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Aggregates

Usually refers to a soil that has in some way been processed or sorted.

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Soils are materials that are used asis. An example would be a finished subgrade surface. Aggregates are materials that have been specifically sorted or processed to achieve given properties. This bloc will present general bac ground information about how aggregates are obtained and processed.

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Aggregate Processing
Excavation Transportation Crushing Si ing !ashing

There are five general steps needed to prepare individual stoc piles of aggregates. "nce stoc piles have been prepared# two or more stoc piles are typically blended together to produce a final gradation for a given construction application.
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Excavation
" #atural sands and gravels $ Underwater sources % &ivers ' la(es % )arge$mounted dredges* draglines* scoop* conveyors* or pumps % &elatively clean $ +and sources % ,ravel or sand pits % )uc(et loader
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%xcavation of natural sands and gravels from under water sources re&uires the use of barge-mounted dredges# draglines# scoops# conveyors# or pumps to bring the material above the water line. Sand and gravel pits 'land sources( are excavated using bac hoes and buc et loaders. The following photos show examples of these procedures. Natural sands and gravels have a rounded appearance due to the weathering action of water. )ounded natural sands are commonly used in portland cement concrete applications but crushing is

re&uired to obtain a more angular shape for use in asphalt concrete.

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Excavation

Some aggregate sources are obtained by removing materials from the bottom of la es and rivers.

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Excavation
" Crushed stone and roc( $ &oc( depths 0 ./ ft.* overburden washed out during processing $ &oc( depths - ./ ft.* remove overburden
% Soil stripped with bulldo ers and scrapers

$ )lasting re1uired
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%xcavation of roc ledges re&uires blasting the solid ledges into transportable si,es. -owever# this can still leave very large bloc s of roc to be moved. "ne or more crushing operations are needed to further reduce the si,e of the material. As a result of the blasting and crushing operations# &uarried aggregates always have an angular particle shape. The following photographs show examples of these types of operations.

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Excavation

This photograph shows typical operations in a limestone &uarry.

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The first step in preparing stoc piles for specific uses is the crushing the larger boulders and aggregates into usable si,es.
Crushing

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Crushing
&iver ,ravel Partially Crushed &iver ,ravel

Crushing of river gravels is used to change the shape of the aggregate particles.

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Transportation

"nce materials are obtained# land# rail# or barge to a centrally located plant for separation into specific si,es usually transports them.

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Transportation

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Transportation

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Si ing

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"nce the roc has been sufficiently reduced in si,e# it is separated into individual stoc piles with specific ranges of particle si,es. 3arge screening operations have a number of wire mesh screen dec s with each dec having progressively smaller openings between the wires. These screens are slanted and empty the material retained on each screen out onto conveyor belts. These belts then move the material into individual stoc piles of a particular si,e. 4oor stoc piling practices can result in particle si,e separation even within a pile of limited particle si,es. 5ood stoc piling practices limit the drop distance and prepare a number of small stoc piles for a particular gradation of aggregate. This minimi,es the separation of the fine and coarse particles. 6oving stoc piles with truc s and do,ers should be minimi,ed in order to prevent excessive degradation of the aggregate 'that is# more very fine particles(. The following photographs show examples of good stoc piling practices. This photograph shows a typical stoc piling operation.

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Stoc(piling
" Prevent segregation and contamination " ,ood stoc(piling 2 uniform gradations $ $ $ $ Short drop distances 3inimi e moving 4on5t use 6single cone6 method Separate stoc(piles

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Stoc(piling

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Sampling
!hy Sampling 7s 7mportant
To evaluate the potential 1uality of a proposed aggregate source. 4oes new source meet aggregate specifications8 To determine compliance with pro9ect specification re1uirements. 4o current aggregates meet specifications8

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"nce stoc piles have been produced# it is necessary to determine the final gradation and aggregate properties of each stoc pile. There are specific guidelines# which need to be followed in order to obtain samples of aggregates that represent the entire stoc pile. Samples can be obtained from the stoc piles themselves or from the conveyor belts which move the aggregate from storage bins into the hot mix asphalt '-6A( plant. Samples can be carefully obtained from an individual stoc pile.

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Sampling from Stockpile

Sampling from :ine Aggregate Stoc(pile

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Sampling from Conveyor

"r they can be obtained by 7catching8 a sample off of the end of the conveyor belt which feeds into the -6A plant.

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Source Aggregate Properties
Toughness Soundness 4eleterious 3aterials ,radation
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Source aggregate properties are those properties which are measured for the aggregate as-stoc piled and are commonly used for aggregate source acceptance control. These properties are toughness# soundness# and deleterious materials. 9n addition# the gradations of individual stoc piles may be evaluated.

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Definitions
" Coarse Aggregate $ &etained on ;.<. mm =#o. ;> $ &etained on A.BC mm =#o. C> $ &etained on A.// mm =#o. D/> " :ine Aggregate. $ Passing ;.<. mm =#o. ;> $ Passing A.BC mm =#o. C> AST3 4D/<B Asphalt 7nstitute AST3 4?@A Asphalt 7nstitute E3A )oo(

" 3ineral :iller $ At least </F Pass. /./<. mm AST3 4A;A

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Source aggregate property tests evaluate specific fractions of each stoc pile. Toughness evaluates the percent change in coarse aggregate particle si,e while aggregate soundness and the amount of deleterious material 'clay lumps and friable particles( can be assessed for both fine and coarse aggregate. :or Superpave testing# coarse aggregate is usually that which would be retained on a *./+ mm sieve and fine aggregate the fraction which would pass this sieve. -owever# each test method needs to be chec ed to determine which definition is being used. ;epending upon the test re&uirements# the very fine aggregate# called mineral filler# may or may not be included in the fine aggregate.

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Toughness
" +os Angeles Abrasion =AASETG T@?* AST3 CDBD>H &esistance of coarse agg to abrasion and mechanical degradation during handling* construction and use " Aggregate at standard gradation sub9ected to damage by rolling with prescribed number of steel balls in large drum for a given number of rotations " &esult expressed as F changes in original weight

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This test sub<ects the coarse aggregate 'in this case# retained on the !.$. mm sieve( to impact and grinding by steel spheres. %ach sphere has a mass between $12 and **+ g. The number of spheres introduced into the drum depends on the gradation of the aggregate to be tested. The number of spheres increases with increasing si,e of aggregate. "nce the aggregate and spheres are placed in the steel drum# the machine is rotated at between $2 and $$ rpm=s for +22 revolutions. The aggregates are then removed from the drum and sieved to determine the degradation as a percent loss. The percent loss is the difference between the original mass at the re&uired gradation and the final mass of the test sample(

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LA Abrasion Test

$ Approx. D/F loss for extremely hard igneous roc(s $ Approx. ?/F loss for soft NCATlimestones and sandstones !1

This photo shows the e&uipment needed for the 3os Angeles abrasion test. The panel on theside of the drum is removed and the aggregate and steel balls are placed inside. The panel is replaced and the drum rotated the prescribed number of cycles. %xamples of typical values are noted at the bottom of this photo.

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Soundness
" Estimates resistance to weathering . " Simulates free eIthaw action by successively wetting and drying aggregate in sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate solution % Gne immersion and drying is considered one cycle " &esult is total percent loss over various sieve intervals for a prescribed number of cycles % 3ax. loss values typically range from D/ to A/Fper . cycles
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>eathering of aggregates is simulated by repeated immersion in saturated solutions of either sodium or magnesium sulfate followed by oven drying. The internal expansive force from the expansion of the rehydration of the soluble salts upon re-immersion simulates free,e-thaw damage. The difference between the original and final mass# expressed as a percent of the original mass is the percent loss. A weighted percentage is used when several fractions are tested. The soundness of both fine 'passing the *./+ mm sieve( and coarse aggregate can be determined using this test. 6inimal supplies are needed for this test. %ither sodium or magnesium sulfate can be used by dissolving the appropriate amount in water. Aggregates are placed in a wire mesh bas et and then submerged in the solution 'not shown(.

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Soundness

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Soundness

;amage to the aggregate after a number of wet-dry cycles can be seen by visual examination as well as in the change in gradation.

Before
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Clay Lumps and Friable Particles ASTM C !"
4ries a given mass of agg.* then soa(s for A; hr.* and each particle is rubbed. A washed sieve is then performed over several screens* the aggregate dried* and the percent loss is reported as the F clay or friable particles.

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;eleterious material is the mass percent of contaminants such as clay lumps# shale# wood# mica# and coal in the blended aggregate. This test can also be performed for both fine and coarse aggregates. The mass percentage of the material lost during a wet sieve is reported as the percent of clay lumps and friable particles.

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,radations
Aggregate ,radation
The distribution of particle si es expressed as a percent of total weight. 4etermined by sieve analysis

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Steps in #radation Analysis
Part D $ !ashed sieve analysis
4ry aggregate and determine mass !ash and decant water through /./<. mm sieve until water is clear 4ry aggregate to a constant mass

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:or this test 'AST6 C11/(# a portion of aggregate is dried and the original mass of the sample is recorded. The aggregate is then placed in a bowl# gently washed with water# and the water decanted over a 2.2/+ sieve. >hen the water being decanted is reasonably clear# the aggregate is removed container. Any aggregate retained on the sieve used for decanting is returned to this sample and then dried to a constant mass. "nce the dry mass is recorded# it is used for the mechanical particle si,e analysis. This photograph shows a mechanical washing system. The aggregate is placed in the large buc et and a gentle stream of water is started. "nce the buc et is full of water# the excess water pours out the side and over a nest of two sieves. The larger sieve on top is there to protect the 2.2/+ mm sieve below in case larger aggregate particles are washed out of the buc et. The buc et is slowly rotating during this process. "nce the water pouring over the sieves is clear# the aggregate in the buc et is emptied into a pan. Any material retained on either of the two wash screeens is also added to the pan. The aggregate is then dried to a constant mass. The amount of 2.2/+ mm material lost during washing is the difference between the original mass and the dry mass after washing.

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!ashed Sieve

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Steps in #radation Analysis
Part A $ 3echanical sieve analysis
Place dry aggregate in standard stac( of sieves Place sieve stac( in mechanical sha(er 4etermine mass of aggregate retained on each sieve

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9n the second step# the oven dry aggregate is placed in a stac of increasing smaller sieves# placed in a sha er and agitated for about + to 12 minutes. 5ently separate the sieves and determine the mass of the sieve and aggregate. ;ump aggregate out of sieve# thoroughly clean the sieve# and determine the mass of the sieve without the aggregate.

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Mechanical Sieve

Individual Sieve
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Stack of Sieves
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%ach sieve has wire mesh in the bottom. The sieve si,e '*./+ mm# !.$.# mm etc.( denote the distance between each wire. Sieves are stac ed from largest openings on the top to smallest openings on the bottom. There is always a pan 'no openings( at the bottom of the stac .

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Mechanical Sieve

Stac( in 3echanical Sha(er

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"nce the stac is assembled and the oven dry aggregate added to the top# it is placed in a mechanical sha er. This is run from + to 1+ minutes. Care needs to be ta en to ensure that any given sieve is not overloaded. That is# that there is so much material on the screen that material cannot be efficiently separated.

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#radations $ Computation
Sieve 3ass &etained @.. ;.<. A.B? D.DC /.?/ /.B/ /.D. /./<. Pan /./ ?.. DA<.; D/B.; <A.C ?;.A ?/./ CB./ AA.;
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Cumulative 3ass &etained F &etained

F Passing

"nce the sha er stops# the stac is removed and the mass of aggregate retained on each screen is determined. These masses are recorded and used in subs&uent calculations 'next slides(.

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#radations $ Computing
Cum. !t &etained " D// Griginal 4ry !t.

F &etained 2

F Passing 2

!t &etained K " D// J D $ Cum. Griginal 4ry !t.

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The percent retained on each sieve is a ratio of the mass of aggregate on each sieve divided by the original mass 'before washing(. The cumulative percent retained is simply the sum of the percent retained on each sieve above the one of interest. The cumulative percent passing# commonly referred to as 7percent passing8# is 1 minus the cumulative percent retained.

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#radations $ Computation
Sieve 3ass &etained @.. ;.<. A.B? D.DC /.?/ /.B/ /.D. /./<. Pan /./ ?.. DA<.; D/B.; <A.C ?;.A ?/./ CB./ AA.; Cumulative 3ass &etained F &etained /./ ?.. DBB.@ AB<.B BD/.D B<;.B ;B;.B .D<.B .B@.<
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F Passing D//./ @C.@ <..A .?./ ;A.? B/.? D@.. ;.A /./
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/./ D.A A;.C ;;./ .<.. ?@.; C/.. @..C D//./

This is an example of the calculations necessary for a sieve analysis. >hat is not shown is that the !!.* g of material in the pan is the sum of the mass which was washed past the2.2/+ mm sieve in the first part and the mass of the aggregate retained in the pan after the mechanical sieve analysis. This is an important point as the final gradation reported needs to reflect the true percentage of fractions in the stoc pile which will be used during construction.

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Luestions $ 8

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