Date of Graduation

8-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Civil Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Braham, Andrew F.

Committee Member

Hall, Kevin D.

Second Committee Member

Zhang, Wen

Keywords

Asphalt emulsion; Circularity; Coulter counter; Laser diffraction; Microscopy; Particle size analysis

Abstract

Particle size analysis (PSA) captures the size distribution of fine-grained or emulsified materials with particles generally smaller than 1000 microns. Asphalt emulsions and many other civil engineering materials do not leverage PSA for material specifications or acceptance despite the insight into material performance and quality gained through understanding the particle size. The objectives of this study are to compare PSA measurement principles by testing 13 civil engineering materials by laser diffraction, Coulter counter, and microscopy and to develop a draft standard procedure for asphalt emulsion PSA. Asphalt emulsions, cementitious materials, sands, clays, and biological samples were selected to represent a wide set of interests and shapes. It was found that between laser diffraction and Coulter counter measurements for materials of the same batch the median (d50) differed by 6% for sand to 37% for cement and the span differed by 26% for clay to 84% for sand. The size of higher sphericity particles was more consistent across measurement principles, highlighting potential measurement biases due to spherical particle idealization prevalent in sizing equipment. New information advised for reporting in PSA results includes sizing bin details and replicate configuration. The draft emulsion PSA procedure should be refined with input from future studies.

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