The new fine-cut, 1/8-1/4-inch rubber chips, seen here on the right, give the surface a smoother finish.Photo: Porous Pave
Porous Pave has changed the standard size range of the recycled rubber chips in its surfacing material from 1/4-3/8 inch to 1/8-1/4 inch. The company said it made the move to smaller, fine-cut rubber chips in response to customer preferences.
Porous Pave is a highly porous and flexible pour-in-place paving product. The XL formulation consists of 50 percent rubber chips and 50 percent stone aggregate with a moisture-cured, liquid binder. The XLS formulation is made with 100 percent rubber chips.
Discarded tires, saved from landfills and recycled, are shredded and processed into rubber chips for Porous Pave. With 27 percent porosity, Porous Pave made with the fine-cut chips retains 93 percent of the porosity and permeability of the product made with the larger size, the company says.
Porous Pave and its distributors will continue to supply the bigger chips for extensions of existing installations as well as for new projects, with a minimum size of 5,000 square-feet, where a slightly coarser, higher traction finish with 29 percent porosity is preferred.
Porous Pave XL, the formulation with the 50-50 rubber chip and aggregate mix, is poured in place at thicknesses of 1 to 2 inches over a compacted aggregate base of 2, 4 or 6 inches, depending on the application and required compressive strength. The company says it retains stormwater on site by allowing rain and runoff to drain directly through its entire surface, filter down into the aggregate base, and then slowly seep into the soil below.
XL is used for loading docks, parking lots and driveways, building entrances and courtyards, patios, footpaths and walkways, golf-cart paths and tree surrounds, among other applications.
With 100 percent recycled rubber chip content, Porous Pave XLS permeable surfaces are more impact absorbing. The manufacturer says XLS is a good option for pool surrounds as well as school and public park playgrounds.
