Concrete,
during its service life, is subjected to volume changes occuring due to
hygral
or thermal reasons. If the aggregate
is compressible, these volume changes
cause lower stress in cement paste as compared to the case
when aggregate is
not compressible.
Thus
compressibility
of aggregate would reduce distress in
concrete while
a strong and rigid aggregate might lead to cracking of the
surrounding cement paste.
In
this way, aggregate of moderate or low strength and modulus of
elasticity can
be valuable in preserving the durability of concrete.