The everyday name for the theoretical maximum specific gravity test, after James Rice, who developed it. Loose, broken-up mix goes into a flask or bowl, is covered with water, and is held under vacuum for about 15 minutes to pull out trapped air before weighing. The resulting Gmm is the yardstick for every voids and density calculation, so asking for the Rice is the first move when a density number looks wrong.
Use today's Rice, not the JMF number, the plant changed sand piles and the max gravity moved.
Also heard as
- Rice test
- max gravity
Related terms
Gmm
Maximum specific gravity of the mix: the density it would have if every air void were squeezed out.
Density
How tightly a compacted asphalt layer is packed, reported as a percentage of its maximum theoretical density.
Air voids
The small pockets of air between binder-coated aggregate in compacted mix, given as a percent of total volume.
Puck
Lab slang for a compacted cylindrical mix specimen, especially one made in the gyratory compactor.