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Seepage Through Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements and Their Subgrades Using a Large Infiltration Table Apparatus

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Abstract

Permeable interlocking concrete pavements (PICP) are being used increasingly in stormwater management. A 2-year experimental study was conducted to quantify some uncertain parameters related to PICP. The study entailed the hydraulic testing of a representative volume of PICP within a specially constructed Infiltration Table Apparatus with a surface area of 10 m2, and able to be tilted up to 6°. The study aimed to address some of the controls of infiltration into, and flow through PICP by investigating the effect of the selected construction materials and the incline of the pavements. Based on the permeability data gained on PICP, it was verified that both the choice of construction materials (in both the layer works and the sand used for fill between the bricks) and the incline of the pavements were found to affect their hydraulic properties. In general, the selection of lower permeability materials in a PICP surface layer, and/or increasing the incline, decrease the overall permeability of the pavement.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the South African Water Research Commission (www.wrc.org.za) for funding the project K5/2826 on Vadose Zone Hydrology: Complexity and Anthropogenic Influences, as well as to Bosun Concrete Products (Pty) Ltd for the construction, supply and maintenance of the Infiltration Table Apparatus and experimental materials. Numerous people contributed to discussions about typical pavement designs and testing parameters. Too many to mention, they helped define the test parameters to mimic actual design criteria as closely as possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Johan H. van Vuuren, Matthys A. Dippenaar & Louis van Rooy

  2. Bosun Concrete Products, Midrand, South Africa

    Riaan van Biljon

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  1. Johan H. van Vuuren
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  2. Matthys A. Dippenaar
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  3. Riaan van Biljon
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  4. Louis van Rooy
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Correspondence to Matthys A. Dippenaar.

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van Vuuren, J.H., Dippenaar, M.A., van Biljon, R. et al. Seepage Through Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements and Their Subgrades Using a Large Infiltration Table Apparatus. Int. J. Pavement Res. Technol. 15, 44–62 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42947-021-00010-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42947-021-00010-8

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