LimsPulse
Construction materials testing

Aggregate Impact Value Tester

A drop-hammer machine that strikes a cup of coarse aggregate 15 times and measures how much it breaks into fines. The result, the aggregate impact value (AIV), shows the aggregate's toughness.

  • Construction materials testing
  • Road and highway construction
  • Quarries and crushers
  • Ready-mix concrete
  • Academic labs
Illustration of Aggregate Impact Value Tester
Follow your site SOP
This is a typical operating sequence for learning. Your instrument model and approved SOP take precedence.
STAGE 1

Before you start

  1. 1Check the hammer mass and drop height check is in date.
  2. 2Make sure the machine is level and firmly bedded and the hammer slides freely.
  3. 3Prepare the aggregate (passing 12.5 mm, retained on 10 mm), dried as the method requires.
  • Never place hands under the raised hammer.
STAGE 2

Preparing the sample

  1. 1Fill the measure in three layers, tamping each 25 times with the rounded end of the rod.
  2. 2Strike off level and weigh the aggregate (A).
  3. 3Transfer it to the cup in one layer and tamp 25 times.
STAGE 3

Testing

  1. 1Adjust the hammer so its lower face is 380 ± 5 mm above the top of the aggregate (or as set by the stop).
  2. 2Give 15 blows, letting the hammer fall freely each time.
  3. 3Remove the crushed aggregate and sieve it on the 2.36 mm sieve.
  4. 4Weigh the fraction passing (B) and check that passing + retained is close to A.
  • If the total differs from A by more than about 1 g (or as your SOP states), discard and repeat.
STAGE 4

After testing

  1. 1Calculate AIV for each test and report the mean of two.
  2. 2Brush the cup and hammer face clean.
  3. 3Record results with sample ID and machine ID.
In LimsPulse · Calibration Management

Keep every AIV tester in control: usage logs, calibration and maintenance schedules, and automatic blocking of overdue instruments.

See how