Because of increasing
demand for concrete
Interlocking concrete pavers:
The manufacturing process
he growth of the interlocking
T concrete paver market makes
paver production enticing to any-
one with the capability of pro-
ducing the product. While other product
markets are showing moderate growth,
new paver plants are being constructed
throughout North America.
Can any concrete block plant produce
pavers? Are the concrete mixes used in
pavers similar to mixes used in other man-
ufactured concrete products? What advan-
tages do pavers have over other forms of
pavement? These are questions that any
producer interested in producing pavers
may need to answer before entering a new
market segment.
Interlocking concrete pavers are now
available throughout North America in
more than 25 different shapes and sizes.
With the addition of pigment for colored
units, numerous pavement patterns can be
achieved, making interlocking concrete
pavements aesthetically pleasing as well as
durable. The equipment and methods for
producing pavers are unique.
pavers, most manufac-
turers use specialized
concrete paver produc-
tion equipment.
Quality mix = Quality pavers Learn how
Specific proportions of any mixture used
for concrete pavers will depend on locally
available materials, manufacturing equip-
ment requirements, and the desired final
texture and quality of the paving unit. A
paver
machine
type affects
low water-cement ratio (usually between
0.27 and 0.40) is used to produce a no-
the
slump concrete with high strength and production
durability. The concrete mix normally con-
tains at least 16% Type I portland cement operation
based on dry weight. Nominal maximum
aggregate size is generally 38 inch, with a By Billy J.
common aggregate ratio of about 60% to Wauhop Jr.
70% sand with the remainder being gravel.
The fineness modulus of the sand and
gravel used varies from region to region.
Product densities usually range from 135
pounds to 145 pounds per cubic foot.
Admixtures are often used to increase
concrete strength, reduce mold wear, and
reduce efflorescence. Water-repelling ad-
mixtures such as calcium stearate may be
added to reduce water absorption by the
paver. Superplasticizers, added at the rate
of about 0.4% of cement by weight, dis-
 perse cement grains, high-strength product. While a minimum av-
permitting water re- erage compressive strength of 8000 psi is re-
ductions that pro- quired in ASTM C 936, Standard Specifica-
duce high early tion for Solid Concrete Interlocking Paving
strengths. The extra Units, many producers routinely manufac-
fluidity gained by the ture pavers with compressive strengths in
use of superplasticiz- excess of 9000 psi. ASTM C 936 specifies a
ers also reduces the maximum size of 612x912x512 inches thick for
effort required to re- concrete pavers. Generally, this unit can be
move the pavers lifted and placed with one hand.
from the mold, thus
reducing mold wear. Paver manufacturing machine types
Coloring pigments When paving blocks were first produced
disperse more uni- in the United States, most production oper-
formly in superplasti- ations used existing equipment intended
cized mixes, and ma- for the manufacture of conventional con-
chine feed times of crete masonry blocks. This equipment was
the mixes are re- modified, as necessary, for production of
duced during paver concrete pavers. Because of the increasing
manufacture. Reduc- demand for concrete pavers, the manufac-
tions in the total ture of paver production equipment is now
amounts of cement a stand-alone industry. Today, most inter-
needed can be locking concrete paver manufacturing
achieved by partial plants in the United States and Canada use
substitution of a poz- specialized concrete paver production
zolan such as fly ash. equipment, and these plants produce inter-
Besides reducing locking concrete pavers exclusively. In a
cost, pozzolans help typical 8-hour production day, one ma-
control efflorescence. chine is capable of producing 7,000 to
18,000 square feet of concrete pavers, de-
Mixing it up pending on the type of equipment used.
The manufacturing There are two basic categories for paver
process is a very pre- machines:
cise operation with Multilayer machine, traveling or stationary
many quality controls Single-layer machine
to ensure production With a stationary multilayer paver ma-
of a high-quality chine, after the first layer of pavers is made,
product. One of these each additional layer is placed on top of the
controls requires that previous layer until a cube of product is
the raw materials, in- formed. A thin layer of sand is automatically
cluding graded aggre- spread on top of the fresh pavers to prevent
gates, portland ce- bonding of the green product. Usually eight
ment, water, coloring to 11 layers of pavers are stacked in this
pigments, and usually manner. Stationary machines produce the
admixtures, are accu- complete multilayered cube on a pallet
rately proportioned (usually steel), which is then removed from
and thoroughly the machine on a short conveyor. This pal-
There are two configu- mixed to form a homogeneous mixture. In let is next moved by forklift or automatic
rations for a multilayer order to do this repeatedly with each batch, equipment to a curing area.
machinetraveling and
stationary. The traveling
a computerized batch panel often controls Traveling multilayer machines, also called
machine, top, builds the batching and mixing of the ingredients in egg-layers, are set on rails inside the fac-
many cubes one layer at a pan type mixer. The total weight of a batch tory and travel forward after they make a
a time by traveling back is typically between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds. layer of product. Successive passes of this
and forth. The stationary
machine, bottom, builds The batch weight will vary with the mixer machine are used to build up multilayered
one cube at a time, layer and batch size needed to fill the mold. cubes of pavers in a line (with or without a
by layer. The concrete mix is fed into the appropri- pallet). These cubes of green product are
ate mold and is then subjected to intense vi- left in place for curing.
bration. This process results in a dense, In a single layer manufacturing plant, each
layer of concrete pavers released
from the mold is placed on a steel,
wood, or plastic board. A fresh
board is used for each manufactur-
ing cycle on this type of equipment
(sometimes called a board machine).
The individual boards can then be
stacked and conveyed to storage
racks where the pavers cure. This
method of manufacturing requires a
cubing machine that removes the
cured pavers from the boards and
stacks them in layers to build the
finished cube of product.
Curing options
Regardless of the type of paver
production machine used, the con-
crete pavers are normally cured for
24 hours. In most multilayer opera-
tions the green cubes are stored on
the factory floor or in open storage
racks that use only the natural heat
of hydration for curing. Free water
evaporating from the concrete is
the source of moisture. However, in
some single-layer operations, the
curing storage racks are enclosed in
a curing room to help confine the
heat of hydration. Sometimes recir-
culating fans help provide a uni-
form temperature distribution from
top to bottom of this room. As long
as the products are properly stored
and insulated such that the heat
from hydration is retained and the
free water isnt lost, no external
heat or moisture is needed.
The finished cube is wrapped
with steel banding after the product
has cured, and in some cases,
wrapped with plastic sheeting for
yard storage and transportation to
the jobsite.
Color is the difference
Most interlocking concrete pavers
are colored units. The ability to pro-
vide a large variety of colors gives
concrete paver installers a major ad-
vantage over contractors who build
other types of pavements. Color in
concrete paver units is controlled by
adding pigments to the concrete dur-
ing mixing. Pigments are either or-
ganic or inorganic materials batched
in the form of a dry powder, as dry
granules, or as a wet slurry. Organic
Pavers hit the ground running
The production of interlocking
concrete pavers began in North
America in the mid-1970s. Land-
scape architects and engineers em-
braced this type of concrete pave-
ment because of the variety of
colors and patterns offered as well
as the pavers high structural
strength, slip resistance, and freeze-
thaw durability. Most pavers were
initially used in commercial and
residential pedestrian areas. In the
mid-1980s, several successful street
and industrial applications demon-
pigments provide bright and brilliant
colors but are adversely affected by
the strongly alkaline environment of
concrete and usually fade with time.
Inorganic pigments are much more
durable. These usually are com-
posed of finely ground metal oxides
obtained from natural or synthetic
metal oxides.
The intensity of color in concrete
initially increases linearly with an
increase in the amount of pigment.
However, a saturation point is soon
achieved, beyond which further ad-
dition of pigment has little effect on
color. Typically, saturation occurs at
pigment loadings between 5% and
9% of the cement content by
weight. Color in pavers is affected
by the color of the cement used,
the water-cement ratio, and the cur-
ing conditions. When using light or
pastel colors, it is advantageous to
use white portland cement. More-
over, the lower the water-cement
ratio and the better the curing, the
darker a color appears to be.
Because they are finely ground,
adding pigments to concrete usually
requires increasing the mixing water
content to obtain the same slump. In
some cases, this may cause a reduc-
tion in both the flexural and com-
pressive strengths of the concrete.
However, these effects can be readi-
ly compensated for in the mix de-
sign by using water-reducing admix-
tures and altering mix proportions.
Inorganic pigments properties
strated the pavers low mainte-
nance and high resistance to deteri-
oration from deicing salts, and the
abrasive action of snow plow
blades. These projects helped
widen the use of interlocking con-
crete pavements for high-traffic,
high-load, workhorse applications.
In the 1990s, the paver market has
continued to expand to now in-
clude container port terminals and
low-speed airport taxiways, along
with the basic residential, munici-
pal, and commercial markets.
dont change much with time. How-
ever, concrete pavers may exhibit
long-term changes in color caused
by wear. When pavers made with
one mix design and feed drawer are
exposed to traffic, the cement paste
at the surface of the paver can wear
away, exposing large aggregates at
the surface of the product. This cre-
ates a color thats different from the
pigmented cement matrix. To con-
trol this condition, a mix design
with more fine aggregate and ce-
ment can be used. Alternatively, a
second feed drawer can be added
to produce concrete pavers made of
two different kinds of concrete, a
base mix and a face mix. Usually
the top 14 inch to 38 inch of the
paver (face mix) is made of only ce-
ment and sand in order to give a
durable, smooth-textured, nonslip
surface. In colored units, higher pig-
ment amounts are used in the fac-
ing layer than in the base mix. Do-
ing this minimizes color changes
caused by wear, but costs less than
coloring the entire unit. The in-
creased cycle time caused by utiliz-
ing the two-mix process, with two
feed drawers, can be offset by the
cost savings in pigment.
Concrete pavers may be uniform-
ly colored or be made with two or
more colors to give a multicolored
appearance. Typically this is
achieved by alternately feeding two
different colored mixes into the
surge hopper above the production
machine. Different colored batches
can also be delivered to this surge
hopper in a traveling bucket that
rotates 180 degrees upon delivery.
Also, different colored batches can
be delivered simultaneously on a
conveyor belt (different batches can
be located side by side or in layers
on this belt). Several manufacturers
have devised ingenious methods
for producing these popular multi-
colored units.
The concrete paver manufactur-
ing process delivers a high-quality,
high-strength, durable concrete
product thats produced in a factory
setting. Unlike materials produced
on-site, concrete paver strength,
color, and texture are not subject to
bad weather, sloppy formwork, or
delays in placement at the site. In-
terlocking concrete pavers are
brought to the site, ready to install,
and with guaranteed strengths. It is
not surprising that in 1995 more
than 4 billion square feet of inter-
locking concrete pavement were
placed throughout the world.
.Editors Note
Billy J. Wauhop Jr. is a mechanical en-
gineer and president of International Producers of concrete pavers
Concrete Services, a New Jersey firm may be interested in joining the
that speci al izes in the design an d Interlocking Concrete Pavement
turnkey construction of concrete prod- Institute (ICPI), an organization
ucts manufacturing plants. developed for the promotion
and advancement of the con-
References
crete paver industry. Contact the
1. Prec ast C onc rete Paver s,
ICPI by calling (703) 450-4998 or
Canadian Standards Association,
by writing to P.O. Box 1142,
CSA A231.2M85, 1985.
Sterling, VA 20167. The National
2. Rollings, Raymond S. and Mari- Concrete Masonry Association al-
on P., Applications for Concrete so includes producers of inter-
Pa ving Block i n th e Un ite d locking concrete pavers in their
States Market, 1992. Landscape Products Group. To
3. Shackel, B., Design and Con- contact the NCMA call (703) 713-
struction of Interlocking Con- 1900 or write to 2302 Horse Pen
crete Block Pavements, 1990. Rd., Herndon, VA 22071.
4. Smith, David R., Concrete Pavers,
Concrete Specifier, May 1994.
5. Standard Specification for Sol-
id Concrete Interlocking Paving
Units, ASTM C 936, 1988.
PUBLICATION #J960489
Copyright 1996, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved