Interlocking Concrete Block

Pavement(ICBP)

PWD Workshop,
Rajib Chattaraj
Pranjali,
Chief Engineer, NH,
25th February, 2023
Public Works Department.
Govt. Of West Bengal
 What is ICBP and how it is useful
• ICBP is used as the wearing course of a
pavement consisting of precast small size
concrete blocks without reinforcements laid on
the prepared subgrade and aggregate base like
that of a flexible pavement.
• With its limitation to be used in major
highways, it is very useful for cycle track,
parking lots, fuel station, city roads, for paving
the portion of underground utility cuts of an
urban CC road for facilitating frequent
maintenance and it performs well in
waterlogged area too.
• A well constructed ICBP can provide the
durability of a CC pavement at a low cost with
the flexibility of a bituminous pavement and
very easy maintenance procedure with a bit of
compromise in riding quality and noise
generation issue.
 A Brief Background
• The concept of Interlocking
concrete block pavement(ICBP)
started from the roads of Roman
Empire.
• The modern concrete block
pavement were developed in
Netherlands in late 40’s as a
replacement of clay brick streets.
• It came in USA in 70’s.
• In India, ICBP was started from the
mid of the first decade of this
millennium.
 Principle of Interlock
• Interlocking concrete block pavement is a paving system consisting of discrete,
hand-sized paving units with either rectangular or dentated shapes
manufactured from concrete. Either type of shape is placed in an interlocking
pattern, compacted into coarse bedding sand, the joints filled with joint filling
sand, and compacted again to start interlock. The paving units and bedding
sand are placed over an unbound or bound aggregate layer and a prepared
subgrade.
• Interlock is the inability of a paver to move independently from its neighbours.
• It is critical to the structural performance of interlocking concrete pavement.
Unlike Concrete or Asphalt pavement, ICBP does not depend on monolithic
continuity of their material for structural integrity.
• When considering design and construction, three types of interlock must be
achieved: Vertical, rotational and horizontal
 How does ICBP function?
• Interlocking concrete pavements are
typically constructed as flexible
pavements on a compacted soil subgrade
and compacted aggregate base. Concrete
pavers are then placed on a thin layer of
bedding sand (25 to 35 mm), compacted,
joint filling sand swept into the joints,
and the units compacted again. When
compacted, the pavers interlock,
transferring vertical loads from vehicles
to surrounding pavers by shear forces
through the joint sand. The sand in the
joints enables applied loads to be spread
in a manner similar to asphalt, reducing
the stresses on the base and subgrade.
 Concrete
paver blocks

Courtesy: Late
Edge restraint 25 to 35mm Prof. B. B.
compacted Bedding Panday
sand

Gap 2 to 4 mm IS:15658 2021

Schematic Diagram: Not to scale

Though design
procedure of
ICBP are
available, in
India, ad-hoc
design catalogue
based on
international
experience is
practised. This
table is as per
IRC:SP:63(2018)
& table 3 of IS
16777(2019).
 Important components of ICBP
• Paving Block — Solid un-reinforced
precast cement concrete paving units
used in the surface course of pavements,
with minimum horizontal cross section of
50 mm from any edge in any direction,
having aspect ratio not more than four,
except for complementary blocks.
• Complementary Block — A block usually
of the shape of part of a block, used for
fitting into gaps remaining in a block-
paved area, for complete coverage of
paved surface.
• Edge Paver — A paving unit that is made
with a straight, flush side, or cut straight
for placement against an edge restraint.
 Important components of ICBP
• Bedding Sand : Bedding sands are a critical
component of all sand-set segmental concrete
paving systems. Especially for vehicular applications,
specifiers and contractors need to consider bedding
sand selection.
Bedding sand provides the following functions.
• It beds the pavers during installation, acts as a
cushion between hard base and the paver blocks.
• helps initialize interlock among the pavers. Bedding
sand helps to keep lower part of the joint filled with
sand which provides added interlocking effect.
• provides a structural component for the system as
well as provides a layer by which the blocks can be
The gradation requirement for the
levelled perfectly. bedding sand. Ref: IS:16777 & IRC:SP:63
• facilitates drainage of water that infiltrates through
the joints as well as acts as a barrier and does not
allow propagation of cracks formed in the lower
layers.
 Important components of ICBP
• Joint filling sand: The gap between two
paving blocks( preferably 2-3mm) needs to be
filled with dry sand, relatively finer than
bedding sand.
• It is necessary to restrict the fines (silt and/or
clay passing 75 micron sieve) to 10 percent,
since excessive fines make joint filling very
difficult.
• It is advisable not to use cement in the joint
filling sand as it adversely affects the desired
flexibility characteristics of the paving block The gradation requirement
layer. for the joint filling sand.Ref:
• The joint filling sand shall be as dry as IS:16777 & IRC:SP:63
possible, otherwise complete filling of joints
will be difficult.
 Spacer bars or spacer nibs
• Small protruding profiles on the vertical
face of a paving block, having height more
than 60 percent of that of the block and
width such that the nib is of fully
compacted concrete, used as a device for
keeping minimum joint gap while paving
blocks. (IS:15658)
• The nibs generally protrude around 2 mm
from the sides of the paver. (See Figure).
The space allows joint sand to enter in the
joints and mobilises interlocking function. IS:15658 2021
Pavers should have spacer bars or nibs on
their sides for mechanical installation.
• The nibs are placed in a staggered way,
not face to face.
 Edge restraint
• Edge restraints are an essential
component of interlocking concrete
pavements.
• Restraints hold the pavers tightly
together, enabling consistent interlock
of the units across the entire
pavement.
• They prevent spreading of the pavers
from horizontal forces from traffic.
• Edge restraints are designed to remain
stationary while receiving impacts
during installation and from vehicles. The edge restraint blocks may be precast/
cast in situ concrete blocks or cut stone
 Edge Restraint Blocks

Reference:
IS:5758(2020)
PRECAST
CONCRETE
KERBS,
CHANNELS,
EDGING,
QUADRANTS
AND OTHER
Precast edge ASSOCIATED
FITTINGS —
restraint blocks
SPECIFICATION
Cast in-situ Edge
restraint
IS:16777 (2019): Laying of paver block-Code of Practice
 Manufacturing of the paver blocks
• Manufacturing of the heavy
duty concrete paver blocks have
to be done in steel moulds with
mechanical vibration facility as
well as hydraulic pressure.
• Concrete for ICBP with its usual
ingredients have to be mixed
with “Zero slump” or slump as
low as possible and shall be
filled to slightly overfill the
moulds, compacted by hydraulic
and vibration machines and
struck off level with a trowel.
Mechanical vibration facility as well as hydraulic pressure in steel
moulds--- more strength- required criteria for heavy duty roads
Only vibration facility in rubber moulds --- lesser strength- not
allowed for heavy duty roads
Reference:
IS: 15658
(2021)
 Dimensional tolerances of ICBP
• Dimensions of the ICBP need to
be fairly accurate because for
proper functioning of Clause
interlocking action dimensional 7.2 and
accuracy is required. table 2
of
IS:15658
(2021)

A simple tool to check

dimensional tolerances
 Laying of Interlocking concrete Paver Blocks
• Laying of ICBP can be done both
manually and mechanically.
• In case of manual laying for optimum
output, it is advantageous to select an
easy fitting block shape, with the
desirable size being that which can be
easily accommodated in the worker’s
hand; in addition, the block should be
chamfered for easy handling and also
restricting the blocks from breaking of
the top edges with a slight chance of
rotation or tilting.
• Bedding sand is compacted with plate
compactor and dry joint filling sand is Manual Laying
spread by brooming.
of ICBP
 Mechanical Laying of ICBP
• Mechanical installation
originated in Germany and the
Netherlands in the late 1970s.
Equipment required for
mechanical laying
(a) transport of packaged a c
concrete pavers onto/around
the site
(b) spreading & compacting
bedding sand
(c) installation of the concrete
paver blocks b d
(d) spreading of joint filling
sand.
45 Degree Herringbone Bond

This type of laying of paver blocks gives better horizontal

stability compared to stretcher or running bond
90 Degree Herringbone Bond

This type of laying of paver blocks gives better horizontal

stability compared to stretcher or running bond
Mechanical Chamfering for edge blocks
Few useful Tools used for laying ICBP
Provision of ICBP in 12th corrigendum of the current West Bengal PWR SOR from 14.10.2020
 Permeable ICBP

Permeable interlocking concrete pavement (PICP) is recognized by federal and state stormwater and transportation
agencies as a Best Management Practice (BMP) and Low Impact Development (LID) tool to reduce runoff and water
Pollution
 Distresses of ICBP
• Subsidence, Settlement—This distress is
generally attributed to bedding sand loss. Repair
typically requires the removal of the pavers and
bedding sand in the subsided area. Discard any
damaged paver and bedding sand. Identify the
reason for the bedding sand loss, i.e. a joint or
crack in the rigid base, loss through a cracked
Kind of distresses in ICBP
curb, etc. and make suitable repairs.
• Rutting—If water is allowed to saturate the
bedding sand layer, the sand may migrate under
load. Repair typically requires the removal of
the pavers and bedding sand. Discard any
damaged pavers and bedding sand.
• Damaged or cracked pavers—Some pavers may
be cracked or damaged over time. These units
can be removed and replaced. Removing the paver blocks
for necessary repair.
References:
1. IS 15658:2021. Concrete Paving Blocks– Specification
2. IS 16777:2019. Laying of Paver Blocks—Code of Practice
3. IS:5758(2020) PRECAST CONCRETE KERBS, CHANNELS,
EDGING,QUADRANTS AND OTHER ASSOCIATED FITTINGS —
SPECIFICATION
4. IRC:SP:63:2018. Guidelines for the use of Interlocking concrete Block
Pavement
5. Tech spec guides of Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institutes, USA &
Canada
Acknowledgement

6. Late Prof. B. B. Pandey, IIT, Kharagpur

7. Sri Sandeep Khandelia, Omkar Pvt. Ltd, Bagnan, Howrah.