Clogging of permeable pavements in semi-arid areas

In order to investigate the effect of semi-arid climate on clogging of the permeable pavements, porous concrete was chosen in this research as the proper type to apply in these areas. As the fine dust in these areas is the main cause of clogging, the pavement behavior under this condition was evaluated by the lab experiment. During the lab experiment different sub-bases (sand and stone) were also examined to see the differences in clogging process under various conditions. The results from this research shows that the wind suspended particles, as the main cause of clogging in semi-arid areas, can be washed through the pavement and cause a very slow clogging process. Comparison the results of different sub-bases shows the significant effect of the pores size in the sub-base on the clogging process. In case of higher porous sub-base, sediments can be migrated from the pavement to the sub-base easily. But in case of less porous sub-base the blocking of the interface and first layers of the sub-base can create more resistance through the flow migration. As the clogging in case of larger particles happens rapidly, therefore in order to design the pavement, average size of particles that can go through it should be taken into account.