Institute of Technology of Cambodia Road design II (TP)

TP5: AGGREGATE GRADING

1. Introduction
Aggregate grading is a measure of how well distributed the sizes of the particles in an
aggregate are. A well graded aggregate will have a good range of particle sizes and will have
a fair representation from every size of particle.

2. Objective
The objective of aggregate grading test is to determine the appropriate grading of the
aggregates (i.e., gravel) used in road construction. The grading of an aggregate can be measured
in mass of what proportion of the aggregate passes through different sized sieves. The grading
of an aggregate can be altered by blending multiple aggregates of different grading.

3. Materials and Equipment

Materials and Equipment necessary for an aggregate grading include:

Table 11: Materials and Equipment

Coarse aggregate sample Scoop Balancer

Shaking machine Sieves Plastic bag

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 Institute of Technology of Cambodia Road design II (TP)

4. Precautions
- Ensure the sieves are stacked properly and tight.
- Wear masks to prevent toxic inhalation.

5. Procedure
1) First, weigh each sieve that we use from 19mm to pan. Then, weigh the amount of aggregate
that we want to use for the experiment.
2) Stack the sieves in order, from top to bottom: 19mm, 12.5mm, 9.5mm, 4.75mm, 2.36mm,
1.18mm, 0.60mm, 0.30mm, 0.15mm, 0.075mm, and pan.
3) Put the coarse aggregate into the sieves and sift the aggregates by shaking the stacked sieves
for 5 to 10 minutes.
4) Weigh each sieve. Then pour the aggregates in each sieve into their respective marked
plastic bags.
Note: For this test, aggregates from 12.5mm to 0.0075mn are recorded and kept to be used in
Mix Marshall Test.

6. Data
Table 12: Coarse Aggregate Sieve Analysis

Percentage Mean
Sieve Diameter Mass of
Percentage (%) refuse Percentage
(mm) aggregate (g)
cumulative (%) cumulative (%)
19 614 7.223529412 7.223529412 100
9.5 1742 20.49411765 27.71764706 92.78
4.75 1330 15.64705882 43.36470588 72.28
2.36 1314 15.45882353 58.82352941 56.64
1.18 1113 13.09411765 71.91764706 41.18
0.6 773 9.094117647 81.01176471 28.08
0.3 582 6.847058824 87.85882353 18.99
0.15 546 6.423529412 94.28235294 12.14
0.075 386 4.541176471 98.82352941 5.72
0 100 1.176470588 100 1.18
Total 8500 100 0

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