Unified Method to Quantify Aggregate Shape Angularity and Texture Using Fourier Analysis

Aggregates are an important constituent of asphalt concrete, hydraulic cement concrete, and granular base. The shape, angularity, and surface texture of aggregates are basically variations of asperities at different dimensional scales and affect mixture properties in different ways. This paper presents a unified Fourier morphological analysis method to quantify the shape, angularity, and surface texture of aggregates. Evaluation of these characteristics of 10 aggregates of known quality indicates that Fourier morphological analysis quantitatively ranks these aggregates in consistence with qualitative evaluations.