EXPERIMENT NO: 3 DATE:

LOS ANGELES ABRASION TEST

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, PCCoE, PUNE

 LOS ANGELES ABRASION TEST APPARATUS

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, PCCoE, PUNE

 EXPERIMENT NO: 3

LOS ANGELES ABRASION TEST

Objective:
1. To determine Los Angeles Abrasion value of coarse aggregate
2. To assess their suitability in road construction

Theory:
The coarse aggregate used in surface course of pavements are subjected wearing action at the top
surface. Resistance to wear or hardness is hence an essential property for road aggregates,
especially when used in wearing course. Thus road stones should be hard enough to resist the
abrasion due to the traffic. When fast moving traffic fitted with pneumatic tyres on the wheels
move on the road, the soil particles present between the road surface and the tyres causes
abrasion of the road surface. Steel tyres of animal drawn vehicles which rub against the stones
can cause considerable abrasion of the stones on the road surface. The resistance to abrasion of
aggregate is found in laboratory by different types of abrasion tests:

i. Los Angeles abrasion test

ii. Deval abrasion test
iii. Dorry abrasion test

Of these tests, the Los Angeles abrasion test is more commonly adopted as the test values of
aggregates have been correlated with pavement performance studies.

The principle of Los Angeles abrasion test is to find the percentage wear due to the relative
rubbing action between the aggregates and steel balls used as abrasive charge. During Los
Angeles abrasion test, both abrasion between the aggregates and the steel balls and pounding
action of these balls on the aggregates takes place. Some investigators are of the opinion that Los
Angeles abrasion test is more reliable for evaluating the suitability of coarse aggregates in
pavements as both abrasion and impact occur during the test similar to the field conditions

Applicable Code:IS 2386 (Part IV) 1963 (Reaffirmed 1997)

Apparatus:
1. Los Angeles machine: It consists of a hollow steel cylinder, closed at both ends,having an
internal diameter of 700 mm and an inside length of 500 mm, mounted on stub shafts
about which the cylindrical drum rotates about a horizontal axis. There is an opening in
the cylinder for the introduction of the test sample with a removable cover which can be
closed and bolted dust tight. A removable steel shelf projecting radially 88mm in to the
cylinder and extending to the full length of it is mounted on the interior surface of the

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, PCCoE, PUNE

 cylinder rigidly, parallel to the axis.The shelf is provided at a distance of 1250 mm from
the opening in the direction of rotation.
2. Abrasion change: These are the steel balls of about 48 mm diameter weighing about 390
to 445 gm.
3. Sieve: 1.7 mm IS sieve and sieves mentioned in table below to prepare sample as per
grading
4. Balance: 5 to 10 kg capacity
5. Laboratory oven, trays etc.

Procedure:
Sieve size (mm) Weight in gm of test sample for grade
Passing Retaining A B C D E F G
80 63 - - - - 2500* - -
63 50 - - - - 2500* - -
50 40 - - - - 5000* 5000* -
40 25 1250 - - - - 5000* 5000*
25 20 1250 - - - - - 5000*
20 12.5 1250 2500 - - - - -
12.5 10 1250 2500 - - - - -
10 6.3 - - 2500 - - - -
6.3 4.75 - - 2500 - - - -
4.75 2.36 - - - 5000 - - -
*Tolerance of ± 2% is allowed

1. Select the grading to be used in the test. Clean aggregates which have been oven dried at
105 to 110oC and sieved through specified sieves as per the grade adopted should be
used.
2. Take the 5 kg of samples for grading in A,B,C & D & 10 kg for E,F & G
3. Choose the abrasion charge as per following table:

Grading No. of balls Weight of charge (gm)

A 12 5000±25
B 11 4584±25
C 8 3330±20
D 6 2500±15
E 12 5000±25
F 12 5000±25
G 12 5000±25
4. Open the cover & pour the sample with steel balls & close the cover tightly
5. Rotate the machine uniformly at a rate of 30 to 33 rpm

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, PCCoE, PUNE

 6. Allow 500 rotation for all samples of A, B, C and D grading and 1000 revolutions for E,
F and G grading
7. Stop the machine & take out the sample and sieve it through 1.7 mm IS sieve
8. Wash the coarse material & dry it in oven weigh accurately upto 1 gm and calculate the
loss of material.

Precautions
1. The cover should be closed tightly before starting the machine
2. All the materials should be discharged after test from the cylinder

Specification and Standards:

The maximum allowable Los Angeles abrasion values of aggregates as per the Specifications for
Road and Bridge Works by MoRTH, Government of India for different types of pavements are
given in the table below:

Limiting
Sr.no. Types of Pavements
Value (%)
WBM, WMM in base course
1 Bituminous macadam base / binder course 40
Bituminous Penetration Macadam, Built-up spray grout base course
Dense graded bituminous macadam binder course
2 35
Cement Concrete Pavement
Bituminous carpet surface course
3 Bituminous surface dressing, single or two coats 40
Close graded bituminous surfacing / mixed seal surfacing
4 Bituminous concrete surface course 30

Application of Los Angeles Test:

Los Angeles abrasion test is widely accepted as a suitable test to access the hardness of aggregate
used in pavement construction. Many agencies have specified the desirable limit of test for
different methods of pavement construction.

Observation and Calculation:

Total wt. of aggregate sample in before test (W1) g
Wt. of aggregate passing through 1.7 mm sieve after test (W2) g
Wt. of aggregate retained on 1.7 mm sieve; washed and oven dried (W3) g
Formula:Los AngelesAbrasion Value (%) = (W2/W1) x 100

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, PCCoE, PUNE

 Mean LA
W1 W3 W2= W1-W3 LA Abrasion
Sample no. Abrasion
gm gm gm value (%)
value (%)
1.
2.
3.
4.

Result:

Conclusion:

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, PCCoE, PUNE