Title: Open graded concrete – a new concrete alternative

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Publication: CIA

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Date: 2/28/2011

Abstract:
The use of pervious or permeable surfacing or full depth base course for local and heavy traffic roads has continued to gain pace over the last decade with the desire by road authorities to address a number of safety and environmental concerns. For instance, open graded asphalt wearing course for highway pavements is an established technology, meeting noise emission targets and providing a driver safety improvement in wet weather. Permeable concrete pavers have been used for low speed local roads and car parks over the last decade. The opportunity to use slipformed pervious or open graded concrete for surfacing (or full depth base) for high speed concrete pavements has been limited in Australia by material and placing technology, and upfront costs. Research work in Australia using a new generation concrete admixture and placing technique has started the development of an open graded concrete material as an alternative to open graded asphalt. This paper details a laboratory based research project that defines the limits of a wet on wet construction process of open graded concrete surfacing on a conventional plain concrete pavement. The open graded concrete surfacing developed in the initial trials had a compressive strength of about 20 MPa with air voids in the range of 20 to 30%.