ABSTRACT
The engineering performance of aggregates depends on their geometric and surface characteristics. The global shortage of natural aggregates has driven the search for synthetic alternatives. Recently, waste glass, widely available in landfills, has emerged as a potential aggregate for geotechnical and transportation applications. This study quantifies and compares shape characteristics of crushed waste glass (CWG) and crushed rock (CR) aggregates. Sphericity, roundness and angularity have been quantified using image analysis, while surface roughness has been estimated through a fractal approach after 3D Optical Profilometer scanning. Results indicate that CWG and CR have close roundness and sphericity values, but CR aggregates are slightly more angular than CWG. Further, CWG aggregates are smoother than CR. The roughness values calculated as per the fractal method were found to be close to the profilometer estimates. These findings provide valuable insights into CWG’s shape characteristics, enabling correlation of their grain scale features to macroscale performance.
