Effect of eco-friendly pervious concrete with amorphous metallic fiber on evaporative cooling performance

Abstract

Impervious pavements exist in large proportions in most cities owing to the high-impact development of the transportation infrastructure. However, this type of pavement causes environmental issues such as waterlogging, floods, and urban heat islands. Pervious concrete (PC), which is a novel pavement material characterized by a porous structure that allows water to percolate through it, is an important solution to these issues. This study investigates the evaporative cooling performance of eco-friendly PC with blast-furnace slag (BFS) as a cement replacement and amorphous metallic fiber (AMF) that helps to accelerate the evaporative cooling. The thermophysical properties, water permeability, and water absorption capability of the manufactured PC were measured. In addition, a scale model test and thermal conductivity analysis of the manufactured PC were conducted to evaluate the evaporative cooling effect. The results indicate that the physical and mechanical properties of the manufactured PC are typically similar to those of other PCs, and its water absorption rate reaches 1 mm/s. Relatively low water permeability helps the PCs to absorb more water, contributing to accumulate a large amount of water in the material for evaporative cooling. In addition, AMF contributes to increase thermal conductivity of PC, which allow the water inside the PCs to evaporate faster. The result shows that a higher thermal conductivity of the manufactured PC increases the evaporative cooling effect.