Correlation relationships between mechanical parameters of Bulgarian crushed-rock aggregates utilized in railway construction

Crushed-rock aggregates from 11 railway ballast-producing quarries in Bulgaria have been investigated. The test materials consist of igneous and sedimentary rocks of different ages: basaltic andesite, trachyte, diabase, andesitic tuff, quartz-cemented sandstone, dolomite and five varieties of limestone. The standard laboratory tests (Los Angeles, micro-Deval and point load) and in-situ test (Schmidt hammer) were carried out for determination of the following mechanical properties of aggregates: resistance to fragmentation; wear resistance; strength; and rock hardness. Results show that Los Angeles coefficient (LA) values range from 11.9% to 28.4%. The micro-Deval coefficient (MDE) varies between 3.7% and 22.4%. The point load strength index (IS(50)) is between 4.0 MPa and 8.8 MPa. The Schmidt hammer rebound value (SHV) ranges from 34.4 to 60.2. The possibility of predicting the Los Angeles and micro-Deval coefficients from the Schmidt hammer rebound value and the point load strength index was studied. Regression analysis shows a strong correlation between Los Angeles coefficient and point load strength index (coefficient of determination R2=0.93), a good correlation between the Los Angeles coefficient and the Schmidt hammer rebound value (R2=0.62) and moderate correlation between the micro-Deval coefficient and the Schmidt hammer rebound value (R2=0.51).