The role of urban surfaces (permeable pavements) in regulating drainage and evaporation: development of a laboratory simulation experiment

Abstract

Abstract:Permeable pavements and similar stormwater control devices have not been exploited in the UK, in part because their adoption has been hindered by a lack of detailed knowledge of their hydrological performance. This paper describes a research programme that produced detailed information on the hydrological behaviour of a car park surface. The study involved the construction of full-scale permeable pavement model car park structures and a rainfall simulator for use in the laboratory. A monitoring procedure was developed in order to measure inputs and changes in drainage, storage and evaporation over short and long time-scales (2 hours to 3 months). A range of simulated rainfalls, which varied in intensity and duration, was applied to the model car park surfaces. Hydrological processes were monitored over an 18-month period. Results demonstrated that evaporation, drainage and retention in the structures were strongly in¯uenced by the particle size distribution of the bedding material and by water retention in the surface blocks. In general, an average of 55% of a one-hour duration, 15 mm h À1 rainfall event could be retained by an initially air-dry structure. Subsequent simulations demonstrated that 30% of a one-hour duration, 15 mm h À1 rainfall event could be stored by an initially wet structure (with a minimum time interval between rainfall applications of 72 hours).

A distributed soil moisture, temperature and infiltrometer dataset for permeable pavements and green spaces

“…They manifest in form of diurnal soil moisture oscillations, which are characterized by increasing θ with rising T soil . Their occurrence contrasts the findings of Bogena et al (2017), who showed that θ derived by the CRIM model was free from temperature effects. A possible explanation for the different findings may be given by the effect of bound water, which gets partially released with increasing T soil (Or and .…”

Quantifying evaporation in a permeable pavement system

“…In the field, cloudy days are expected and cars park in the parking stalls, shielding the permeable pavement from some solar radiation. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Syrrakou and Pinder (2014) and Anderson et al (1999) studies measured less evaporation than this field study during a similar period between rain events. Neither laboratory study used a solar simulator, so the laboratory measured evaporation rates (Anderson et al, 1999;Syrrakou and Pinder, 2014) were expected to be less than field study results measured during the warmest months.…”

“…2‐sized RCA directly below the PC and PA. Anderson et al . () showed more evaporation was measured for configurations with smaller aggregate. Li et al .…”

“…Unlike the other two surfaces, PICP is underlain with bedding and choking courses that are smaller than the AASHTO No. 2-sized RCA directly below the PC and PA. Anderson et al (1999) showed more evaporation was measured for configurations with smaller aggregate. Li et al (2014) also measured larger evaporation rates from aggregate samples (ASTM No.…”

“…Neither laboratory study used a solar simulator, so the laboratory measured evaporation rates (Anderson et al, 1999;Syrrakou and Pinder, 2014) were expected to be less than field study results measured during the warmest months. While the finer bedding stone varieties used in Anderson et al (1999) were expected to hold more capillary water in the bedding layers, less total volume would be available as shallower bedding stone depths (25 to 70 mm) were used in the laboratory study.…”