Subcommittee tests proposed standards for pervious concrete

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, PA. — The increasing use of and interest in pervious concrete in construction has led to a need for test methods for the material. Subcommittee C09.49 on Pervious Concrete, part of ASTM International Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, is currently working on proposed test methods, including two that will cover hardened density and compressive strength.

The two new proposed standards are ASTM WK29212, Test Method for Hardened Density of Pervious Concrete, and ASTM WK29213, Test Method for Compressive Strength of Pervious Concrete.

“Producers are desperate for ways to prove that they have supplied adequate material. Designers want to be able to both measure and specify the physical properties that they desire. And users want to be sure that they are getting what they are buying and want some way to check for functionality of the system,” said Walt Flood IV, project manager and assistant engineer, Flood Testing Laboratories Inc., and a C09.49 member.

In regards to ASTM WK29212, Flood said, “Density and void content of pervious concrete control most, if not all, of the critical physical properties of the material. Strength, permeability, and durability are all largely governed by the density and void content of the concrete mixture.”

According to Flood, ASTM WK29212 will provide a useful way to reliably determine the void content and resulting density of pervious concrete, particularly regarding quality and functionality relative to stated goals or specifications.

Charles Mitchell, a principal at Specialized Engineering and a C09.49 member, said that the task group working on ASTM WK29213 has so far performed three sets of tests in their preparation of the proposed standard, which will be useful to pervious concrete producers and testing laboratories in testing compressive strength.

“ASTM WK29213 will provide designers of pervious concrete pavements a value to use in their designs,” said Mitchell. “It would also provide an owner with a standard to be used to verify pervious concrete material strengths on their projects.”

All parties with an interest in pervious concrete are encouraged to participate in the development of ASTM WK29212 and ASTM WK29213. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.