Title: Study of the drainage properties of pervious concrete

Authors: Gisele Santoro Lamb; Isaltino A. Oliveira; G.G. Perera; Alexandra Passuello; Alexandre Lorenzi; Luiz Carlos Pinto Da Silva Filho

Addresses: Laboratório de Ensaios e Modelos Estruturais (LEME), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil ' Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Prédio 43436, Agronomia, Porto Alegre, Brazil ' Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Prédio 43436, Agronomia, Porto Alegre, Brazil ' Laboratório de Ensaios e Modelos Estruturais (LEME), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil ' Laboratório de Ensaios e Modelos Estruturais (LEME), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil ' Laboratório de Ensaios e Modelos Estruturais (LEME), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil

Abstract: The current trend in the management of urban drainage systems is to return to pre-development conditions that mimic the flow characteristics of natural ecosystems. To do so, cities must implement technologies designed to increase water infiltration and reduce the runoff speed. Pervious concrete is among the new technologies seeking to return paved urban areas to conditions that mirror original soil drainage properties. The prototype described in this study is based on specifications provided by Caderno de Encargos do Departamento de Esgotos Pluviais (DEP) from Porto Alegre, where prototypes of grids similar to those produced by DEP are described, however our prototype was made using pervious concrete. Tests were conducted to compare the mechanical strength of our pervious model and those of DEP, made with conventional concrete. Pervious concrete performed better than conventional concrete in all assessments, suggesting that the application of this technology could be a viable alternative.

Keywords: drainage elements; pervious concrete; urban drainage; high porosity; drainage management; water infiltration; runoff speed; mechanical strength; cities; Brazil.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2017.083291

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2017 Vol.16 No.2, pp.99 - 111

Accepted: 29 Feb 2016
Published online: 23 Mar 2017 *

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