Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement
Credit: 2 PDH
Subject Matter Expert: Mark Knarr, P.E., CDT, CEM, LEED AP BD+C, PMP, CCEA, GPCP
In Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement, you'll learn ...
- What is permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP)
- Applications for PICP
- Advantages and limitations of PICP
- PICP design and installation best practices
Overview
Urbanization is an increasingly pervasive land cover transformation that significantly alters the physical, chemical and biological environment within surface waters. Specifically, urbanization results in the prevalence of impervious surfaces including roads, parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks. Impervious surfaces associated with urbanization reduce infiltration and increase surface runoff, altering the pathways by which water (and any associated contaminants) reach urban streams. Such runoff can lead to changes in water/sediment quality, water temperature, hydrology, and physical habitat for flora & fauna.
Permeable interlocking concrete pavement, also referred to as PICP, offers an alternative to conventional impervious pavement. PCIP consists of solid concrete paving units with joints that create openings in the pavement surface when assembled into a pattern. Joints between pavers are filled with permeable aggregates that allow water to freely enter the surface. The paving units are placed on a bedding layer of permeable aggregates which rests over a base and subbase of open-graded aggregates. The concrete pavers, bedding and base layers are typically restrained by a concrete curb in vehicular applications. The base and subbase store water and allow it to infiltrate into the soil subgrade. Optional components, like underdrains and geosynthetic layers, are applied to the subgrade depending on structural and hydrologic design objectives.
PICP promotes water infiltration instead of runoff. Furthermore, its multiple layers of aggregate courses promote filtration of contaminants. This combined action of infiltration & filtration can reduce surface runoff volume and reduce contaminant levels, thereby improving compliance with state & local discharge permits.
This course is intended for civil engineers who manage pavement projects for parking lots and low-speed roads, especially in areas with high precipitation or poor drainage. The student should be familiar with basic soil properties such as gradation and classification.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- PCIP typical structure for vehicular applications
- Hydrologic design - the minimum depth method
- Three basic hydrologic designs: full, partial, and no-infiltration
- Structural design method based on the 1993 AASHTO Guide
- Construction specifications
- Maintenance requirements
Certificate of Completion
You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 15 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.
This course is applicable to professional engineers in: | ||
Alabama (P.E.) | Alaska (P.E.) | Arkansas (P.E.) |
Delaware (P.E.) | District of Columbia (P.E.) | Florida (P.E. Area of Practice) |
Georgia (P.E.) | Idaho (P.E.) | Illinois (P.E.) |
Illinois (S.E.) | Indiana (P.E.) | Iowa (P.E.) |
Kansas (P.E.) | Kentucky (P.E.) | Louisiana (P.E.) |
Maine (P.E.) | Maryland (P.E.) | Michigan (P.E.) |
Minnesota (P.E.) | Mississippi (P.E.) | Missouri (P.E.) |
Montana (P.E.) | Nebraska (P.E.) | Nevada (P.E.) |
New Hampshire (P.E.) | New Jersey (P.E.) | New Mexico (P.E.) |
New York (P.E.) | North Carolina (P.E.) | North Dakota (P.E.) |
Ohio (P.E. Self-Paced) | Oklahoma (P.E.) | Oregon (P.E.) |
Pennsylvania (P.E.) | South Carolina (P.E.) | South Dakota (P.E.) |
Tennessee (P.E.) | Texas (P.E.) | Utah (P.E.) |
Vermont (P.E.) | Virginia (P.E.) | West Virginia (P.E.) |
Wisconsin (P.E.) | Wyoming (P.E.) |