Clogging potential evaluation of porous mixture surfaces used in permeable pavement systems

Service life of permeable pavements is strongly influenced by the infiltration capacity reduction produced due to the progressive clogging of the interconnected pores. This study focused on the effect of rainfall intensity and duration as well as the pavement slope, on the clogging and de-clogging processes of permeable pavements. For this purpose, a rainfall simulator was used in order to test porous asphalt and pervious concrete samples with void contents of 15, 20 and 25%. In order to simulate the permeability reduction in permeable pavements during their service life, test samples were clogged using three different sediment concentrations: 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 kg/m(2). Three different rainfall intensities (50, 100 and 150 mm/h) and two different rainfall durations (15 and 30 min) were tested over the test samples. The infiltration capacity of the test samples was assessed in newly built conditions, and for each clogging scenario before and after rainfall simulations. Results showed that rainfall patterns as well as pavement slope significantly affect the infiltration capacity of clogged permeable materials, being higher after longer and intense rainfall events and for lower pavement slopes. Overall, PC mixture showed a best performance in terms of infiltration capacity and self-cleaning capabilities.