ABSTRACT
Portland cement concrete (PCC) is the most commonly used construction material in the world. Approximately half of all PCC used in the United States is consumed in the construction of PCC pavements. The constituents of PCC include coarse aggregates, fine aggregate, Portland cement, water, and mineral or chemical admixtures. The quality of the hardened concrete is strongly influenced by the quality of the paste, which in turn is highly dependent on the amount of water used in mixing the concrete. Therefore, the water-to-cement ratio by mass (W/C) is an important parameter that relates to many concrete qualities. Cracking of concrete pavements caused by freeze–thaw deterioration of the aggregate within the concrete is called D-cracking. The visual distress of D-cracking resembles the letter D, where closely spaced cracks emerge parallel to the transverse and longitudinal joints and progress outward toward the center of the slab.
