Introduction

Traditionally, concrete has been seen as a material that is deteriorating to the

nature and the environment as a whole. With the use of concrete increasing due
to its plethora of benefits, concerns were raised because the ability to recharge
ground water was decreasing, as conventional concrete was mixed in such a
manner that ingress of water would be minimal. As times changed and the need
for recharging the ground water arose, people started looking for alternatives to
conventional concrete and ways to harvest rainwater so as to meet the needs of
the population and hence came the idea of pervious concrete.

Pervious concrete is a high porosity material and used for concrete flatwork
applications that allow water from precipitation and other sources to pass
directly through, thereby reducing the run-off and allowing groundwater
recharge. Typically, pervious concrete has little or no fine aggregate and have
enough compendious paste to coat the coarse aggregate particles while
preserving the interconnectivity of the voids.

History

Pervious concrete was first used in the 1800s in Europe as pavement surfacing
and load bearing walls. Cost efficiency was the main motive due to a decreased
amount of cement. It became popular again in the 1920s for two storey homes in
Scotland and England. It became increasingly viable in Europe after WWII due to
the scarcity of cement. It did not become as popular in the US until the 1970s. In
India it became popular in 2000.

Materials

Pervious concrete mainly consists of normal Portland cement, coarse aggregate

and water. In normal concrete, the fine aggregates typically fill in the voids
between the coarse aggregates. In pervious concrete fine aggregate is non-
existent or present in very small amounts. Also there is insufficient paste to fill
the remaining voids, so pervious concrete has porosity anywhere from 15-35%
but most frequently about 20%. Aggregate gradings used in pervious concrete
are typically either single-sized coarse aggregate or grading in between 19 and
9.5mm. A wide aggregate grading is to be avoided as that will reduce the void
content of the previous concrete.

Mix Proportioning

At a void content lower than 15%, there is no significant percolation through the
concrete due to insufficient interconnectivity between the voids to allow for rapid
percolation. So, concrete mixtures are typically designed for 20% void content in
order to attain sufficient strength and infiltration rate.

The water-cementious material (w/cm) ratio is an important consideration for

obtaining desired strength and void structure in the pervious concrete. A high
w/cm ratio reduces the adhesion of the paste to the aggregate and causes the
paste to flow and fill the voids, even when lightly compacted. A low w/cm will
prevent good mixing and tend to cause balling in the mixer, prevent an even
distribution of cement paste, and therefore reduce the ultimate strength and
durability of the concrete

The total cementious material content of a pervious concrete mixture is

important for the development of compressive strength and void structure. An
insufficient cementious content can result in reduced paste coating of the
aggregate and reduced compressive strength. The optimum cementious material
content is strongly dependent on aggregate size and gradation but is typically
between 267 and 415 kg/m3. ASTM C1688 test can be conducted in the
laboratory to observe if the target void contents are attained.

Advantages

Allows storm water to infiltrate into the ground to replenish ground water
aquifers.
Retains storm water so that retention ponds are not needed for parking
lots.
Keeps pavement surfaces dry even in wet situations, such as greenhouses.
Allows a project to claim LEED points.

Applications of Pervious Concrete:

Car Parking Lots

Rain water harvesting in housing societies
Play grounds
Nurseries and Gardens
Areas surrounding swimming pools

Perviouscrete from RMC Readymix India

Perviouscrete is a special category of modified concrete that permits rainwater

runoff to percolate through it rather than flood surrounding areas or storm water
drains.its unique filter action removes pollutants from rainwater runoffs and
allows the suns heat to evaporate volatiles, leaving behind the remaining solids
to be consumed by microbial action. This permeated water replenishes ground
water table and aquifers; hence can also be termed as Rainwater harvesting
Concrete.