Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-12-13

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and resistance to wear. The extent
to which pebbles possess these quail
ties depends very largely on the char
acter Of the parent stone from which
they We're originally produced and ac-
cordingly varies over a wide range.
Since nearly all gravel deposits con-
tain pebbles which have been formed
from many different kinds Of stone,
it has not been considered practicable
to apply the ordinary laboratory tests
for determining hardness, toughness,
and per cent Of wear to gravel, and
the matter of comparing these quail
ties, as possessed by the pebbles from
different gravel deposits, usually de-
Ponds on visual inspection. Not infre-
quently a very casual inspection will
reveal which deposit, among a great
number, contains the largest percen-
tage of hard, durable pebbles. There
are comparatively few cases where
this point cannot be determined with
sufficient accuracy by sorting out the
pebbles contained in representative
samples from the different deposits,
testing the various kinds with a hand
hammer, and determining the relative
proportions in which the more durable
materials are present in the sample by.
means Of a weighing device.
Ordinarily the most durable pebbles
which occur in gravel deposits are
those composed Of either quartzite or
ebert, though many deposits contain
fragments Of limestone or trap rock,
either of which may make an excellent.
road-surfacing material. For exam
pie, the so-called "blue gravel" which
occurs in certain sections of the coun-
try usually is composed largely of
trap-rock fragments and generally
ranks high as a road material. While
limestone pebbles usually are less re-
sistant to wear than those of trap rock,
they possess the advantage of a rel
atively high cementing value and their
presence in gravel may aid greatly in
securing a w%ell-bonded surface with
out an excess of clay.
The Binder.
No matter how durable may be the
pebbles contained in a given gravel
deposit, they cannot be used success
fully in a road surface unless they can
be well bonded together so as to pre-
sent a combined resistance to the dis
turbing action of traffic. To accom-
plish this bond requires that the gravel
contain some cementing or binding
agent such as iron oxide, carbonate
of lime, or clay. AS already explained,
certain pebbles, such as those COM
posed of limestone, possess the prop
erty Of becoming firmly bonded togeth-
er by virtue of their own cementing
value.
The principal cementing agent, or
binder, present in most gravel depos-
it's is clay, and in case of deposits
which do not carry sufficient binder,
clay usually is the material added to
correct the deficiency. While there are
many exceptions to this rule, it is suf-
ficlently general to warrant treating
as special cases those deposits in
which the binder is not clay.
The suitability Of clay for use as a
binder for a gravel road surface de-
ponds on exactly the same character
istics| as it's suitability for use in sand
clay construction. That is, a quality
of clay which could be used satisfac-
torily in a sand-clay surface also
should make a satisfactory binder for
a gravel surface, provided it is used
In proper proportion and is properly
mixed with sand.
Grading and Proportions.
For gravel to make a satisfactory
road surface, the stone particles
should be graded in size so that the
amount Of binder required will be
reduced to q minimum. The reason
for this is that the binder usually is
much less resistant to wear than the
stone particles, and therefore it is de-
sirable that the latter form as large
a part Of the wearing surface as is
practicable. Most gravel deposits as
they occur in nature satisfy this re-
quirement in SO far as grading Of the
pebbles is concerned, but they nearly
always contain pebbles Of a size larg.
er than it is desirable to incorporate
in a road surface. Natural deposits
also not infrequently contain too large
a proportion of sand or clay to pro-
duce satisfactory results. It is desira-
BILE, therefore, that specifications COW
ering gravel for use in road construc-
ton should limit the proportions in
which the fine and coarse materials
shall be present and a maximum limit
ing size for the pebbles, as well as
definite requirements regarding the
quality Of the pebbles and Of the
binder.
In general, it has been found that
satisfactory gravel will conform. the
following limits as to percentages of
fine and coarse material:
1. Material retained on a A-inch
sieve, So to Is per cent.
2, Material retained on a N-inch
sieve, not less than Is per cent.
8. Material (clay) passing a 200
mesh sieve for the surface course, 8 to
| 1E nor cent