Honeycomb City

Permeable concrete is a paving material developed and used by countries such as Europe, the United States, Japan, and others to address the deficiencies in the surfaces of original urban roads. This material allows rainwater to infiltrate the ground, effectively replenishing groundwater and alleviating various urban environmental issues such as the rapid decline in groundwater levels. It effectively eliminates the environmental hazards posed by pollutants like oil compounds on the surface, while also protecting groundwater and maintaining ecological balance, and mitigating the urban heat island effect. It holds special significance in the positive development of the human living environment and in urban rainwater management and water pollution prevention efforts.

The permeable concrete system comes with a range of color formulations, allowing for creative design integration to cater to various decorative styles and environmental/individualistic requirements. This is a specialized paving material that cannot be achieved with traditional paving or standard permeable bricks.

Permeable concrete has been researched and utilized in the United States since the 1970s and 1980s. Many countries have extensively promoted its use, with Germany anticipating that 90% of its roads will be converted to permeable concrete in the short term. This aims to alter the past destructive ground coverings that harmed urban ecosystems, thereby achieving widespread social benefits for permeable concrete pavements.

Manufacture

Porous concrete must meet strength requirements while maintaining a certain degree of permeable voids to satisfy permeability needs. Therefore, in the preparation process, aside from selecting suitable raw materials, it's crucial to achieve the balance of strength and porosity through mix ratio design, preparation techniques, and the use of additives. Porous concrete is composed of aggregates, cement, and water, often using single-size or intermittent-size coarse aggregates as the framework, with the fine aggregate content typically kept under 20% of the total aggregates. Cement options include silicate cement, ordinary silicate cement, and slag silicate cement; admixtures can include silica fume, fly ash, and slag fines. During batching, first add cement, admixtures, and coarse aggregates, then half the water, mix for 30 seconds; next, add additives (such as admixtures and pigments), mix for 60 seconds; finally, add the remaining water, mix for 120 seconds, and discharge the material.

Construction

The construction of pervious concrete mainly includes laying, shaping, surface treatment, and joint treatment. It can be laid using either mechanical or manual methods; shaping can be done with flat vibrators, vibration leveling rollers, manual push-pull rollers, and vibration leveling beams; surface treatment is primarily to enhance the appearance, involving trimming or cleaning the shaped pervious concrete surface. The setting of joints in pervious concrete pavements is similar to that of normal concrete, with contraction joints evenly spaced, not exceeding 6 meters apart.

Maintenance

Post-construction, permeable concrete should be covered and cured, with moisture maintenance for at least 7 days. During the curing period, prevent the concrete surface pores from being polluted by mud and sand. Daily maintenance includes regular cleaning and cleaning blocked pores. Methods for cleaning blocked pores include using blowers, high-pressure washing, or vacuum cleaning.

High permeability

Porous pavement features 15%-25% voids, allowing for a permeability rate of 31-52 liters per cubic meter per hour.

High load-bearing capacity

The permeable pavement has been certified by the national testing authority, with its bearing capacity fully meeting the standards of C20-C25 concrete, surpassing that of ordinary permeable bricks.

Decorative effect

Porous pavement comes with optimized color matching solutions, allowing for the coordination with designers' unique creativity to achieve the decorative styles required for different environments and personal tastes. This is something that standard porous bricks find challenging to accomplish.

Ease of maintenance

The concern about pore clogging is unnecessary; the unique permeable paving system allows for easy resolution simply by high-pressure washing.

Frost-heave resistance

Porous paving has superior frost-thaw resistance compared to standard concrete surfaces, as it won't crack due to frost-thaw effects, thanks to its larger void structure.

Durable

The permeable paving has superior durability and wear resistance compared to asphalt, resembling that of standard pavements, thus avoiding the common drawbacks of shorter lifespan and economic impracticality found in typical permeable bricks.

High thermal conductivity

The material's low density (15-25% voids) reduces its thermal storage capacity. Its unique pore structure allows lower ground temperatures to permeate to the surface, thereby lowering the overall temperature of the paved area. These features make the permeable paving system nearly as effective in heat absorption and storage as natural vegetation-covered ground.

Fatigue Strength

Due to the use of open graded mix, the fatigue resistance is relatively low.

Eco-permeable concrete is a composite material made by mixing cement, water, and permeable concrete reinforcing admixtures (binders) with high-quality aggregates of the same particle size or intermittent gradation, and it possesses a certain porosity. When used to create concrete pavements, slopes, and their products, it achieves drainage, anti-skid, sound absorption, noise reduction, and water permeability effects, which can improve the ecological cycle of the land surface, facilitate traffic safety, protect the living environment, and address the negative impacts brought about by large-scale modern urban construction. Engineering practice has proven that permeable concrete is a new type of multifunctional paving material.

Porous cement concrete refers to concrete with a porosity of 15% to 25%, also known as sand-free concrete. As people place increasing importance on improving the ecological environment and protecting their homes, porous cement concrete is gaining more and more applications. Porous cement concrete is particularly suitable for use on ground and road surfaces in urban parks, residential communities, industrial parks, sports fields, schools, parking lots, and more. This is because using porous cement concrete offers the following advantages:

Permeable cement concrete refers to concrete with a porosity of 15% to 25%, also known as sandless concrete. As humanity places increasing importance on improving the ecological environment and protecting our homes, permeable cement concrete is gaining more and more applications. Permeable cement concrete is particularly suitable for use on the ground and road surfaces in urban parks, residential communities, industrial parks, sports stadiums, schools, parking lots, and more. This is because using permeable cement concrete offers the following advantages:

Permeable concrete

1) Increase the permeable and breathable areas in cities, enhance the heat and moisture exchange between the ground surface and air, regulate the urban climate, lower the surface temperature, and alleviate the urban "heat island" phenomenon. This is beneficial for improving the growth conditions of ground plants and soil microorganisms, and adjusting the ecological balance. 2) Make full use of rainfall and snowfall, increase the relative humidity of the ground surface, replenish the increasingly depleted groundwater resources in urban areas, and utilize the permeable roadbed as a "sponge" to store water.

3) Can alleviate the burden on road drainage systems during the rainy season, significantly reducing the pollution of urban water bodies from heavy rains.

4) Absorbs noise generated by vehicle travel, creating a quiet and comfortable living and traffic environment, prevents road surface water accumulation during rain and glare at night.

5) Features excellent wear and slip resistance, effectively preventing skidding for pedestrians and vehicles, enhancing both comfort and safety for drivers and walkers.

6) No black ice (a nearly invisible thin layer of ice formed by frost fog) will form on the road during winter, enhancing the comfort and safety for vehicles and pedestrians.

7) Large voids can adsorb urban pollutant dust, reducing dust pollution.

8) Patterns and colors can be designed to suit environmental and functional requirements, ensuring a perfect blend with the surrounding environment.

1) Increase the permeable and breathable areas in cities, enhance the heat and moisture exchange between the ground surface and air, regulate the urban climate, lower the surface temperature, and benefit in alleviating the "urban heat island" phenomenon. This improves the growth conditions for ground plants and soil microorganisms, and adjusts the ecological balance. 2) Make full use of rainfall and snowfall, increase the relative humidity of the ground surface, replenish the increasingly depleted groundwater resources in urban areas, and utilize the permeable roadbed as a "reservoir" function.

3) Significantly reduces the burden on road drainage systems during the rainy season, effectively lowering the pollution of urban water bodies during heavy rainstorms.

4) Absorbs noise generated by vehicle travel, creating a quiet and comfortable living and traffic environment, prevents road surface flooding during rain, and reduces glare at night.

5) Features excellent wear and slip resistance, effectively preventing slippage for pedestrians and vehicles, enhancing both comfort and safety for driving and walking.

6) No black ice (a nearly invisible thin layer of ice formed by frost fog) will form on the road in winter, enhancing the comfort and safety for both vehicles and pedestrians.

7) Large voids can absorb urban pollutant dust, reducing dust pollution.

8) Patterns and colors can be designed to suit environmental and functional needs, fully integrating with the surrounding environment.