Calcination: Decomposition due to the loss of bound water and carbon dioxide. Happens in Concrete aging

Calcium Chloride - A crystalline solid, CaC12; in various technical grades, used as a drying agent for concrete, as an accelerator of concrete, a deicing chemical, and for other purposes.

Capillary - A phenomenon of soil which allows water to be absorbed either upward or laterally sometimes affecting concrete performance.

Carbonation - Reaction between carbon dioxide and the products of portland cement hydration to produce calcium carbonate. Yielding weak concrete

Cast-In-Place - Concrete placed and finished in its final location.

Cavitation - The sudden formation and collapse of low pressure bubbles in liquids by means of mechanical force dramatically affecting the performance of concrete substrates

Cement: Finely powdered mixtures of inorganic compounds which when combined with water hardens with hydration and makes concrete as we know it.

Cement-Aggregate Ratio - The ratio, by weight or volume, of cement to aggregate in concrete.

Cement Content - Quantity of cement contained in a unit volume of concrete or mortar, ordinarily expressed as pounds, barrels, or bags per cubic yard.

Cement Paste - Constituent of concrete consisting of cement and water.

Cement: Finely powdered mixtures of inorganic compounds which when combined with water hardens with hydration making cement.

Checking - Development of shallow cracks at closely spaced but irregular intervals on the surface of mortar or concrete.

Chipping - Treatment of a hardened concrete surface by chiseling away a portion of material.

Clay: Type of soil consisting of very fine particles, sometimes as a maverick in concrete

Clean - Free of foreign material; in reference to sand or gravel, lack of a binder in concrete.

Clinker: The material that emerges from the cement kiln after burning. It is in the form of dark, porous nodules which are ground with a small amount of gypsum to give cement its chemical makeup.

Cold Joint - A discontinuity produced when the concrete surface hardens before the next batch is placed against it.

Compacted Yards - Measurement of soil or rock after it is placed and compacted in a fill under concrete.

Compression: Forces acting inwardly on a body, important in concrete construction

Compressibility - A property of soil which permits deformation when subjected to a load, ie. concrete.

Compression Test - Test made on a specimen of mortar or concrete to determine the compressive strength; in the United States, unless otherwise specified, compression tests of mortars are made on 50-mm cubes, and compression tests of concrete are made on cylinders 152 mm in diameter and 305 mm high.

Compressive Strength - The measured resistance of a concrete or mortar specimen to axial loading; expressed as pounds per square inch (psi) of cross-sectional area.

Concrete: A hard compact building material formed when a mixture of cement, sand, gravel, and water undergoes hydration

Contraction Joint - A plane, usually vertical, separating concrete in a structure of pavement, at a designated location such as to prevent formation of objectionable shrinkage cracks elsewhere in the concrete. Reinforcing steel is discontinuous.

Corner Break - A portion of the concrete slab separated by a crack that intersects the adjacent transverse or longitudinal joints at about a 45º angle with the direction of traffic. The length of the sides is usually from 0.3 meters to one-half of the concrete slab width on each side of the crack.

Core - A cylindrical piece of an underground formation, cut and raised by a rotary drill with a bit. The impervious center of an earth fill dam. Relative to concrete, a test sample usually 4x4” or 6x6”

Cracking - The process of contraction or the reflection of stress in the concrete pavement.

Crazing - Minute surface pattern cracks in mortar or concrete due to unequal shrinkage or contraction on drying or cooling.

Crown - The elevation of a road surface at its edges, concrete or asphalt to encourage drainage.

Crusting - A problem in the concrete surface that happens when the surface of freshly placed concrete dries too quickly, many times due to direct sun, high wind, or high temperatures.

Cure: To keep concrete moist during initial hardening

Curing - The maintenance of a satisfactory moisture content and temperature in concrete during its early stages so that desired properties may develop.

Curing Blanket - A built-up covering of sacks, matting, Hessian, straw, waterproof paper, or other suitable material placed over freshly finished concrete. See also Burlap.

Curing Compound - A liquid that can be applied as a coating to the surface of newly placed concrete to retard the loss of water or, in the case of pigmented compounds, also to reflect heat so as to provide an opportunity for the concrete to develop its properties in a favorable temperature and moisture environment. See also Curing