AGGREGATES

By,
Shankey contractor and sunny
DEFINATION
 "Aggregate" is a collective term for the mineral
materials such as sand, gravel and crushed
stone that are used with a binding medium (such
as water, bitumen, portland cement, lime, etc.) to
form compound materials (such as 
asphalt concrete and portland cement concrete). 
By volume, aggregate generally accounts for 92
to 96 percent of HMA and about 70 to 80 percent
of portland cement concrete. Aggregate is also
used for base and subbase courses for both
flexible and rigid pavements.
Classififcation
By weight
Normal-weight:

Light
Two types of Lightweight Aggregates:
Natural (i.e. Pumice, volcanic rock)
Manufactured (i.e. Fly Ash, blast-furnace slag)

Heavy
(Heavy Rock / Steel)

BY Size – coarse >4.75mm

fine < 4.75 mm
 Geological Type: sand, gravel, crushed stone, cobbles,
boulders

 Geological Origin: sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic

 Rock Type: granite, limestone, quartzite, basalt (ASTM C 294

on Nomenclature)

 Mineral Class: silica, feldspar, mica, clay (C 294)

 Process: manufactured sand, crushed gravel,
crusher-run, screenings, washed vs. dry processed
 Grading: dense-graded, open-graded, nominal
maximum size, amount of minus No. 200
 Use Categories: aggregate base types, PCC, HMA,
and surface treatment aggregate classes
 Particle Shape: flat & elongated, cubical, two-face
crushed gravel, rounded roofing gravel
 Durability Classes: sulfate soundness,
freeze-thaw, durability index
 Quality Level: in a specific test, such as Los
Angeles Abrasion
 Hardness, Friction Properties: classes
based on polishing tests in the lab or field
 Stripping in Bituminous Mixtures: moisture
sensitivity or degree of particle coating
 Reactivity in Concrete Mixtures: potential
alkali-silica reactivity or not
 Bases & Soil-Aggregate Mixtures: strength
categories, Atterberg limits (PI, LL, and PL)
 By texture – polish/ dull, smooth/rough,
glassy, granual, crystalline
Types of Aggregate Gradation

 Gradation: The gradual gradation in size from

coarse to fine is a key property of
aggregates. The effects are:
– Workability
– Stability
– Drainage
– Frost resistance
– Others: mix proportioning, economy, porosity,
durability, shrinkage, strength
 Normally Graded Aggregate is one that conforms to the
grading limits specified by an agency such as ASTM.
 Open-Graded Aggregate has a particle-size distribution
that results in large voids or void content.
 Dense-Graded Aggregate has a particle-size distribution
that results in the least voids or lowest void content.
 Gaped-Grades Aggregate has a particle-size distribution
that results in a missing some particle sizes
Aggregate Mixture

 Types of Aggregate Mixture

– Aggregates with no fines. Its strength from grain-to-grain

contact of aggregate particles. Unstable, excellent drainage,
completely non-frost susceptible.
– Fines just filling the voids of aggregate fraction. Its strength
from grain-to-grain contact of aggregate particles. Stable
base coarse material because of fine content, adequate
drainage and can be non-frost susceptible.
– Fines overfilling the voids of aggregate fraction. Strength is
from grain-to-grain contact of fines rather than the
aggregate particles. Reduction in strength, poor drainage,
very frost susceptible.
 Aggregates with no
fines

 Aggregates with just

filling the voids

 Aggregates overfilling
the voids
Aggregate Properties

 Physical Properties
 Absoprtion, Porosity, and Permeability
 Surface Texture
 Strength and Elasticity
 Density and Specific Gravity
 Aggregate Voids
 Hardness
 Particle Shape
 Coatings
 Undesirable Physical Components
 Chemical Properties
 Composition
 Reactions with Asphalt and Cement
 Surface Charge
 General Characteristics
 Compacted Aggregates
 Aggregate for Hot Mix Asphalt
 Aggregate for Portland Cement Concrete
 Other Aggregates
 PHYSICAL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS

1) Absorption;
2) Abrasion resistance;
3) Soundness;
4) Restrictions on deleterious constituents; and
5) Special requirements.
Absorption
applies only to coarse aggregates, but this data is necessary on fine aggregate for other
purposes, such as mix design and water/cementitious ratios.
porous aggregate determines how much liquid can be absorbed when soaked in water.
absorption as the increase in the weight of aggregate because of water in the pores of the
material, Absorption is expressed as a percentage of the dry weight. Absorption
requirements are of concern only regarding aggregates used in hot mix asphalt and
portland cement concrete.
The intent is to avoid usinghighly porous, absorptive aggregates because extra water and
cement orasphalt is needed to make a good mix. The maximum percentage of absorption
allowed by the Standard Specifications is 5.0 percent

Measurement of moisture
drying method
displacement method
Automatic measure ment
 Abrasion Resistance
Abrasion resistance applies only to coarse aggregates.
Aggregates vary in their resistance to fracturing under impact (toughness) and breaking down
into smaller pieces from abrasive action (hardness).
The acceptable limits vary from 30.0 to 50.0 percent,
depending on the classification of the aggregate. The percentage is a
measure of the degradation or loss of material as a result of impact and abrasive actions.
 Aggregate abbrasion value – test wear value
– Deval attrition test
– Dorry abrasion test - hardness = 20 – loss in grain/3
– Los angeles test
Soundness

The quality of soundness applies to both fine and coarse aggregates.

Used to check durability

three different test methods to evaluate soundness:

1)The sodium sulfate test
2) The freezing and thawing test
3) The brine freeze/thaw

The sodium sulfate test requires immersing an aggregate sample in a

sodium sulfate solution for a period of time and then determining the
weight loss of particles on a given set of sieves

. The brine freeze/thaw requires the aggregate to be enclosed in a bag containing a 3 percent
sodium chloride solution and subjected to 25 cycles of freeze and thaw.

The freezing and thawing test requires subjecting a sample of aggregates

sealed and totally immersed in water to freezing and thawing of 50 cycles
before determining the mass loss.
Freezing and Thawing

– Saturated aggregates of low porosity may accommodate pore-water

freezing by simple elastic expansion. Saturated aggregates of
moderate to high porosity may fail because the particle dimension
exceeds a certain critical size or may cause failure in the paste
immediately adjacent to the aggregate particle because of aggregate
pore-water displacement

Aggregate
– The disruption of concrete by aggregates is a result of hydraulic
pressures. The hydraulic pressure is a result of the degree of
saturation (proportional to total void space filled with water) and
permeability and size of the aggregate particles. Upon freezing,
water expands 9 percent, and if the degree of saturation of the
aggregate particles, 91.7 percent, water will be expelled into the
paste surrounding the aggregate particle, and potentially
destructive hydraulic pressure may develop there also. So the
properties of paste, its permeability, air content, and porosity are
also involved in the problem. Three additional factors; composition,
texture, and structure, also play important roles in freezing and
thawing of concrete.
Strength and Elasticity

– Strength is a measure of the ability of an aggregate particle to stand up to

– pulling or crushing forces.

– Elasticity measures the "stretch" in a particle.

– High strength and elasticity are desirable in aggregate base and surface courses.
– These qualities minimize the rate of disintegration and maximize the stability
– of the compacted material.

– The best results for portland cement concrete may

– be obtained by compromising between high and low strength, and elasticity.

– Aggregate crushing value – 30% to 45 % at 40 ton load

– Aggregate impact value - 30% to 45 % at 14kg load
– Modules of elasticity – exponentially varies
Shape and texture of aggregate

Aggregate shape and surface texture influence the properties of freshly mixed
concrete more than the properties of hardened concrete.
Rough-textured, angular, and elongated particles require more water to produce
workable concrete than smooth, rounded compact aggregate.
Consequently, the cement content must also be increased to maintain the water-
cement ratio. However, with rough aggregates, there is better mechanical bond
in the hardened concrete, so strength is higher (if concrete with the same w/c
ratio is compared).
Hence, when smooth aggregates are replaced with rough aggregates, concrete of
similar flow properties and strength can be produced by adding a little bit more
water.
 angular and rough  smooth aggregate
 aggregate  river gravel
 Surface Texture

Property Smooth Rough

___________________________________
Bond Strength Weaker Stronger
Water Demand Less Higher
W/C Less Higher
Overall Strength Almost equal =
Workability Good More
Mortar
SIEVE ANALYSIS OF FINE
AND COARSE AGGREGATES

scope
The sieve analysis determines the gradation (the distribution of aggregate
particles, by size, within a given sample) in order to determine compliance with design,
production control requirements, and verification specifications.

summary
A known amount weight of material, the amount being determined by the largest size of
aggregate, is placed upon the top of a group of nested sieves (the top sieve has the largest screen openings
and the screen opening sizes decrease with each sieve down to the bottom sieve which has the smallest
opening size screen for the type of material specified) and shaken by mechanical means for a period of
time. After shaking the material through the nested sieves, the material retained on each of the sieves is
weighed using one of two methods.
The cumulative method requires that each sieve beginning at the top be placed in a previously weighed pan
(known as the tare weight), weighed, the next sieve's contents added to the pan, and the total weighed.
This is repeated until all sieves and the bottom pan have been added and weighed.
The second method requires the contents of each sieve and the bottom pan to be weighed
individually. Either method is satisfactory to use and should result in the same answer. The amount passing
the sieve is then calculated.

%Retained =   
               ×100%

%Cumulative Passing = 100% - %Cumulative Retained.

 Large Tray Shaker Small Sieve Shaker

Use Wire brush on Coarse Sieve Use Hair Brush on Fine Sieves