Abrasion resistance is a crucial factor in pavement concrete durability, influenced by compressive strength, surface finishing and curing techniques, aggregate characteristics, and testing conditions. Research shows that improving concrete’s abrasion resistance through proper mix design, additives like fibers and silica fume, and optimal curing practices can extend its service life by reducing wear from traffic and environmental forces, but concrete remains vulnerable to abrasion over time. This is a comprehensive review investigating the abrasion resistance in concrete pavements. It explores the mechanisms of abrasion resistance and standard testing methods. It then delves into the numerous factors affecting abrasion resistance, focusing on material properties (aggregates, cement type, admixtures, and water–cement ratio), pavement design (surface texture and reinforcement), and environmental conditions. Finally, the review examines advancements in enhancing abrasion resistance, including new materials and technologies, and concludes by highlighting current limitations in understanding the phenomenon and suggesting avenues for future research. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of materials, techniques, and predictive models to enhance abrasion resistance, which is crucial for enhancing the durability and longevity of concrete pavements.

Concrete’s coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) is a critical property affecting the durability and performance of rigid pavements. This review paper examines the significance of CTE in pavement design and the factors influencing it, including the type of aggregate, cement composition, age, relative humidity, and curing conditions. Thermal stress due to temperature changes and moisture variation can lead to cracking, spalling, and warping in concrete pavements, impacting their performance. The paper also discusses experimental methods for measuring CTE, alongside recent advances like mechanistic–empirical pavement design and prediction models. Integrating CTE considerations into pavement design enhances the predictive accuracy of pavement performance, particularly in addressing issues like joint movement and cracking. By comprehensive literature review and synthesizing current research, the paper emphasizes the importance of integrating CTE considerations into pavement design for improved durability and performance predictions. The paper emphasizes the importance of integrating CTE considerations into pavement design for improved durability and performance predictions.

Diamond grinding is a key concrete pavement restoration technique for concrete pavements. Traffic degrades the serviceability of the concrete pavements, resulting in unsatisfactory skid levels and noise concerns. Diamond grinding is known to enhance longevity and performance by improving smoothness and friction. By removing flaws with a cutting head equipped with diamond blades, the procedure produces a “corduroy” texture that enhances braking and stability. Diamond grinding typically results in a 20–80% reduction in the International Roughness Index, significantly enhancing pavement smoothness. It also improves macrotexture and creates longitudinal drainage channels, which collectively increase skid resistance and lower the chance of hydroplaning. The paper aims to highlight the need for diamond grinding for concrete pavements, which, despite their longevity, have decreased serviceability from traffic. The review further explores emerging innovations and identifies the gaps in long-term performance tracking and life-cycle environmental assessment. This paper reviews the effectiveness of diamond grinding as a pavement rehabilitation technique, with emphasis on ride quality, surface friction, noise reduction, and durability. Field applications and evaluation metrics are discussed to assess their contribution to pavement performance. This review aims to support researchers, pavement engineers, and agencies by providing a comprehensive understanding of diamond grinding’s applications, performance metrics, and potential for sustainable pavement management.

Aggregate characteristics govern concrete pavement performance by influencing fresh-state constructability, mechanical response, transport-related durability, thermal deformation, and long-term surface functionality. This review synthesizes literature on aggregate gradation, particle morphology, absorption and porosity, abrasion and polish resistance, strength and stiffness, coefficient of thermal expansion (CoTE), and chemical reactivity, and relates these characteristics to pavement-scale performance indicators, including cracking, joint distress and faulting, roughness progression quantified by IRI, and skid resistance. This review provides an integrated, pavement-driven framework that links aggregate properties to governing mechanisms and representative screening and confirmation methods, with emphasis on performance relevance rather than isolated material indices. The reviewed evidence indicates that pavement distress evolves through coupled mechanical, moisture-transport, thermal, and chemical processes, and that aggregate effects are conditioned by exposure severity, drainage and support conditions, and construction quality. Reported acceptance thresholds for indices such as LA abrasion loss, absorption, ASR expansion, and CoTE vary across aggregate sources, test methods, and agency specifications, limiting the transferability of single-property criteria across regions. The literature supports performance-driven aggregate qualification based on complementary testing, mechanistic sensitivity checks, and calibration to local materials and field performance history to improve the durability, functional performance, and service life of concrete pavements.