the packing density of aggregate
to proportion PC mixtures is proposed. The inter-particle void in-
dex (IPV) is shown to be a key factor in determining the optimum
paste volume to proportion PC mixtures with proper mechanical
and hydraulic conductivity properties. Based on test results pre-
sented in this paper, the following conclusions can be pointed out:
1. New method to proportion pervious concrete based on the
packing density concept of coarse aggregate is proposed.
2. Packing density index measured with both ASTM C29 and
GC test methods resulted in very similar results. The pack-
ing density is not well correlated with gradation character-
istics, including uniformity (Uc) and conformity (Cc)
coefficients. The packing density determined using ASTM
C29 method may be preferred for its simplicity to design
pervious concrete.
3. The fine fraction of particles lower than D10 in the coarse
aggregate can considerably influence the mechanical prop-
erties and hydraulic conductivity of pervious concrete.
4. Given the inter-particle void (IPV) of aggregate, a paste vol-
ume corresponding to 50% of IPV seems to be optimum for
proportioning pervious concrete and achieving good bal-
ance between mechanical and hydraulic conductivity. The
45
use of paste volume greater than 60% of IPV resulted, how-
ever, in pervious concrete mixtures with very low perme-
ability. A paste volume lower than 20% is not enough to
ensure mixtures with acceptable cohesion.
5. Minimum porosity of 19% is required to produce functional
pervious concrete with permeability higher than 1 mm/s
and unit weight lower than 2100 kg/m3.
6. The failure mode of pervious concrete is mainly affected by
the paste volume. For paste volume ranging between 30%
and 40% of PV/IPV, the failure occurs at the interface
between cement and aggregate.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to express their gratitude and sincere appre-
ciation to PCBF (Programme Canadien de Bourse pour la Francopho-
nie) for financing this project.
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