Time-Dependent Drainage Capacity and Runoff of

Pervious Block Subjected to Repeated Rainfall Simulation

Dawa Seo 1; Tae Sup Yun 2; Kwang Yeom Kim 3; and Kwang Soo Youm 4
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Abstract: To mitigate flood damage in cities, pervious concrete has been developed as a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional
concrete to facilitate drainage. Previous studies have tended to evaluate the drainage capacity of pervious blocks through permeability and
drainage tests in simplified conditions, giving little consideration to multiple environmental factors such as rainfall rate and temporal changes
in the blocks’ drainage capacity. This study presents experimental results of the runoff and drainage capacity of pervious blocks subjected to
time-dependent evaporation and corresponding changes in their degree of saturation. Different levels of repeated water charging at designated
time intervals simulated the urban environment, and both runoff and drainage were continuously monitored. The results highlight that runoff
can take place after certain time intervals despite the same water charge because of evaporation and prewetting-induced changes in water-
retention capacity. The effects of the surface layer, the bedding layer, and clogging (all part of the urban areas) on the drainage were
also observed. The findings underscore the significance of the actual, rather than the simplified laboratory-based, drainage capacity in urban
areas. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001800. © 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Pervious concrete; Drainage test; Repeated rainfall; Evaporation; Drainage capacity.

Introduction
The cost of flood damage in urban areas caused by localized heavy
rain has escalated in recent decades. The annual loss arising from
inundation is estimated to be US$3.2 billion in the United States
and US$6.8 billion in Europe (Changnon 2003; Jongman et al.
2014). In Korea, the strongest typhoons in 2002 and 2003, Rusa
and Maemi, resulted in damage repair costs of US$5.03 million
and US$4.03 million, respectively (Choi and Moon 2008). More
than 75% of the damage reported in urban areas affects public fa-
cilities, and this accounts for 70% of the total damage repair costs
(European Commission 2013; Choi and Moon 2008). To minimize
the damage resulting from flooding and to establish a systematic
drainage system in urban areas, sewerage and reinforcement struc-
tures (e.g., containing gates and detention tanks) have been devel-
oped, and the high efficiency of such a system has been widely
reported (Cembrano et al. 2004; Hsu et al. 2000; Schmitt et al.
2004). Pervious concrete has recently received attention as an al-
ternative and effective material to mitigate flooding in urban areas,
where impervious surfaces cover between 65 and 70% of the land
surface (Lee et al. 2012). Such concrete has the following advan-
tages: (1) outstanding drainage ability through highly connected
pores; (2) groundwater recharging; (3) better urban environment
for planting and vegetation; (4) reduced energy consumption
1
Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Yonsei Univ., Yonsei-ro 50, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Korea.
2 characterization.
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Yonsei Univ., Yonsei-ro 50, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Korea
(corresponding author). E-mail: taesup@yonsei.ac.kr
3
Research Fellow, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building
Technology, 283 Goyangdae-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang 411-712, Korea.
4
Senior Manager, Infra-Structure Team, Technical Division, GS E&C,
33 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-130, Korea.
Note. This manuscript was submitted on February 11, 2016; approved
on August 29, 2016; published online on November 16, 2016. Discussion
period open until April 16, 2017; separate discussions must be submitted
for individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Materials in Civil
Engineering, © ASCE, ISSN 0899-1561.
related to the heat island effect and reduced traffic noise; (5) mini-
mized splashing on roads; and (6) less shrinkage than conventional
concrete (Ferguson 2005; Neithalath 2004; Wanielista and Chopra
2007; Yang and Jiang 2003). However, the porous structure of per-
vious concrete is vulnerable to reduced drainage capacity caused
by clogging, and it has low mechanical strength and is susceptible
to freeze-thaw effects (Kevern et al. 2008; Tennis et al. 2004;
Wanielista and Chopra 2007). Nevertheless, such concrete has been
widely used on roads, parking lots, sidewalks, and routes with low
traffic loadings (Tennis et al. 2004; Tong 2011). The common fea-
tures of pervious concrete include a void ratio of 15–30%, a flow
rate of 0.4–19.0 mm=s, and a strength of 3.5–28 MPa (Table 1). In
situ drainage capacity and void ratio can be measured by using the
standard test methods ASTM C1701 (ASTM 2009) and ASTM
C1688 (ASTM 2014), respectively, although results may vary.
X-ray computed tomography can be used to assess the quantitative
characteristics of pore space in pervious concrete, including effec-
tive porosity, pore-size distribution, and tortuosity (Manahiloh et al.
2012; Sansalone et al. 2008). Previous studies have investigated the
infiltration capacity of pervious concrete on the basis of tests of
permeability and drainage by performing rain simulations and
slope modeling (Andersen et al. 1999; James and Von Langsdorff
2003; Lee et al. 2012). However, in situ pervious concrete is sub-
jected to high levels of flow charge that accumulates from imper-
vious regions, natural evaporation to the atmosphere, and repeated
rain events; consequently, the various boundary and initial condi-
tions of pervious concrete need to be considered for hydraulic
This study aims to assess the drainage capacity of pervious
blocks by considering the effects of evaporation, retained water
in the block, and repeated rainfall conditions. Three types of speci-
men were prepared: a porous concrete block, a block with a less
porous surface layer, and a porous concrete block over bedding
sand. The flow charge conditions were simulated by using desig-
nated time intervals, and runoff and drainage behaviors were simul-
taneously monitored throughout each test. Additionally, the
influence of clogging, a critical drainage-controlling factor, was as-
sessed by conducting repeated drainage tests at set time intervals.

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 Table 1. Strength, Permeability, and Porosity in Previous Studies Table 3. Measured Properties for Each Tested Specimen
Strength Permeability Porosity Specimens
References (MPa) (mm=s) (%)
Properties P10 SP10 P10 þ BL
Tennis et al. (2004) 3.5–28 2.0–12.0 15–30
Strength O — —
Kevern et al. (2008) 9.9–20.6 0.1–11.8 15–32.1
Young’s modulus, E O O —
Ferguson (2005) 6.7–17.5 0.3–6 14–31
Permeability O O O
Yang and Jiang (2003) 7.1–13.8 7.8–8.9 —
3D X-ray CT O O —
Huang et al. (2010) 5–6.5 17.0–19.0 26–30
Evaporation O O O
Montes and Haselbach (2006) — 1.32–4.04 16–25
Drainage-runoff O O O
— 4.6–13.2 22–32
Clogging O — —
Note: CT = computed tomography; O = test specimen.
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Table 2. Design Mixture of Pervious Concrete Strength

Composition Proportions
Water-cement ratio (%) 23.3
Cement (g) 330
Water (g) 77
Coarse aggregate (g) 300
Fine aggregate (g) 1,200
Admixture (g) 4.95
Materials and Methods
Materials
Coarse aggregate (i.e., No. 8 size; 9.252-mm diameter) is com-
monly used in pervious concrete pavement results in enhanced
porosity at the expense of reduced strength. However, a well-
graded aggregate should be avoided, as it reduces porosity
(Abdel-Jawad and Abdullah 2002). Three block specimens were
prepared for analysis in this study: one composed of aggregate
comprising particles of less than 10 mm in diameter and a block
height of 60 mm (P10); another with the same aggregate size and a
height of 50 mm, covered with a 10-mm-thick layer of aggregate
(particles with a diameter of 1–2 mm) (SP10); and a third including
a bedding layer (P10 þ BL). Such a surface layer for SP10 is com-
monly used in commercial pervious blocks to ensure pedestrian
safety and for cosmetic reasons.
Type I ordinary portland cement (OPC or CEM I 42.5N) with a
Blaine surface area of 3,315 cm2 =g was made by a professional side-
walk manufacturer. The mix proportion of pervious blocks is listed in
Table 2. An additive based on naphtalene was added in small
amounts for medium-range water reducing. The manufactured spec-
imens satisfied the maximum aggregate particle size of 13 mm stated
in the Korean standard KS F 4419 (KS 2014). The specimens were
made by using the compression method in the same way as commer-
cial production and were 198 mm in both width and length. They
were cured at 20°C and 70% humidity for 2 days, and recured in
an open-air storage yard for 7 days. After curing, the specimens were
cored (100-mm diameter) for the flow experiments. The Jumunjin
sand (grain size: 2.36–4.75 mm; specific gravity: 2.31) was used
for the bedding layer in this study, as designated by Seoul Metro-
politan Facilities Management Corporation (2013), which requires
a maximum grain size of 5 mm and bedding layer height of
30 mm. The United States and United Kingdom regulations require
a bedding layer height of 40–50 mm, whereas Japanese regulations
require a height of 30 mm (Interpave 2010; Smith 2000).
Methods
Table 3 lists the properties measured for each specimen. The test
procedures are summarized as follows.
The compressive and bending strength values were measured
according to Korean standard tests KS F 2405 (KS 2010) and
KS F 2408 (KS 2000). The cored specimen (diameter: 100 mm;
height: 60 mm) was subjected to compression (3500KN, SATEC,
Instron, Norwood, Massachusets). A slab specimen (198-mm long,
100-mm wide, and 60-mm high) was used for bending strength
measurements (600KN, SATEC, Instron, Norwood, Massachu-
sets). Strength values were measured for three specimens, and the
average values are reported.
Permeability
The cored specimen was placed in an acrylic cylindrical cell
(90-mm internal diameter; 5-mm thick), and a top cell was posi-
tioned on top of the specimen (i.e., the specimen was sandwiched
between the top and bottom cells); the components were connected
by heat-shrink tubing and clamps (Fig. 1). This arrangement al-
lowed the vertical flow simulation to be performed without leaking
along the specimen sides. Before testing the permeability, the speci-
men was fully saturated in a vacuum chamber for 24 h to remove
air from pore spaces. A constant pressure head of 136 mm was
maintained, and the volume of outflow was measured for 30 s. The
permeability was then computed as follows:
QL
k¼ ð1Þ
Aht
where Q = volume of outflow measured over t seconds; L =
specimen height (e.g., 60 mm); A = cross-sectional area of the
specimen; and h = constant pressure head.
X-Ray Computed Tomography
The porosity of the pervious blocks can be measured by calculating
the differential weight between dry and fully saturated conditions.
As water can exist within pore spaces and be absorbed in the ma-
trix, which may not contribute to flow capacity, three-dimensional
(3D) X-ray computed tomographic imaging was performed to
quantitatively obtain the pore volume with a resolution of
0.135 mm per pixel. This also allowed an assessment of both con-
nected and isolated pores. The two-dimensional (2D) slice images
were sequentially stacked and binarized to reconstruct the 3D
volume of pore space, which served as a calibration factor in the
evaporation and drainage tests.
Evaporation
The degree of saturation of a pervious concrete block can be used to
calculate its water-retention capacity and the changed amount of
water in pores after rainfall attributed to gravity-driven drainage
and evaporation to the atmosphere. As the surface of the in-place
pervious block is mainly exposed to the air, the water held in pores
would be able to evaporate. Therefore, evaporation must be con-
sidered to analyze the impact of water redistribution on the drainage

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Fig. 1. Flow cell for measuring permeability and drainage rate for pervious concrete block specimen
capacity of the block. The sides of cored specimens were sealed in
the present study by using a heat-shrink tube. Each specimen was
saturated in a closed chamber by vacuum pump for 24 h, and then
natural evaporation was allowed at room temperature (23°C) and
humidity (54%) for 400 h. During the evaporation period, the speci-
men was placed on a balance and weighed every minute.
Drainage and Runoff
Pervious blocks can be subjected to high volumes of water inflow
from impervious regions over short periods of time. The inflow
rates determined in this study were based on the average of five
1-h-maximum rainfall values in Seoul, Korea (Korea Meteorologi-
cal Administration 2014), which is equivalent to 78.28 mm=h for
10 min or 0.06 L=min for the surface area of the specimen. Four in-
flow rates were used: 0.06, 0.13, 0.25, and 0.5 L=min. The specimen
was initially oven dried at 40°C for 48 h, and the designated inflow rate
was evenly spread over the specimen from a height of 200 mm by
using the same experimental setup as that used for permeability.
As described in Fig. 2, one set for a specific inflow rate con-
sisted of four drainage tests and three time intervals (5 min, 1 h,
and 12 h). The dry specimen was subjected to the designated inflow
rate for 600 s (10 min), and the supply of water was ceased for 300 s
(5 min) to let the specimen drain and evaporate. This was the first
drainage test and the first time interval. Next, water with the same
inflow rate as the first one was supplied for 600 s, and then the
second time interval (1 h) was applied to allow water in the speci-
men to evaporate. Subsequently, after 1 h and again after 12 h,
similar drainage repetitions with the same rate were carried out.
Fig. 2. One set of drainage test with time intervals
© ASCE
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In the intervening intervals, evaporation from the specimen was al-
lowed to evaluate the effect of the degree of saturation on drainage.
The weight of drained water at the base and the accumulated runoff
height over the specimen were monitored every second. The initial
degree of saturation for the inflow tests at each elapsed time point
was calibrated by using results from the evaporation test.
Clogging
Clogging causes the deposition of granules in pore space, which
reduces porosity and permeability (Deo et al. 2010; Tong 2011).
Clogging tests were usually repeatedly performed by placing sedi-
ment on the specimen before the permeability test or by mixing
sediment with water, followed by pouring (Mata 2008). The sedi-
ment used for the clogging test in the present study comprised 60%
of coarse grains that were retained between #8 and #200 sieves, and
40% of fine grains that passed through a #200 sieve. Ten grams of
clogging material was spread evenly on the specimen, calculated
from a previous study by comparing the volume of pores (Deo et al.
2010). The inflow rate was 0.13 L=min during the clogging experi-
ment. The clogging test was conducted in the same way as the
drainage test (Fig. 2) to explore clogging-induced changes in the
drainage capacity of the substratum, which largely comprised
pervious concrete with large pores.
Results and Discussion
Code Adherence of the Strength and Permeability of
the Pervious Concrete Block
The compressive and bending strength values for the P10 speci-
men were 28.8 and 5.8 MPa, respectively, thereby complying with
the Korean standards for pervious block (Seoul Metropolitan
Facilities Management Corporation 2013), as presented in Fig. 3
(compression strength: 16 MPa; bending strength: 4 MPa). The
Young’s modulus was 20.66 GPa. The high porosity and low
binding capacity of the pervious block resulted in low strength
values and failure along the interface between aggregate and the
cement matrix.
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Fig. 3. Compressive strength, bending strength, and Young’s modulus
for P10 specimen; the lines designate the code-specified requirement
for strength values
Table 4. Measured and Calculated Values of Permeability
Bedding layer P10 þ BL
Permeability P10 (mm=s) SP10 (mm=s) (mm=s) (mm=s)
Measured 0.831 0.796 6.253 1.907
Calculated — — — 1.814
The permeability of pervious blocks should be greater than
0.1 mm=s, as designated by KS F 4419 (KS 2014); the values mea-
sured in the present study are listed in Table 4. The cover layer on
the SP10 specimen was unlikely to reduce permeability, given its
low thickness; instead, the permeability was controlled mainly by
the substratum. The bedding layer of Jumunjin sand had a per-
meability of 6.253 mm=s, which was 7.5 times higher than that
of the P10 specimen; this high permeability resulted from its high
porosity of 0.4. The permeability of the P10 specimen with a bed-
ding layer was 1.907 mm=s. As the pervious block and the bedding
layer were vertically layered to the flow direction, the validity of the
measured permeability can be assessed as follows:
H with diameters of 2–3 mm is governed by gravity rather than capil-
kvðeqÞ ¼     ð2Þ
H1 H2
kv1 þ kv2
where H = total specimen height (160 mm; specimen: 60 mm; bed-
ding layer: 100 mm); and subscripts 1 and 2 ¼ P10 and Jumunjin
sand, respectively. The equivalent permeability was estimated to be
1.814 mm=s, which was within 10% error of the measured per-
meability (1.907 mm=s), thereby indicating that the measured per-
meability values were reasonable. The results indicate that the
permeability of the bedding layer is a critical factor, provided that
the pervious block satisfies the code.
Drainage Capacity with Consideration of Evaporation
Spatial Configuration of Pore Space
The bulk porosity of P10 was estimated to be 0.263, whereas the
porosity of the connected pores was 0.239 (90.87%), as determined
by analysis of X-ray computed tomographic images. Effective
porosity was the sole contributor to fluid flow and was used in this
study in calculating the degree of saturation and in other relevant
analyses. The skeletonization of a binary image set together with
the Euclidean distance (from the solid boundary, to extract skeletal
structures) corresponded to the pore-size distribution, as shown in
Fig. 4(a) (Dong and Blunt 2009). Pore size ranged widely up to a
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Fig. 4. Pore-size distribution curve of specimen: (a) P10; (b) SP10
maximum diameter of 4 mm, and the mean pore diameter was
1.10 mm (at the 50% cumulative percentage of pore size).
Fig. 4(b) presents the pore-size distribution of SP10; the mean
diameter was 0.69 mm (0.46 mm in the surface layer, 0.97 mm
in the substratum of SP10). The pore size of the bedding layer var-
ied from 0.363 to 0.983 mm because the diameter of Jumunjin sand
varied from 2.36 to 4.75 mm. The range in pore size covers D=6.4
to D=2.4 of the mean particle size of D (Santamarina et al. 2001).
According to Benavente et al. (2015), the water flow through pores
lary force, whereas capillary force plays a role in pores smaller than
2 mm. Therefore, the hydraulic behavior of the specimen would be
influenced by either capillary force or gravity, depending on the
condition of the pores.
Evaporation
The evaporation rates for the P10, SP10, and P10 þ BL specimens
are shown in Fig. 5. Bilinear behavior and inflection points clearly
appeared in the cases of P10 and SP10. In the first stage of bilinear
evolution, the degree of saturation sharply decreased as connected
water in the pores evaporated to the atmosphere by capillary-driven
flow. When hydraulically connected water in pores broke, the sec-
ond stage started, and evaporation rate abruptly decreased by vapor
diffusion of not only the remained water in pore spaces but also the
absorbed water in paste whose pore size is much finer (<2 nm) than
the bulk pore (Lehmann et al. 2008; Shokri et al. 2010; Korpar and
Trettin 2006). Furthermore, as hydration, which is a chemical re-
action of cement paste and needs water, progressed slowly even in
mature cement paste, the nominal amount of water would be con-
tinuously consumed in wet condition of cement paste, and this
could delay the evaporation rate simultaneously (Thomas and
Jennings 2006).
As the pore size of the material on the upper surface of the SP10
specimen was smaller than that of the P10 specimen, the SP10
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Fig. 5. Evaporation of tested specimens (P10, SP10, P10 þ BL) with
time
specimen had less area exposed to the atmosphere and had a cor-
respondingly lower evaporation rate; also, water in smaller pores
had higher capillary forces and was more difficult to evaporate be-
cause the capillary force is inversely proportional to the pore radius
at the first evaporation stage. Both specimens showed a similar
transition time, after which the evaporation rates plateaued and
declined similarly. In the underlying coarse layer, air was able
to invade the upper part of the coarse layer and reduce the water
content, whereas the fine layer showed a tendency to remain satu-
rated throughout the test (Shokri and Or 2011). Hence, the decrease
in evaporation rate was slowest in the P10 specimen with a bedding
layer of sand, which retained more water than the pervious blocks.
Runoff Behavior
Fig. 6 shows the entire evolution of runoff height and drainage rate
at 0.13 L=min for the three time intervals (5 min, 1 h, and 12 h) and
the calculated degree of saturation for the P10, SP10, and P10 þ
BL specimens. For the P10 specimen, no runoff was observed at the
start or at 5 min. Runoff began at 1 h of elapsed time and reached
the maximum runoff height (5 mm) following by a gradual decrease
before the inflow ended. In other words, evaporation for 1 h in-
duced a change in the pore conditions, and runoff occurred despite
the use of the same inflow rate as at the start and at 5 min. In
addition, drainage to the specimen base was more effective than
runoff along the top. The SP10 specimen exhibited a similar runoff
evolution (i.e., runoff after 1 h, maximum runoff height 6 mm) as
the P10 specimen, even though it had a slightly greater height.
Unlike the P10 and SP10 specimens, the P10 þ BL specimen dis-
played an earlier runoff occurrence, and the runoff height of this
specimen increased over time because of the bedding layer. After
the imposed inflow was terminated, the runoff showed a linear
decrease [B in Fig. 6(c)].
Gravity-driven drainage created unsaturated conditions within
pore spaces. Evaporation during the period between successive
inflow tests resulted in menisci forming within pores and a rise in
capillary pressure (Nishiyama et al. 2012). In addition, air entered
the pores where water left during evaporation. When inflow re-
started after the period between successive inflow tests, the flowing
water approached that already held in the pores. Then, the air was
trapped between the liquids, and a thin layer of air appeared
(Mehdi-Nejad et al. 2003). This process acted as a barrier against
inflow into pores (Weizu and Freer 1995) and restricted the down-
ward movement of water, generating runoff. To overcome the en-
trapped air pressure, an external force such as elevated pressure
head over the specimen was required (Perkins 1957) and would
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consequently lead to drainage. Accordingly, the runoff diminished
[Figs. 6(a and b)].
The drainage rate of water was calculated by dividing the moni-
tored accumulated drainage volume by the elapsed time (Fig. 6).
The drainage rate was linked to the runoff behavior to satisfy the
mass conservation. A sharp increase in drainage rate followed by
a quasi-constant value was observed when no runoff occurred
[e.g., the 0- and 5-min cases in Figs. 6(a and b)]. The termination
of inflow made the drainage rate instantaneously drop to zero. Once
runoff occurred, the drainage rate increased and tended to remain
mainly constant after the runoff height reached a maximum value
[12-h case in Figs. 6(a and b)]. For the specimen with poor drain-
age, both runoff height and drainage rate increased until inflow
ceased [1- and 12-h experiments in Fig. 6(c)]. As explained previ-
ously, the air trapped during the period between experiments gen-
erated runoff and interrupted drainage. This decreased the initial
drainage rate [C in Fig. 6(c)]. As increased runoff led the air to be
highly pressurized, the air overcame the surrounding water pressure
and capillary force. Consequentially, air penetrated into the water
through the pores; thus, the reduced drainage rate in the early stage
[C in Fig. 6(c)] of the test showed a recovery to the rate in the no-
runoff period [D in Fig. 6(c)]. In other words, the drainage rate
stabilized.
The evolution of the degree of saturation with time and the
initial saturation for each step were calibrated and plotted by con-
sidering the evaporation changes in Fig. 6. The changes in the
degree of saturation can be divided into four sections: a sharp in-
crease on the start of inflow; a slow growth and a constant evolu-
tion; a rapid decrease after stopping inflow; and a stable period
(e.g., P10 dramatically increases to 34.12% after inflow starts, in-
creases continuously, and then drops from 57.18 to 40.49%, main-
taining a final value at 40.49%). The degree of saturation tended to
rise continuously in the P10 specimen [Fig. 6(a)], whereas SP10
and P10 þ BL maintained a degree of saturation within a specific
range at slightly higher values than for P10 [Figs. 6(b and c)]. By
using the entire evolution of runoff and drainage behaviors, the
quantitative values of maximum runoff height and drainage capac-
ity can be obtained and assessed.
Fig. 7 shows the maximum runoff height for the entire drainage
tests for P10, SP10, and P10 þ BL at flow rates of 0.13, 0.25, and
0.50 L=min. There was no runoff observed at 0.06 L=min, whereas
the runoff showed variable behavior with elapsed time in the case of
a flow rate of 0.13 L=min [Fig. 7(a)]. In other words, the occur-
rence of runoff was dependent not solely on material properties
such as porosity and pore structure but also on temporal changes
in the degree of saturation and the unobservable distribution of
water in pore spaces. The experiments showed that the highest run-
off heights were mainly observed in the following order: P10 with a
bedding layer, SP10, and P10, and runoff height tended to increase
with increasing inflow rate and over time. On average, P10 with a
bedding layer and SP10 presented 1.34 and 2.41 times maximum
runoff height of P10, respectively. The SP10 specimen showed
a gradual increase in runoff height, which was not seen for the
P10 and P10 þ BL, and occurred regardless of inflow rate. As
described previously, the SP10 specimen exhibited delayed evapo-
ration, and consistent capillary forces were readily generated within
the small pores. That is, the surface layer composed of smaller ag-
gregates than the substratum and the bedding layer caused runoff
that can only reoccur after a considerable period.
The drainage capacity was defined as the ratio of the initial
drainage rate (C in Fig. 6) to its quasi-constant value in the case
of no runoff (D in Fig. 6). Fig. 8 indicates that the drainage capacity
depended on the inflow rate and the elapsed time, for all specimens
(P10, SP10, and P10 þ BL). For an inflow rate of 0.06 L=min, the
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Fig. 6. Evolution of runoff and drainage rate during four repeated drainage cycles at t ¼ 0 min, 5 min, 1 h, and 12 h for tested specimens with
0.13 L=min: (a) P10; (b) SP10; (c) P10 þ BL

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Fig. 7. Maximum runoff height in each time interval (start, 5 min, 1 h, Fig. 8. Drainage capacity in each flow rate (0.06, 0.13, 0.25, and
and 12 h) of the specimens (P10, SP10, P10 þ BL): (a) 0.13 L=min; 0.50 L=min) with time intervals (start, 5 min, 1 h, and 12 h):
(b) 0.25 L=min; (c) 0.50 L=min (a) P10; (b) SP10; (c) P10 þ BL

inflow water was fully drained without runoff. The drainage capac-
ity tended to decrease as time passed, as the inflow rate increased;
this was observed for all specimens. The minimum drainage capac-
ity was reached by P10 and P10 þ BL at 5 min and 1 h, respec-
tively. The drainage capacity of SP10 showed a continuous decline
and exhibited the lowest drainage capacity throughout the 12-h
experiment. This trend in drainage capacity was similar to that
in runoff evolution. The maximum runoff height among all the
specimens was exhibited by P10 þ BL, which also showed the larg-
est difference between the minimum and maximum drainage rate
(64.96%). This result indicates that the drainage capacity of the
bedding layer is strongly affected by evaporation. Evaporation
causes a reduction in saturation and changes the spatial distribution
of water within pore spaces, which in turn determines the drainage
capacity of the pervious blocks.
Correlations between Measured Quantities during the
Drainage Tests
The measured changes in the degree of saturation were estimated to
be derived from the difference between the maximum saturation
before inflow stopped and the stable state value [A in Fig. 6(a)]
and were correlated with the maximum saturation for each step
in Fig. 9(a). As the inflow rate increased, both the maximum
saturation and the difference with the saturation in the stable state
increased. The drainage of inflow water is controlled mainly by

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J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2017, 29(5): 04016273


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Fig. 9. Comparison between test results of P10, SP10, and P10 þ BL:
(a) maximum degree of saturation and change in degree of saturation
after inflow stopped; (b) maximum runoff height and reduction rate of
runoff height
gravity, and the water-retention capacity (e.g., the degree of
saturation of specimens) is determined by pore volume, pore size,
and microstructural networks (Beven and Germann 1982). There-
fore, P10, the specimen with the largest mean pore size in this
study, showed the highest values of saturation change; SP10 and
Fig. 10. Clogging test results of P10 specimen: (a) maximum runoff height with time intervals for P10 with and without clogging; (b) weight of
flushed soil with elapsed time; (c) drainage rate of tested specimens in clogging tests
© ASCE 04016273-8
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2017, 29(5): 04016273
P10 þ BL, with smaller pores, showed measured properties that
followed a similar tendency.
Fig. 9(b) illustrates the reduction rate of runoff height alongside
the maximum runoff height. At a given inflow rate, the specimen
had a similar reduction rate of runoff height even where the
maximum runoff height varied (e.g., the average reduction rate
in runoff height was 0.242 mm=s at 0.13 L=min, 0.509 mm=s at
0.25 L=min, and 0.935 mm=s at 0.50 L=min for measurements
over the entire specimen). The results can be approximately divided
into three groups according to flow rate (0.13, 0.25, and
0.50 L=min) and can be described as a series of shadowed regions
(e.g., the box in the 0.13-L=min region is involved in 0.25 L=min).
The average reduction rate of runoff was increased by 1.97 times in
proportion to inflow rates. However, the range of maximum runoff
height became wider as the inflow rate increased. Even though the
overall reduction rate of runoff height was increasingly propor-
tional to maximum runoff height, the P10 specimen (whose pore
size and volume are largest) exhibited the highest rate of runoff
height reduction, followed by SP10 and P10 þ BL. For an inflow
rate of 0.13 L=min, the difference between minimum and maximum
runoff height was 18.55 mm (i.e., the minimum runoff height was
5.45 mm for P10, and the maximum height was 24 mm for P10 with
a bedding layer), whereas an inflow rate of 0.50 L=min yielded a
difference of 77 mm (the maximum runoff height was 118 mm for
P10 with a bedding layer, and the minimum was 41 mm for P10). If
the reduction rate of runoff height was controlled by the hydrostatic
pressure, which was quasi-equivalent to the runoff height in this
study, it would linearly increase with runoff height. Yet, the reduc-
tion rate was grouped by inflow rate, and it varied widely with the
type of specimen. This result indicates that hydrostatic pressure has
a relatively minor effect on drainage rate and that the inflow rate
controls the reduction rate of runoff height. The existence of a sur-
face layer and a bedding layer affects the runoff height but has an
insignificant effect on the reduction rate of runoff volume.
Effect of Clogging
Fig. 10(a) shows the effect of clogging on runoff height. The
P10 specimen showed time-dependent runoff. The tests in which
J. Mater. Civ. Eng.
 clogging occurred showed noticeable runoff from the beginning,
whereas the maximum height of runoff was observed at 1 h
(e.g., 42.54 mm compared with 5 mm for the P10 specimen).
Clogging by soil either reduced the pore size or blocked the pore
pathway such that the drainage capacity decreased with increased
runoff height.
The weight of soil flushed during drainage showed a sharp de-
crease over time [i.e., at the start time and after 5 min, 1 h, 12 h,
and 2 weeks; Fig. 10(b)], and the collected soils were very fine in
size. This result indicates that large particles blocked the pore space
in the pervious concrete, thereby reducing the drainage capacity
and allowing only fine particles to be flushed. The clogging soils
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were precipitated and dried in the pore space, and subsequent drain-
age flushed the fine particles, whose total weight per drainage cycle
decreased over time [Fig. 10(b)].
There was no significant difference in the drainage rate caused
by clogging in the first drainage test [Fig. 10(c)], when soil particles
could float in and flow with the water through the pore network,
with some becoming clogged in pores. In the second drainage test
(e.g., at 5 min of elapsed time), the drainage rate at the beginning of
the drainage test was low and tended to converge toward the rate
measured in the nonclogging case. In addition, when the inflow
stopped, the drainage rate decreased gradually because of runoff
water [Fig. 10(a)]. Similar results were obtained for the subsequent
drainage tests at 1 and 12 h, even though the weight of fine particles
being flushed was decreasing. This result indicates that large
particles blocked the pore spaces and inhibited the drainage rate,
whereas fine particles made a smaller contribution to the clogging-
induced reduction in drainage rate. In other words, the clogging
reduced the drainage rate at both the beginning and end of the test.
This occurred because large soil particles would block the pore
space and effectively control the drainage rate unless the clogged
particles were cleared. This observation leads to the inference that
the flushed fine particles may work as a barrier and reduce the en-
tire drainage capacity and runoff by blocking pores when pervious
concrete is set on a roadbed.
Conclusions
This study presents a series of experimental results focusing on
time-dependent drainage and runoff behaviors of pervious blocks
dominated by multiple factors, and the following salient observa-
tions are made:
• The prewetting condition caused by the preceding water inflow
makes the block unsaturated and prompts the runoff at the sub-
sequent inflow cycles, exhibiting the unique balance between
runoff and drainage;
• The existence of surface layer with fine aggregates and bedding
layer underneath the previous block induces the higher runoff
height, owing to the interplay between capillary force in small
pores and the spatial distribution of water phase during evapora-
tion; and
• The clogging by fine grains deteriorates the drainage capacity
despite the consistently flushed sediments.
The experimental results shown in this study can help in design-
ing the drainage systems in urban areas under heavy rainfall to mit-
igate the runoff after repeated rainfall, highlighting the significance
of prewetting condition.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Korea Carbon Capture and
Sequestration R&D Center (KCRC) grant and the National
© ASCE 04016273-9
J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 2017, 29(5): 04016273
Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean
Government (MSIP) (Nos. 2012-0008929, 2011-0030040,
20133030000240).
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