This lesson introduces and then tests the viewer on the variables that must be considered when using segmental pavements to support pedestrian and vehicular loads on municipal streets. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the following four variables are critical to consider:

Aggregate bases stabilized with asphalt or cement are recommended under very heavy loads, and over weak or saturated soil subgrades. These are sometimes used when adequate aggregates are not available or when a stabilized base is more economical than unstabilized aggregate. Poor subgrade should be avoided if possible, but when it is necessary to build over weak soils there are several methods available to improve subgrade performance.

Soil characteristics play a major factor in the design of pavements. It is important to accurately assess the type of soil on a site. Soils are classified by the Unified Soils Classification method  (ASTM D2487, 2006a). Soils that have a course grain and good drainage are generally stronger than fine grained soils with poor drainage. For example a gravel soil with good drainage is significantly stronger than a clay soil with poor drainage.

When it comes to permeable paver design, several factors go into making a functional system.  One must size the system appropriately taking rainfall, infiltration rates, available area, void space, layer depth, and time all into consideration.  This lesson will introduce you to all those critical factors in these three lesson components:

Location is Everything.
While designing paving systems, you must consider location.  It rains DIFFERENTLY in California than Alabama. Each system can have a number of different soils, each draining and retaining water DIFFERENTLY.  Lets take a deeper look into how rain events, annual precipitation and soil type effect permeable paving systems.

This learning animation walks you through many of the considerations for designing a ICP system.  Topics range from rainfall events, geographic range, soils, and substrates.  After completing the learning section, an interactive site allows your to choose different combinations of parking surface areas and base depth to hold a particular rain event. 
​(Animation currently being updated for 2018 - check back later!)

Most jobs will fail from improper base compaction. Learn how to compact your base in lifts and some helpful tips to determine if you have the proper compaction before you install pavers.

Discover the importance of measuring moisture content in soils.  Field measuring techniques as well as general overview.

It is the goal of this guide to improve the design of the paved plane of the built environment by expanding the level of knowledge about concrete pavers. This will be accomplished through the organizing of information and support material for both the instructor and the students. 

Geotextiles are an important functional addition to many jobs. Learn when you should use geotextiles, how they function and key installation tips.

Identifying and understanding soils is one of the most important factors to a successful interlocking concrete pavement installation job. Learn the three simple field tests that can be performed on site.