The ABCs of Aggregate
Aggregate Base Course, typically just referred to as ABC, is made from recycled asphalt, quarried rock, or concrete. It is a sub-layer material and as such it offers a supportive foundation that is typically placed under the top layers of e.g. a pavement, an asphalt roadway, under structural foundations and concrete slabs, and often also as a backfill material for underground utilities such as underground pipelines.
Aggregate Base: Designations and Sizes
The standard designations of aggregate base include (but are not limited to) ABC (Aggregate Base Course), MBC (Macadam Base Course), Dense Graded Base, Crushed Stone Base, GAB (Graded Aggregate Base), Dense Graded Base, Base, and Subbase.
The dimensions of aggregate base might differ depending on the location since each site has to comply with different requirements from the relevant governing agency.
Aggregate Base: Its Most Common Uses
Aggregate base is commonly used as a foundation for asphalt pavements, in unpaved roads and shoulders, in backfill underground pipes and other facilities, in pavement foundations made from asphalt, as part of a base that has been cement-treated, and in concrete pavement foundation.
Aggregate Base Also Has Structural Uses
When building base course or structural foundations under asphalt pavement roadways or concrete slabs, ABC is often also very useful. It can, for example, be used by first spreading it and then compacting it. The sub-base is formed by minute chipped aggregate layers such as crushed fines and dust. This is very useful in driveways and areas with heavy traffic.
Aggregate Base Also Has Many Other Applications
The following list is by no means comprehensive but should give readers a good idea of how many applications there are for aggregate base.
- Streets, roads, and highways
- Houses
- Other types of buildings, including residential and commercial
- Structures made of concrete such as bridges, parking ramps, dams, and wastewater treatment plants
- Track beds for railroads
- Erosion control
- Water filtration and purification
- Landscaping
- As a soil additive in agriculture
- In structures used for water drainage
- Snow and ice control
- Ball diamond surfacing
- Site reclamation
- Livestock bedding
What Is Dense Aggregate Base?
This term refers to aggregates that have various sizes. Because these have very few voids and contain stones, they are able to create a dense layer. As such they are very useful when building pavements and other constructions.
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