In the context of sponge cities, which represent a new generation concept in urban stormwater management, cities are designed to have excellent resilience in adapting to environmental changes and coping with natural disasters caused by rainfall. This concept requires the pavement materials used in sponge cities to possess superior permeability performance and durability.

To address these requirements, this study focuses on enhancing the wear resistance of Resin-based water permeable bricks (RWPBs) through biomimetic structure optimization techniques. Inspired by the structural features of the epidermis of dung beetles and lizards, modifications are made to the RWPBs to achieve high wear resistance. Additionally, the importance of permeability performance is emphasized.

Optimization of surface pore size, as well as the construction of soft and hard structures, are examined systematically. The particle size and type of aggregates (sand gravel) in RWPBs, along with the content of poly (propylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PPGDGE) added to the cementitious material, are optimized to obtain RWPBs with excellent wear resistance.

The findings demonstrate that using the optimal pore structure (OPS) with aggregates (sand gravel) of 40-60 mesh size, incorporating 20 wt% PPGDGE for optimal soft structure (OSS), and utilizing quartz sands for optimal hard structure (OHS) significantly enhance the wear resistance of RWPBs. Among these methods, OSS has the greatest impact on wear resistance, followed by OPS and OHS.

By integrating these biomimetic structures, the developed RWPBs not only meet industry standards for compression resistance and water permeability performance but also exhibit an impressive improvement of approximately 47.1% in wear resistance compared to existing mass-produced RWPBs available in the market. These advancements align with the higher demands placed on pavement materials in sponge cities, where permeability performance and durability play crucial roles.