Natural and manufactured fine aggregates are the most usual aggregates used in mortar and concrete. The most important difference between these aggregates is the particle shape. This property was analyzed using different parameters and was verified its influence in mortar and concrete performance. The digital imagem processing was used to measure the aggregate dimension and the following shape parameters were obtained: aspect ratio, sphericity, flakiness ratio and shape factor. The flakiness ratio and shape factor, which analyses the particle shape property in third dimenson showed the best results. It was observed that the crushing equipment influences the particle shape. Aggregates produced by vertical impact crushing are more rounded, with particle similar to the natural sand. In the experiments the particle shape has influenced the mortar and concrete consistence. However, it did not significantly influence the compressive strenght.
fine aggregate; concrete; mortar; particule shape