The relationships between Los Angeles abrasion values and brittleness indices of rocks
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, cilt.85, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 85 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10064-025-04715-z
- Dergi Adı: Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, IBZ Online, Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Aggregate, Los angeles abrasion, Rock brittleness, Strength-based brittleness indices
- Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The Los Angeles abrasion (LAA) value is one of the basic properties of rock aggregates reflecting their resistance to mechanical abrasive factors such as repeated impact loading. Brittleness represents a key mechanical attribute of rocks, exerting a strong influence on their behavior during excavation, drilling, blasting, and aggregate production. This study investigates the relationship between LAA values and five strength-based brittleness indices (B1-B5) derived from uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Brazilian tensile strength (BTS) values of different rock types. A dataset of 138 rocks (76 sedimentary, 42 igneous, and 20 metamorphic) compiled from 11 literature sources was analyzed using regression methods. Results show that while brittleness indices B1 and B2 do not exhibit any significant correlation with LAA, brittleness indices B3, B4, and B5 show moderate inverse-logarithmic relationships across all investigated rock types. After normalization with UCS, brittleness indices B3, B4, and B5 exhibit very strong inverse relationships with LAA values (R² up to 0.96). Normalized LAA significantly improved correlations, particularly for B3, which provided the most reliable predictor across all rock types according to ANOVA. An empirical model based on B3 was developed and validated with 16 different rock samples, demonstrating close agreement between measured and predicted LAA values. These findings confirm that strength-based brittleness indices, especially B3, can serve as robust predictors of aggregate abrasion resistance.