Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446

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Construction and Building Materials

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/conbuildmat

A preliminary estimation method of Los Angeles abrasion value of

concrete aggregates
Esra Tugrul Tunc ⇑, Kursat Esat Alyamac
Civil Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Firat University, 23119 Elazig, Turkey

h i g h l i g h t s

The aggregate type has a great effect on the abrasion value of aggregates.

A preliminary estimation method has been developed for concrete aggregates.

A good fit was observed between aggregate abrasion resistance and concrete strength.

The abrasion loss of recycled aggregates can estimated with the developed method.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The main purpose of this study is to develop a preliminary estimation method to predict the Los Angeles
Received 4 May 2019 abrasion value of concrete aggregates. For this purpose, Los Angeles abrasion tests were performed on the
Received in revised form 17 June 2019 concrete aggregates which were basalt, waste marble and limestone. Five different number of iron balls
Accepted 21 June 2019
(6, 12, 18, 24, and 30) in fixed diameters and four different number of revolutions of drum (500, 1000,
Available online 25 June 2019
1500, and 2000) were used in these tests. After obtained the test results, the response surface method
(RSM) was used to investigate the combine effect of the test parameters on the Los Angeles abrasion val-
Keywords:
ues. The variables are the number of iron balls, number of revolutions for drum, average saturated
Los Angeles abrasion loss
Aggregate
surface-dry aggregate density and average water absorption for RSM analysis. As a result, a preliminary
Concrete estimation method was developed to classify the aggregates according to Los Angeles abrasion values.
Response surface method The developed method can be used to estimate the abrasion values approximately, practically and
quickly.
Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction of the aggregate is suspected or if the aggregate is used in concrete

Aggregates constitute a large of the concrete in volume (approx-
imately 70%). Therefore, the physical and mechanical properties of
the aggregates affect significantly the strength properties of the
concrete. In this respect; physical, mechanical and chemical prop-
erties of aggregates to be used in concrete production should be
determined by experiments [1]. In addition, the aggregate to be
used in concrete must be hard, strong, durable, and free of voids,
not soften and not fracture under the influence of water. The aggre-
gate should be resistant to pressure and abrasion [2]. Concrete,
especially in roads and airports, are under the influence of impact
and abrasion [3,4]. The abrasion resistance of the aggregate should
also be high when the concrete surface is subject to abrasion [5].
According to relevant standard [6], if the aggregates have a
compressive strength less than 100 MPa, if the abrasion resistance
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: esratugrul@firat.edu.tr (E. Tugrul Tunc).
production, abrasion resistance of the aggregate should be deter-
mined by experiments. Los Angeles abrasion test [7], micro-Deval
abrasion test [8], Nordic ball mill test [9] and the impact strength
test are performed to determine aggregate abrasion resistance
[7]. The Los Angeles abrasion test is one of the most common tests
used to determine the abrasion value. The Los Angeles experiment
is more advantageous than other experiments because the applica-
tion is easy. However, when carrying out this experiment, occupa-
tional safety measures should be taken to prevent occupational
accidents. In addition, the employee health is at risk due to the
dense powder generated during the experiment and therefore, nec-
essary precautions should be taken.
There are limited number of studies analyzing the Los Angeles
(LA) abrasive strength of aggregates in the literature. Aggregates
received from a stream bed were exposed to the LA abrasive resis-
tance tests [10,11]. In another study, it was investigated LA abra-
sion test of natural aggregates. The findings showed that these
aggregates could be used in the production of road and bitumen

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.06.176
0950-0618/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
438 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446
concretes [12]. It was carried out the LA abrasion tests for different
aggregates used in the concrete to determine the strength proper-
ties of the special mix design [13]. According to the standard [6],
aggregates with a Los Angeles abrasion value greater than 40%
should be evaluated in a limited manner according to their use.
In Alyamac and Tugrul (2014), they compared the abrasion resis-
tance of marble and limestone aggregates [14]. In addition, the
LA abrasion test was carried out for granite aggregates with differ-
ent properties [15]. It was calculated the abrasion loss for different
aggregates [16]. The relationship between the obtained results and
the LA abrasion and impact resistance (LAAI) values of the aggre-
gates was investigated [17].
Torok, (2015) carried out the Los Angeles and micro-Deval tests
to determine the abrasion resistance of basalt and andesite aggre-
gates belonging to a particular region [18]. A very good correlation
was found between Los Angeles and micro-Deval values. It was
studied on the effect of aggregate gradation on the loss from the
micro-Deval and LA abrasion tests, in the literature. It was seen
that the relevant aggregates were in conformity with NCHRP 04-
19 (NCHRP 04-19 study recommendation of maximum loss of
18%) and therefore could be used safely [19]. LA abrasion test
was applied to recycled aggregates. It was concluded that the ratio
of loss obtained as a result of the tests was this value was in accor-
dance with the standards [20]. In Aksoy (2018), abrasion test was
performed for five limestone aggregates with different characteris-
tics and the Los Angeles abrasion losses of these aggregates were
determined [21].
In another research, it was studied the relationship between the
abrasion strength and the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS)
of aggregates having different properties. It was concluded that the
LA abrasion values of the marble and travertine aggregates and the
compressive strengths of the concrete samples made of these
aggregates were low, while the LA abrasion values of the andesite
and granite aggregates and the compressive strengths of the con-
crete samples made of these aggregates were high [22]. Since esti-
mating the abrasion with UCS required an expensive and time-
consuming procedure, it was stated that the use of the LA abrasion
test, a relatively simple and rapid method was more appropriate
[23]. However, since LA abrasion test has some disadvantage, dif-
ferent methods have been developed to determine the abrasion
values in recent years [24,25].
Investigations were made on the methods to improve the abra-
sion resistance of roads containing low-quality aggregates. The
changing parameters were the grade of concrete, type and quantity
of pozzolana, type of aggregate, cement type, and age of concrete
[26].
Gaedicke et al., 2014, the tests showed that the use of recycled
aggregate and ground granulated blast-furnace slag did not have
any negative effect on the abrasion strength of the concrete [27].
Tunc (2019) conducted a review study on the recycling of waste
Fig. 1. Aggregate types used in the present experimental study: a) basalt; b) waste marble; c) limestone.
marble aggregates and aimed to produce high strength, economical
and environmentally friendly concrete. In addition, the author
investigated the effects of physical properties of aggregates on
compressive strength of concrete [28].
In the previous studies, the Los Angeles test was used only to
determine the abrasion resistance of the aggregate for the stan-
dards. That is, the values stated in the standards for the number
of revolutions, the number of balls and the total weight of the balls
were used in these experiments. If it is desired to determine the
abrasion value of an aggregate specimen, it must be tested exper-
imentally. Testing for each aggregate specimen causes time loss,
energy loss, cost loss and workforce loss. To avoid these losses,
the literature needs a practical method or formulation. In addition,
tests on some concrete aggregates and road aggregates are
required according to special standards. In these standards, it is
necessary to conduct experiments with different number of reval-
uations and number of balls. The comparison of the results of abra-
sion tests with these specific standards and the general standards
is an important problem. Therefore, there is a need for technical
information for variation of abrasion value with the number of
balls and the number of revolutions [29].
The first aim of this study is to determine the effect of the Los
Angeles test parameters (the number of balls, the number of rev-
olutions and the ball weights) on the aggregate abrasion value.
The second aim of this study is to develop a preliminary method
in which Los Angeles abrasion loss can be estimated by taking
advantage of the numerical values of the physical properties of
the aggregate with the help of the data obtained as a result of
the experiments. For this purpose, a series of experiments have
been performed for different LA parameters with aggregate types
with different physical properties frequently used in concrete
production. Data from this experimental study was analyzed
using the Response Surface Method (RSM) and an equation was
developed to calculate LA abrasion values. In addition, concrete
specimens were produced by using these aggregates after the
aggregate abrasion tests were completed. The effects of aggregate
resistance on concrete compressive strength were determined by
these specimens. A high correlation was found between the LA
parameters, the physical properties of the aggregates and the
abrasion loss.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
In the present experimental study; basalt, waste marble and limestone aggre-
gates from the Elazig province were used (Fig. 1). The basalt and the limestone
are widely used in concrete production. Therefore, this aggregates were preferred
in this study. There is too much waste marble reserves in Turkey. It is known to
have a wide field of use of waste marble aggregate [30]. The waste marble aggregate
is used in the eco-friendly concrete production and its usage is increasing day by
 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446 439

day. The use of this aggregate has been preferred to contribute to the production of
eco-friendly concrete. The granulometry curves of the aggregates should remain
within the standard curves of A32-B32 to achieve the maximum capacity according
to the standard [31]. In terms of granulometry, the use of these aggregates in con-
crete production is suitable.
The microstructural morphology and elemental maps of the aggregates were
investigated in this study. In order to investigate the microstructure of these aggre-
gates, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) test was performed by using the Energy
Dispersive X-ray (EDX) micro-analyzer. The magnifications of the SEM images were
chosen as 2500 magnification (Fig. 2). Fig. 2 (a) presents SEM analysis for the

Fig. 2. SEM images and representation of the chemical composition in the corresponding spectrum for the aggregates: a) basalt; b) waste marble; c) limestone.
440 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446

basalt aggregate. When its elementary structure is examined, it is seen that the ticles were sieved through a 1.7 mm aperture size sieve and the particles remaining
basalt aggregate has more regular micropores and the pore spaces are not too open. on the sieve were weighed. Following these procedures, the Equation (1) was used
A quite low porous microstructure is seen. Fig. 2(b) presents the SEM analysis for to calculate the LA abrasion loss (%) [7].
the waste marble aggregate. It is seen that these aggregates have quite strong
bonds. However, the elementary structure of these aggregates shows more open W1  W2
LAloss ¼  100 ð1Þ
pore spaces than the basalt aggregate. Fig. 2 (c) presents the SEM analysis for the W1
limestone aggregate. When the elementary structure of the limestone aggregate
where; LAloss = Los Angeles abrasion loss (%); W1 = original aggregate mass (g);
is examined, a very porous microstructure is seen and the pore spaces are most
W2 = aggregate mass after the experiment (g).
open.
In order to determine the physical properties of the aggregates, the saturated
CEM I 42.5 N Portland cement was used in this experimental study. The initial
bulk density and the water absorption values according to relevant standard [31]
setting time of the cement with a specific gravity of 3.03 g/cm3 was determined to
were determined for different aggregate types (basalt – waste marble – limestone)
be 2.6 h and the final setting time to be 3.5 h. The Blaine specific surface area was
(Table 2). Aggregate saturated bulk densities and aggregate water absorptions can
3490 cm2/g. The chemical content of the cement type used can be seen in detail in
be determined more easily in terms of application. In the present study, a relation-
Table 1. The 2-day, 7-day and 28-day compressive strengths of a standard cement
ship was established between these values and the LA abrasion values of the aggre-
mortar were determined to be 25.8 MPa, 38.1 MPa, and 49.1 MPa, respectively,
gates. These tests will guide to determine the abrasion resistance of the aggregates
using the RILEM procedure.
and provide convenience.
Then, concrete mixtures were formed to determine the strength properties of
the concrete specimens using these three types of aggregate. Concrete mixtures
were prepared using each type of aggregate separately. The saturated bulk densities
2.2. Method and tests
of the aggregates in the mixture were taken into consideration. The aggregate
(coarse-medium-fine), cement and water unit weights of the concrete mixture
The Los Angeles abrasion device in the Building Materials Laboratory of Firat
are presented in Table 3.
University, shown in Fig. 3, was used to perform the abrasion tests. In this experi-
A vertical axis mixer rotating around its axis at an average speed of 1.5 rpm/sec
mental study, LA abrasion tests were conducted to investigate the effects of the
was used to obtain concrete specimens with the aggregate mixing ratios given.
number of balls and fixed weighted balls in different diameters on the abrasion.
First, the cement and aggregate were added to the mixer and were mixed for about
A total of 5000 g aggregates, 2500 g from the coarse aggregates and 2500 g from
1 min in the dry state. Then, half of the water to be used was added and continued
the medium aggregates, was washed for the experiment and weighed after being
to be mixed for 1 min and, finally, the mixer was stopped with enough homogeniza-
dried in a drying-oven at 110 ± 5 °C [6]. In there, the aggregates with grain size
tion. A cut slump cone conforming to relevant standard [32] was used to determine
between 16 mm and 31.5 mm are called coarse aggregate and aggregates with grain
the fresh concrete property belonging to the concrete mixtures. Then concrete spec-
size between 8 mm and 16 mm are called medium aggregate. This procedure was
imens were prepared according to the mix design. The specimens put in the curing
continued until the total aggregate reached the constant weight. The balls and dried
pool with a temperature of 23 ± 2 °C were removed from the pool at the end of the
aggregates were put in the Los Angeles device that rotates at 31–33 rpm at a con-
28th day. In order to determine the hardened concrete properties of the surface dry-
stant rate and the cover was closed, and this procedure was carried out for 500,
ing concrete specimens, the compressive strength test according to the standard
1000, 1500 and 2000 rpm respectively. At the end of the test, the balls in the device
[33] and the splitting tensile strength test according to the standard [34] were
were thoroughly cleaned from the aggregate particles. The resulting aggregate par-
performed.

Table 1
3. Experimental study and results
The chemical content of cement used in the present study.

Chemical composition Percent by Mass (%) The present experimental study was carried out in two steps. In
SiO2 21.12 the first step; 60 LA abrasion tests were performed for 5 different
Al2O3 5.62 number of balls (6, 12, 18, 24, 30) in fixed diameters and 4 different
Fe2O3 3.24
number of revolutions (500, 1000, 1500, 2000) for different aggre-
CaO 62.94
Cl– 0.0044 gate types basalt (BA), waste marble (WM) and limestone (LS). In
Insoluble residue 0.64 this step, experiments were carried out by increasing the number
Loss of glow 3.52 of balls whose weights and diameters were constant. The effect
of LA abrasion value on this situation was investigated. The effect

Fig. 3. Application mechanism of the Los Angeles experiment: a) Los Angeles abrasion device, b) aggregate particles remaining on the sieve and below the sieve.
 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446 441

Table 2
The physical properties of the aggregates.

Types of Aggregate Saturated bulk density (g/cm3) Water absorption (%)

(qcoarse
) ðq medium
Þ (qfine (W coarse ) ðW medium Þ (W fine
b b b
) a a a )

Basalt 2.79 2.78 2.81 0.7 0.8 1.3

Waste marble 2.63 2.62 2.70 1.0 1.1 1.8
Limestone 2.60 2.59 2.64 1.2 1.3 1.7

where; qcoarse
b = coarse aggregate saturated bulk density, qmedium
b = medium aggregate saturated bulk density, qfineb
= fine aggregate saturated bulk density, W coarse
a = coarse
aggregate water absorption, W medium
a = medium aggregate water absorption, W fine
a = fine aggregate water absorption.

Table 3
Mix design (kg/m3) and slump (cm) values of the concrete specimens.

Aggregates Coarse aggregate (31.5–16 mm) Medium aggregate (16–8 mm) Fine aggregate (4–0.063 mm) Cement Water Slump
Basalt 603 501 899 300 185 0
539 440 782 400 238 6
Waste marble 588 471 832 300 189 0
521 414 731 400 241 15
Limestone 472 372 1012 300 192 2
417 327 890 400 244 19

of the increased number of balls on the LA abrasion value of the
aggregates was investigated for different number of revolution.
In the second step; it was performed compressive strength tests
and splitting tensile strength tests of the concrete specimens (BA,
WM and LS concrete) with these three types of aggregate sepa-
rately. It was determined the average compressive strength (fc)
and the average splitting tensile strength (ft) of the concrete
specimens.
In this chapter, a series of experiments were conducted for the
balls whose weights and diameters were fixed (i.e. by increasing
the total weight of the balls) and the effect of this situation on
the abrasion was investigated. In Fig. 4, the effect of the increasing
number of balls on the LA abrasion value of the aggregates was
investigated for different number of revolutions. It is seen that it
has changed LA abrasion value from 7.1% to 81.3% for 6 balls, from
11.5% to 96% for 12 balls, from 16.1% to 99.5% for 18 balls, from
21.5% to 99.7% for 24 balls, and 29.6% to 99.8% for 30 balls. As
the number of revolutions and the number of balls increases, LA
abrasion loss is also generally increased. Also, a parabolic increase
was observed in the LA abrasion value of the waste marble and
limestone aggregate with the increase in number of revolution.
The reason for this is that with the increasing number of balls for
the limestone aggregate especially, the LA abrasion loss is
increased to the maximum value, i.e. asymptote. If the number of
revolution is kept constant and increasing the number of balls
the variation in LA abrasion value is examined; approximately
3.9 times for basalt aggregate, approximately 2.2 times for waste
marble aggregate and approximately 1.9 times for limestone

Fig. 4. Variation of the LA abrasion value with increasing number of balls and weight of balls: a) 500 rpm, b) 1000 rpm, c) 1500 rpm, d) 2000 rpm.
442 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446
aggregate were determined. Since the limestone aggregate abra-
sion values reached the maximum earlier than the others, there
was not much variation in LA values in the experiments performed
for the relevant parameters. If the number of balls is kept constant
and increasing the number of revolutions the variation in LA abra-
sion value is examined; approximately 3.7 times for basalt aggre-
gate, approximately 2.2 times for waste marble aggregate and
approximately 1.9 times for limestone aggregate. Thus, the highest
increase in the LA abrasion value is seen in the basalt aggregate
with increasing the number of balls and increasing the number
of revolutions. When the results are examined, it is seen that LA
abrasion value variations are close to each other in both cases. This
shows that both of these parameters affect the LA abrasion value at
approximately the same rate.
According to the standard [7], abrasion resistance test is calcu-
lated for 12 balls and 500 rpm. This value is determined as 50% for
maximum 500 rpm according to the standard [6] abrasion limit
values. In this respect, it is seen that these types of aggregates
are in compliance with the standards and that they can be used
replace aggregate in concrete. For the number of 12 balls and
500 rpm, while the most resistant aggregate was observed as
basalt with 11.5% abrasion value, the most non-resistant aggregate
was observed as limestone with 46.2%. While the most resistant to
abrasion was observed to be basalt, the abrasion loss of the lime-
stone was very high and therefore the resistance to abrasion was
determined to be very low.
The relation between the strength of the concrete specimens
obtained by using the present aggregates and the LA abrasion val-
ues of the aggregates is presented in Fig. 5. The average fc values
were determined for BA, WM and LS concrete specimens with
150  150  150 mm3 cubic specimens and 300–400 kg/m3
cement dosages in Fig. 5(a). When the specimens are compared
to the dosage, it is seen that the largest fc is observed for 400 doses.
When the specimens are compared according to the aggregate
type, it is seen that the largest fc is observed in concrete containing
basalt aggregate. The compressive strengths of concrete specimens
prepared with 300 and 400 cement dosages; a 22% increase for
basalt, a 46% increase for waste marble and a 52% increase for lime-
stone were observed. The lowest compressive strength was
observed for LS concrete and the highest compressive strength
was observed for BA concrete. Among the compressive strengths
of BA concrete and LS concrete; it is seen that there is an increase
of about 45% for 300 cement dosages and a 16% increase for 400
cement dosages. The average ft values were determined for BA,
WM and LS concrete specimens with 150  150  150 mm3 cubic
specimens and 300–400 kg/m3 cement dosages in Fig. 5(b). In all
Fig. 5. Variation of LA abrasion value with fc and ft in concrete specimens in sizes of 150  150  150 mm3 prepared with the cement dosages of 300 and 400 kg/m3.
cement dosages, the ft values were not changed much, whereas
the maximum ft values were observed for basalt aggregate (as in
fc). This supports the result that the most suitable aggregate is
basalt from these three aggregates, in terms of its usability in con-
crete. Considering the abrasion losses of the aggregates for the rel-
evant standard, it is seen that these aggregates are suitable for use
in concrete. However, the highest compressive strength was
obtained for BA concrete by using the basalt aggregate, which
had the lowest LA abrasion value.
4. Development of the method
As a result of the experiments, it was observed that the number
of iron ball used in the tests, the number of revolution of the drum,
the density of the aggregate and the water absorption were quite
effective on the Los Angeles abrasion loss of the aggregates. RSM
was used to investigate the combined effect of these parameters
which are effective on the abrasion loss of the aggregate and to
develop a method that can determine the abrasion loss by using
these parameters [35,36].
The reason for utilizing RSM, this methodology is an efficient
tool to determine the relationship between factors and responses.
Some of the advantages of RSM are: a) to create a reliable model
with a small number of test data, b) the effectiveness in predicting
the model for each response c) to evaluate the combined effect
between the factors [37]. In this study, an RSM model with histor-
ical data was used to create a linear model for each response. Abra-
sion test results of 38 set points were used to construct the RSM
model and the other test results were utilized to verify the devel-
oped method. The set-point design includes four variables and a
response. A commercially available software package [38] for anal-
ysis was used to develop the new method. The variables and their
control levels are presented in Table 4. The variables are the num-
ber of iron balls (NoB), number of revolutions for drum (NoR), aver-
age saturated surface-dry aggregate density (SSD) and average
Table 4
Variables and range of variation.
Symbols Range of variation
Real Coded 1 0 +1
Number of balls (NoB) A 6 18 30
Number of revolution (NoR) B 500 1250 2000
Average density (SSD) C 2.60 2.695 2.79
Average water absorption (WA) D 0.75 1.00 1.25
 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446 443

Fig. 6. The experimental data used in the response surface model.

water absorption (WA). The reasons for the choice of these vari- the P-value and F-value, was performed to verify the adequacy of
ables are that the number of iron balls (NoB), number of revolu- the model. For the developed model, the predicted R2 of 0.91 is rea-
tions for drum (NoR) are the most effective parameters for Los sonable agreement with the adjusted R2 of 0.93; i.e. the difference
Angeles abrasion test and saturated surface-dry aggregate density is less than 0.2. The ANOVA results of the model are given in
(SSD) and water absorption (WA) are the most significant parame- Table 5. The model f-value of 115.42 implies the model is signifi-
ters for concrete aggregates [39–41]. cant. There is only a 0.01% chance that an f-value this large could
In this study, to develop a numerical model was the target to occur due to noise. P-value less than 0.0500 indicate model terms
estimation the Los Angeles abrasion value of concrete aggregates. are significant. In this case, A, B, C and D are significant model
For this purpose, a lot of model was calculated for the response terms.
i.e. Los Angeles abrasion value (LA). The experimental data used The equations of the model are given in Eq. (1) and (2). The Los
in the analysis are seen in Fig. 6. After the analysis, it was found Angeles abrasion value of concrete aggregates can be practically
that the linear model was the best. The insignificant terms were estimated using Eq. (1) and (2), respectively. The equation in terms
then removed by conducting a t-test on the model. of actual factors can be used to make predictions about the
Finally, the model was constructed based on the remaining response for given levels of each factor. Hereabouts, the levels
terms. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), mainly used to determine should be specified in the original units for each factor. These equa-
tions should not be utilized to define the relative impact of each
factor because the coefficients are scaled to accommodate the units
Table 5
Results for full regression models.
of each factor and the intercept is not at the center of the design
space.
Source Mean square F-value p-Value
Model 80.6 115.42 <0.0001
x ¼ 0:098688NoB þ 0:001548NoR  7:45084SSD
A – NoB 18.13 259.54 <0.0001 þ 1:30849WA þ 15:51543 ð1Þ
B – NoR 20.35 291.35 <0.0001
C – SSD 0.9246 13.24 0.0009
100:ex
D – WA 0.1532 2.19 0.1048 LA ¼ ð2Þ
1 þ ex

Fig. 7. Response surface a) 2D plot and b) 3D plot indicating interaction effects.

444 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446

As indicated in Fig. 7, both the number of iron balls and the
number of revolutions for drum have a significant effect on the
Los Angeles abrasion values. As the variables change, the values
of the response are easily determined from the 2D plot (Fig. 7a).
Besides, the combined effect of both variables on the response is
clearly understood from the 3D plot (Fig. 7b). The effect of the
other two variables which are saturated surface-dry aggregate
density and water absorption can only be seen when the perturba-
tion curves are examined.
Effect of all variables can be seen in Fig. 8 as a trace plot. It is
seen that all the variables have a significant effect on Los Angeles
abrasion of concrete aggregates. The slope of the line of each vari-
able indicates the degree of effect on the response (Fig. 8). Consid-
ering these properties, A (number of iron balls), B (number of
revolutions for drum) and C (saturated surface-dry aggregate den-
sity) variables are more effective than D (water absorption) vari-
ables. As expected, while A (number of iron balls), B (number of
revolutions for drum) and D (water absorption) variables increase,
the value of Los Angeles abrasion increases [16,42,43]. On the con-
trary, Los Angeles abrasion value decreases as C (saturated surface-
dry aggregate density) variable increases. As the number of A
(number of iron balls) and B (number of revolutions for drum)
increases, the effect on the aggregate of the variables is increased
and thus the abrasion value increases. The water absorption is
directly proportional to the amount of the pore of the aggregate
[44–47]. As the water absorption of aggregate increases, the abra-
sion value increases due to the rise in the amount of the pore of the
aggregate. Similarly, the bulk density is related to the amount of
the pore [48–50]. Parallelly, the strength of the aggregate increases
[50–52]. Therefore, as the bulk density increases, the abrasion
value decreases. As a result, it is seen that the most efficient
parameters of Los Angeles abrasion test are used to develop a pre-
liminary estimation method.
To validate the accuracy and limit of the developed model, both
series of experiments and the data from the literature were com-
pared the data obtained from the model. The test data and results
of the confirmatory Los Angeles abrasion tests are shown in Table 6,
with the absolute relative deviation, ARD (%), calculated as a mea-
sure of predictability (Eq. (3)) [53,54].

Fig. 8. Trace plot of Los Angeles abrasion.
Experimental  Model
ARDð%Þ ¼  100 ð3Þ
Experimental
The results of the Los Angeles abrasion loss of the developed
model were compared with the results of additional tests (Table 6).
The model estimates the abrasion loss of the aggregates with devi-
ations from 5% to 24.3% in the basalt aggregate, 5.2% to 8.2% in the
waste marble aggregate and 1.8% to 16.6% in the limestone aggre-
gate. In addition, similar Los Angeles test results in the literature
were compared with the model results. In this comparison, the
deviations between the model and the experimental results in
the literature vary between 5.1% and 13.9%. It is seen that this
method can be used as a preliminary estimation method consider-
ing the results and the purpose of the study.

Table 6
Predicted responses by model versus experimental measurement and data from the literature.

Test/Ref No NoB (pcs) NoR (rpm) Ave. SSD Ave. WA (%) LA (%) ARD (%)
Exp. Model
BA1 6 500 2.785 0.75 7.0 5.3 24.3
BA2 6 1000 2.785 0.75 13.4 10.8 19.4
BA3 12 500 2.785 0.75 11.3 9.1 19.5
BA4 30 2000 2.785 0.75 90.7 85.8 5.4
WM1 18 2000 2.625 1.05 97.3 90.1 7.4
WM2 24 1500 2.625 1.05 96.2 88.3 8.2
WM3 24 2000 2.625 1.05 99.4 94.2 5.2
LS1 12 1000 2.595 1.25 75.5 63.4 16.0
LS2 12 2000 2.595 1.25 96 89.1 7.2
LS3 18 1000 2.595 1.25 90.9 75.8 16.6
LS4 18 2000 2.595 1.25 99.5 93.6 5.9
LS5 24 1000 2.595 1.25 97.6 85.0 12.9
LS6 24 2000 2.595 1.25 99.7 96.4 3.3
LS7 30 1000 2.595 1.25 98.8 91.1 7.8
LS8 30 2000 2.595 1.25 99.8 98.0 1.8
[12] 12 500 2.780 1.11 15.7 14.3 8.9
[12] 12 500 2.780 1.15 15.8 15.0 5.1
[21] 12 500 2.594 0.99 39.2 37.1 5.4
[25] 12 500 2.628 0.46 20.8 17.9 13.9
[25] 12 500 2.622 0.92 27.9 30.1 7.9
 E. Tugrul Tunc, K. Esat Alyamac / Construction and Building Materials 222 (2019) 437–446
5. Conclusions
Abrasion resistance is one of the most important properties of
the aggregate and one of the most efficient parameters determin-
ing the availability of aggregate. Therefore, when determining
the characteristics and quality of an aggregate, the loss of abrasion
must be determined. Los Angeles abrasion test is one of the most
common and reliable tests for the determination of abrasion loss
of aggregates. However, sometimes the abrasion loss of the aggre-
gates must be determined approximately and rapidly for various
reasons. For that reason, an approximate and practical method is
needed. The aim of this study is to develop the preliminary estima-
tion method which is needed in the literature. The results of the
study and the properties of the developed method are as follows:

It has been found that the number of balls and the number of
revolutions on the Los Angeles abrasion test has a very signifi-
cant effect. This effect is so great that when the number of rev-
olutions and the number of balls is increased, the abrasion loss
values are increased to 100%. For this reason, these parameters,
saturated surface-dry aggregate density and water absorption
values which are two important physical properties of the
aggregate were used in the developed method.

The developed preliminary estimation method predicted the
abrasion loss of the aggregates with the expected level. This
method can be used to classify aggregates approximately, prac-
tically and quickly. However, the test must be carried out for the
exact abrasion values.

The purpose of the developed method is to estimate the abra-
sion loss of aggregates. More different types of aggregates must
be tested in order to develop a more accurate method. It is even
possible to develop separate methods in different types of
aggregates for the future studies.

The test parameters used for the Los Angeles abrasion test
(number of balls, number of revolutions) vary with different
standards or different laboratory rules. Thanks to developed
method, it is possible to compare the experiments made accord-
ing to different parameters.
Declaration of Competing Interest
None.
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