Toughness and Abrasion Resistance

Aggregates undergo substantial wear and tear throughout their life. In general, they should be hard and tough enough to resist crushing, degradation and disintegration from any associated activities including manufacturing, stockpiling, production, placing, compaction (in the case of HMA) and consolidation (in the case of PCC) (Roberts et al., 1996[1]). Furthermore, they must be able to adequately transmit loads from the pavement surface to the underlying layers (and eventually the subgrade). Aggregates not adequately resistant to abrasion and polishing will cause premature structural failure and/or a loss of skid resistance.

Related Tests



Footnotes    (↵ returns to text)
  1. Roberts, F.L.; Kandhal, P.S.; Brown, E.R.; Lee, D.Y. and Kennedy, T.W.  (1996).  Hot Mix Asphalt Materials, Mixture Design, and Construction.  National Asphalt Pavement Association Education Foundation.  Lanham, MD.