Road Materials and Pavement Design

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Correlation between Shape of Aggregate and

Mechanical Properties of Asphalt Concrete
Digital Image Processing Approach

Seracettin Arasan , Engin Yenera , Fatih Hattatoglu , Sinan Hinislioglua &

Suat Akbuluta

To cite this article: Seracettin Arasan , Engin Yenera , Fatih Hattatoglu , Sinan Hinislioglua
& Suat Akbuluta (2011) Correlation between Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical
Properties of Asphalt Concrete, Road Materials and Pavement Design, 12:2, 239-262, DOI:
10.1080/14680629.2011.9695245

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2011.9695245

Published online: 17 Oct 2011.

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Correlation between Shape of Aggregate
and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt
Concrete
Digital Image Processing Approach
Seracettin Arasan* — Engin Yenera* — Fatih Hattatoglu**
Sinan Hinislioglua* — Suat Akbuluta*

* Ataturk University, Department of Civil Engineering, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey

{arasan; eyener; shinis; akbulut @atauni.edu.tr
** Ataturk University, Erzurum Vocational of High School, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey
fhattat@atauni.edu.tr

ABSTRACT. The importance of the shape of aggregate particles on their mechanical behavior of
bituminous materials is well recognized. In asphalt concrete, the shape of aggregate particles
affects the durability, workability, shear resistance, tensile strength, stiffness, fatigue
response, and optimum binder content of the mixture. In recent years, DIP techniques are
widely used to analyze the shape indexes of aggregate. In this study, the shape characteristics
such as aspect ratio, elongation, flatness, form factor, roundness, shape factor, and sphericity
were determined by DIP technique. The coarse aggregate was proportioned into three size
fractions, namely, 19 to 12.5 mm, 12.5 to 9.5 mm, and 9.5 to 4.75 mm. Coarse Aggregate
sizes of 19 to 12.5 mm and 12.5 to 9.5 mm were selected by hand as three categories of flat,
elongated, and spherical. In addition, a control mixture containing all of aggregate shapes
was prepared. ImageJ Java program was used as the image analysis program. This program
measures a lot of geometrical values such as area, perimeter, length and angle. Asphalt
concrete specimens were fabricated in accordance with ASTM D 1559. Marshall stability and
flow values were determined and volumetric properties of all Marshall specimens were
calculated. The test results indicated that there is a good correlation between some shape
indexes of aggregate and asphalt concrete properties. The DIP was shown to be a useful tool
for quantifying the morphological characteristics of coarse aggregates. Therefore, DIP
technique proposed in this study may be used instead of some mechanical asphalt concrete
tests which are cumbersome and time consuming. However, further studies may lead to use
the DIP technique in aggregate quality assurance and quality control procedures and
stability and flow values for HMA concrete can be predicted using DIP. It should also be
pointed out that further studies on the image analysis system are needed to make more useful
and practical method for DIP.
KEYWORDS: Aggregate Shape, Digital Image Processing, Asphalt Concrete, Marshall Stability,
Flow.

DOI:10.3166/RMPD.12.239-262 © 2011 Lavoisier, Paris

Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011, pages 239 to 262
240 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

1. Introduction

Aggregates may be of natural, processed or synthetic origin. The majority of

aggregates used in road construction is obtained from naturally occurring deposits
and processed quarry rock. Natural aggregates such as sand and gravel are obtained
from transported deposits, river deposits, alluvial fans and glacial outwash.
Processed aggregates are obtained by crushing and screening quarried rock, oversize
gravel and boulders (Topal and Sengoz, 2005). The importance of the shape of
aggregate particles on their mechanical behavior is also well recognized (Li and
Kett, 1967; Stephens and Sinha, 1978; Kalcheff and Tunnicliff, 1982; Oduroh et al.,
2000). However, few studies are focused on the effect of aggregate shape to the
Marshall stability, flow, and Marshall Quotient (MQ). In asphalt concrete, the shape
of aggregate particles affects the durability, workability, shear resistance, tensile
strength, stiffness, fatigue response, and optimum binder content of the mixture
(Kuo et al., 1996). Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) concrete is a suitable combination of
aggregate and asphalt binder. While the aggregate acts as the structural skeleton, the
asphalt binder acts as the glue of the mixture. The mineral aggregate matrix,
including coarse and fine particles in asphalt paving mixtures, encompasses
approximately 90% of HMA’s volume. The properties of the aggregate have direct
and significant influence on the performance of asphalt pavements. Although each
of these components contributes to the performance of HMA, the influence of each
should be quantified separately (Masad et al., 2001).
The suitability of aggregates used in asphaltic mixtures depends on their physical
and mineralogical properties. The physical properties of aggregates are gradation,
particle shape, surface texture, durability, cleanliness, toughness, and absorption.
These properties primarily control the performance of mixtures. The successful
quantification of aggregate geometric irregularities is essential for understanding
their effects on pavement performance and for selecting aggregates to produce
pavements of adequate quality (Topal and Sengoz, 2005). The form, angularity, and
texture of fine and coarse aggregate particles influence their mutual interactions and
interactions with any stabilizing agents (e.g., asphalt, cement, and lime) and are
related to durability, workability, shear resistance, tensile strength, stiffness, fatigue
response, optimum stabilizer content, and, ultimately, performance of the pavement
layer (Al-Rousan et al., 2007). Therefore, fundamental measurements of aggregate
shape characteristics are essential for good quality control of aggregates and for
understanding the influence of these characteristics on the behavior of pavement
structural layers. Also, the quantification of shape, angularity and surface texture are
important as high-quality pavements are needed to meet increases in traffic volume
and load.
Internal resistance in HMA is characterized as stone-on-stone skeleton developed
in the mix. The coarse aggregate contact of a HMA gradation is considered to be the
main source for internal resistance; thus, it is imperative that the mixture is placed
with a strong coarse-aggregate skeleton. Few tests have been performed to ensure
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 241

that HMA mixtures have an adequate coarse-aggregate skeleton (Chen and Liao,
2002).
Aggregate morphological characteristics are very complex and cannot be
characterized adequately by any single test. As a result, conflicting results have been
reported on how aggregate shape influences the quality of HMA mixtures
(Shklarsky and Livneh, 1964; Li, Kett, 1967; Stephens and Sinha, 1978; Kalcheff
and Tunnicliff, 1982; Huber and Heiman, 1987; Krutz and Sebaaly, 1993; Oduroh et
al., 2000). The conflicting statements result primarily from the lack of understanding
of the effect of aggregate shape on engineering properties of an HMA mix. Visual
examination is the most common method of judging aggregate shape. Because of the
tedious task of making numerous readings, civil engineers generally find it
impractical to characterize particle shape visually. Various innovative methods are
available to facilitate the quantification of aggregate shape such as Digital Image
Processing (DIP).
In recent years, DIP techniques have found widespread applications in many
disciplines, including medicine, biology, geography, meteorology, manufacturing,
material science and civil engineering. Some of the civil engineering researchers had
also investigated the role of aggregate shape in asphalt mixture (Masad et al. 2000;
Masad and Button, 2000; Masad et al., 2001; Masad et al., 2004; Al-Rousan et al.,
2007). Imaging technology has been used recently to quantify aggregate shape
characteristics and their relationship to the behavior of hot mix asphalt. Some
studies have focused on quantifying the internal structure of compacted hot mix
asphalt relative to aggregate orientation (Yue et al., 1995; Masad et al., 1998; Masad
et al., 1999). Others have been devoted to developing procedures to describe the
shape of aggregates with an emphasis on elongation or form (Kuo et al., 1996;
Masad et al., 1999; Barksdale et al., 1991; Brzezicki and Kasperkiewicz, 1999;
Weingart and Prowell, 1999; Maerz and Zhou, 1999; Rao and Tutumluer, 2000),
angularity (Masad et al. 2000; Kuo and Freeman, 2000; Yudhbir and Abedinzadeh,
1991; Li et al. 1993; Wilson and Klotz, 1996), and texture (Masad and Button, 2000;
Hryciw and Raschke, 1996; Wang and Lai, 1998).
One major problem with the DIP technique is that only the two-dimensional
projection of the particles is captured and measured. In other words, the third
dimension (i.e., thickness) of the particles is not directly obtainable from the DIP
results. Due to this problem, the DIP results have to be expressed in terms of area
fractions rather than mass fractions (Blott and Pye, 1996). Consequently, they
cannot be compared to those obtained by traditional methods and are more difficult
to interpret. There also have been a few investigations on three-dimensional image
analysis of aggregate (Kuo et al., 1996; Rao and Tutumluer, 2000). In addition, each
of three dimensions of an aggregate is important and should be determined by image
analysis.
The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of different type of
coarse aggregate on the asphalt concrete behavior by means of aggregate shape
242 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

indexes such as aspect ratio, elongation, flatness, form factor, roundness, shape
factor, and sphericity.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Materials

The bitumen used was AC-20 bitumen. This asphalt was subjected to typical
standard laboratory tests. The results of these tests are incorporated in Table 1.
Crushed Basalt was used as the aggregate material. A typical heavy traffic gradation
for hot mix asphalts (HMA), designated as Type I in the Turkish State Highway
Specifications, and was selected. The selected gradation and the specification limits
are shown in Table 2. Some properties of the crushed basalt are given in Table 3 and
specific gravities of aggregates are incorporated in Table 4. The Marshall Test
Method was used for determining the resistance to plastic flow of bituminous
mixtures. Initially, optimum bitumen content was found to be 5.5% (by weight of
total mix) for all of mixtures. Marshall specimens were fabricated in accordance
with ASTM D 1559. Bitumen and aggregate were heated separately to 165 and
155oC, respectively, and then mixed with the aggregate in a mechanical mixer. The
mixture was placed in a Marshall mold and compacted by applying 75 blows on
each side of the specimen at 145oC. It was noted that all the specimens have
approximately the same air void ratio. The standard dimensions of the samples were
63.5 mm height and 101.5 mm diameter. After having cooled at room temperature
for 1 day and then left in water at 60oC for 30 min, the samples were tested with
Marshall Test apparatus. All the results are obtained from compacted specimens at
the optimum bitumen content of each mix type and each result is from an average of
three test specimens.

Table 1. The physical properties of bitumen used in experiments

Property Test value Standard

Penetration at 25 ºC (0.1mm) 67 ASTM D 5-73
Ductility at 25 ºC (cm) > 100cm ASTM D 113-79
Loss on heating (%) 0.05 ASTM D 6-80
3
Specific gravity at 25ºC (g/cm ) 1.029 ASTM D 70-76
Softening point ( ºC) 56 ASTM D 36-76
Flash point (ºC) 298 ASTM D 92-78

Coarse and fine aggregate refers to materials retained on and passing through the
4.75 mm sieve, respectively. The coarse aggregate was partitioned into three size
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 243

fractions, namely, 19 to 12.5 mm, 12.5 to 9.5 mm, and 9.5 to 4.75 mm. In this study,
first (19 to 12.5 mm) and second (12.5 to 9.5 mm) size fractions in coarse aggregate
were selected by hand as flat, elongated, and spherical as mentioned below. In
addition, a control mixture containing all of aggregate shapes was prepared. Eight
different aggregate mixture types were selected by a means of size and shape
properties. Designation codes for the aggregate fractions are given in Table 5.

Table 2. Gradation used in this study and gradation limits

Sieve size (in.) Sieve size (mm) Gradation limits Gradation used
3/4 19 100 100
1/2 12.5 83 - 100 90
3/8 9.5 70 - 90 78
No. 4 4.75 40 - 55 47
No. 10 2 25 - 38 31
No. 40 0.425 10 - 20 16
No. 80 0.18 6 - 15 12
No. 200 0.075 4 - 10 7

Table 3. Some physical properties of crushed basalt aggregate

Properties Value
Frost 0<12%
Los Angeles Abrasion Test 18<35%
Stripping (AC-5) 60–65>50
Organic material none

Table 4. Specific gravities of used aggregates

Size fraction Apparent specific gravity Bulk specific gravity

Coarse aggregate 2.695 2.661
Fine aggregate 2.533 2.495
Filler 2.426 -

Quantification of form requires the measurement of the length, width and

thickness of a particle. A number of different identifications have been used
historically. Most researchers first, identified the L dimension, defined as the
244 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

maximum caliper dimension, and have then measured the I and S dimensions
orthogonal to L (Blott and Pye, 2008). Zingg (1935) has classified the particles into
four base classes as mentioned in Figure 1a with using above measurement system
(Zingg, 1935 ). Sneed and Folk (1958) consider Zingg’s diagram to be inadequate in
that it contained only four form classes which divided the field of form variation
very unequally (Sneed and Folk, 1958). They suggested that only three end-
members limit the system of dimensional variation: a prolate spheroid with one long
axis and two short ones (L > I = S), an oblate spheroid with two long axes and one
short one (L = I > S), and a sphere with all axes equal (L = I = S). A number of
different notations have been used historically to refer to these three classes,
including, rod, disk and cube (Krumbein, 1941), columnar, flat and spherical (Blott
and Pye, 2008). Sneed and Folk (1958)’s three classes are also used in this study
with different notation as elongated, flat, and spherical, respectively (Figure 1b).

Table 5. Designation codes of the aggregate fractions

Designations
Mixture
Aggregate Type Aggregate Shape
M1 Flat (A1)
M2 Crushed Basalt Elongate (A2)
M3 (9,5 to 12,5 mm) Spherical (A3)
M4 Mixed (A4)
M1 Flat (A5)
M2 Crushed Basalt Elongate (A6)
M3 (12,5 to19 mm) Spherical (A7)
M4 Mixed (A8)

2.2. Aggregate shape properties

Particle geometry can be fully expressed in terms of three independent

properties: form, angularity (or roundness), and surface texture. Figure 2 shows a
schematic diagram that illustrates the differences between these properties. Also,
form, roundness and surface texture are essentially independent properties of shape
because one of them can vary widely without necessarily affecting the other two
properties (Barrett, 1980). Form, the first order property, reflects variations in the
proportions of a particle. Angularity, the second order property, reflects variations at
the corners, that is, variations superimposed on shape. Surface texture is used to
describe the surface irregularity at a scale that is too small to affect the overall shape
(Barrett, 1980; Masad, 2004).
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 245

(a) Four different particle shapes (b) Three different particle shapes
(Zingg, 1935) (Sneed and Folk, 1958)
Figure 1. Different particle shapes

Different researchers are using different shape indexes to describe the shape of
aggregate particles and even different definitions for the same shape index.
Barksdale et al. (1991) defined the flatness as the ratio of thickness to width and the
elongation as the ratio of width to length while Kuo et al. (1996) defined the flatness
as the ratio of width to thickness and the elongation as the ratio of length to width
(Kuo et al., 1996; Barksdale et al. 1991). They also used different definitions for the
shape factor and sphericity. Besides, many researchers discussed the image analysis
techniques used by most of the available imaging systems that utilize different
mathematical procedures for the analysis of aggregate shape characteristics
(Al-Rousan et al., 2007; Masad et al., 2005; Kuo and Freeman, 2000). These
measurements are explained in more detail below.
For the first order of shape, form, the imaging index proposed is: shape factor,
aspect ratio, sphericity, flatness, and elongation are measured for each aggregate
particle. To properly characterize the form of an aggregate particle, information
about three dimensions of the particle is necessary (Longest dimension [L],
Intermediate dimension [I] and Shortest dimension, [S]). The imaging index, for the
second order of shape, Roundness is measured for each aggregate particle. It was
reported that form factor reflects changes in aggregate form, roundness, and surface
texture (Kuo and Freeman, 2000). Furthermore, a new shape factor, area sphericity,
was proposed for determination of area fractions of aggregates in this study.
Shape Factor: Shape factor is defined as

S (Kuo et al., 1996; Masad et al., 2001) [1]

Shape ˜ Factor
I .L
246 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

Figure 2. The hierarchical view of form, roundness, and surface texture (Barrett,
1980)

Sphericity: Sphericity is among a number of indices that have been proposed for
measuring the form in terms of the three dimensions.

I .S (Krumbein, 1941; Kuo et al., 1996; Al-Rousan et al., 2007) [2]

Sphericity 3
L2

Flatness: Flatness is defined as

S (Masad, 2004) [3]

Flatness
I

Elongation and Aspect Ratio: Elongation and aspect ratio are defined as

I 1 (Kuo and Freeman, 2000; Masad, 2004) [4]

Elongation
L aspect.ratio

Roundness: This is a shape factor that has a minimum value of 1 for a circle and
larger values for shapes having a higher ratio of perimeter (P) to area (A), longer or
thinner shapes, or objects having rough edges.
P2 1 [5]
Roundness
4.S . A FormFactor

(Kuo et al., 1996; Masad and Button, 2000; Kuo and Freeman, 2000; Masad et al.,
2001; Al-Rousan et al., 2007)
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 247

Form Factor: Several parameters based on object dimensions have been

proposed in the literature to measure different aspects of aggregate shape. Form
factor compares the perimeter of an equivalent circle to the perimeter of the particle.
An equivalent circle has the same area as the particle. Because angularity and
texture influence the perimeter of a particle, it follows that form factor not only is
influenced by particle form but also reflects angularity and texture as well (Masad et
al., 2001). Form factor has been used to describe surface irregularity and is defined
as above.
Area Sphericity (SA): This is a new shape factor proposed in this study. It has a
maximum value of 1 for an equal-dimensional grain (such as sphere or cube) and
smaller values for shapes varying equal-dimensional grain. It is preferable for HMA
aggregate to have equidimensional rather than flat, thin or elongated particles. Area
sphericity is defined as:

A front [6]
SA
Atop

Where,
Afront: Area of an aggregate at front view,
Atop: Area of an aggregate at top view.

2.3. Marshall stability and flow test

The Marshall stability and flow tests were carried out following the procedure of
the Test Method for Resistance of Plastic Flow of Bituminous Mixtures Using
Marshall Apparatus in ASTM D1559. The test covers the measurement of resistance
to plastic flow of cylindrical specimens [101.6mm (4 inches) in diameter and
63.5mm (2.5 inches) high] of asphalt mixture loaded on the lateral surface by means
of Marshall Apparatus. The method is used for mixtures containing asphalt cement
and aggregate up to 25.4 mm maximum size. Marshall testing machine is a
compression-testing device, designed to apply loads to test specimens through semi-
circular testing heads at a constant strain rate of 50.8 mm/min. (2 in/min.). The water
bath in which the sample is immersed for 30 or 45 minutes, should be at least 150
mm (6in) deep and thermostatically controlled at 60°C±1°C (140°F±1.8°F) which is
approximately maximum pavement temperature in the summer. Thereby, it
simulates the weakest condition of HMA mixture. Flow test is carried out
simultaneously with stability test. It is executed by holding the flow meter over the
testing head and reading the meter at the instance the specimen fails under pressure.
In this study, the test was used as a part of Marshall Mix design procedure for
selecting optimum bitumen content of the control mixture (M4). Also the test was
carried out to find the stability and flow values of the mixtures.
248 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

2.4. Imaging system

The DIP system used by the authors consists of a Nikon D80 Camera and Micro
105 mm objective manufactured by Nikon. In this study, the equipment for taking
pictures of particles is set up by mounting a camera on a photographic stand as
shown in Figure 3a, adjusting the height of the camera (30 cm) to obtain a
sufficiently large measurement area on the sample tray, and adjusting the light
sources so that there is no shading of any object placed on the sample tray.
Whenever taking a picture, a white cotton cloth was placed on the background to
obtain better contrast between the aggregate and the background pixels. The tests
were performed in a dark room. Four fluorescent light sources were positioned on
the base plane to make the borders of the aggregates more visible for digital
measurements. The flashlight of the camera was not utilized during image
acquisition. After the initial projected image (top view image) of the aggregates is
captured and measured, the photographic stand with camera is rotated 90 degrees so
that the aggregates are now perpendicular to their original orientation and another
projection of the aggregates (front view image) is captured and measured (Figure
3b). The aggregate dimensions are also measured form the digital images using a
scaled paper as reference.

(a) Top view (b) Front view

Figure 3. Schematic of the image analysis systems

Figure 4 shows 3-D views of a regular-shaped solid, a rectangular box. Clearly,

both the top and front views of the solid are identical rectangles. Using a 2-D image
analysis setup consisting of only top camera and capturing an image of each solid
would not be effective in distinguishing the 3-D shapes of the solids (Rao and
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 249

Tutumluer, 2000). In this study, the aggregates were placed to the sample tray in
their stable position and two images from top view (longest portion of aggregate)
and front view (thickest portion of aggregate) were obtained by imaging system for
capturing the each length of aggregate (i.e., small, intermediate, and long) as showed
in Figure 5. Images of the top (Figure 5a) and front views (Figure 5b) were used for
the maximum and minimum projected areas of the aggregates, respectively. The
position of aggregates was not changed when the two images were captured.

Top View I

Front View

Figure 4. Three-dimensional views of a regular-shaped solid: rectangular box

Figure 5. Aggregates top and front views

2.5. Image processing

This section describes the image-analysis methods used to aggregate shape
properties. The output of camera was a 3872 by 2592 pixel; 32-bit digital image of
RGB color. The aggregate particles were identified prior to image analysis. ImageJ
was used as the image analysis program. ImageJ is written in Java and freely
available in the public domain. ImageJ program measures a lot of geometrical values
250 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

such as area, perimeter, length and angle after applying image processing steps as
mentioned next paragraph.

Figure 6. Image processing steps

Threshold gray intensity was chosen and gray intensity measured on a given
pixel was compared to the selected threshold value. Then, the initial gray image was
converted into a binary image in which the aggregate particles that have lower gray
intensity than the threshold value were set to black while the background was set to
white. Applying a global threshold value for all the image worked well only if the
objects of interest (aggregate particles) had uniform interior gray level and rested
upon a background of different, but uniform, gray level. This was made possible in
this study by placing aggregate particles on white background. The original image
(32-bit digital image of RGB) (1), 8-bit 256 gray scale image (2), 1-bit binary image
(3) and output of ImageJ image analysis program (4) are shown in Figure 6.

3. Results and discussion

In the following sections, the effects of aggregate shape properties on the

mechanical properties of asphalt concrete are presented in terms of Marshall
Stability, flow, and MQ. Correlations between the aggregate shape indexes and
mechanical properties of asphalt concretes are also presented. The findings of the
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 251

experimental tests are compared with those of other studies in the literature and
discussed.

3.1. Stability

Stability is the maximum load that a well-compacted paving mixture can accept
and withstand before failure. Sufficient mix stability is required to satisfy the
demands of traffic without cracking, rutting or bleeding problems (Asphalt Institue,
1997). In this study Marshall Stability test was conducted to evaluate the strengths
of the HMA mixes. Stability test results were found between 12.11 and 14.41 kN
depending on the quality of the mixtures. Figure 7 shows that spherical aggregate
mixture (M3) and flat aggregate mixture (M1) performed performed maximum and
minimum stability. Similarly, Chen et al. (2001) and Siswosoebrotho et al. (2005)
indicated that flat particles produce a lower Marshall stability (Chen et al., 2001;
Siswosoebrotho et al., 2005). This implies that flat aggregates have low
compatibility, thus causing the lower stability values. This can be attributed to
tendency of the flat aggregates to break easily under stress.

Figure 7. Marshall Stability versus mix type

3.2. Flow

The Marshall flow is the total vertical deformation of the specimen when it is
loaded to the maximum load during the Marshall Stability test. Flow is an indicator
of the ability of an HMA pavement to adjust to gradual settlements and movements
in the subgrade without cracking. Mixtures with low flow values may crack under
252 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

traffic loads or due to the settlements of the subgrade. Mixtures having high flow
values are more susceptible to permanent deformation. Nevertheless a recent
research concluded that there is no correlation between flows and rutting potential
(Abukhettala, 2006). Because of these reasons, specifications set up flow range
criteria according to traffic category. The acceptable Marshall Flow range for the
present study is 2-4 mm for heavy traffic category (75 blows per side of a Marshall
sample) (Asphalt Institue, 1997). In this study, the Marshall Flow results varied
from 2.1 to 2.9 mm. This flow values satisfy specifications criteria. It can be seen
from Figure 8 that spherical aggregate mixture (M3) and flat aggregate mixture
(M1) performed maximum and minimum flow values, respectively. It is well known
that a lower flow value indicates a stiffer mixture (Hinislioglu and Agar, 2004).
Also, a stiffer mixture requires higher interior friction. Hence, it should be pointed
out that increasing the amount of spherical aggregate affects the interior friction of
the mixture decreases.

Figure 8. Flow versus mix type

3.3. Marshall Quotient

The Marshall Stiffness or Marshall Quotient (MQ), calculated as the ratio of

stability to flow and thereby representing an approximation of the ratio of load to
deformation under the particular conditions of the test, can be used as a measure of
the material’s resistance to permanent deformation in service (Whiteoak, 1991). A
higher stability to flow ratio shows a stiffer mixture and hence, indicates the mixture
is likely more resistance to permanent deformation. It can be seen in Figure 9 that
flat aggregate mixture (M1) and spherical aggregate mixture (M3) exhibited
maximum and minimum MQ values, respectively. Also, the results of MQ for flat
and elongated mixtures were closely to each other.
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 253

Figure 9. MQ versus mix type

3.4. Particle shape analysis

Particle shape analysis was carried out using some shape properties of aggregate.
The mean value and Standard Deviation (SD) for each shape properties are listed in
Table 6. The results showed that there exist distinct morphological characteristics
for different particle shapes (i.e., flat, elongated, spherical, and mixed).

3.5. Correlations between shape indexes and stability, flow, MQ

In the following sections, the results of image analysis of aggregates and the
correlation between shape of aggregate and Marshall stability, flow, and MQ of
asphalt concrete are presented in Figure 10, 11, and 12, respectively. The findings of
the experimental tests are compared with those of other studies in the literature and
discussed.
It can be seen in Figure 10 the best positive (R=0.98) correlation among the
shape indexes is between Marshall Stability and shape factor. The Marshal Stability
increases when the shape factor of particles is increased. Also, there is a good
positive coefficient of correlation (R=0.90) between stability and flatness. Since a
particle having lower flatness index is more flat than that having higher flatness
index, decreasing flatness index decreased stability. Flat aggregates are not desirable
in asphalt applications, as they tend to break easily under stress. Flat particles
produced a lower Marshall stability.
It can be seen in Figure 10 that a good negative coefficient of correlation was
found between Marshall Stability and roundness (R= -0.96). Since the aggregate
254 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

with larger roundness values have longer or thinner shapes and tend to break easily
under stress (Kuo et al., 1996; Al-Rousan et al., 2007), they resulted in lower
stability. It is an expected result since lower roundness (or higher form factor) values
represent higher aggregate surface irregularities (Masad et al., 2001; Masad and
Button, 2000; Kuo and Freeman, 2000), and it is well known that increasing
aggregate irregularities increases stability. Similarly, Ishai and Gellber (1982)
related that HMA stability to geometric irregularities in aggregate particles using the
packing volume concept developed by Tons and Goetz (1968). They found a
significant increase in asphalt mix stability with increasing geometric irregularities
of the aggregate particles (Ishai and Gellber, 1982).
The test results indicated that there is a strong correlation between Marshall flow
and some shape indexes (Figure 11). The flow is affected by the form and angularity
as well as surface texture. The best positive coefficient of correlation among the
shape indexes (R=0.97) was found between Marshall flow and shape factor. It is
also seen that the flow value increases when the shape factor and sphericity of
particles is increased. For the flatness, there is a positive correlation (R=0.81)
between flow and flatness index. It means that lower flatness index (more flat coarse
aggregates) resulted in lower values of flow.
This may be attributed to high brittleness and low reorientation potential of flat
aggregates under stress. In general, mixtures with low flow values are stiff and may
be difficult to compact. Moreover, stiff asphalt pavements may be more susceptible
fatigue loads. However, these mixtures are likely more resistant to rutting than those
with high flow values.
A strong negative correlation was found between Marshall Flow and roundness
(1/form factor) (R= -0.96). This implies that mixtures with crushed coarse
aggregates having larger roundness values resulted in lower flow. Since roundness
has a minimum value of 1 for a circle and larger values for shapes having a higher
ratio of perimeter to area, longer or thinner shapes, or objects having rough edges, it
can be concluded that approximation of the shape of aggregates to sphere or smooth
aggregate surfaces resulted in bigger flow values.
It can be seen in Figure 12 the best correlation (R= - 0.96) among the shape
indexes is between MQ and sphericity. The coarse aggregates with higher sphericity
produced lower MQ. In addition, shape factor and roundness are well correlated
with MQ having R values -0.88, and 0.88, respectively. It can be concluded from
these correlations that approximation of the shape of aggregates to sphere or less
rough aggregate surfaces resulted in lower MQ values. There is not a high
correlation (R= -0.68) between Flatness index and MQ
Table 6. The average values of aggregate shape indexes

Area
Roundness Form Factor Sphericit
Aggrega Shape Aspect Spheri Flatn Elong
L I S y
te Type Factor Ratio city ess ation
Top Side Aver Top Side
Average
View View age View View
A1 Mean 1.841 1.395 0.629 0.395 1.325 0.638 0.454 0.763 1.379 1.874 1.627 0.727 0.540 0.633 0.293
(Flat)

Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt

n=30 SD 0.229 0.159 0.087 0.053 0.140 0.043 0.065 0.081 0.070 0.218 0.123 0.034 0.059 0.038 0.052
A2(Elon Mean 2.367 1.267 1.023 0.595 1.874 0.616 0.811 0.540 1.555 1.397 1.476 0.648 0.719 0.683 0.405
gate)
n=30 SD 0.291 0.113 0.137 0.080 0.217 0.050 0.108 0.063 0.135 0.093 0.081 0.055 0.047 0.036 0.083
A3(Sph Mean 1.477 1.294 1.134 0.821 1.142 0.878 0.877 0.880 1.305 1.346 1.325 0.769 0.747 0.758 0.749
erical)
n=30 SD 0.155 0.106 0.122 0.060 0.083 0.039 0.070 0.065 0.075 0.099 0.066 0.041 0.049 0.035 0.097
A4 Mean 1.889 1.381 0.995 0.625 1.366 0.736 0.726 0.746 1.387 1.466 1.426 0.724 0.686 0.705 0.519
(Mixed)
n=30 SD 0.348 0.139 0.153 0.113 0.190 0.082 0.122 0.106 0.101 0.119 0.087 0.050 0.054 0.041 0.142
A5 Mean 2.375 1.739 0.796 0.393 1.374 0.627 0.460 0.739 1.363 1.746 1.555 0.736 0.578 0.657 0.324
(Flat)
n=30 SD 0.240 0.147 0.117 0.059 0.168 0.051 0.073 0.090 0.084 0.177 0.098 0.042 0.056 0.036 0.060
Mean 2.907 1.557 1.282 0.604 1.871 0.619 0.825 0.538 1.501 1.413 1.457 0.669 0.709 0.689 0.360
A6n=30
SD 0.269 0.133 0.137 0.056 0.150 0.032 0.082 0.042 0.094 0.061 0.063 0.041 0.031 0.029 0.045
A7(Sph Mean 1.951 1.636 1.534 0.859 1.196 0.871 0.938 0.841 1.279 1.318 1.298 0.783 0.760 0.772 0.657
erical)
n=30 SD 0.203 0.159 0.170 0.048 0.088 0.042 0.049 0.063 0.049 0.059 0.041 0.029 0.033 0.024 0.097
A8 Mean 2.178 1.616 1.211 0.651 1.359 0.746 0.757 0.751 1.383 1.506 1.445 0.726 0.673 0.700 0.499
(Mixed)
n=30 SD 0.287 0.167 0.242 0.132 0.222 0.073 0.161 0.101 0.098 0.197 0.125 0.049 0.077 0.052 0.125
n = number of particles analyzed

255
256 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

Figure 10. The correlation between different shape indexes and Marshall Stability

Figure 11. The correlation between different shape indexes and flow
 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 257

Figure 12. The correlation between different shape indexes and MQ

3.6. Correlation between area sphericity and mechanical properties

In the following sections, the results of area sphericity and the correlation
between shape of aggregate and Marshall stability, flow, and MQ of asphalt concrete
are presented in Figures 13, 14, and 15, respectively.

15
R = 0.92
Marshall Stability (kN)

14

13

12

11
0 0.5 1
Area Sphericity

Figure 13. The correlation between area sphericity and Marshall Stability
258 Road Materials and Pavement Design. Volume 12 – No. 2/2011

The coefficient of correlation is 0.98, indicating that there exists a strong

correlation between measured flow and area sphericity calculated using the
aggregate geometric characteristics by DIP. Moreover, there is an acceptable R
value for the correlation between Marshall Stability and MQ. It should be pointed
out that the area sphericity is a good shape index when the Figures 13, 14, and 15
are taken into account.

3.5

R = 0.98
3
Flow (mm)

2.5

1.5
0 0.5 1
Area Sphericity

Figure 14. The correlation between area sphericity and flow

6.0
R = - 0.95
Marshall Quotient (kN/mm)

5.5

5.0

4.5
0 0.5 1
Area Sphericity

Figure 15. The correlation between area sphericity and MQ

 Shape of Aggregate and Mechanical Properties of Asphalt 259

4. Conclusions

The following conclusions were drawn based on the test results and on the
discussion presented in this study:
– The DIP was shown to be a useful tool for quantifying the morphological
characteristics of coarse aggregates.
– The test results indicated that there is a strong correlation between some of the
shape indexes of coarse aggregates and mechanical properties of asphalt concrete.
– The particle shape factors (indexes) were shown to be an adequate measure of
the combined contribution of some particle shape factor such as flatness, elongation
and sphericity to the stability of an aggregate.
– Spherical crushed coarse aggregate particles were desirable due to increased
stability and ideal flow values. The more nearly spherical the aggregate, the higher
the stability value.
– The area sphericity value was well correlated with mechanical properties of
asphalt concrete such as Marshall Stability, flow, and MQ.
– The aggregates having longer or thinner shapes decrease stability. Increasing
crushed coarse aggregate sphericity increases Marshall stability.
– There is a high correlation between stability and flatness index. This implies
that flat particles produce a lower Marshall stability.
– There is a high correlation (R= -0.96) between flow and roundness. It is
concluded from this correlation that crushed coarse aggregates having longer or
thinner shapes, or objects having rough edges resulted in lower flow values.
– Coefficient of correlation between sphericity, shape factor, roundness and MQ
are -0.96, -0.88, and 0.88, respectively. It can be concluded from these correlations
that approximation of the shape of aggregates to sphere or less rough aggregate
surfaces resulted in lower MQ values.
It is suggested that DIP methods proposed in this study may be used instead of
mechanical tests (i.e., Marshal stability, flow) which are cumbersome and time
consuming. However, further studies may lead to use the DIP technique in aggregate
quality assurance and quality control procedures and stability and flow values for
HMA concrete can be predicted using DIP. It should be also pointed out that further
studies on the image analysis system are needed to make more useful and practical
method for DIP.

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Received: 24 August 2009

Accepted: 30 October 2010