ABSTRACT
Crushed rock is the most important coarse aggregate in civil construction: in 2001, the State of São Paulo produced 53 million/tons of crushed rock. In the rock comminution process for obtaining this aggregate, a fraction of a finer material, called quarry fines, represents (10–20% of the overall crushed rock. This material is stored in high outdoors piles, subject to weathering, causing environmental impacts. The purpose of this paper is to show the main technological characteristics of quarry fines and to study their behavior when used as aggregates in the preparation of mortars. The study of these fines is crucial, since the type of rock and the crushing process employed determines grain size, mineralogy, grain shape and texture, important characteristics which affect the different performances of mortar as workability, adherence, deformability and strength.
