Suggested Citation:
AlShareedah, Othman and Somayeh Nassiri (2023)

Discrete Element Modeling of Pervious Concrete Compressive Strength to Optimize Mixture Composition

Pervious concrete is a stormwater management practice used in the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and many other countries. Yet, the design of pervious concrete mixtures to balance strength and permeability requires more research. Sphere packing models of pervious concrete were used in compressive strength testing simulations using the discrete element method with a cohesive contact law. First, three mixtures with varied water-to-cement (w/c) ratios and porosities were used for model development and validation. Next, an extensive database of simulated compressive strength and tested permeability was created, including 21 porosities at three w/c ratios. Analysis of the database showed for pavement applications where high permeability and strength are required, advised porosity is 0.26-0.30, producing average strengths of 14.4, 11.1, and 7.7 MPa for w/c ratios of 0.25, 0.30, and 0.35. The model can guide the mixture design to meet target performance metrics, save materials and maintenance costs, and extend the pavement life.