Vertical distribution of pore-aggregate-cement paste in statically compacted pervious concrete

•Vertical volumetric porosity distribution and total average porosity measured by 20 mm height interval.•Pore area fraction measured by image analysis was comparable to water displacement method.•Non-homogeneous vertical distributions of pore number, size, morphology, aggregate and cement paste were presented.•Implications for hydrological and mechanical behaviors were summarized. This paper explores the non-homogeneous vertical distribution of pore-aggregate-cement paste structure in statically compacted pervious concrete by means of volumetric and planar image analysis. The measurements showed that the volumetric porosity from the water displacement method and pore area fraction from image analysis that agreed well with each other increased from top to bottom, with maximum variation of approximately 11.0%. The vertical pore features were characterized by decreasing pore number and increasing pore size, while the pore morphology was mainly dominated by rounded and irregular pores. Although the aggregate fraction decreased vertically with a variation higher than cement paste, the paste-to-aggregate ratio remained relatively constant.