Designing and developing a prototype of smart and hybrid paving system

Abstract

Landfilling has now become a prime concern all around the world, not only because it squanders usable land, it causes major environmental issues such as contamination of soil, water, and air, as well as an impact on human health. Glass is one of these waste products which is often dumped when mixed with impurities. A similar landfill was found in a Sri Lankan glass factory dumping its waste for over 20 years. Moreover, one of the major drawbacks of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Paving (PICP) is its unsatisfying appearance. Although many researchers created better aesthetic appearances for PICP, none were cost-effective. Hence, a study was implemented to solve these two issues by developing sustainable paving blocks with smart top-layer customizations utilizing this glass waste. Initially, finite element modelling was used to determine the optimal paving block dimensions, and 200x100x80 mm 3 was discovered to be the ideal paving block dimension for cobble-type paving blocks. Following that, tests were performed on glass waste to determine its suitability for use as fine aggregate. In all tests, glass waste exhibited favourable results. As a result, a mix design was developed using this glass waste, and it was discovered that it could replace 100% of the fine aggregate while maintaining structural strength. Three alternatives were proposed to meet the customers' aesthetic satisfaction and were tested in accordance with the SLS 1425 standard, in which all three alternatives resulted satisfactorily. Finally, a Life Cycle Costing Assessment (LCCA) was performed to determine the economic feasibility of the proposed products. LCCA indicated that when only mortar is considered, the proposed mix has a 37% cost reduction, and after smart top layer customizations, two alternatives had 6% and 5% cost reductions, while the final alternative had a 17% cost increment compared to existing paving blocks.