Quick Surface Infiltration Test to Assess Maintenance Needs on Small Pervious Concrete Sites

Abstract

In this paper, a quick surface infiltration test is presented for assessment of pervious concrete (PC) maintenance needs on small sites. Tests were conducted on PC sidewalk sections at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Performance of a quick field infiltration test (QFIT) was compared with a modified double ring infiltrometer test (MDRIT). The more sensitive MDRIT results were used in the second part of the study to evaluate the effectiveness of two low-cost PC maintenance practices: (1) pressure washing and (2) pressure washing with power blowing. Results indicate both maintenance practices improved PC sidewalk infiltration rates an average 20-fold, with an almost 200-fold increase observed on sites cleaned by combined pressure washing and power blowing. Because the QFIT method can assess whether the PC pavement surface infiltration rate (SIR) is above or below