March 26 2020 0Comment

FHWA Concrete Clips: Aggregates

Editor’s note: In 2018, the Federal Highway Administration introduced “Concrete Clips,” a series of videos that inform viewers of  interesting and valuable information about concrete pavements, materials, testing methods, and much more. Since then, the FHWA has expanded the series. The entire series is definitely worth watching!  As such, we’ll be presenting a different video in the series in this and other issues of ACPA TODAY.

The FHWA’s video, “Aggregates for Concrete Paving Mixtures,” describes the basic building blocks of concrete, the hydration process, and the role of fine and coarse aggregates in concrete. The video then provides details about the purpose and value of sieve sizes and the important role they play in formulating quality concrete mixtures.

The 12.5-minute video explains why crushed limestone has emerged as the most common coarse aggregate. It also describes the importance of proper cleanliness and gradation, as well as the fundamentals of aggregate gradation. The characteristics of good quality aggregates are also described, as are the ASTM test methods for testing aggregates.

Click here to view the video. You can also view the video through ACPA’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/ConcretePavements.

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