This study was carried out to study methodologies of improving quality of aggregates for asphalt concrete pavement in highway. Coarse aggregate is a very important material that greatly controls performance of pavement by affecting stiffness, rutting ...
This study was carried out to study methodologies of improving quality of aggregates for asphalt concrete pavement in highway. Coarse aggregate is a very important material that greatly controls performance of pavement by affecting stiffness, rutting and strength of highway asphalt concrete which requires high quality materials. Recent years, aggregate shortage made the consumer of the aggregate have no choice but securing demanded quantity without considering quality of aggregates. Therefore, in some sources (quarries), too much poor shape, flat or elongated particles, are included in their aggregate products. However, no specification was avallable to use for controlling this aggregate shape problem. Many specifications in Korea clearly enumerates the quality limits about specific gravity, gradation, abrasion ratio, soundness and etc., and these specifications are well aware in construction industry. But, the specification for the shape of aggregate is not the case. Therefore, to suggest appropriate solution for this problem, review and analysis of data and literatures from U. S. A., U. K., Japan and Korea were performed. A quality control method in plant was suggested, the relationship between crusher type and aggregate shape was evaluated, and quality limits in various specification were compared in this study. A special sieve analysis was developed and suggested as a testing method for Special Sieve Analysis for Separating Poor Shape Coarse Aggregate, which is not available in any current specifications. To show problems induced by using poor shape aggregates to the aggregate producers and user, many tests were conducted on three shapes of aggregates, poor, normal and excellent. In comparison of the test results for the three shapes, the poor shape aggregate showed the highest abrasion ratio, and lowest percentage of solid. Also in mixture comparison, the mixture with poor aggregate shape had worst Marshall properties, lowest indirect tensile strength, and required the highest asphalt content in mix design. Moreover, the photograph which was taken from the saw-cut face of the Marshall specimens revealed that the flat or elongated particles were oriented horizontally within compacted mixture. Therefore, it was evidenced that excessive content of poor shape aggregates resulted in degradation of quality in asphalt paving mixture.