Novel clogging resistant permeable pavements

A. Kia*, H. Wong, D. Balmforth, C. Cheeseman

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Type of presentation: Oral

Theme and sub-topic the paper is to be submitted for:

Theme 4 (Cities of the Future – Stormwater management)

SUMMARY
Permeable pavements are one of the most promising mitigation strategies for urban flooding.
However, they are prone to clogging, have relatively low strength and durability, and require regular
maintenance. We have developed a new generation of permeable pavements that are not only
clogging resistant but also have high permeability and strength. This high strength clogging resistant
permeable pavement (CRP, also known as Kiacrete) was prepared by introducing straight pore
channels of varying size and number into self-compacting cementitious material. This paper reports
on new advances in permeable pavement systems and compares the permeability, clogging potential,
strength and freeze-thaw durability of a range of conventional permeable concrete and the developed
novel CRP of varying porosity. The results show that for the same porosity, CRP can achieve a high
permeability (>2 cm/s) and compressive strength (>50 MPa), whilst being resistant to clogging and the
frost action, enabling wider application of permeable pavements.

KEYWORDS
Clogging potential, durability, flooding, frost, high strength, permeability, permeable concrete

INTRODUCTION
The annual global cost of flooding is projected to increase from £60bn in 2019 (Aon, 2020) to £500bn
by 2030 (World Resources Institute, 2020). Permeable concrete pavements are becoming more
common as a stormwater management system to mitigate urban flooding. These highly porous
materials rapidly drain surface water, enabling storm water to pass through dense infrastructure.
However, conventional permeable pavements are inevitably prone to clogging that degrades their
performance and service life (Chopra et al., 2007; Deo et al., 2010; Schaefer & Kevern, 2011;
Coughlin et al., 2012; Kayhanian et al., 2012; Mata & Leming, 2012; Yong et al., 2013; Kia et al.,
2017; Kia et al., 2018; Kia et al., 2019). Clogging is caused by build-up of debris trapped within the
pore network, blocking the pavement and reducing its drainage capacity. Further details are
presented in (Kia et al., 2018; Kia et al., 2019). Conventional permeable pavements also have low
strength (<30 MPa), owing to their high porosity (15-35%), and are limited to light applications (Kim &
Obla, 2009; Kevern et al., 2010; Lian & Zhuge, 2010; Sumanasooriya & Neithalath, 2011;
Sumanasooriya et al., 2012; Sonebi & Bassuoni, 2013). Although the use of permeable concrete
pavements is expanding, their application in cold regions has been limited due to concerns of
deterioration under frost action (Schaefer et al., 2006). The overall aim of this study is the
development of a new permeable pavement system which is: i) more permeable; ii) clogging resistant;
iii) stronger; iv) durable against frost action.

METHODS
Sample preparation
The conventional permeable concrete (PC) mixes were prepared using CEM I 52.5N Portland cement
at water/cement (w/c) ratio of 0.35, Thames Valley gravel and a viscosity-modifying admixture. High-
strength clogging resistant permeable pavement (CRP) samples were prepared by introducing tubes
of varying diameter and number into self-compacting mortar. Self-compacting mortar was prepared
using CEM I 52.5N, fine-grained river sand and a polycarboxylic-ether type superplasticiser at a w/c
ratio of 0.4. Further details are presented in Kia et al. (2019).
Permeability
A falling head permeability setup was used to measure permeability, described in Kia et al. (2018) and
Kia et al. (2019).
Clogging
In order to determine clogging, samples were exposed to aqueous solutions containing bentonite clay
and fine-grained river sand (<1.25 mm), this exposure was carried out over many cycles until no
measurable flow or measurable change in permeability was observed (Kia et al., 2018; Kia et al.,
2019).

Compressive strength
Compressive strength of all samples (PC and CRP) was measured in accordance with BS EN 12390-
3:2009 (British Standards Institution, 2009) on 100 mm cubes at 28 days.

Freeze-thaw (F-T) durability

The PC and CRP samples were subjected to F-T testing in accordance with CEN/TR 15177:2006
(British Standards Institution, 2006). Exposure was conducted under drained condition, considered as
more representative of the field conditions (Attiogbe, 1996; NRMCA, 2004; Schaefer et al., 2006; ACI,
2010). Each cycle consists of freezing at -20°C for 8 hours followed by thawing in a water tank at
+20°C for 4 hours. The change in mass characterises deterioration rate under freezing and thawing
cycles.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 1a) shows that for the same porosity, the permeability of CRP is ten times higher than that of
PC samples. The permeability of the densest CRP (<5% porosity) was as high as the permeability of
the most porous PC tested (>30% porosity). Figure 1b) illustrates that permeability of PC decreases
at an exponential rate with increasing number of clogging cycle due to pore blockage by sediments.
Conversely, CRP samples showed no reduction in permeability despite extensive exposure to
sediments over many clogging cycles. In Figure 1c) PC samples have a slight mass loss in the first 10
cycles followed by a significant drop in mass thereafter due to debonding and spalling of the sample.
CRP samples, however, had no mass loss when exposed to F-T cycles due to the pore structure.
Figure 1d) shows that the compressive strength of CRP is twice as high as that in PC samples. This
means that CRP can be deployed in heavy load bearing environments, using the design detailed in
Kia et al. (2021), increasing their applications.
a) b)

c) d)

Figure 1 The performance of PC and CRP: a) permeability; b) clogging resistance; c) F-T durability;
and d) compressive strength.
CONCLUSIONS
Recent developments have led to a new type of permeable pavement (CRP) that overcomes the
limitations of conventional systems in terms of strength, permeability, clogging resistance and freeze-
thaw (F-T) durability. Rigorous lab testing supported by modelling confirmed CRP’s superior strength
(twice as strong, >50 MPa), drainage performance (>2 cm/s), clogging and F-T resistance. As such,
CRP is well suited to address the problems associated with permeable concrete pavements exposed
to extreme weather, reducing maintenance requirements and improving sustainability and service-life.

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