Abstract
In road construction the general term fines is used to describe particles passing the 0.063, 0.074 or 0.08 mm sieve. Some types of fines are considered to be relatively inert and have almost no effect on pavement performance, whilst the presence of even small amounts of others can significantly affect the stiffness and freezing–thawing behaviour of unbound and hydraulically bound layers. This paper presents the results of research on 12 Slovenian aggregates produced from limestone and dolomite bedrock, and naturally occurring river alluvium gravel. At each production site three different materials were sampled and tested: the actual aggregate for unbound base layers, the clayey soils, which presented the most potentially harmful component at the specific location, and the stony dust, which presented the finest size of crushed aggregate and is typically found as coatings on the crushed grains. Six different methods were used to identify the nature of the fines: X-ray diffractometry, carbonate content determination, methylene blue, sand equivalent, Enslin–Neff water absorption, Atterberg limits test, soil suction measurements and soil water characteristic curves. Based on the results, the relationship between the properties of the different fines was determined and included in draft Slovenian national criteria for sand equivalent and methylene blue values currently being trialed.
Résumé
En géotechnique routière, le terme général de fines est utilisé pour décrire les particules de taille inférieure à 0.063 mm, 0.074 mm ou 0.080 mm. Certains types de fines sont considérés comme relativement inertes et n’ont pratiquement aucun effet sur les qualités des couches de chaussées, tandis que la présence de faibles quantités d’autres particules peut avoir des conséquences sur des caractéristiques de raideur ou de sensibilité au gel-dégel des couches de chaussée traitées ou non aux liants hydrauliques. Cet article présente des résultats de recherche portant sur 12 types de granulats de Slovénie, issus de carrières de calcaire et de dolomie, ou provenant de dépôts alluviaux. Sur chaque site de production, trois matériaux différents ont été échantillonnés et testés : les granulats produits pour les couches de base non traitées, les sols argileux qui présentaient les caractéristiques potentiellement les plus nocives sur le site et les poussières de roche issues du concassage qui présentaient les granularités les plus fines et que l’on trouve typiquement en enduits des éléments concassés. Six méthodes différentes ont été utilisées pour identifier la nature des fines : la diffractométrie de RX, la détermination de teneur en carbonates, l’essai de bleu de méthylène, l’essai d’équivalent de sable, l’absorption d’eau d’Ensin–Neff, les limites d’Atterberg, les mesures de succion du sol et les courbes caractéristiques de teneur en eau. Basé sur ces résultats, les relations entre les propriétés des différentes fines ont été déterminées et prises en compte dans des critères nationaux slovènes couramment utilisés et concernant l’équivalent de sable et les valeurs de bleu de méthylène.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support for this project was provided by Dars, Company for the Motorways in Republic of Slovenia, as well as from the funds for the internal research at the Chair of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering at the University of Ljubljana. Their financial support is gratefully appreciated.
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Petkovšek, A., Maček, M., Pavšič, P. et al. Fines characterization through the methylene blue and sand equivalent test: comparison with other experimental techniques and application of criteria to the aggregate quality assessment. Bull Eng Geol Environ 69, 561–574 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0274-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0274-2
Keywords
- Aggregate
- Atterberg limits
- Frost criteria
- Methylene blue
- Sand equivalent
- Soil suction
- Soil water characteristic curve
- Water absorption