Effects of Coarse Aggregate Form, Angularity, and Surface Texture on Concrete Mechanical Performance
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 31, Issue 10
Abstract
While aggregates are predominantly responsible for concrete properties, influences of coarse-aggregate shapes (form and angularity) and surface texture on concrete mechanical performance are not well understood. This paper designed and tested a series of concrete specimens manufactured with coarse aggregates varied in form, angularities, and surface textures, which enabled us to systematically analyze the influence of these features on the overall mechanical performance of concrete materials. The coarse aggregates form, angularity, and surface texture were quantified by the flat and elongated ratio (FER), angularity index (AI), and surface roughness (SR), respectively. Test results indicated that the splitting tensile strength and compressive strength of concrete were enhanced with an increased SR but dropped significantly with an increase in the FER or AI. Both of the elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio decreased slightly with the increase in FER or AI, yet increased with an increase in SR. A mesomechanical model was introduced to estimate the performance of materials with results validated by those obtained from the test. The effects of the random FER, AI, and SR on the variability of concrete mechanical properties were further simulated in-depth. All research results confirmed that random FER, AI, and SR of coarse aggregates have considerable effects on the variability of concrete mechanical properties.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely appreciate the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 50978191 and 51508146) and the China Scholarship Council (No. 201766195021).
References
Al-Rousan, T., E. Masad, E. Tutumluer, and T. Y. Pan. 2007. “Evaluation of image analysis techniques for quantifying aggregate shape characteristics.” Constr. Build. Mater. 21 (5): 978–990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2006.03.005.
Azevedo, N. M., and J. V. Lemos. 2006. “Aggregate shape influence on the fracture behavior of concrete.” Struct. Eng. Mech. 24 (4): 411–427. https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2006.24.4.411.
Barrett, P. J. 1980. “The shape of rock particles, a critical review.” Sedimentology 27 (3): 291–303. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.1980.tb01179.x.
Benjamin, J. R., and C. A. Cornell. 1970. Probability statistics and decision for civil engineers. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Chinese Standard. 2002. Standard for test method of mechanical properties on ordinary concrete. GB50081. Beijing: China Building Industry Press.
Dayaratnam, P., and R. Ranganathan. 1976. “Statistical analysis of strength of concrete.” Build. Environ. 11 (2): 145–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-1323(76)90029-9.
Fernlund, J. M. R. 2005. “Image analysis method for determining 3-D shape of coarse aggregate.” Cem. Concr. Res. 35 (8): 1629–1637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.11.017.
Gopalaratnam, V. S., and S. P. Shah. 1985. “Softening response of plain concrete in direct tension.” J. ACI 82 (3): 310–323.
Gu, X. L., L. Hong, Z. L. Wang, and F. Lin. 2013a. “A modified rigid-body-spring concrete model for prediction of initial defects and aggregates distribution effect on behavior of concrete.” Comput. Mater. Sci. 77 (Sep): 355–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2013.04.050.
Gu, X. L., J. Y. Jia, Z. L. Wang, L. Hong, and F. Lin. 2013b. “Determination of mechanical parameters for elements in meso-mechanical models of concrete.” Front. Struct. Civ. Eng. 7 (4): 391–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-013-0225-7.
Gu, X. L., T. Yvonne, and L. Hong. 2014. “Quantification of coarse aggregate shape in concrete.” Front. Struct. Civ. Eng. 8 (3): 308–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-014-0266-6.
Guinea, G. V., K. El-Sayed, C. G. Rocco, M. Elices, and J. Planas. 2002. “The effect of bond between the matrix and the aggregates on the cracking mechanism and fracture parameters of concrete.” Cem. Concr. Res. 32 (12): 1961–1970. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)00902-X.
Hong, L., X. L. Gu, and F. Lin. 2014. “Influence of aggregate surface roughness on mechanical properties of concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 65 (Aug): 338–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.04.131.
Kim, S. M., and R. K. A. Al-Rub. 2011. “Meso-scale computational modeling of the plastic-damage response of cementitious composites.” Cem. Concr. Res. 41 (3): 339–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2010.12.002.
Kuo, C. Y. 2002. “Correlating permanent deformation characteristics of hot asphalt with aggregate geometric irregularities.” J. Test. Eval. 30 (2): 136–144. https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE12299J.
Kuo, C. Y., and R. Freeman. 2000. “Imaging indices for quantification of shape, angularity, and surface texture of aggregates.” Transp. Res. Rec. 1721: 57–65. https://doi.org/10.3141/1721-07.
Masad, E., and J. W. Button. 2000. “Unified imaging approach for measuring aggregate angularity and texture.” Comput. Aided Civ. Inf. Eng. 15 (4): 273–280. https://doi.org/10.1111/0885-9507.00191.
Mehta, P. K., and P. J. M. Monteiro. 2006. Concrete: Microstructure, properties, and materials. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
O’Rourke, J. 1994. Computational geometry in C. 2nd ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
Pan, T. Y., Y. J. Liu, and E. Tutumluer. 2011. “Microstructural mechanisms of early age cracking behavior of concrete: Fracture energy approach.” J. Eng. Mech. 137 (6): 439–446. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0000243.
Pan, T. Y., and E. Tutumluer. 2006. “Quantification of coarse aggregate surface texture using image analysis.” J. Test. Eval. 35 (2): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE100181.
Rocco, C. G., and M. Elices. 2009. “Effect of aggregate shape on the mechanical properties of a simple concrete.” Eng. Fract. Mech. 76 (2): 286–298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2008.10.010.
Saouma, V. E., J. J. Broz, E. Brühwiler, and H. L. Boggs. 1991. “Effect of aggregate and specimen size on fracture properties of dam concrete.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng. 3 (3): 204–218. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(1991)3:3(204).
True, G., D. Searle, and J. Khatib. 2015. “Digital imaging 2D and 3D particle assessment using a flat-bed scanner.” Mag. Concr. Res. 67 (19): 1033–1047. https://doi.org/10.1680/macr.14.00352.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 31 • Issue 10 • October 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 24, 2018
Accepted: Apr 1, 2019
Published online: Jul 26, 2019
Published in print: Oct 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Dec 26, 2019
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.