By Kathryn Nelson, Transportation Engineering and Road Research Alliance, April 1, 2008. (PDF)
TERRA members collaborate to fund research into cold-weather performance of pervious concrete
The Aggregate & Ready Mix Association of Minnesota (ARM) partnered with the University of Minnesota Department of Civil Engineering to obtain a $50,000 research grant from the Ready Mixed Concrete RMC Research & Education Foundation for a study of the cold-weather performance of pervious concrete.
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TERRA board members Fred Corrigan (ARM) and Julie Garbini (RMC Research & Education Foundation) helped to guide the application for this grant. Lev Khazanovich, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Minnesota, is the principal investigator is of the study along with co-investigator Kevin MacDonald of Cemstone.
In their June 2008 grant application to study the “Performance of Pervious Concrete Pavement in a Cold Weather Climate,” the researchers suggested a number of changes to the creation and installation procedures of pervious concrete, which will be further explored during their 12-month study.
Pervious concrete is widely used in moderate climates to reduce storm water runoff. Its permeable structure allows water to filter into the groundwater. But its ability to withstand freeze-thaw cycles in cold climates needs to be investigated.
That’s why the University of Minnesota Department of Civil Engineering began testing the strength of pervious concrete—to find out if the technology may be successfully implemented in states with extreme weather fluctuations.
The study will make use of existing local pervious concrete installations, including segments at the MnROAD facility in Albertville, Minnesota, to determine performance criteria for materials, design methods, and construction. The testing site includes a pervious concrete driveway, pedestrian walkway, and two test cells on the low-volume road, which will provide a variety of different conditions for scientific evaluation.
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Researchers suggest the most important step to ensure pervious concrete’s durability is the careful mixing and installation of the material. Because optimum performance depends on the balance of void ratio and strength, quality control during the mix design, compaction, and curing often determines the success of a pervious concrete project.
The benefits of pervious concrete include replenishing ground water tables, decreasing the amount of runoff and pollution entering streams during large storm events, reducing flooding, and absorbing tire-pavement noise.