CEG552 HIGHWAY & TRAFFIC ENGINEERING

PRACTICAL #4.1: ABRASION OF SURFACING AGGREGATES

OPEN ENDED LAB LEVEL 0
PREAMBLE

Introduction
Aggregates are subjected to crushing and abrasive wear during the
manufacture, placing and compaction of asphalt paving mixes. They are also
subjected to abrasion under traffic loads. There does not appear to be a really
satisfactory test for measuring aggregates' resistance to abrasion but the Los
Angeles Test is one of those most commonly applied. This test is both an
abrasion and impact test and appears to be more suitable for aggregates
used in the wearing course surface dressing than for asphalt concrete in other
layers. Resistance to abrasion is necessary for maintaining surface macrotexture but (unfortunately) the tougher an aggregate is, the more likely it is to
polish under the action of vehicle tyres.
Objectives
The objective of this study is to assess the resistance to crushing and
abrasive wear of an aggregate by means of the Los Angeles Abrasion
Machine
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this activity, the students should be able to:
1. Determine the Abrasion (Hardness) value of aggregates by the Los
Angeles Abrasion test method.

PROBLEM
STATEMENT

WAYS
MEANS

Due to the movements of traffic, the road stones used in the surfacing course
are subjected to wearing action at the top. Resistance to wear or hardness is
hence an essential property for road aggregates especially when used in
wearing course. Thus road stones should be hard enough to resist the
abrasion due to the traffic.
&
1. The Los Angeles machine (Figure 1) is constructed according to the
dimensions and specification of ASTM C131.
2. Prepare and weigh a washed and oven-dried sample of aggregate,
graded according to the job application, (W1).
3. Placed the sample in the drum with the appropriate number of steel
balls (46.0 to 47.6 mm diameter, weighing 400 to 440 g each) (Tables
1 & 2).
4. Rotate he drum for 500 revolutions at a speed of 30 to 33 rpm.
5. After this, separate the sample on a sieve larger than 1.7 mm (say
4.75 mm), then wash the material passing through a 1.7 mm sieve. If
the aggregate is free from dust, the washing requirement may be
waived.
6. Weigh the material that does not pass the 1.7 mm sieve (and any
larger sieve used) to the nearest gram (W2).

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Table 1: Grading of test samples (ASTM, 1994)

Table 2: Grading and mass of charge

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Figure 1: Los Angeles Abrasion Machine

Reference:
1. Ref. Standard Procedure : Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 5/85
2. ASTM C131: Standard Test Method for Resistance to Degradation of
Small-Size Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion and Impact in the Los
Angeles Machine
RESULTS
Calculation of Los Angeles Abrasion Value (LAV)
The difference in weight of the sample is expressed as a percentage of the
original and is reported as the abrasion value given by:

Please discuss the following:

1. Report the geological description of the aggregate, the source quarry
and particle size.
2. Record the original and final weights, and the abrasion value.
Comment on any loss in the sample mass in the course of the
experiment.
3. Comment on the LAV value obtained with regard to the aggregates
potential use.
Prepare a video (length between 10-20 minutes) to present your study.
If necessary, prepare a poster to show relevant data.

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