The Potential of Quartzitic Rock for Use as Coarse Aggregates in Asphaltic Concrete

Asphaltic concrete material continues to be a much-preferred road surfacing material in Ghana, because of its benefits like lower cost, good resistance to high traffic volume, lower noise, and easy maintenance. The mix is commonly produced using bitumen as a binding agent, crushed rock aggregates, natural sand, and sometimes active fillers such as cement or hydrated lime or limestone. Because crushed aggregates from granite and gneiss have over the years yielded good wearing and binder courses, they have become the default aggregates used for asphaltic concrete production in Ghana. However, these two key rock formations do not cover the whole country, and in some parts of the country, they are unavailable thereby making asphaltic road construction relatively uneconomical in these parts of the country. This study seeks to evaluate the potential of rocks derived from quartzitic rock formation which exists in huge deposits in some parts of the country, for use as crushed aggregates for asphaltic concrete material. This is a comparative laboratory study of the characteristics of asphaltic concrete prepared using granitic and quartzitic rocks. The index properties of aggregates obtained from granitic and quartzitic rocks were determined. Then, a mix design by the Marshall method was carried out on mixes consisting of crushed quartzites as aggregates and AC 20 as binder with different percentages of active fillers of cement, hydrated lime, and limestone ranging from zero to 2.5%. An identical set of mixes consisting of crushed granite was also made. Then the briquettes of the various mix proportions were evaluated for their Marshall properties of stability and flow. The results from the sets of mixes and the index properties are analyzed and discussed.

Language

  • English

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  • Accession Number: 01884967
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 9783030772291
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jun 14 2023 5:09PM