POROUS CONCRETE

V T LONDHE AUGUST 2014

Porous concrete consists of cement, coarse aggregate and water with little no fine aggregates. The addition of a small amount of sand will increase the strength. The mixture has a water-cement ratio of 0.28 to 0.40 A low water to cement ratio will increase the strength of the concrete, but too little water may cause surface failure. A proper water content gives the mixture a wet-metallic appearance.

Porous concrete functions like a storm water infiltration basin and allows the storm water to infiltrate the soil over a large area, thus facilitating recharge of precious groundwater supplies locally.All of these benefits lead to more effective land use.

To prevent reduction in permeability, porous concrete needs to be cleaned regularly. Cleaning can be accomplished through wetting the surface of the concrete and vacuum sweeping.