Bituminous Materials

Bituminous Materials
1.0

Introduction
a) The term bitumen is a generic name applied to various mixtures of
hydrocarbons.
b) According to ASTM D8, bitumen is a class of black or dark-coloured solid or
viscous, cementitious substances composed chiefly of high molecular weight
hydrocarbons.
c) Most common bituminous materials are tars, pitches and asphalts.
d) Destructive distillation is carried out on natural materials produces tar.
e) Partial evaporation or fractional distillation of tar produces the solid or semisolid residue of pitch.
f) Asphalts are dark brown or black solids or semi solids which are found in the
natural state and are also produced by the refining of petroleum. A great
majority of asphalts used nowadays are residues from refinery of crude oils.
g) Some natural deposits of asphalts are found in Kentucky, Utah, Colorado and
California.
h) 95% of asphalt materials used in North America are derived from the refining
of petroleum.
i) Asphalts are more resistant to weathering and less susceptible to temperature
than tars.
j) Asphalts will be dissolved in petroleum oils whereas tars will not.
k) Asphalts are black in colour whereas tars are usually brown-black in colour.
l) Now, tars are not used widely as binders for highway pavements.
m) Asphalts are used extensively for roadway construction, primarily because of
their excellent binding or cementing power and their waterproofing properties
as well as their relatively low cost.

Bituminous Materials

2.0

Types of Bitumen
Asphalt
A large percentage of the asphalt used results from the refining of crude oils.
There are three main groups of asphalt products produced from straight run
asphalts.

a)

Hot mix asphalts those soften by heat

Hot mix asphalts can be used directly or it can be processed further to produce
a harder material.

Hot mix asphalts have good resistance to the transmission of water and water
vapor when they are applied to dry surfaces and the heating process is
controlled.

Hot mix asphalts bond poorly to damp or wet surfaces, have relatively poor
flexibility, oxidize under the suns rays and are brittle at low temperatures.

b)

Cutback asphalts those dissolved in mineral solvents

Cutback asphalts are in liquid.

Cutback asphalts are of three types:

i) Straight run asphalt and solvent
ii) Heavily filled cutback made by adding a large amount of filler and fiber to
asphalt cut with solvent
iii) Primer type cutback asphalt in solution with no filler or fiber

Cutback asphalts are produced by dissolving the asphalt cement into a lighter
molecular weight hydrocarbon solvent.

Cutback asphalts are convenient to use because they can be applied without
heating.

However, the quality of cutback asphalts are not as good as hot mix asphalts.

Cutback asphalts are used as wearing coats on top of the pavement. They are
sprayed on pavement or mixed with aggregates. The solvent will then
2

Bituminous Materials

evaporate (or known as curing) leaving the asphalts residue as the bituminous
binders.

Cutback asphalts have been widely used for highway construction due to the
effectiveness and easy application on field.

The disadvantages of cutback asphalts are:

i) Cost of solvents. Due to the petroleum price is escalating, the use of
mineral solvents as carrying agents are no longer cost effective.
ii) Hazardous materials. Due to the volatility, the solvents are hazardous.
iii) Environmental pollution. Cutback asphalts release environmental
unacceptable hydrocarbon into the atmosphere.

c)

Emulsified asphalts those dispensed or suspended in a water base

Emulsified asphalts are of three types:

i) Soap type in which soap is used as the emulsifier
ii) Clay modified soap type clay and soap are used as emulsifier
iii) Clay based type

The advantages of emulsified asphalts are:

i) Easy to handle.
ii) Only addition of water is necessary to decrease viscosity.
iii) Drying involves the loss of water by evaporation.
iv) No heating is required.
v) Good bonding to damp or wet surfaces.

3.0

Bituminous Tests
A large number of different tests are performed on bituminous materials for the
purpose of checking compliance with the specifications that are being used. A list
of most commonly tests is compiled in Table 1 to show the corresponding
AASHTO and ASTM designations as well as indicating the applicability of the
bituminous tests.

Bituminous Materials

Table 1: Tests of Bituminous Materials Used In Road Construction

AASHTO

ASTM

Applicable

Designation

Designation

to

T 228

D70D76

A&T

Flash point (open cup)

T48

D92

Flash point (Tag open cup)

T79

Water in petroleum products, etc.

T55

D95

A&T

Solubility of bituminous materials

T44

D2042

A&T

Spot test

T102

Specific viscosity (Engler)

T54

D1665

Kinematic viscosity

T201

D2170

A&T

Absolute viscosity

T202

D2171

Float test

T50

D139

A&T

Penetration test

T49

D5

Softening point (ring-and-ball)

T53

Name of Tests
General Tests
Specific gravity

Solubility Tests

Consistency Tests

A&T

Ductility Test
Ductility

T51

D113

Cutback asphaltic products

T78

D402

Tar products

T52

D20

Loss on heating

T47

D6

Thin-film oven test

T179

D1754

D244

Volatility Tests and Aging Tests

Distillation

Tests for emulsions

T59
Legends: A Asphaltic materials, T Tar products.

4.0

Classification of Bituminous Materials

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Bituminous Materials

Bituminous materials are commonly grouped in various classes or grades based

on consistency. The classification of these materials facilitates the development of
specifications and provides the framework for the establishment of product testing
and quality controls. Until about 1970, the consistencies of asphalt cements were
based on the penetration test. As such, the specifications were commonly written
in those terms. The penetration grades of asphalt cement are as follows:
Table 2: Asphalt Cement Grading by Penetration
Asphalt Cement Grade
AC 40 50

Penetration Range (100 g, 5 sec)

40 50

AC 60 70

60 70

AC 85 100

85 100

AC 120 150

120 150

AC 200 300

200 300

The grades of asphalt cements are now more commonly based on standard
capillary viscometer test, AASHTO Designation T202 (2). The grades and
corresponding viscosity ranges are as follows:
Table 3: Asphalt Cement Grading by Viscosity
Asphalt Cement Grade
AC 2.5

Viscosity, 60oC (140oF)

250 50

AC 5

500 100

AC 10

1000 200

AC 20

2000 400

AC 30

3000 600

AC 40

4000 800