Evaluation of Coarse Aggregate Quality with respect to Current Specifications for Pavement Mixtures
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 2
Abstract
In many states, coarse aggregate specifications for pavement mixtures are outdated and do not reflect the current level of knowledge concerning desirable aggregate properties for pavement applications. Because the performance of pavements is highly dependent on the quality of aggregate used within them, the quality of the aggregate must be evaluated based on the consistency of desirable aggregate properties. The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the compliance and consistency of coarse aggregate properties with respect to current specification requirements. To evaluate compliance and consistency, testing data from local sources in the state of Minnesota were compared to regional and national records on aggregate quality and specification requirements. Percent within limit calculations were conducted to evaluate the compliance of aggregate properties with respect to the current quality requirements of abrasion resistance, soundness, and percent spalling material. The results of the study demonstrated that aggregates complied very well with current specifications. However, when evaluating the variability of test results, inconsistency between different sources was noticeable even though quality requirements were easily met by tolerance criteria. This study emphasizes the inconsistency of aggregate properties among sources subjected to the same (or similar) specification requirements.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers would like to acknowledge the Minnesota Department of Transportation for supporting and providing data for this research study.
References
Atkins, H. (2003). Highway materials, soils, and concretes, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Burati, J. (2006). “Evaluating specification limits.” Transportation Research Record. 1946, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 92–98.
Cuelho, E. (2007). “Comparative analysis of coarse surfacing aggregate using micro-deval, L.A. abrasion and sodium sulfate soundness tests.” FHWA/MT-06-016/8117-27, Bozeman, Mont.
Davis, W. (2008). “Durability and soundness.” ⟨http://www.pavementinteractive.org/index.php?title=Durability_and_Soundness⟩ (Dec. 30, 2008).
Hoffman, C. (2007). “Los Angeles abrasion.” ⟨http://www.pavementinteractive.org/index.php?title=Los_Angeles_Abrasion⟩ (Dec. 30, 2008).
Hughes, C. (2005). State construction quality assurance programs. NCHRP synthesis 346. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.
Indiana DOT (INDOT). (2005). Aggregate properties, Indianapolis.
Kevern, J. (2008). “The effect of coarse aggregate on the freeze-thaw durability of pervious concrete.” Rep. No. PCA R&D SN3063, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.
Kosmatka, S. (2002). Design and control of concrete mixtures, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill.
Mamlouk, M. (2006). Materials for civil and construction engineers, Pearson, Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Minnesota DOT (MNDOT). (2000). Lithological summary, St. Paul, Minn.
Minnesota DOT (MNDOT). (2005a). Lab manual, Maplewood, Minn.
Minnesota DOT (MNDOT). (2005b). Standard specifications for roads & bridges, St. Paul, Minn.
Montgomery, D. (2006). Design and analysis of experiments, Hamilton Printing Company, Tempe, Ariz.
Montney, R. (2008). “Durability of classed limestone coarse aggregate study.” Rep. No. FHWA-KS-08-1, Kansas Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Materials and Research, Topeka, Kan.
Roberts, F., et al. (1996). Hot mix asphalt materials, mixture design, and construction, National Center for Asphalt Technology, Lanaham, Md.
Roque, R. (2006). Development of mix guidelines for improved performance of asphalt mixtures, Florida DOT, Gainesville, Fla.
Tilseth, R. (2007). “Aggregate sources information system.” ⟨http://www.dot.state.mn.us/materials/asismap.html⟩ (July 1, 2008).
Wang, L. (2008). “Portable image analysis system for characterizing aggregate morphology.” Rep. No. VTRC 08-CR11, Charlottesville, Va.
Williams, C. (2003). Implementing percent within limits for hot mix asphalt, Iowa State Univ., Ames, Iowa.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 24, 2009
Accepted: Jun 15, 2010
Published online: Jun 22, 2010
Published in print: Feb 2011
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.