U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000


Skip to content
Facebook iconYouTube iconTwitter iconFlickr iconLinkedInInstagram

FHWA Home / Highways for LIFE / Technology Partnerships / Pavement-Related Technologies / PowerPoint Presentation - Aggregate Imaging Measurement System (AIMS)

PowerPoint Presentation - Aggregate Imaging Measurement System (AIMS)

PDF Version (0.7 mb)
PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®

Slide 1 – Aggregate Imaging Measurement System (AIMS)

Project Team: Pine Instrument, Texas A&M, and Texas DOT

Award: $200,000

Conceptualized rendering of the final AIMS system

Conceptualized rendering of the final AIMS system

A video-clip is available (.wmv, 14.5 mb)


Slide 2 – Need

  • Aggregate shape properties have been shown to be related to the structural integrity and performance of pavement systems.
  • Existing tests for aggregate shape properties are time-consuming and subjective.

Anticipated advantages over conventional practice

  • Enhanced information on the aggregate material shape properties will help improve pavement performance and augment predictive models.
  • AIMS provides objective, repeatable, and rapid measurement of aggregate shape properties.

Slide 3 – AIMS Characterizes Aggregate Shape Properties for Pavement Materials

Illustration of three shaped properties of a aggregate particle; form, angularity, and texture. There is an existing standardized test from ASTM for form and angularity. There no comparable standardized test currently available for texture.


Slide 4 – Existing Technique

Aggregate sample

Under ASTM D5821, aggregates are examined manually and fractured faces are counted on each particle

New Technique

AIMS prototype system

Prototype AIMS System

Captures and analyzes images of multiple particles and characterizes the material sample. A graphical output is provided.


Slide 5 – Angularity Output Graph Illustrates the Percent of Particles for Each Aggregate Sample

The graph represents the AIMS angularity index distribution for six aggregate samples. The graph illustrates the percent of particles for each aggregate sample which fall into rounded, sub rounded, sub-angular, and angular categories.


Slide 6 – The AIMS system ranks the texture for coarse aggregates ranging from polished surfaces to high roughness.

The picture shows the five categories of AIMS texture which are high roughness, moderate roughness, low roughness, smooth and polished.

Page last modified on July 6, 2016
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000