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There's an ongoing debate about the minimum sawcut joint depth needed to minimize random cracking in pavements. For many years, specifiers have required a minimum depth one-third or one-fourth the slab thickness, with the deeper cuts being used for longitudinal joints in highway pavements. Many documents from the American Concrete Institute, Portland Cement Association, and American Concrete Pavement Association still recommend using these joint-cut depths. However, deep cuts made many hours after concrete placement often are less effective in controlling random cracking than shallow cuts made earlier. This article discusses the differences between these two approaches to sawcutting joints and presents research on the factors affecting the ability of the sawcut to control random cracking.
