Failure of greenstone, jasper and cataclasite aggregate in bituminous concrete due to studded tyres: Similarities and differences

In wintertime, the use of studded tyres is common in the Nordic countries, steeply in creasing road wear. Apart from reducing surface quality and durability, the airborne dust presents a potential health hazard. To reduce road wear and dust release, there is a tendency to use harder and more wear-resistant aggregate materials. roads in and around Trondheim, mid-Norway, three types of aggregate material are common: greenstone, jasper and ‘mylonite’, in fact a cataclasite. Extensive laboratory testing suggests that cataclasite aggregate has better wear resistance than greenstone, but less than jasper [Erichsen E, Schiellerup H, Gautneb, H, Ottesen RT, Broekmans M. Road dust in Trondheim — analysis of the mineral content of airborne dust. (In Norwegian.) Geological Survey of Norway, NGU-report 2004. 037; 2004. p. 73]. However , observations on fluorescence-impregnated plane and thin sections demonstrate that in practice, cataclasite wears faster than greenstone, which may be attributed to its oriented fabric, as opposed to the random fabric in greenstone and jasper. The original article by Rosiwal from 1896 [Rosiwal A. Neue Untersuchungser gebnisse über die Härte von Mineralien und Gesteine. Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-königlichen geologischen Reichsanstalt, vol. 17/18; 1896. p. 475–491] on abrasion hardness and anisotropy provides an elegant explanation for the field observations.