| Particle-Size Distribution | (Concrete Engineering) Particle distribution of granular materials among various sizes; for concrete material normally designated as gradation. Usually expressed in terms of cumulative percentages smaller or larger than each of a series of sieve openings or percentages between certain ranges of sieve openings. |
| Pining | (Concrete Engineering) Development of relatively small cavities in a concrete surface, due to phenomena such as cavitation or corrosion. |
| Plastic | (Concrete Engineering) A condition of freshly mixed concrete. mortar or cement -paste indicating that it is workable and readily re-moldable, is cohesive, and has an ample content of fines and cement but is not over wet. |
| Plastic Consistency | (Concrete Engineering) Condition in which concrete, mortar, or cement paste will sustain deformation continuously in any direction without rupture. |
| Plasticity | (Concrete Engineering) Property of freshly mixed concrete, cement paste or mortar which determines its ease of molding or resistance to deformation. |
| Precast | (Concrete Engineering) A concrete unit, structure or member that is cast and cured in an area other than its final position or place. |
| Pretensioning | (Concrete Engineering) A method of prestressing reinforced concrete in which the steel is stressed before the concrete has hardened and restrained from gaining its unstressed position by bond to the concrete. |
| Pumping (of Pavements) | (Concrete Engineering) The ejection of a mixture of water and solid materials such as clay or silt along cracks, transverse or longitudinal joints, and along pavement edges caused by downward slab movement due to the passage of heavy loads, machinery or equipment over the pavement after free water has accumulated in or on the subbase, subgrade or basecourse. |
| Retardation | (Concrete Engineering) Delaying the hardening or strength gain of fresh concrete, mortar or grout. |
| Retempering | (Concrete Engineering) The addition of water and remixing of concrete which has started to stiffen: usually not allowed as it may affect the ultimate strength. |