Aggregate Testing
Aggregate testing is important as aggregate is the constituent material in many design projects such as roads, infill, drainage, airfields, concrete and bitumen design. There are many different tests for aggregates and each test is important if a design is to reach the development stage.
Aggregate properties:
Our team of experienced geotechnical engineers and technicians uses the latest equipment and methods to test a wide range of aggregate properties, including:
- Resistance to fragmentation (Los Angeles Coefficient)
- Aggregate Abrasion Value (AAV)
- Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV)
- Ten Percent Fines value (TFV)
- Aggregate impact value (AIV)
- Magnesium sulphate soundness value
- Particle size distribution
- Water absorption
CLIENTS
Our aggregate testing services are used by a wide range of clients, including:
- Civil engineers
- Ground investigation and drilling companies
- Geotechnical engineers
- Construction companies and house builders
- Mining companies
- Government agencies
Aggregate testing is important as aggregate is the constituent material in many design projects such as roads, infill, drainage, airfields, concrete and bitumen design. There are many different tests for aggregates and each test is important if a design is to reach the development stage.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the main aggregate testing
that we undertake in our laboratories:
Los Angeles Coefficient (LAC)
This test is carried out to test the hardness property of aggregates. The principle of the Los Angeles test is to find the percentage wear due to relative rubbing action between the aggregate and steel balls used as abrasive charge.
Aggregate Abrasion Value (AAV)
This test is designed to monitor the abrasive quality of an aggregate by using a grinding apparatus. The loss of weight can be calculated as a percentage to give an abrasion value.
Aggregate Crushing Value (ACV)
As the name suggests gives an indication of an aggregate’s resistance to crushing. The lower the figure, the less susceptible to crushing the aggregate is.
Ten Percent Fines Value (TFV)
This test is similar to the ACV and gives the force required to produce ten percent fines from a given amount of aggregate. This test requires more than one determination and is generally carried out on softer aggregates where the ACV test would crush almost all of the aggregate.
Aggregate Impact Value (AIV)
Basically, the AIV is a test to calculate the amount of fines produced from a standard amount of impact. It is very much like carrying out a soil MCV test. AIVs below 10 are considered strong and values above 35 too weak for use on road design.
Magnesium Sulphate Soundness Test
Often referred to as the soundness test and is carried out to simulate the weathering process on an aggregate and its ability to resist weathering. The aggregate is subjected to a number of immersions in an aggressive solution. After the aggregate has been subjected to the testing regime the weight remaining is expressed as a percentage of the original weight.
Aggregate PSD
Aggregates are sometimes blended to produce prescribed mixes and variants to suit the needs of clients. They can be “closely graded” or “open graded” as well as single size dependant on their proposed use. In the UK, the Specification for Highway Works (SHW) is often used in project specifications with documented grading requirements for various aggregate materials including 6F and Type 1 materials.
Water Absorption
The amount of water that an aggregate can absorb tends to be a good indicator of its strength. Water absorption can also be carried out in conjunction with particle density. This is because some honeycomb-structured materials (such as slag) hold water rather than absorb it. They may also have high particle densities and may not be susceptible to frost action providing they are well drained.
BENEFITS
Igne's laboratory aggregate testing services offer a number of benefits, including:
- Accurate and reliable results: Our team of experienced geotechnical engineers and technicians use the latest equipment and methods to test your rock samples. We have a quality control program in place to ensure that our results are accurate and reliable.
- Highly accredited: Under UKAS No 0126 Igne holds one of the largest scopes of UKAS accreditation schedules in the UK. We were awarded UKAS Multi-site accreditation in 2010 to further improve our overall quality system and offer customers the benefits of all our laboratories operating as one unit. Igne operates a company-wide quality assurance system in compliance with the requirements of BS EN ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 14001:2015 and BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 to ensure customer satisfaction.
- Scope, scale and accuracy: We also manage our own group Interlaboratory testing scheme for geotechnical testing and take part in external proficiency schemes verify that all testing is of a consistently high standard of accuracy.
Our team of experienced geotechnical engineers and technicians can help you select the right tests for your needs and provide you with accurate and reliable results.
Email: hello@igne.comCall: 0371 789 1000