Design of Pervious Portland Cement Concrete Pavement How important is Strength?

By Andrew E. Marks, PE
Managing Director, Puget Sound Concrete Specification Council; 22223 7th Ave. S., Des Moines,
WA 98198; Phone 253 590 6937; email andrew.marks@comcast.net
Abstract
This article examines the relative importance of quantifying compressive and flexural strengths
in the construction and structural design of pervious pavements. The hypothesis put forward is
that conservative design procedure is cost effective and reliable without strength data as a control
or acceptance parameter, and advocates use of ACI 522 specification.
Paper
Pervious Portland Cement Concrete (pervious concrete) pavement presents unique challenges for
the pavement designer. There are yet no approved ASTM procedures for quantifying strength
characteristics of pervious concrete. If the designer desires to ignore that fact, as many
designers attempt to do, and apply conventional strength measurement procedures to pervious
concrete as a control or acceptance test, there are also no values put forward against which to
compare or evaluate the material. This situation presents a barrier to greater acceptance and use
of pervious concrete as a main stream pavement material of choice.
In the development of this article, there are some fundamental facts and assumptions identified
which form the basis of both observations and the proposed procedure recommended herein.
Among those are the following:
1. The function of a pavement is to distribute an applied load over an area sufficient to
prevent failure of the underlying soil.
2. The utility of a rigid (concrete) pavement is to achieve this function within the structure
of the pavement itself, with little or no benefit derived from enhanced base layers, and to
do so over the entire design life without benefit of structural modification (overlays,
sealcoats, etc.)
3. Rigid pavements fail in one or both of two modes:
a. Fatigue fatigue is the progressive, localized, and permanent structural damage
that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic strains at nominal stresses that
have maximum values less than the static yield strength of the material.
b. Erosion Erosion damage in pavements is the loss of subgrade support caused by
the movement of discrete slabs effecting the movement of water, causing
mobilization and loss of fine grained materials in the zone immediately beneath
the slab. Three necessary components of erosion damage are movement of the
slab, water in the zone beneath the slab, and an erodible substrate.
c. The design parameter that changes as load and subgrade quality assumptions vary
is thickness.

4. Pavements do not fail in compression. Even the application of a single catastrophic point
loading, such as a crane outrigger for example, causes a shear failure, which is a type of
tensile failure.
5. The critical parameter in the design of a rigid pavement is the Modulus of Rupture, also
referred to as flexural strength, or tensile strength.
There are other critical elements, but those listed above define an initial position from which we
may pursue the discussion of the hypothesis. It may not be apparent how these facts are useful in
the context of pervious concrete, as pervious concrete is not mentioned in any of the 5 items
above.
Pervious Portland Cement Concrete is concrete. It is a mixture of Portland cement, water and
coarse aggregate, but without the addition of the fine aggregate and the interstitial void spaces
between the coarse aggregate particles are left unfilled. Those interstitial spaces are intentionally
left open by creating insufficient paste volume to fill them. The mixture is optimized to affect
the coating of all coarse aggregate particles in the mix with a uniform layer of high quality
cement paste (w/c in the range of approximately 0.27 to 0.35).
In normal or conventional concrete, the paste fraction performs the additional function of
providing lubrication such that the mixture can flow from ready mixed delivery equipment and
be placed without voids into formwork. In the case of pervious concrete, the goal is to maintain
and protect a void system, and mechanical energy in the form of rollers or compaction equipment
is relied upon to achieve the goal of placement within the desired line, grade and shape. It is
difficult, if not impossible to use the same components and create a structure that is as strong
with an intentionally induced void content as a structure that has no voids. Therefore, it must be
realized and accepted that if voids are going to be intentionally created in the concrete, the
concrete strength will be diminished. It must further be realized that there is value in creating
that void system if it were not, conventional concrete would be used. This leads to another
fact:
6. The pervious nature of pervious concrete is a critical component necessary for the
success of the structure, and must be protected and maintained.
It logically follows that if voids are to be intentionally created in the structure, it will not be as
strong as a structure made with conventional concrete of the same characteristics. Using the
same components and equipment, we lack the ability to create the same strength characteristics
in the pervious concrete as in the conventional concrete, without reducing the void content.
Therefore, we must design, specify and evaluate pervious concrete paving materials
appropriately to achieve the desired result of a strong, durable pavement that will allow water to
pass unimpeded. And:
7. Void content is critical and necessary, so design and specification must accommodate
lower strengths.
In the design of rigid pavements, some critical observations are made. First and likely most
important is the fact that conventional concrete pavements routinely outlive their anticipated

design lives and design loadings. This is a result of the fact that low cost remedial strategies for
failed concrete pavements do not exist. If a rigid pavement fails, the likely outcome is that it will
be removed and replaced. During construction of utilities, lane additions, and other projects
which allow us to observe current loading and actual thicknesses of old concrete pavements, we
find almost without exception that concrete pavements continue to function above expectation
well beyond their anticipated design life, and also beyond what pavement design procedures
would lead us to expect. These observations illustrate that rigid pavement design procedures in
place today are conservative. As an example, the StreetPave software, which uses the algorithms
from PCAs PCAPAV program copyrighted in 1985, defaults to an 85% probability, which is to
say that under the defined conditions, the pavement can be expected to last beyond its design life
85% of the time.
The hypothesis examined in this discussion is that conservative design procedure is cost effective
and reliable without strength data as a control or acceptance parameter for the design of pervious
pavement structures. One additional fact favors this hypothesis. We know that the strength of
the pavement section is proportionate to the square of the section thickness, but is linear with
respect to the strength of the material. The result is that a large change in materials strength can
be offset or compensated by a relatively small change in thickness.
When we examine pervious pavements constructed in the region, we find that these pavements
have exhibited structural adequacy under anticipated loading, and under extreme loading. These
observations have been made on well constructed pavements as well as those constructed
contrary to what we now believe to be acceptable procedures. In addition, we have anecdotal
evidence of poorly and inconsistently consolidated pavements that have been ground to restore
surface integrity, thus reducing the net section depth, yet carrying truck loadings in excess of
design axle weights without structural failure. As stated earlier, this speaks not only to the
structural integrity of pervious concrete as a paving material; it also speaks to the conservative
nature of rigid pavement design procedures.
StreetPave is a software produced and distributed by the American Concrete Pavement
Association (ACPA). There are a number of pieces of software that will characterize rigid
pavements, and which also may be adequately applied. I am familiar with StreetPave and its
antecedent program, PCAPAV, which I have found that to be accurate and conservative. It has
the characteristic of being able to perform calculations using lower MR values anticipated with
pervious concrete to design rigid pavement thicknesses. I feel comfortable recommending its
use, and StreetPave is what I use to design pervious pavement thicknesses, and is also what I
have used to generate the values referenced in this discussion.
To use StreetPave, I make the following general assumptions:
MAAT = 45o F.
Terminal Serviceability = 2
25% cracked slabs
85% reliability generally higher than necessary, but conservative
Design life of 30 years.
CBR = either 1 or 2, to reflect an intentionally wetted and weakened subgrade.
CBR = 1, 2 is equivalent to a k = 100, 161 respectively

MR = 375 this is lower than measured values, and conservative.

E = 2.5 million (calculated based on MR)
No dowels

When pervious concrete designs based on these values are compared to designs for conventional
concrete pavements under the same traffic, we observe thickness recommendations typically in
the range of 1 to 1-1/2 thicker than for conventional pavements. Observations of performance
of these pervious pavements designed under these parameters in use today (recognizing that
there is a limited performance history on which to compare), confirm that these pavements are
performing, and do not exhibit early distress associated with structural compromise. We have
had the opportunity to observe pavements that were intentionally or unintentionally constructed
thinner than design that have received heavier than anticipated loading (trucks, construction
traffic) and have also observed no early structural failures.
The assumption of MR = 375 psi is a critical assumption. Although it is recognized that there are
no accepted ASTM procedures to characterize the flexural strength of pervious concrete, there
have been beams molded and broken using conventional concrete procedures. I do not have
access to laboratory data, and lack the ability to create my own, so I have sought out this data
from sources that I believe to be credible, including ACPA. I have found, and been told that the
values of modulus of rupture (flexural strength) on competent pervious concrete specimens
(permeabilitys from 200 to 1,000 in/hr) in the Puget Sound area range from the low- to mid400s. Because of the insensitivity of thickness to the strength of material, we are relatively free
to consider lower MR values for design. I have found that the assumption of 375 psi is
conservative, and return results in line with anecdotal observations and empirical analysis of
existing installations and loadings.

Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the relationship between MR and thickness for a typical residential pavement
thickness design. The case can be made for use of a higher value, with relatively little impact on
recommended thickness. It is also recognize that there are valid arguments for use of lower MR
values, and the thickness recommendation changes are greater as strengths diminish.

One of the attributes of pervious concrete construction is that the use of mechanical methods to
consolidate the concrete gives the inspector the ability to see what the finished product will look
like and how it will likely perform, at the time of construction. Per NRMCA pervious contractor
certification and ACI 522, any concrete of questionable quality should be corrected at the time of
construction. Thus there is little reason that incompetent material should be placed. It has been
observed that concrete which is insufficiently compacted, or allowed to dry is readily apparent on
visual observation. Likewise, concrete that is plugged, and of low permeability due to
construction is also readily apparent, and subject to correction at the time of construction. From
this, it follows that competent concrete is more than an assumption - competency can be verified
by visual observation of construction, and ensured by adherence to accepted construction and
quality assurance procedures.
The goal of a pervious pavement and the nature of a pervious concrete construction material
dictate a different approach than commonly applied for conventional Portland cement concrete in
structural or paving applications. The designer is unable to test for strength performance of the
ready mixed concrete materials being placed. He can, however, ensure that specified
construction procedures are adhered to. He can ensure that mix design submittal parameters are
likewise met. He can perform critical observations during construction. He can use engineering
judgment. There are ways to create a pervious pavement which meets the necessary criterion of
passing storm water while also meeting the necessary criterion of carrying load without
compromising either attribute. When typical acceptance test procedures are followed in the
design and construction of pervious concrete pavements, it is observed that the measurement of
strength acceptance criteria overrides, and results in lower permeability, and the desirable
attribute, porosity, is lost. In order to meet both criteria, the pavement attributes must be
designed conservatively and construction methods followed.
This lesson has been learned on other low-strength and/or low cement content applications using
Portland cement. For Example, strength of cement treated roadway base (CTB) or soil cement
varies widely, and it has been found that performance issues arise when strength is too great.
Control of soil cement or CTB is by verification of cement content, and field compaction relative
to laboratory tests. Control of pervious concrete, per ACI 522, is by voids of plastic concrete,
thickness and unit weight, which in combination will result in quality pervious concrete
pavements.
The consequences of not meeting minimum strengths of conventional concrete in a building
structure, bridge or even highway pavement can be large; the consequences of not meeting
strength in a low speed pavement that is intentionally overdesigned to accommodate strength
variance is low. While this approach to design of pervious pavements is remarkable in its lack of
sophistication, it is elegant in its simplicity, yet still returns economical, cost-effective
thicknesses. It gives the designer freedom to accommodate a wide range of performance and
construction conditions, and still have a high confidence interval for short and long term
performance of the pavement structure.
Once the pervious pavement structure is designed and decided, the hydrologic requirements of
the project can then be accommodated using the void system of the pervious pavement and base

as storage volume, and a greatly increased soil interface area as infiltration trench, at the
designers election. The surface area of the paved area creates a great storage volume in a
relatively thin section, and the large soil interface surface makes soils of even low permeability
significant in terms of net infiltration volume during a storm or runoff event. Use of pervious
pavements not only replicates a pre-development condition, it affords the designer great latitude
in selection of stormwater solutions. Use of pervious concrete affords the high confidence
interval of very conservative design assumptions, and a construction method that makes
verification of long term performance more apparent than for conventional concrete placement
methods, and does so cost effectively. Installations in the Greater Seattle and Puget Sound area
have confirmed this approach and these assumptions.