Biomechanical characterization of slipping on pervious and traditional concrete walking surfaces

Abstract

Pervious concrete is a porous material that may provide superior slip resistance due to its ability to exfiltrate melted ice and other slippery surface contaminants. The purpose of this study was to analyze slip-related biomechanical characteristics during gait on pervious and traditional concrete in dry and icy conditions. The hypothesis tested was that pervious concrete, compared to traditional, would exhibit improved frictional characteristics that are less likely to cause slipping events. Both pervious and traditional concrete slabs were manufactured, and misted water was frozen on the surface of the icy slabs. Ten participants completed walking trials across traditional and pervious concrete in both dry and icy conditions. Ground reaction forces were captured by a force platform beneath each concrete surface and used to determine friction usage, which was defined as the ratio of peak utilized shear to normal force normalized to static coefficient of friction. An analyses of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the resulting data. A statistically significant decrease in friction usage was found for pervious concrete compared to traditional. Pervious concrete exhibited significantly smaller levels of friction usage for icy conditions, suggesting its potential utility in reducing slipping events.