Pervious concrete has been increasing in popularity as a potential solution to reduce the amount of impermeable surface area associated with sidewalks, reduce puddling, and potentially slow storm water surface high-flow rates. As important as these benefits are to surface runoff mitigation, there are concerns with the ability of pervious concrete mixes to provide sufficient structural support and longevity for the expected service life, as well as life-cycle costs.

The composition of pervious concrete creates limitations to its mechanical strength and challenges in required maintenance maximize its expected service life. The performance of permeable concrete pavements is also affected by its geographical location and application.

Cast slabs of 11 different pervious concrete mix designs were evaluated in this study, including both commercially available mixes and laboratory-designed mixes. Measurements, data, and evaluations included:

• Thermal and radiation performance
• Mechanical properties such as compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus
• Shrinkage and freeze-thaw properties
• Hydraulic conductivities using the falling head and constant head test methods
• Compressive strength values (varied from 1,100 to 3,400 psi at 28 days, while those for the modulus of rupture were between 150 and 370 psi)
• Hydraulic conductivity (were between 0.04 and 0.06 cm/sec and elastic modulus values ranged from 1,000 to 2,800 ksi)
• Freeze and thaw tests up to 100 cycles (showed about 6% loss of mass)
• Vibration and placement methods (were found to have an impact on mechanical and hydrological properties)

Life-cycle cost analysis was done to evaluate the cost-benefit of using pervious concrete in sidewalks. It showed that that the initial construction cost of porous concrete is slightly greater than that of conventional concrete for sidewalks without subsurface drainage systems. When compared to porous asphalt sidewalks,

Pervious concrete has been increasing in popularity as a potential solution to reduce the amount of impermeable surface area associated with sidewalks, reduce puddling, and potentially slow storm water surface high-flow rates. As important as these benefits are to surface runoff mitigation, there are concerns with the ability of pervious concrete mixes to provide sufficient structural support and longevity for the expected service life, as well as life-cycle costs.

The composition of pervious concrete creates limitations to its mechanical strength and challenges in required maintenance maximize its expected service life. The performance of permeable concrete pavements is also affected by its geographical location and application.

Cast slabs of 11 different pervious concrete mix designs were evaluated in this study, including both commercially available mixes and laboratory-designed mixes. Measurements, data, and evaluations included:

• Thermal and radiation performance
• Mechanical properties such as compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus
• Shrinkage and freeze-thaw properties
• Hydraulic conductivities using the falling head and constant head test methods
• Compressive strength values (varied from 1,100 to 3,400 psi at 28 days, while those for the modulus of rupture were between 150 and 370 psi)
• Hydraulic conductivity (were between 0.04 and 0.06 cm/sec and elastic modulus values ranged from 1,000 to 2,800 ksi)
• Freeze and thaw tests up to 100 cycles (showed about 6% loss of mass)
• Vibration and placement methods (were found to have an impact on mechanical and hydrological properties)

Life-cycle cost analysis was done to evaluate the cost-benefit of using pervious concrete in sidewalks. It showed that that the initial construction cost of porous concrete is slightly greater than that of conventional concrete for sidewalks without subsurface drainage systems. Furthermore, the initial construction cost of porous asphalt sidewalks is lower than that of conventional concrete sidewalks. When the service-life ratio of porous asphalt versus conventional concrete is greater than 0.60, the porous asphalt would be the most economically competitive option (compared to both porous concrete and conventional concrete).