Types of Aggregates, Its Uses and

Applications
Definition:
Aggregate is a granular material, such as sand, gravel, crushed stone,
crushed hydraulic-cement concrete, or iron blast-furnace slag, used with a hydraulic
cementing medium to produce either concrete or mortar.

Coarse Aggregate
Those particles that are predominantly retained on the 4.75 mm
(No. 4) sieve and will pass through 3-inch screen, are
called coarse aggregate. The coarser the aggregate, the more
economical the mix. Larger pieces offer less surface area of the
particles than an equivalent volume of small pieces. Use of the
largest permissible maximum size of coarse aggregate permits a
reduction in cement and water requirements. Using aggregates
larger than the maximum size of coarse aggregates permitted can
result in interlock and form arches or obstructions within a
concrete form. That allows the area below to become a void, or at
best, to become filled with finer particles of sand and cement only
and results in a weakened area.

Fine Aggregate
Those particles passing the 9.5 mm (3/8 in.) sieve, almost entirely passing the 4.75 mm
(No. 4) sieve, and predominantly retained on the 75 µm (No. 200) sieve are called fine
aggregate. For increased workability and for economy as reflected by use of less cement,
the fine aggregate should have a rounded shape. The purpose of the fine aggregate is to
fill the voids in the coarse aggregate and to act as a workability agent.

Purpose & Uses of Aggregates

In concrete, an aggregate is used for its economy factor, to reduce any cracks and most
importantly to provide strength to the structure. In roads and railway ballast, it is used to
help distribute the load and assist in ground water running off the road.

1. Increases the volume of concrete, thus reduces the cost

2. Provide dimensional stability
3. Influence hardness, abrasion resistance, elastic modulus and other properties of
concrete to make it more durable, strong and cheaper.
Los Angeles Abrasion Test

(AASHTO DESIGNATION: T-96 | ASTM C 131)

The Los Angeles test is a measure of degradation of mineral aggregates of standard
gradings resulting from a combination of actions including abrasion or attrition, impact,
and grinding in a rotating steel drum containing a specified number of steel spheres.
The Los Angeles (L.A.) abrasion test is a common test method used to indicate
aggregate toughness and abrasion characteristics. Aggregate abrasion characteristics
are important because the constituent aggregate in HMA must resist crushing,
degradation and disintegration in order to produce a high quality HMA.

Apparatus:
  Steel Spherical Balls
 Machine (The machine is equipped with a counter. The machine shall consist of
hollow steel cylinder closed at both ends. An opening in cylinder shall be
provided for introducing the sample
 Sieves
 Aggregate used in highway pavement should be hard and must resist wear due
to the loading from compaction equipment, the polishing effect of traffic and the
internal abrasion effect.
 The road aggregate should be hard enough to resist the abrasion of aggregate.
Resistance to abrasion is determined in laboratory by loss angles abrasion test.

Principle of the Test:

To produce the abrasive action by use of standard steel
balls which when mixed with the aggregate and rotated
in a drum for specific number of revolution cause impact
on aggregate. The %age wear due to rubbing with steel
balls is determined and is known as abrasion value.

Prepare the sample by the portion of an aggregate

sample retained on the 1.70 mm (No. 12) sieve and
place in a large rotating drum that contains a shelf plate
attached to the outer wall.

Procedure of the LA Abrasion Test:

 Prepared sample is placed in the abrasion-testing machine.
 A specified number of steel spheres are then placed in the machine and the drum
is rotated for 500 revolutions at a speed of 30 - 33 revolutions per minute (RPM).
 The material is then separated into material passing the 1.70 mm (No. 12) sieve
and material retained on the 1.70 mm (No. 12) sieve.
 Dry the sample in an oven.
 Calculate %age loss due to Abrasion by calculating the difference between the
retained material (larger particles) compared to the original sample weight. The
difference in weight is reported as a percent of the original weight and called the
"percent loss".

Test Sample :
Sample shall be washed and oven-dried at a temperature of 105°C - 110°C and should
conform to one of the grading in observation.
Test Adequacy / Suitability:
The L.A. Abrasion test is an empirical test; it is not directly related to field performance of
aggregates. Field observations generally do not show a good relationship between L.A.
abrasion values and field performance. L.A. abrasion loss is unable to predict field
performance. Specifically, the test may not be satisfactory for some types of aggregates.
Some aggregates, such as slag and some limestones, tend to have high LA. abrasion
loss but perform adequately in the field. L.A. abrasion loss seems to be reasonable well
correlated with dust formation during handling and HMA production in that aggregates
with higher LA. abrasion loss values typically generate more of dust.

Uses & Significance of LA Abrasion Test :

1. For an aggregate to perform satisfactory in pavement, it must be sufficiently hard
to resist the abrasive effect of traffic over long period of time. The soft aggregates
will be quickly ground to dust, whilst the hard aggregates are quite resistant to
crushing effect.
2. The test also will determine the quality of the aggregate.
3. The L.A. Abrasion test is widely used as an indicator of the relative quality or
competence of mineral aggregates.

Standard Test Methods are:

 AASHTO T 96 and ASTM C 131: Resistance to Degradation of Small-Size
Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion and Impact in the Los Angeles Machine
 ASTM C 535: Resistance to Degradation of Large-Size Coarse Aggregate by
Abrasion and Impact in the Los Angeles Machine