An investigation of the general relationships between abrasion resistance of aggregates and rock aggregate properties

Resistance to degradation is one of the most important aggregate properties for engineering projects involving the use of aggregates. The Los Angeles abrasion loss (LAAL) test is among the common aggregate degradation tests that provide information on the quality of abrasion resistance of aggregates. In this study, the possibility of predicting the LAAL from the common aggregate tests including aggregate crushing value (ACV), aggregate impact value (AIV), density (D), water absorption (WA), porosity (P), uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), and point load index (PLI) was investigated. For this purpose, more than 200 rock aggregate samples, which included the most common types, were used. Statistical analysis was performed followed by developing simple linear and the best nonlinear and multiple regression analysis between LAAL and other common aggregate tests. The validity of the various regression equations was evaluated by multiple R (R, R², and Adj. R²), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and standard error of the estimate (SEE). Results of the simple regression analyses indicate that ACV with R = 0.887, PLI with R = 0.687, and WA with R = 0.607 have the highest correlation with LAAL. Also, results of LAAL, ACV, and AIV could be converted to each other in different rock aggregate samples. The results of multiple and backward regression analyses showed that LAAL could be estimated using a few important variables such as ACV and P or performing simple physical tests including WA, D, and P (R = 0.905 and R = 0.850, respectively). The results of this research could be used for selecting proper rock aggregates in terms of their abrasion resistance, estimating their LAAL range at the preliminary steps of the project, and also for providing a better understanding of the relationships between LAAL and other aggregate properties.