Lab Report Group#02 Highway Engineering

Lab Report # 02

LOS ANGELES ABRASION TEST OF AGGREGATE

(ASTM C 535)
Significance:
Due to the movement of traffic, the road stones used in the surfacing course are subjected
to wearing action at the top. Resistance to wear or hardness is hence an essential
property for road aggregates, especially when used in wearing course. Thus, road stones
should be hard enough to resist the abrasion due to traffic.The test is considered more
dependable as rubbing and pounding action simulate field conditions.
Principle
A test specimen is compacted, in a standardized manner, into an open steel cup. The
specimen is then subjected to a number of standard impacts from a dropping weight. This
action breaks the aggregate to a degree which is dependent on the impact resistance of
the material

Apparatus
 Impact testing Machine,
 Weighing Balance
 Oven
 Sieves (14mm, 10mm, and 2.36mm)
 Tamping rod of dia 16mm and 60 cm long (with both ends hemispherical)
Lab Report Group#02 Highway Engineering

Procedure
1. Take 350 grams of aggregate that is passing through 14mm sieve and retained on
10mm sieve.
2. Place the aggregate in three layers in the Impact testing Machine and compact
with 25 strokes of the tamping rod.
3. The aggregate is subjected to 15 blows from a standard metal hammer of weight
13.5-14 Kg, falling from 38cm.
Lab Report Group#02 Highway Engineering

4. Remove the crushed aggregate by holding the cup over a clean tray and
hammering on the outside with the rubber mallet.
5. Sieve the whole of the specimen in the tray on the 2.36 mm test sieve until no
further significant amount passes during a further period of 1 min.
6. Weigh and record the masses of the fractions passing and retained on the sieve.

Observations and Calculations

Calculate the aggregate impact value (AIV) expressed as a percentage to the first decimal
place for each test specimen from the following equation:
𝑀2
(𝐴𝐼𝑉) = × 100
𝑀1
Where
M 1 is the mass of the test specimen (in g);
M 2 is the mass of the material passing the 2.36 mm test sieve (in g).

Specification
Impact Value < 10 % exceptionally strong
Impact Value 10 % to 20 % Strong
Impact Value 20 % to 30 % Satisfactory for road construction