Porous concrete is being used as a pavement system due to its ability to drain, manage and collect storm water, and is thus regarded as a sustainable pavement system. This paper presents an experimental program conducted with the objective of investigating the structural performance of pavements made of porous concrete, as well as exploring several schemes for strengthening this type of pavements. Within the conducted experimental program, special mix proportions were used to yield porous concrete mix, then twelve porous concrete slabs having dimensions 1000 * 1000 * 150 mm were cast and tested. Two slabs were taken as reference, four slabs had 0.1% and 0.2% fibrillated polypropylene fibres added to the mix for reinforcement, four slabs were strengthened by two types of geogrid and the remaining two slabs were strengthened using glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rods. The tested slabs were placed over a stiff rubber layer and the load was applied on a circular plate placed at the center of the slabs. The load was increased up to failure and the deformations and strains were recorded. The obtained results showed enhancement of the load carrying capacity, stiffness, toughness and ductility of the tested slabs containing the geogrid. The highest values for ultimate load were for slabs reinforced with GFRP rods, then for slabs reinforced with the two types of geogrid, and the lowest values were for slabs with fibrillated polypropylene fibres added to the mix. |
