Performance Grading

of Bitumen
H. Bahia
The University of Wisconsin-Madison
 Outline
• Background on Transport
• Targets of Bitumen Specifications
• Traditional Specifications
• Performance grade Specifications
– Why we need to learn about them
– Test methods necessary
– The Superpave Bitumen grading system
Transport Network
How much is spent on Roads ?
 Common Targets for
Bitumen Specifications
• Constructability

• Performance

Rutting
Fatigue Cracking
• Durability Thermal Cracking
 Historical Specifications
0 sec
5 sec
vacuum
penetration
100 g
100 g

Consistency
(pen or vis) pen
hard vis
A, B, C
are same grade!
A
B
soft vis C
-15 25 60 135
Temperature, C
 Conventional Bitumen Grades
Penetration Grades
AC 40 AR 16000
40
Viscosity, 60C (140F)

100 50 AC 20
AR 8000
60
50 70 AC 10
AR 4000
85
100
AC 5
AR 2000
120
150 AC 2.5
10
200 AR 1000
300

5
 Asphalt Behavior

Lower Temp Hard

Shorter loading time
(High Traffic Speed)

Elastic Viscous

Higher Temp
Longer loading time
Soft Slower Traffic Speed
Effects of Time and Temperature
60 C 1 hour
Flows rapidly at
High temperatures

1 hour 10 hours
25 C

Flows slowly with time at lower temperatures

Effects of Visco-Elasticity
Elastic Viscous
Tire Tire
Load Recoverable Load Non-Recoverable
Deformation Deformation

Before During After Before During After

Load Load Load Load Load Load
 Performance Grading
Should:
• Include measures describing stress-
strain relationships under field loading.
• Consider the pavement conditions
– Temperature, traffic speed, traffic
volume, and pavement structure.
• Include acceptance limits derived from
experience and factual field
performance.
 Variables that affects
Binder Selection
• Geographic Area:
– Air Temperature, solar radiation
– Pavement Temperature: Max & Min
• Traffic volume: High, Medium, Low
• Traffic speed: Fast, Slow
• Pavement Structure: Strong, Weak
– Stress and strain
 Selection of Grades by
Pavement Temperature
Maximum: @ 20-mm below surface
(approximately 18 C higher)
Minimum: @ surface
(approximately 8 C higher)

63 C

57 C
 Important Considerations
Traffic and Pavement Structure
• Effect of traffic • Pavement Damage
Volume & Speed

4ESALS !, Speed limits!

8Weak vs. Strong base!
 Performance Grading – PG system
Thermal Cracking Fatigue Cracking Rutting Production
Thermal Fatigue Permanent (mixing &
Cracking Cracking Deformation compact)

PAV RTFO

- 20 20 60 135
Pavement Temperature, C
 Performance Grading of Asphalt
Binder- The Superpave System
• Workability at Construction Temperatures
• Rotational Viscometer (RV) – η at 135 C - unaged
• Rutting at High Pavement Temperature
• Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) - G*/sin δ (unaged & RTFO)
• Fatigue at Average Pavement Temperature
• (DSR) - G*.sin δ (PAV aged)
• Thermal cracking at Low Pavement Temperature
• Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) - S(60), m(60) (PAV aged)
• Direct Tension Tester (DTT) - Strain at failure
• Durability Properties - short term and long term
• rolling thin film oven (RTFO), pressure aging vessel (PAV)
 Rotational Viscometer
• Evaluates
– handling and pumping applied
properties torque
spindle
• ASTM D 4402 motor and asphalt sample
controller
• Other Names: Brookfield sample chamber
viscometer, rotational
coaxial cylinder viscometer
temperature
• Output controller
thermo -
– viscosity at 135 C container
– viscosity temperature chart for
mix design
 What are our problems?
1.Rutting in Asphalt Layer
original
profile
weak asphalt layer
shear plane
 Dynamic Shear Rheometer
• Evaluates
Applied Stress
– elastic and viscous properties
or Strain
– time and temperature effects
• Other Names Oscillating
Plate
– oscillatory shear rheometers Fixed Plate
– dynamic rheometers
B A C
• Output
– complex shear modulus (G*)
– phase angle (δ)
 Applied Stress
or Strain
Dynamic Shear
Rheometer
τmax
Measures hardness
Oscillating Applied
Shear time
Plate
Asphalt
Stress
τmax
G* =
Fixed Plate γmax

γmax δ
δ = time lag/w
B C Resulting
A
Shear
Strain time Measures elasticity

Test at Pavement Temperature

 2. Fatigue of
Pavements
“alligator”
cracking
3. Low Temperature
Cracking

6 - 30 m
 Bending Beam Rheometer
• Evaluates
Load
– low temperature stiffness properties
• Output
– creep stiffness deflection
– m-value
Load Deflection

Time Time
 Results of the
Bending
Log Creep
Beam Rheometer
Stiffness, S
slope = m-value
Thermal
m(60) Stress relaxation
S(60)
Thermal
Stress build up

8 15 30 60 sec 120 240

Log Loading Time
 Direct Tension Tester
• Evaluates Load
– low temperature ability to stretch
• Output
– tensile strain at failure length
before test

Load
 Direct Tension Testing
Load elongation
at failure

length length
before test at failure

failure stress = Load at break /area

Load elongation
failure strain =
length before test
 Failure Properties
Strength and Strain Tolerance
stress
brittle
brittle-ductile

ductile

strain
 Asphalt Aging Behavior
• Asphalt Reacts with Oxygen and
hardens
• During Construction - Short Term
– hot mixing, placing, and compaction
• In Service - Long Term
– hot climate worse than cool climate
– So What?
–Pavement layer is brittle >> cracking
Rolling Thin Film Oven
Short Term aging
controls fan

163 C
empty bottle
before

coated bottle
after

air jet bottle carriage

 air The Pressure
pressure
temperature
Aging Vessel
probe

asphalt

pressure vessel sample rack sample pan

 Superpave Binder
Specifications
S=300MPa
m>0
Modulus

.3 G*sinδ=5 MPa

PAV-aged
RTFO
η= 3.0 pa-s
G*/sinδ=.001,
.0022 MPa Unaged
Temperature
Tmin Tavg Tmax 135 C
 Asphalt Binder Selection
• Performance Based
– permanent deformation
– fatigue cracking
– low temperature cracking
• Physical Properties
– criteria remain the same
– temperature at which criteria achieved
varies
– measured on aged binder
Grade is First Selected from
Pavement Temperatures
Max Pave Temperature PG 58 -
(HT)
Min Pav Temperature -16 -22 -28 -34 -40
(LT)
Viscosity at 135 C @ 135 C < 3.0 Pa-s
G*/sin d (ungaed) @ HT > 1.0 Kpa
G*/sin d (RTFO-aged) @ HT >2.2 Kpa
G*.sin d (RTfO+PAV-aged) @ IT <5000 Kpa
S( 60) (RTfO+PAV-aged) @ LT <300,000 Kpa
M(60) (RTfO+PAV-aged) @ LT >0.300
Strain @ failure (RTFO+PAV) @ LT >1.0 %
 Grading System

PG 64-22

Performance Average 7-day Min pavement

Grade max pavement design temp
design temp
 Binder PG Grades
(AASHTO) PG HT- LT
LT -10 -16 -22 -28 -34 -40 -46
HT
82 Modified
76 Bitumen
70
64
58
52
46 Unmodified
Bitumen
Map for Production of PG Grades
88 PG HT-LT
82 Modified
Bitumen
High-Temp Grade (HT)

76
70 Best
64
Crude
58 Standard
52 Crude
46
40
-52 -46 -40 -34 -28 -22 -16 -10 -4
Low-Temp Grade (LT
 Methods of Selection
• Select base grade based upon:
– Geographic Area
– Air Temperature
– Pavement Temperature
• Adjust base grade based upon:
– Traffic Speed
– Traffic Volume
 Considering traffic volume and
speed - adjustment to PG Grade
Traffic Traffic Speed
Volume
ESALs
Standing Slow Standard
<0.3 (~ +1) - -
0.3 to < 3 +2 +1 -
3 to <10 +2 +1 -
10 to < 30 +2 +1 (~ +1)
> 30 +2 +1 +1
+1 : Increase PG grade by 6 degrees; e.g. PG 64-22 to PG 70-22
Effect of Traffic Speed and
Volume on Binder Selection
• Examples
• Base Grade PG 58 -22
– for toll road
– (high Volume) PG 64-22
– for toll booth
– ( high volume and slow traffic) PG 70-22
– for rest area
– (high volume and standing traffic) PG 76-22
Thank You
for your
attention

Questions !