Properties of Pervious Concrete Containing Fly Ash and Polyvinyl Alcohol Fibers

10.14416/j.ind.tech.2026.08.009

Abstract

This study focuses on the development of pervious concrete by incorporating fly ash and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers. PVA fibers were utilized due to their high tensile strength; when micro-cracks occur within the concrete matrix, these fibers function as a bridging mechanism across the cracks. Consequently, the mechanical and physical properties of the concrete were investigated. Fly ash was used to replace cement at a ratio of 10:90 by weight of binder, while PVA fibers were added at 0.5% by weight of cement. For the coarse aggregate, stone particles retained on sieve sizes No. #8 and No. #3/4 were selected to investigate the effect of different aggregate sizes on the properties of pervious concrete. The experimental program included tests on water absorption, porosity, unit weight, compressive strength, and flexural strength at 28 days of curing. The results indicated that water absorption values ranged from 9.00% to 18.70%, porosity ranged from 4.50% to 9.60%, unit weight ranged from 2,027 to 2,335 kg/m³, and compressive strength values ranged from 7.89 to 16.30 MPa at 28 days of curing. The incorporation of 0.5% PVA fibers by weight, together with 10% fly ash as a cement replacement, yielded a significant positive impact on the mechanical properties of pervious concrete. The PVA fibers acted as an internal reinforcing network that enhanced flexural capacity and improved binder continuity around the coarse aggregates. Although fiber inclusion affected the viscosity of the concrete mixture and void formation, the selection of an appropriate aggregate grading, such as Mix S5, effectively compensated for these drawbacks and achieved the highest compressive strength of 16.30 MPa, which exceeds the standard criteria generally established for pervious concrete.