See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/320426255

Analysis of Coarse Aggregate Performance Based on the Modified Micro Deval

Abrasion Test

Article  in  International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology · October 2017

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijprt.2017.10.007

CITATION READS

1 220

6 authors, including:

Linbing Wang Meng Guo

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Beijing University of Technology
194 PUBLICATIONS   2,069 CITATIONS    55 PUBLICATIONS   493 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Haocheng Xiong
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
14 PUBLICATIONS   91 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

• Influence of aggregate morphology and grading on the performance of small-size SMA mixtures View project

Energy Harvesting View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Meng Guo on 01 March 2019.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect
International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194
www.elsevier.com/locate/IJPRT

Analysis of coarse aggregate performance based on the modified

Micro Deval abrasion test
Jiangfeng Wu a, Yue Hou a, Linbing Wang b,⇑, Meng Guo a, Lingjian Meng a,
Haocheng Xiong a
a
National Center for Materials Service Safety, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
b
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, USA

Received 9 September 2016; received in revised form 13 June 2017; accepted 12 October 2017
Available online 16 October 2017

Abstract

The anti-abrasion property of aggregate significantly affects the performance of the pavement. In this research, the quartzite and
gneiss which were produced in Lincheng County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province were selected as test samples. According to the American
Society for Testing and Materials standard, the Micro-Deval abrasion test was taken every 1000 rotation times until 20,000 times, and
the change trend of the Micro-Deval abrasion value was obtained. Results showed that the abrasion values were in the exponential
growth rate rather than linear rate. Their R-Square coefficient was 0.99142 and 0.99916 respectively. The gravel information such as area,
roundness, diameter, perimeter and so on were calculated and analyzed by Image-Pro Plus software, which provided a rapid way for the
2D morphology characteristics analysis of the coarse aggregate.
Ó 2018 Chinese Society of Pavement Engineering. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords: Micro-Deval abrasion test; Coarse aggregate; Anti-abrasion property; Abrasion values

1. Introduction the microstructure and macrostructure of pavement. The

The rapid development of highway brought us efficient
and convenient life, but at the same time more and more
traffic accidents happened. A lot of research data showed
that the moisturized road accidents were closely related
to the anti-abrasion property of pavement [1]. There were
many factors that affect the skid resistance performance
of asphalt pavement. It mainly included the stone proper-
ties and particle size distribution. They could also affect
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: wujiangfeng2008@163.com (J. Wu), alladin@
outlook.com (Y. Hou), wangl@vt.edu (L. Wang), mguo@ustb.edu.cn
(M. Guo), mengjian1992@vip.qq.com (L. Meng), pocketbearzero@
hotmail.com (H. Xiong).
Peer review under responsibility of Chinese Society of Pavement
Engineering.
abrasion value of aggregate was one of the main factors
that affect the microstructure of pavement. It was also an
important reference index in pavement design. The physical
and mechanical properties of coarse aggregates were
directly related to the skid resistance performance of pave-
ment. It was required that the coarse aggregates used in the
pavement had high abrasion resistance ability that could
resist the impact of driving, crushing and abrasion. There-
fore, it was necessary to carry out a detailed research work
on the skid resistance performance of the aggregate, so as
to better determine the real property of the aggregate.
Aggregate is widely used in civil engineering and road
engineering. It existed as skeletons that will fill in the
asphalt mixture, including the rubble, gravel and
machine-made sand, crushed stone, sand and so on [2].
According to the test methods of Aggregate for Highway
Engineering (JTG E42-2005) published by Ministry of

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijprt.2017.10.007
1996-6814/Ó 2018 Chinese Society of Pavement Engineering. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
186 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194
Communications of the PRC, coarse aggregate referred to
gravel, crushed gravel, screening gravel, slag and so on.
The particle size was greater than 2.36 mm in the asphalt
mixture. The researchers in different countries used differ-
ent technical indexes and test methods to measure abrasion
value, such as Deval abrasion method, Los Angeles abra-
sion method and Dorry integrate test. Due to the impact
value, Dorian abrasion value and Los Angeles abrasion
value had a strong correlation, the coarse aggregate abra-
sion value was widely used in China as one of the most
important mechanical indexes of road building and design-
ing, to reflect the rutting resistance, abrasion resistance and
durability of asphalt concrete pavement. However, this
method had its own defects when the Los Angeles abrasion
value was only used in the test. Los Angeles abrasion test
obtained aggregate abrasion value in dry condition consid-
ering the impact of steel ball and the aggregate. It could
identify the property of impact resistance, edge shear and
friction resistance, rather than pure abrasion [3]. The abra-
sion mode couldn’t truly reflect the abrasion resistance
ability of aggregate. It could indirectly reflect the abrasion
effect between tires and pavement. The dry condition was
not consistent with the actual environment of the aggre-
gate. It had been proved that water was one of the main
reasons for the failure of asphalt concrete pavement. Water
could invade the interface between aggregate and asphalt
which led to the loss of adhesion and the loss of asphalt
concrete pavement [4]. It was difficult to avoid water during
the pavement service due to the rain soaked, snow and ice
melt and so on. Thus, it was necessary to conduct research
on the anti-friction performance of aggregate in moistur-
ized condition.
There were different test conditions and results between
Micro-Deval abrasion test and Los Angeles abrasion test
although they were both abrasion tests. It meant that they
couldn’t replace each other and needed to be selectively
used in a certain range [3]. Compared to the Test Methods
of Aggregate for Highway Engineering (JTJ 058-2000), the
biggest difference in ASTM D6928-10 was the moisturized
environment of aggregate abrasion testing. Compared to
several other measurements of aggregate performance test,
Micro-Deval abrasion test could better reflect the anti-
abrasion properties of gravel which could be used to study
the properties of some rocks that have been weakened in
the moisturized condition. Richard et al. (1997) considered
that Los Angeles abrasion test was not very good to distin-
guish the materials because it was easily broken in moistur-
ized condition and cannot establish a good relationship
with the service performance of the aggregate. But the
Deval abrasion test can distinguish properly aggregates
[5]. Cooley et al. (2002) described the durability of stone
according to Deval abrasion test results, and found that
this test can distinguish different kinds of rocks efficiently
even though they had the same performance. Their test
results were different due to the different mineral composi-
tion [6]. Takarli (2009) got the relationship between the
wear coefficient and mineral composition of rock using
the modified Deval test. It showed that there was a close
relationship between the main mineral composition and
the wear resistance of the rock [7]. Wang et al. (2015)
selected 48 particles from each type of aggregate and used
the Aggregate Imaging System (AIMS) and X-ray Com-
puted Tomography (XCT) equipment to capture the
changes in their morphological characteristics, including
sphericity, angularity and texture, established a correlation
between the Micro-Deval test results and their morpholog-
ical properties for 11 different aggregates [8]. Ivan Deiros
et al. (2016) adopted discrete element method (DEM) sim-
ulations of Micro-Deval attrition test to detect the different
loading and wearing mechanisms and quantify the amount
of friction work [9].
Thus, Micro-Deval abrasion test had its own advantages
in the measurement of anti-abrasion property of aggregate.
It could distinguish aggregate performance in the moistur-
ized condition better. It was helpful to better evaluate the
material service performance in the practical application
such as road engineering, civil engineering and so on.
According to the standard of American Society for Testing
and Materials (ASTM), we adopted modified Micro-Deval
abrasion test and analyzed the anti-abrasion performance
of aggregate in moisturized condition, and obtained the
shape characteristics of gravel and sand. It provided a
new method to analyze the aggregate’s physical properties
and morphological characteristics.
2. The principle and process of Micro-Deval abrasion test
Micro-Deval abrasion test was a method to measure the
gravel durability which was proposed in the 1960s in
France. It evaluated the anti-abrasion resistance and dura-
bility of aggregate by measuring the mass change in the
aggregate using steel ball in water. Many aggregates could
be scuffed easily in a moisturized condition than in a dry
condition. Compared to other tests (such as the Los Ange-
les abrasion test), it could reflect the anti-abrasion perfor-
mance of aggregate better and had a higher
discrimination. It could also simulate the physical weather-
ing process of rocks in moisturized condition.
In this research, the Micro-Deval abrasion testing
machine was chosen to do the test according to the stan-
dard of ASTM D6928-10 [10], as shown in Fig. 1. The steel
ball was used to abrade the aggregate, and the diameter of
each ball was 10.0 mm and its mass was 4.15 g. Before
experiments, the selected gravel was put into water for 1
h, then the soaked rock, 2 L water and 5000 g steel ball
were put together in the jars, rotating at the speed of 30–
33 rpm. A test measurement was taken every 1000 rotation
times. After the test was completed, the steel balls were
removed from the aggregates immediately by moisturized
method without losing any material, filtering out the grav-
els whose grain size was smaller than 1.18 mm. The gravels
were dried in the convection oven at a constant tempera-
ture of 105 ± 5 °C until a constant quality was obtained.
 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194 187

Fig. 1. Equipment for Micro-Deval abrasion testing.

The change in aggregate quality, shape, and particle size
was analyzed.
According to the actual condition and monitoring
results of the laboratory, the indoor temperature was kept
at more than 20 °C. During the test, the water temperature
was at the range of 18.0 °C–20.0 °C. 2 L water temperature
was kept at the range of 20.0 °C–25.0 °C, and the air tem-
perature was at 22.0 °C–29.0 °C. The relative humidity was
below 30% RH, all testing conditions met the Micro-Deval
abrasion test requirements.
The calculation formula of the Micro-Deval abrasion
[10] value is shown in formula (1) with the accuracy of
0.001%, in which m0 was the aggregate quality before test-
ing, and m1 was the aggregate quality after testing.
m1  mo
Micro-Deval abrasion loss ¼  100
mo
3. Sample preparation for the modified Micro-Deval
abrasion test
The gravel aggregates of quartzite and gneiss were used
as test material in the research which came from Lincheng
County in Hebei Province and crushed by Jaw Crusher.
According to ASTM D6928-10, aggregates were sieved
by standard sieve and measured by electronic balance
WT50001KF (5000 g/0.1 g). Three groups of aggregates
were obtained. Their sizes were 19–16 mm, 16–12.5 mm
and 12.5–9.5 mm, and the qualities were about 375 g,
375 g and 750 g respectively. The gravel samples were dried
in the convection oven at a constant temperature 105 ± 5 °C
for 2 h until the difference between two measured values
was less than 1‰. It meant that gravels had been com-
pletely dried and the mass of sample would not change
any more. The mass changes in gravel aggregates are
shown in Table 1.
It could be seen from Table 1 that quartzite aggregates
have strong water absorption ability. It also showed that
rock soaking was necessary before the test which ensured
that the gravel aggregate can be fully moisturized. In the
process of cleaning, it absorbed a lot of water. Drying for
2 h cannot achieve a constant mass, and the rock mass loss
ratio was more than 0.1%. After 4 h drying, the mass of the
ð1Þ aggregates reached a steady state. It could be considered
that the aggregates reach a steady state after 4 h drying
at 105 ± 5 °C which can improve the work efficiency.
More than 30% aggregate particles were chosen as rep-
resentative samples for CT scanning test, XRD test and
so on, which were useful to recognize the aggregate proper-
ties better, as shown in Table 2. The 37.51% quartzite and
36.867% gneiss aggregate were selected as the sample. In
order to reflect the characteristics of the whole batch of
rock samples, ‘‘III” was chosen to represent the aggregates
of 19.0–16.0 mm particle size, ‘‘II” represents the aggre-
gates of 16.0–12.5 mm particle size, ‘‘I” represents the
aggregates of 12.5–9.5 mm particle size, as shown in Table 2

Table 1
Aggregates quality of quartzite and gneiss sample.
No. Particle size (mm) Moisturized weight (g) Aggregates’ weight after 2 h drying Constant mass (g)
1 st time Percentage loss (%) 2nd time Percentage loss (%)
1–1 19–16 377.2 375.3 0.769 374.3 0 374.3
1–2 16–12.5 378.1 374.7 0.899 374.7 0 374.7
1–3 12.5–9.5 760.2 749.3 1.434 749.0 0.040 749.0
Subtotal 1 1515.5 1498.3 1.135 1498.0 0.020 1498.0
2–1 19–16 375.9 373.5 0.639 373.3 0.0535 373.3
2–2 16–12.5 379.6 374.0 1.475 373.9 0.0267 373.9
2–3 12.5–9.5 756.7 746.7 1.322 746.5 0.0268 746.5
Subtotal 2 1512.2 1494.2 1.190 1493.7 0.0335 1493.7
188 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194

Table 2
Selection of quartzite aggregate and gneiss samples.
Sample Number Particle size (mm) Selected number Total number Selection ratio (%) Selected quality (g) Total mass (g) Mass ratio (%)
1–1 19–16 26 61 42.623 158.2 374.3 42.266
1–2 16–12.5 35 71 49.296 188.8 374.7 50.387
1–3 12.5–9.5 87 310 28.065 214.9 749.0 28.692
Subtotal 1 148 442 33.484 561.9 1498.0 37.510
2–1 19–16 16 41 39.024 161.4 373.3 43.236
2–2 16–12.5 30 87 34.483 135.5 373.9 36.240
2–3 12.5–9.5 95 303 31.353 252.3 746.5 33.798
Subtotal 2 141 431 32.715 549.2 1493.7 36.768

4.2. Numerical fitting of the modified Micro-Deval results

On the basis of abrasion value, numerical fitting to

Fig. 2. Labeled aggregate samples.
and Fig. 2, which made the aggregate samples easy to be
operated, distinguished, and statistically analyzed.
4. Modified Micro-Deval results analysis and numerical
fitting
4.1. Modified Micro-Deval results
In this study, 20,000 rotations were conducted for quart-
zite and gneiss. The cleaning, screening, drying and weigh-
ing process were done every 1000 rotations. The results are
shown in Table 3, Table 4 and Fig. 3.
quartzite and gneiss was made using Origin software, as
shown in Table 5. Through the analysis, it was found that
the abrasion value of quartzite and gneiss was in line with
the power curve growth rather than increase linearly with
the increase in rotation times, as shown in Formula (1)
and Fig. 4. Their correlation coefficient (COD) was
0.99142 and 0.99916 as shown in Table 5. In the formula,
x is the rotation times in the test, y the abrasion value of
the aggregates.
y ¼ a  xb ð2Þ
According to the fitting law of the abrasion value, the
abrasion performance of the aggregate could be predicted
at any rotation times. Combining with referenced Micro-
Deval limits [11–13] for aggregate applications from
ASTM D6928-10, which are shown in Table 6, quartzite
and gneiss could be selectively applied in road engineering.
Also note that bituminous material properties [14–18] were
not considered in this study. By analyzing the abrasion val-
ues, it can be known that the anti-abrasion performance of
quartzite was significantly superior to that of gneiss in
moisturized condition.
By sieving the tagged aggregates, the changing process
of particle size was observed, with different sizes of aggre-
gates under different times of abrasion, Fig. 5 shows the

Table 3
Abrasion value of quartzite obtained by modified Micro-Deval test.
Rotation Mass after Mass after 2nd Abrasion value Rotation Mass after Mass after 2nd Abrasion value
times rotation drying (%) times rotation drying (%)
0 1515.5 1498.0 0.000 11,000 1479.0 1453.2 2.991
1000 1517.0 1489.0 0.601 12,000 1472.2 1450.7 3.158
2000 1515.0 1485.0 0.868 13,000 1467.0 1447.4 3.378
3000 1507.0 1477.0 1.402 14,000 1469.7 1445.4 3.511
4000 1493.4 1469.4 1.909 15,000 1465.1 1443.4 3.645
5000 1496.2 1469.0 1.936 16,000 1468.5 1438.5 3.972
6000 1495.1 1466.9 2.076 17,000 1457.2 1438.0 4.005
7000 1494.2 1463.9 2.276 18,000 1458.7 1437.8 4.019
8000 1493.6 1460.9 2.477 19,000 1463.2 1436.2 4.126
9000 1488.0 1456.5 2.770 20,000 1460.7 1433.9 4.279
10,000 1491.5 1455.9 2.810
 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194 189

Table 4
Abrasion value of gneiss obtained by modified Micro-Deval test.
Rotation Mass after Mass after 2nd Abrasion value Rotation Mass after Mass after 2nd Abrasion value
times rotation drying (%) times rotation drying (%)
0 1513.6 1495.0 0.000 11,000 1376.1 1336.5 10.602
1000 1491.7 1465.5 1.973 12,000 1363.1 1326.2 11.291
2000 1475.6 1447.0 3.211 13,000 1348.3 1315.4 12.013
3000 1471.0 1430.2 4.334 14,000 1334.4 1303.9 12.783
4000 1453.1 1417.5 5.184 15,000 1321.2 1294.2 13.431
5000 1445.1 1402.8 6.167 16,000 1316.9 1283.8 14.127
6000 1438.8 1394.7 6.709 17,000 1304.8 1273.4 14.823
7000 1423.0 1383.2 7.478 18,000 1289.9 1264.6 15.411
8000 1405.4 1370.6 8.321 19,000 1287.1 1255.4 16.027
9000 1495.3 1360.2 9.017 20,000 1271.9 1245.8 16.669
10,000 1382.6 1347.9 9.839

Table 5
Fitting results of modified Micro-Deval abrasion value by Origin.
Aggregate Index
a b R-Square (COD) Adj. R-Square
Quartzite 0.01118 0.60209 0.99142 0.99094
Gneiss 0.01122 0.73707 0.99916 0.99912

the quartzite aggregate with a particle size 12.5–9.5 mm

appeared oblique fracture inclined 45 degrees, as shown
in Fig. 6; the quartzite aggregate in the particle size 19–
16 mm, fracture happened in rock edge, as shown in
Fig. 7. The aggregate fracture had a fresh and clear section
which could be recognized clearly. The original cracks of
aggregate could be obtained and the research about the
crack development can be carried out in the Micro-Deval
abrasion test in the future study.

Fig. 3. Abrasion value of aggregates obtained by modified Micro-Deval 4.3. Difference analysis of different Micro-Deval abrasion
test.
test result

change in aggregate particle size and total mass of quartzite
at 20,000 rotation times. In the process of the first 10 000
times rotation, totally 18 aggregates with a diameter of
19–16 mm rock decreased to a diameter of 16–12.5 mm.
During the rotation of the 10 000 to 15 000 times, the
12.5–9.5 mm diameter aggregates changed the most signif-
icantly, with a total of 9 aggregates decreasing to less than
9.5 mm. By the rotation of 15,000 times, the particle size of
the aggregates did not change, remaining constant, but the
total mass of the rocks continued to decrease.
The reasons for different particle size changed might be
as follows: 1) the size of contact area, 19–16 mm diameter
rocks had a larger specific surface area contacting with the
steel ball, resulting in a faster abrasion; 2) the shape distri-
bution of the particle itself, the aggregates with the diame-
ter close to 16 mm, 12.5 mm, 9.5 mm had significant size
changes after abrasion test; 3) collisions between steel balls
and rocks led to the fracture and broken of the aggregate,
which reduced the aggregates’ size.
In the process of statistics, we also found the phe-
nomenon of aggregate fracture. After 6000 rotation times,
This study referred to the Micro-Deval abrasion test
standard from American Society Testing and Materials
and Testing methods of aggregate for highway engineering
(JTJ 058-2000) [19] in China. Because the differences
existed in the test specification which was performed, it
caused the inconsistency of some test conditions, which
mainly involved the following aspects:
1) The different revolution of equipment. The ASTM
D6928-10 standard specified the revolution of
Micro-Deval abrasion tester was 100 ± 5 rpm, but it
just arrived 30–33 rpm for Chinese test equipment,
which caused large differences among the abrasion
value of aggregates;
2) A different size of mesh screen was used to calculate
the amount of sieve residue. The ASTM D6928-10
standard specified to use the 4.75 mm and 1.18 mm
square hole sieve; Testing methods of aggregate for
highway engineering (JTJ 058-2000) used 2 mm
round hole sieve, and a different amount of sieve resi-
due caused a different value of abrasion. In this
190 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194

Fig. 4. Fitting cure of abrasion value under different rotation times.

Table 6
Referenced Micro-Deval Limits for Aggregate Applications.
Application Maximum Micro-Deval
Abrasion Loss (%)
Granular sub-base 30
Granular base 25
Open graded base course 17
Structural Concrete 17 21
Concrete Pavement 13
Asphalt concrete base course and 21
secondary road surface course
Asphalt concrete surface course 17 18

research, the standard sieve was used according to the

technical specification of US standard ASTM E11,
the 4.75 mm and 1.18 mm square hole sieves were
also used to calculate the amount of sieve residue of
gravel, which was consistent with the standard of
ASTM D6928-10.
3) Steel balls with different specifications were used.
According to ASTM D6928-10, 5000 g and 9.5 ±
0.5 mm diameter grinding steel balls should be used;
T0318-1994 gravel abrasion test (Deval test) and
Fig. 6. Oblique fracture of rock.
T0319-1994 gravel abrasion test in the Testing meth-
ods of aggregate for highway engineering (JTJ 058-
2000) require to use 12 balls with 50 mm ± 1 mm
diameter and the 430 g–440 g mass. Different size
and number of balls will lead to different failure
modes of aggregates and different forces on the rock.

Fig. 5. Changes in aggregates particle size and total quality under different revolutions.
 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194
Fig. 7. Fracture in rock edge.
According to the standard of ASTM D6928-10, 5000
g and 10.0 ± 0.2 mm diameter grinding balls have
been used in this test.
4) Different specifications of the jars were used. Steel
cylinder surface used in the American standard
ASTM D6928-10 is smooth, and the outer diameter
is in the range 194–202 mm, the inside height is
170–177 mm; However, the two steel cylinder of
200 mm inner diameter, 340 mm depth located at a
30 degree angle are used according to the Testing
methods of aggregate for highway engineering (JTJ
058-2000). It causes the different abrasion value.
Fig. 8. Analysis of the gravel and sand after 40,000 rotations.
191
Because the equipment used in this test is different, a
new evaluation system for specific conditions about the
aggregates anti-abrasion properties should be proposed,
so as to test the accurate properties of aggregates under
moisturized condition.
5. Analysis of the gravel morphology
Small gravel and particles were produced in the testing
process of the modified Micro-Deval abrasion test due to
the collision and abrasion between the balls and the aggre-
gates. Two superimposed square sieve of 4.75 mm and 1.18
mm were used to filter the particles whose grain size were
smaller than 1.18 mm, and quantity and quality statistics
were done after being dried by using electronic balance
(200 g/0.0001 g).
In order to get the shape parameter of gravel and parti-
cles quickly, such as shape, roundness, the longest edge dis-
tance, the shortest edge distance, aspect ratio and other
related information, Image-Pro Plus6.0 software was used
to analyze the gravel. Image-Pro Plus (IPP) was an effective
Image analysis software which was easy to use because of
the GUI graphical interface model. Scholars used IPP image
analysis software to measure the triaxial characteristics,
roundness and sphericity information of limestone and iron
tailings waste rock coarse aggregate [20]. In this research,
IPP software was used to do gravel aggregate analysis.
In this study, the gravel particles are divided into 5
groups including 9.5–6.3 mm, 6.3–4.75 mm, 4.75–2.36 mm,
192 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194

Table 7
Analysis results of gravel and sand using Image-Pro Plus (unit: pixels).
No. Grain size No. Area Aspect Diameter (max) Perimeter Roundness Feret (max)
1 9.5–6.3 mm 1 110.739 2.014 17.026 42.367 1.290 17.068
2 77.708 1.607 12.509 33.807 1.170 12.512
3 69.354 1.959 13.608 34.056 1.331 13.699
4 65.719 1.227 10.575 30.234 1.107 10.779
5 102.931 1.518 14.725 38.832 1.166 14.975
6 53.705 1.317 9.852 27.189 1.095 9.869
Average value 80.026 1.607 13.049 34.414 1.193 13.150
2 6.3–4.75 mm 1 43.485 1.287 8.622 25.496 1.190 9.264
2 37.492 1.101 7.568 22.484 1.073 7.600
3 32.814 1.651 8.246 22.188 1.194 8.541
4 36.579 1.362 8.150 23.259 1.177 8.182
5 61.742 1.636 11.623 30.700 1.215 11.633
Average value 42.422 1.407 8.842 24.825 1.170 9.044
3 4.75–2.36 mm 1 10.875 1.497 4.663 12.297 1.106 4.659
2 33.768 1.250 7.807 21.740 1.114 7.907
3 23.539 1.802 7.079 18.514 1.159 7.119
4 10.476 1.022 3.832 11.731 1.045 3.861
5 23.649 1.594 6.975 18.939 1.207 7.094
6 6.532 1.272 3.563 9.492 1.098 3.585
7 19.773 1.759 6.885 17.041 1.169 6.948
8 6.028 1.267 3.016 8.902 1.046 3.098
9 25.728 1.370 6.800 18.675 1.079 6.815
10 16.980 1.435 5.510 15.351 1.104 5.547
11 10.027 1.097 3.961 11.488 1.047 3.961
12 15.805 1.981 6.344 15.624 1.229 6.390
13 14.877 1.501 5.288 14.458 1.118 5.382
14 6.453 1.708 3.597 9.937 1.218 3.859
15 20.704 1.273 5.870 16.945 1.104 5.992
16 8.363 1.370 3.812 10.720 1.094 3.857
17 10.744 1.442 4.400 12.042 1.074 4.426
18 15.588 2.045 6.382 15.613 1.244 6.398
19 32.519 1.292 7.264 20.819 1.061 7.281
Average value 16.444 1.472 5.424 14.754 1.122 5.483
4 2.36–2 mm 1 6.696 1.516 3.707 9.707 1.120 3.731
2 7.923 1.699 4.041 10.842 1.181 4.099
Average value 7.31 1.608 3.874 10.275 1.151 3.915
5 2–1.18 mm 1 2.196 1.168 1.913 5.361 1.041 1.913
2 2.637 1.300 2.130 5.930 1.061 2.151
3 1.853 1.421 1.884 4.966 1.059 1.898
Average value 2.229 1.296 1.976 5.419 1.054 1.987

2.36–2 mm, 2–1.18 mm according to the particle size of
gravel. A camera equipment was used to take photos after
weighing. The gravel image region was extracted and
measurement data were generated, and the gravel proper-
ties were obtained, such as area, perimeter, diameter,
roundness, aspect ratio, the longest distance, shortest
distance and other relevant information, as shown in
Fig. 8.
Before measuring the aggregate, calibration function of
the measure in IPP software was first used to do scale cal-
ibration for the image. The ruler label position was moved
to coincide with the original position of the ruler scale 1
cm, set mm as the length unit, and then the conversion rela-
tionship of pixels and the length of the unit can be
obtained: pixels/unit = 18.304. Secondly, the AOI (area
of interest) functions in IPP software was used to combine
with irregular tool, and the gravel particles were chosen as
the analysis object. Fig. 8 is a group of different size gravel
images generated by Micro-Deval abrasion test after
40,000 rotation times. The analysis results obtained by
IPP software are shown in Table 7.
Through the analysis of IPP software, the information
of different sand group was obtained. The feret was the
longest caliper length of the gravel. The change in max
diameter was similar to the max feret, although their values
had little difference. As the particle group size decreases, all
the indicators decrease and tend to the zero point, as shown
in Fig. 9. It is seen from the test results that the aggregate
performance by Micro-Deval test is very important for the
characterization of such materials, considering that the
pavement performance can be tested by other approaches
[21,22].
 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194
Fig. 9. Particle information of different sand group using Image-Pro Plus.
6. Conclusions
The modified Micro-Deval abrasion test could better
reflect the anti-abrasion properties of gravel aggregate,
and evaluated their performance in the moisturized condi-
tion with a higher distinction degree. Different countries
have different Micro-Deval abrasion test standards and
conditions such as revolutions of equipment, steel and jar
specifications and so on. They led to the differences in mea-
sured abrasion values. In this paper, ASTM standard was
chosen to the Micro-Deval test, the following conclusions
could be drawn from this research:
1) The abrasion values of quartzite and gneiss were in
line with the power curve growth rather than increase
linearly with the increase in rotation times. The mean
square errors were 0.99142 and 0.99916 respectively.
According to the fitting curve equation, the abrasion
performance of the aggregate could be predicted at
any rotation times. The rules could be used to guide
Micro-Deval abrasion testing of the actual operation,
simplify the operation process, and reduced the
equipment cost, which was better to show the anti-
abrasion property of aggregates. It could guide the
actual selection and application of gravel aggregate
in road engineering.
2) The Image-Pro Plus software was used to analyze
aggregate images in the Micro-Deval test which could
get the aggregate shape, area, roundness, size
(length), size (width), perimeter and other relevant
information. It provided a rapid way to analyze the
2D morphology characteristics of the coarse
aggregate.
3) Micro-Deval abrasion test had its irreplaceable value
in the study of damp rock in terms of the anti-
abrasion property. Enough attention should be given
193
to application in standard formulation process,
rather than simply to use Los Angeles abrasion test
result to characterize the anti-abrasion property of
aggregates. The measurement method of abrasion
value still needs to be improved such as Micro-
Deval abrasion test. It could provide a better support
to test anti-abrasion performance of aggregates used
in road engineering and civil engineering.
Acknowledgements
This research is supported by National Natural Science
Foundation of China (Authorized Number: 41372320).
The authors would like to express the sincere gratitude to
everyone who offered help and advice in the article creation
and the modified Micro-Deval abrasion test, include Tong
Xinlong, Ye Zhoujing, Zhao Qian, Yan Guannan.
References
[1] B. Wen, D.W. Cao, Statistical analysis of traffic accident and skid-
resistance of expressway pavement, J. Highway. Transp. Res. Dev. 23
(8) (2006) 72–75.
[2] Profession Standard of the People’s Republic of China, Testing
methods of aggregate for highway engineering (JTG E42–2005),
People Traffic Press, Peking, 2005.
[3] Q.X. Cheng, Discussion on abrasion test method of coarse aggregate,
Sci. Technol. Inf. 07 (2011) 116.
[4] J.L. Zhang, M.C. He, Discussion on the causes of asphalt concrete
pavement loose damage and preventive measures, Highway 10 (2009)
225–227.
[5] J.A. Richard, J.R. Scarlett, A review and evaluation of the Micro-
Deval test, Report ATR-024, Public Works and Government
Services, Canada, 1997.
[6] L.A. Cooley Jr, M.S. Hunter, R.H. James, Micro-Deval testing of
aggregates in the southeast. NCAT Report 02-09, 2002.
[7] M. Takarli, A. Phelipot-Mardele, W. Prince, Adaptation of the
Micro-Deval test for assessing the surface weathering degree of
granite, J. ASTM Int. 6 (9) (2009) 1–11.
[8] D.W. Wang, H.N. Wang, Y. Bu, Christian Schulze, Markus Oeser,
Evaluation of aggregate resistance to wear with micro-deval test in
combination with aggregate imaging techniques, Wear (2015), 338-
339, 288-296.
[9] Ivan Deiros, Charles Voivret, Gaël Combe, Fabrice Emeriault,
Quantifying Degradation of Railway Ballast using Numerical Sim-
ulations of Micro-Deval Test and In-situ Conditions, Advances in
Transportation Geotechnics 3. The 3rd International Conference on
Transportation Geotechnics (ICTG 2016), vol. 143, 2016, pp. 1016–
1023.
[10] American Society for Testing and Materials. Standard Test Method
for Resistance of Coarse Aggregate to Degradation by Abrasion in
the Micro-Deval Apparatus (D6928-10).
[11] C. Rogers, Canadian Experience with the Micro-Deval Test for
Aggregates, in: J.P. Latham (Ed.), Advances in Aggregates and
Armourstone Evaluation, vol. 13, Geological Society, London,
Engineering Geology Special Publications, 1998, pp. 139–147.
[12] A.P. Lang, P.H. Range, D.W. Fowler, J.J. Allen, Prediction of coarse
aggregate performance by Micro-Deval and other soundness,
strength, and intrinsic particle property tests transportation research
record, J. Transp. Res. Board No. 2026 (2007) 3–8.
[13] C.P.S. Kandhal, F. Parker Jr, Aggregate tests related to asphalt
concrete performance in pavements, Final Report Prepared for
National Cooperative Highway Research Program (1997).
194 J. Wu et al. / International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 11 (2018) 185–194
[14] Y. Hou, L. Wang, D. Wang, P. Liu, M. Guo, J. Yu, Characterization
of bitumen micro-mechanical behaviors using AFM, phase dynamics
theory and MD simulation, Materials 10 (2) (2017) 208.
[15] Y. Hou, M. Guo, Z. Ge, L. Wang, W. Sun, Mixed-mode I-II cracking
characterization of mortar using phase-field Method, J. Eng. Mech.
143 (7) (2017), 04017033.
[16] Y. Hou, W. Sun, L. Wang, Y. Huang, M. Guo, A multi-scale
approach of 348 mode i crack in ettringite, Road Mater. Pavement
Des. 18 (sup3) (2017) 33–42.
[17] M. Guo, A. Bhasin, Y.Q. Tan, Effect of mineral fillers adsorption on
rheological 350 and chemical properties of asphalt binder, Constr.
Build. Mater. 141 (2017) 152–351.
[18] M. Guo, Y.Q. Tan, J.X. Yu, Y. Hou, L.B. Wang, A direct
characterization of interfacial 353 interaction between asphalt binder
and mineral fillers by atomic force microscopy, Mater. Struct. 50
(2017) 141, https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-017-1015-9.
View publication stats
[19] Profession Standard of the People’s Republic of China, Testing
Methods of Aggregate for Highway Engineering (JTJ 058–2000),
People Traffic Press, Peking, 2000.
[20] B.X. Li, W. Wang, M.Y. Chen, M. Ye, Isometric ratio, roundness
and sphericity of coarse aggregates and their relationship, J. Build.
Mater. 18 (4) (2015) 531–535.
[21] Y. Huang, L. Wang, H. Xiong, Evaluation of pavement response and
360 performance under different scales of APT facilities, Road Mater.
Pavement Des. 18 (S3) (2017) 159–169.
[22] Y. Huang, F. Hugo, W. Steyn, H. Xiong, L. Wang, Comparative
Evaluation 363 of Performance of Warm Mix RAP Asphalt Under
Accelerated Unidirectional Wheelload 364 Trafficking, Accelerated
Pavement Testing International Conference, 2016.