Hydraulic Characterization and Design of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement: Fid-Bau Portal

Hydraulic Characterization and Design of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement

Leipard, A. R. / Kevern, J. T. / Richardson, J. R.

The environmental benefits of permeable pavements are vast and include stormwater quality reduction, stormwater quality improvement, urban heat island mitigation, and groundwater recharge, among others. Permeable Interlocking concrete pavements explicitly infiltrate water, a new concept to engineering practice for pavements. This technology as a load-carrying surface has not yet been fully characterized nor has the decades of design and performance experience of conventional pavements. This research project developed a hydraulic design methodology for permeable interlocking concrete pavements. Test sections were evaluated in a layered hydraulic flume to determine allowable contributing run-off area for a variety of site geometries and design storms, to determine capture discharge, infiltration rates, and by-pass flow rates for various block spacing, patterns, and across a broad range of pavement cross slopes. The results demonstrate that the capture discharge and infiltration rates are inversely related to the cross slope of the pavement. Results also indicated the infiltration rate of the interlocking permeable pavement blocks exposed to horizontal sheet flow is significantly lower measured vertical infiltration rate which is currently used in filed verification. Additional research included permeable concrete pavement as an alternative sub-base and clogging tests which included the creation of synthetic stormwater for PICP was completed and analyzed.