M. R. Smith and L. Collis (eds) Aggregates: sand, gravel, and crushed rock aggregates for construction purposes (3rd edition)
Venue: Arabian Journal of Geosciences
Year: 2019

Continuously renewed and newly initiated infrastructure and development projects as well as large engineering projects (e.g. highway, railway, dam, and bridge) require vast amount of aggregates. Aggregates are among the basic construction materials and should be defined for the application purpose of each project. The aggregate demands from the projects are very large so the availability of aggregate sources is essential in completion of the projects. A book containing updated knowledge about aggregates is an important guidance for people dealing with aggregates. A noteworthy aggregate source book " Sand, gravel and crushed rock aggregates for construction purposes" is one of the most useful source books published over the last two decades. The review of this book has occurred due to a continuing need for a reference book on this field and to introduce the book to a wider audience because the 3rd edition of the book is out of print. The book contains 13 chapters followed by an appendix indicating physical and mechanical aggregate properties, a glossary, and an index. Each chapter has varied numbers of figures, tables, and references placed at the end of the chapters. Some chapters are presented with an appendix after the references. Figures in each chapter are neatly drawn and very illustrative. Geological occurrences of aggregates are illustrated by maps, 3D geologic models, sketches, and cross sections in the figures of Chapter 2. Tables are informative and supportive to the subject of each chapter. Each chapter starts with a main title and expands with the subtitles supported with figures, tables, references, and appendixes. The subjects of each chapter are presented in a comprehensible way. The book has an order in presenting the topics related to aggregate as follows: geological occurrences of aggregate sources, bureau and field methods used for investigation of aggregates, then extraction and processing of aggregates, description, classification, and sampling and testing methods. The last section of the book covers the topics related to aggregate uses in different areas such as for concrete, mortar, pavement construction, bituminous bound construction materials, railroad ballast, and filter media. It could be useful to summarize the content of each chapter as below for the potential readers of this book. The first chapter is the introduction which gives a short background for aggregate and the details about the publishing process and the objectives of first, second, and third editions of the book. The second chapter is mainly about the geological occurrences of aggregate sources and the climatic and geological factors affecting the aggregate properties of these sources. The first part of the chapter explains aggregate potential of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and geologic occurrences of sand and gravel aggregate sources such as fluvial, glacial, coastal, and marine deposits. Aggregate materials in desert and in tropical regions are described before the effects of climate on aggregate material in different regions. The chapter ends with the influence of primary and secondary geological structures on aggregate sources. The third chapter is devoted to field investigation of aggregate deposits. Necessary office work before a field investigation is followed by the aggregate investigationmethods at the field. Geological evaluation of an aggregate occurrence is explained before the sample collection methods and methods used in a marine aggregate exploration. The last section of the chapter gives the presentation of field and test results. Extraction processes of aggregates from hard rock quarries and sand and gravel pits, extraction methods of marine aggregates, planning of quarries for extraction, and extractionrelated environmental issues such as noise, dust, blasting, nuisance, and visual impact are explained in Chapter 4. Diagrams of aggregate extraction equipment are included at the end of the chapter as an appendix. Processing procedures of sand and gravel and rocks into aggregates are explained in Chapter 5.  Zeynal Abiddin Erguler