In the last decade, the progressive
deterioration of relatively new portland cement concrete
pavements was observed
in several locations in Indiana. This
deterioration took a form of cracking and
spalling localized in the upper part of the pavement, typically around the
bottom of the saw cut groove. In order to investigate the cause of this
deterioration, 36 of 150-mm diameter cores were extracted from four different
pavements. Although the obtained specimens were subjected to various tests,
this paper only contains the results of air void system analysis, as the
ultimate mode of failure appeared to be freeze-thaw related. The results
indicate that even though some of these concretes might have had satisfactory
air-void system at the time of placement, its effectiveness became compromised
over time by combined effects of water and salt ingress (formation of
ettringite and Friedel’s salt).