Determining the fracture properties of pervious concrete specimens with various micro-structures and geometries

Abstract Pervious concrete is one of essential components in construction of sponge city, and the current study mainly focuses on the fracture performance of such promising material. Combined with three-point-bending (3-p-b) tests, a new method is proposed to determine the fracture properties of pervious concrete on the basis of Boundary Effect Model (BEM). The effects of material micro-structures (pore structure, aggregate structure) and specimen geometries on the fracture of pervious concrete are incorporated into the proposed formula in the form of fictitious crack. Then four groups of 3-p-b test results are collected to verify the proposed methods. The results show that the fracture properties obtained are independent of the specimen geometries, but are significantly influenced by the micro-structure of pervious concrete. The pervious concrete is strengthened with the increase of aggregate sizes, but is weakened with the increase of voids contents. Taking into account all the conclusions offered above, the fracture properties are strongly suggested to be carefully considered during the design of pervious concrete structures.