Environmental and Mechanical Attributes of Pervious Rubberized Concrete

摘要

Pervious concrete is a material with high permeability. It allows the percolation of storm water through its surface to lower layers to charge ground aquifers. The present system of collection of storm water is through a network of conduits that ultimately lead to the disposal of the water in mostly less-than-useful ways. With groundwater becoming scarce and/or deeper to find, the idea of continuously recharging the water-bearing layers through top surfaces made of pervious concrete becomes more attractive. This can reduce untreated runoff water, channel more water to roots of trees, reduce the need for steep slopes in parking lots, and ultimately eliminate hydrocarbon pollution. Conventional pervious concrete has been established to be a viable material for such an application. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the present research aims at making this concrete even more appealing. The testing program is structured to examine the properties of pervious concrete made with granulated rubber of waste tires. The problem of disposing of waste tires has grown beyond manageable proportions and is a constant source of environmental concern. Coupled with its ability to drain water rapidly, pervious concrete can gain desirable mechanical properties if mixed with a certain percentage of granulated rubber. To optimize the design of this rubberized pervious concrete, mixtures with various compositions and ingredients were made and tested. Tests reported include progress of compressive stress over time, compressive strength, deformation/strain, and permeability under dry and wet conditions. It is concluded that rubberized pervious concrete can achieve the same function served by conventional pervious concrete with the added advantage of being more durable and less susceptible to the development of brittle cracking.