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Engineering Geology

Engineering Geology - geomuseu

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Chapter 6<br />

the polishing action of traffic. The aggregate in blacktop should possess good adhesion<br />

properties with bituminous binders.<br />

Aggregate used as road metal must, in addition to having high strength, have high resistance<br />

to impact and abrasion, polishing and skidding, and frost action. It must also be impermeable,<br />

chemically inert and possess a low coefficient of expansion. The principal tests carried out in<br />

order to assess the value of a roadstone are the aggregate crushing test, the aggregate<br />

impact test, the aggregate abrasion test and the test for the assessment of the polished stone<br />

value. Other tests of consequence are those for water absorption, specific gravity and<br />

density, and the aggregate shape tests (Anon, 1975a). Some typical values of roadstone<br />

properties of rocks are given in Table 6.3.<br />

The properties of an aggregate are related to the texture and mineralogical composition<br />

of the rock from which it was derived. Most igneous and contact metamorphic rocks meet<br />

the requirements demanded of good roadstone. On the other hand, many rocks of regional<br />

metamorphic origin are either cleaved or schistose and are therefore unsuitable for<br />

roadstone. This is because they tend to produce flaky particles when crushed. Such particles<br />

do not achieve good interlock and, consequently, impair the development of dense mixtures<br />

for surface dressing. The amount and type of cement and/or matrix material that bind grains<br />

together in a sedimentary rock influence roadstone performance.<br />

The way in which alteration develops can influence roadstone durability. Weathering may<br />

reduce the bonding strength between grains to such an extent that they are plucked out<br />

easily from the stone. Chemical alteration is not always detrimental to roadstone performance;<br />

indeed a small amount of alteration may improve the resistance of a rock to polishing<br />

Table 6.3. Some representative values of the roadstone properties of some common<br />

aggregates<br />

Aggregate Aggregate Aggregate Polished<br />

Water Specific crushing impact abrasion stone<br />

Rock type absorption gravity value value value value<br />

Basalt 0.9 2.91 14 13 14 58<br />

Dolerite 0.4 2.95 10 9 6 55<br />

Granite 0.8 2.64 17 20 15 56<br />

Micro- 0.5 2.65 12 14 13 57<br />

granite<br />

Hornfels 0.5 2.81 13 11 4 59<br />

Quartzite 1.8 2.63 20 18 15 63<br />

Limestone 0.5 2.69 14 20 16 54<br />

Greywacke 0.5 2.72 10 12 7 62<br />

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