SCHOOL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Pavement Material

Bitumen
BITUMEN
TYPES OF GEOSYNTHETIC

ROOF WATER PROOFING

TYPES OF GEOSYNTHETIC
WATER PROOFING
TYPES OF GEOSYNTHETIC
JOINT SEALING
 TYPES OF GEOSYNTHETIC
BITUMEN PAINT
 TYPES
MASTIC ASPHALT INOF GEOSYNTHETIC
INDUSTRIAL BUILDING FLOORS
TYPES OF GEOSYNTHETIC

ROADS
 USE OF BITUMEN IN PAVEMENT

q Used in preparation of bituminous mixes

q Used as prime coat over granular base course
q Used in soil stabilization
q Sealer material for filling joints, cracks in cc pavements
 TYPESWHAT
OF GEOSYNTHETIC
IS BITUMEN?

A class of black or dark-colored (solid, semi-solid or viscous) cementitious substances, natural or

manufactured, composed principally of high molecular weight hydrocarbons
 ORIGIN
§ Asphalt materials have been utilized since
3500 B.C. Their main uses have been as
adhesives, waterproofing agents, and as
mortars for brick walls.

§ These early asphalt materials were native

asphalt.
§ These native asphalts were found in pools and
asphalt lakes. For example Trinidad and
Bermudez lake deposits (asphalt lake).

§ First US hot mix asphalt (HMA) constructed in

1870.

§ Demand for paved roads exceeded the

supply of lake asphalts in late 1800, lead to
use of petroleum asphalts
Trinidad Lake Asphalt
PRODUCTION OF BITUMEN: FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION

Crude oil, or petroleum, is put

through a distillation process
tha t sep a ra tes th e va riou s
components of the oil into
several byproducts, one of
which is asphalt.

T h u s, a s p h a lt is s im p ly t h e
residue left over from
petroleum refining.
 DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF COAL
• Coal tar is obtained by cooling the gas that is formed during the destructive distillation of coal to
approximately ambient temperature.
• It is a black, viscous liquid composed primarily of a complex mixture of condensed-ring aromatic
hydrocarbons.
• It may contain phenolic compounds, aromatic nitrogen bases and their alkyl derivatives, and
paraffinic and olefinic hydrocarbons. Coal-tar pitch is the residue from the distillation of coal tar.

• Destructive Distillation:
D e st r u c t i ve d i st i l l at i o n
involves the separation of
components via
decomposition of a solid.

• F ra c t i o n a l D i s t i l l a t i o n :
Fractional distillation
involves the separation of
components according to
the di ffe re nc e s i n t he i r
boiling points.
 CONSTITUENT OF BITUMEN
Complex chemical mixture of molecules that are predominantly hydrocarbons with a small
amount structurally analogous species (sulphur, nitrogen, oxygen atoms). Some trace
quantities of metal such as vanadium, nickel, iron, mg, calcium.

Carbon : 82-88 %

Hydrogen : 8-11 %

Sulphur : 0-6 %

Oxygen : 0-1.5 %

Nitrogen : 0-1 %
 BITUMEN PRODUCTS
Bitumen is used in different forms in road construction

Bitumen

Neat/Virgin Bitumen Cutback Modified

bitumen Emulsion Bitumen Bitumen

Each product has a specific application

 Different forms of bitumen
• Cutback bitumen
• Bitumen viscosity need to be reduced for pavement application which can be achieved by
either heating it or dissolving it in a suitable solvent (Naptha, gasoline and kerosene etc.)
• In cutback bitumen volatile solvent is used to lower the viscosity of the bitumen
• After application on the road surface, the volatile matter evaporates, leaving behind the
desired quantity of bitumen
• Types of cutback bitumen based on evaporation of solvent
• rapid curing (RC),
• medium curing (MC)
• slow curing (SC)
• the volatile solvent released into the atmosphere leads to pollution
hence cutback bitumen is not generally used
 Different forms of bitumen
• Bitumen Emulsion
• Bitumen emulsion is a liquid product in which bitumen is suspended in a finely
divided condition in an aqueous medium and stabilised by suitable material
• The bitumen content in the emulsion is around 60% and the remaining is water
• When the emulsion is applied on the road it breaks down resulting in release of
water and the mix starts to set
• Emulsion grade
• Rapid setting (RS), Medium setting (MS), and Slow setting (SC)
• Bitumen emulsions are ideal binders for hill road construction. Where heating of
bitumen or aggregates are difficult
• Rapid setting type of emulsion are used in surface of roads.
• Medium setting type of emulsion are used in premixing of bitumen emulsion and
coarse aggregate.
• Slow setting type of emulsion are used with fine aggregates as the surface area is
large and requires time for uniform mixing.
 Different forms of bitumen
• Modified Bitumen
• Bitumen treated with modifiers is known as modified bitumen
• Modifiers (polymer, crumb rubber etc.) can improve properties of Bitumen and
bituminous mixes
• The advantages of using modified bitumen are as follows
• Lower susceptibility to daily and seasonal temperature variations
• Higher resistance to deformation at high pavement temperature
• Better age resistance properties
• Higher fatigue life for mixes
• Better adhesion between aggregates and binder
• Prevention of cracking and reflective cracking
USE OF BITUMEN IN PAVEMENT
 Desirable Properties of Bitumen
• The bitumen should not be highly temperature susceptible: during the hottest weather
the mix should not become too soft or unstable, and during cold weather the mix should
not become too brittle causing cracks.
• The viscosity of the bitumen at the time of mixing and compaction should be adequate.
• There should be adequate affinity and adhesion between the bitumen and aggregates
used in the mix.
 TYPES OF
Desirable GEOSYNTHETIC
PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN

1. Adhesion
2. Resistance to Water q The bitumen should not be highly temperature susceptible:
3. Hardness Ø during the hottest weather the mix should not become too soft
4. Viscosity and Flow or unstable
5. Softening Point Ø during cold weather the mix should not become too brittle
causing cracks.
6. Ductility
7. Specific Gravity q The viscosity of the bitumen at the time of mixing and compaction
8. Durability should be adequate.
9. Versatility
10.Economical q There should be adequate affinity and adhesion between the
11.Strength bitumen and aggregates used in the mix.
 TYPES OFPROPERTIES
IMPOORTANT GEOSYNTHETIC
OF BITUMEN
Adhesion:

The adhesive property of bitumen binds together all the components without bringing about
any positive or negative changes in their properties. Bitumen has the ability to adhere to a
solid surface in a fluid state depending on the nature of the surface.
 TYPES OFPROPERTIES
IMPOORTANT GEOSYNTHETIC
OF BITUMEN
Resistance to Water:

Bitumen is insoluble in water and can serve as an effective sealant. Bitumen is water resistant.
Under some conditions water may be absorbed by minute quantities of inorganic salts in the
bitumen or filler in it.
 IMPOORTANT PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN
Hardness:
To measure the hardness of bitumen, the penetration test is conducted, which measures the
depth of penetration in tenths of mm. of a weighted needle in bitumen after a given time, at
a known temperature. Commonly a weight of 100 gm is applied for 5 sec at a temperature
of 77 °F. The penetration is a measure of hardness. Typical results are 10 for hard coating
asphalt, 15 to 40 for roofing asphalt and up to 100 or more for water proofing bitumen.
 TYPES OFPROPERTIES
IMPOORTANT GEOSYNTHETIC
OF BITUMEN
Viscosity and Flow:
The viscous or flow properties of bitumen are of importance both at high temperature during
processing and application and at low temperature to which bitumen is subjected during
service. The flow properties of bitumens vary considerably with temperature and stress
conditions.
 TYPES OFPROPERTIES
IMPOORTANT GEOSYNTHETIC
OF BITUMEN
Softening point:
This property make us to know whether given bitumen can be used at the particular place i.e.
softening point value should be higher than pavement temperature otherwise bitumen
present in the layer get soften and come out.
Softening point is the temperature at which a steel ball falls a known distance through the
bitumen when the test assembly is heated at a known rate. Usually the test consist of a (3/8) in
dia. steel ball, weight 3.5 gm, which is allowed to sink through a (5/8) in dia, (1/4) in thick
disk of bitumen in a brass ring. The whole assembly is heated at a rate of 9 °F per min. Typical
values would be 240 °F for coating grade asphalts, 140 °F to 220 °F for roofing asphalt and
down to 115 °F for bituminous water proofing material.
 TYPES OFPROPERTIES
IMPOORTANT GEOSYNTHETIC
OF BITUMEN
Ductility:
Ductility test is conducted to determine the amount bitumen will stretch at temperature below
its softening point. A briquette having a cross sectional area of 1 in2 is placed in a tester
at 77 °F. Ductility values ranges from 0 to over 150 depending on the type of bitumen.
Presence of ductility means the formation of the film and coating would be proper.
 TYPES OFPROPERTIES
IMPOORTANT GEOSYNTHETIC
OF BITUMEN
Durability:
Bitumen durability refers to the long-term resistance to oxidative hardening of the Material
in the field. Although, in-service, all bitumens harden with time through reaction. With
oxygen in the air, excessive rates of hardening (poor durability) can lead to premature
binder embrittlement and surfacing failure resulting in cracking and chip loss. Bitumen lives
upto twenty years if maintained properly throughout the pavement life.
 TYPES OFPROPERTIES
IMPOORTANT GEOSYNTHETIC
OF BITUMEN

Versatility:
Due to versatility property of Bitumen it is relatively easy to use it in many applications
because of its thermoplastic property. It can be spread easily along the underlying
pavement layers as it liquefies when heated making the job easier and hardens in a solid
mass when cooled.
 IMPOORTANT PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN

Strength:
Though the coarse aggregates are the main load bearing component in a pavement,
bitumen or asphalt also play a vital role in distributing the traffic loads to the layers
beneath.
 IMPOORTANT PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN

Economical:
It is available in cheaper rates almost all over the world which makes it feasible and
affordable in many applications.
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Penetration test
• Ductility test
• Elastic Recovery Test
• Softening point test
• Specific gravity test
• Flash and Fire point test
• Specific gravity test
• Water Content test
• Loss on Heating Test
• Viscosity test
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Penetration test
• It measures the hardness or softness of bitumen by measuring the depth in tenths of a
millimeter to which a standard loaded needle will penetrate vertically in 5 seconds at
250C
• Penetration value used for grading of bitumen
• A grade of 40/50 bitumen means the penetration value is in the range 40 to 50 at
standard test condition (4-5mm of penetration)
• Grade of bitumen: 80/100, 60/70, 30/40 etc.
• Harder grades suitable for heavier traffic loads or hot climatic zone
• Softer grades suitable for light traffic loads or cold climatic zone

1 pen = 0.1 mm
 DUCTILITY TEST (ASTM D113)
• Bitumen binder should be sufficently ductile i.e, it should be capable of being stretchted
without breaking. Ductility is the opposite of brittleness.
• It is measured by stretching a standard briquette of bitumen having a c/s area of 1 sq cm at a
temperature of 270C the rate of pull being 5cm/min.
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Ductility test
• Ductility is the property of bitumen that permits it to undergo great deformation or
elongation
• During the ductility test, the bitumen specimen is pulled apart at a specified speed
and
• temperature condition (50 mm/min, 27°C) until it ruptures or reaches the length
limitations of the machine. The elongation length at rupture, measured in centimetres,
is defined as the bitumen’s ductility value.
• Arbitrary empirical test to measure the cohesive strength is loosely related to the
fatigue strength
• A minimum ductility value of 75 cm has been specified by pavement use
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Elastic Recovery Test
• elastic recovery test is used for the determination of the elastic recovery of the
bituminous binders
• primarily applicable to modified bitumens with thermoplastic elastomers
• Test uses same apparatus, mould and procedure as in the ductility test
• The only difference is that the bituminous specimen is not stretched until rupture but
only up to a predetermined elongation (200 mm) at a temp. of 250C
• The bitumen thread thus produced is cut in the middle to obtain two halves of thread.
• After a predetermined time for recovery has elapsed (30 min), the shortening of the
half threads is measured (by a ruler) and expressed as the percentage of the
elongation length
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Elastic Recovery Test

R = (d/200) × 100,
E

where d is the distance between the two shrinked parts of bitumen

(mm) and
R is the elastic recovery (%) rounded to full per cent.
E
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Softening Point test
• Bitumen, a viscoelastic material, does not have a defined melting point. It gradually
becomes softer and less viscous as the temperature rises.
• Softening point denotes the temperature at which the bitumen attains a particular
degree of softening under the specifications of test.
• The test is conducted by using Ring and Ball apparatus
• Arbitrary test to indicate the temperature at which bitumen is more of a liquid and
less of a solid
• Higher softening points indicate higher resistance to melting on road
• Higher resistance to melting indicates higher rutting resistance
• higher softening point indicates lower temperature susceptibility
and is preferred in hot climates
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Flash and Fire point test
• On heating bitumen, volatile vapours arise and those vapours catch fire causing flash which is very
hazardous. So, these are called safety tests (to avoid hazardous environment).
• Flash point as the temperature at which the vapour of bitumen momentarily catches fire in the form
of flash under specified test conditions
• Fire point of bitumen is defined as the point of lowest temperature at which the bitumen ignites and
burns at least for 5 second under specific conditions of test.
• The key difference between flash point and fire point is that the flash point describes the lowest
temperature at which the ignition of a substance initiates whereas the fire point describes the
lowest temperature at whic h the fuel continues to burn for a short time period after the
initiation of the ignition.

• Pensky–Martens open-cup tester is used for testing.

• •Minimum value of flash point = 175°C
• •Closed-cup test = 175°C
• Pensky–Martens open-cup tester is used to find fire point
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Flash and Fire point test
• bitumen is filled in the cup upto a filling marks and bitumen sample is heated at the rate of 50C to
60C per minute, stirring the material.
• The test flame is applied at the interval.
• The flash point is taken as the temperature read on the thermometer.
• If heating is continued beyond the flash point vapour ignites in the presence of a flame and
continues to burn for 5 sec or more, indicating fire point temperature
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Specific gravity test
G is used in bituminous mix design and to convert bitumen content on volume basis.
Specified values:
•For pure bitumen, G = 0.97–1.02
•For tar, G = 1.1–1.25
•Cutback bitumen has lower value depending on proportion.
W1 W2
Procedure using Specific gravity bottle
• Wight of empty dry bottle:W1
• Fill the bottle with distilled water and dip it in water bath for 30 minutes and
note down the weight: W2
• Fill half the bottle with bitumen sample and weigh W3.
• Fill the bottle with half water and half portion with bitumen and weigh: W4. W3 W4
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Water Content test
• When bitumen is heated above the boiling point of water, sometimes
foaming of bitumen occurs. To prevent this bitumen should have
minimum water content in it.
• Water content in bitumen is determined by dean and stark method.

• In this method, the bitumen sample is mixed with a pure petroleum distillate
free from water
• And kept in 500ml heat resistant glass container.
• Container is heated to just above the boiling point of water. The evaporated
water is condensed and collected.
• This collected water is expressed in terms of mass percentage of sample.
• It should not more than 0.2% by weight.
• In case of bitumen, the solvent is carbon disulphide
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Loss on Heating Test
Bitumen is commonly used as a binder in pavements.
When it is exposed to the atmosphere, the volatiles present in it evaporates
and bitumen hardens. So, the Loss on Heating Test of Bitumen is done to
measure this parameter of the bitumen sample.

• About 50gm of the sample is weighed and heated to a temperature of

1630C for 5 hours in a specified oven designed for this test.
• The sample specimen is weighed again after the heating period and loss
in weight is expressed as percentage by weight of the original sample.

• Loss < 1% (in general)

• Loss<2% (if penetration value = 150–200)
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Solubility Test
Pure bitumen is completely soluble in solvents like carbon disulphide and carbon tetrachloride.
•Minimum proportion of bitumen soluble in carbon disulphide is specified as 99%

§ In the standard test for bitumen content (ASTM D4), a small

sample of about 2 g (W1) of the asphalt is dissolved in 100
ml of carbon disulfide
§ The solution is filtered through a filtering mat in a filtering
crucible.
§ The material retained on the filter is then dried and weighed
(W 2 ), and used to calculate the pure bitumen content as a
percentage of the weight of the original asphalt.

W1  W2
Bitumen soluble in carbon disulphide   100
W1
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Float test
• Float test is used to determine the consistency of bitumen.
• Penetration test and viscosity test are used to find out the consistency of
bitumen except for certain range of consistencies.
• The float test apparatus consists of aluminum float and brass collars as shown
in below figure.
 LABORATORY TEST ON BITUMEN FOR PAVEMENT APPLICATION
Float test
• Time taken (in seconds) by water to force its way into the float through the
bitumen plug is noted as the float test
• The collars are filled with melted bitumen sample and cooled to 5oC and then
attached them into aluminum floats and this assembly is placed in water bath
at a temperature of 50oC. Note down the time in seconds from the instant the
float is put on the water bath until the water breaks the material and enters
the float.

Higher the test value, stiffer is the material.

 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Viscosity test
• Viscosity denotes the fluid property of bituminous material and it is a measure of
resistance to flow
• At high viscosity, bitumen resists the compactive effort and thereby resulting mix is
heterogeneous whereas at low viscosity instead of providing a uniform film over
aggregates, it will lubricate the aggregate particles
• Two types of viscosity tests are generally run
• absolute viscosity (expressed in poise) at 60°C, and
• kinematic viscosity (expressed in centistokes) (by gravity flow) at 135°C.

• Viscosity at 1350C is a fair indicator of the coating

ability of Bitumen
• Viscosity at 600C is a replacement for Softening Point
test and is an indicator of the ability of bitumen to
resist rutting
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
• Viscosity test
• Viscosity tests are used for classification of asphalts (absolute viscosity), as well as on
conditioned asphalts to evaluate overheating/overaging of asphalt
• Generally higher viscosity asphalts are used in warmer climatic regions, whereas lower
viscosity materials are used in colder regions
• Generally, the viscosity for mixing and compaction is specified as 170 ± 20 and 280 ± 30
cSt
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
Rotational Viscometer test
• determination of dynamic viscosity of a variety of bituminous binders: modified and unmodified
bituminous binders, bituminous emulsions, cut-back and fluxed bituminous binders by means of
rotating spindle
• principle of the test method is that the torque applied to a spindle (e.g. a cylinder), which is rotating
in a special sample container containing the test sample, measures the relative resistance of the
spindle to rotation and provides a measure of the dynamic viscosity of the sample
• The typical test temperatures for unmodified or modified bitumens range from 90°C to 180°C
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
Viscosity test by capillary viscometers
• capillary viscometers determine the kinematic viscosity of bituminous binders at 135°C
• By performing the test, the time for a fixed volume of the liquid to flow through the capillary of a
calibrated glass capillary viscometer under an accurately reproducible head and at a closely
controlled temperature is determined, called efflux time.
• The kinematic viscosity (ν) (in mm/s2) is calculated by multiplying the efflux time (t) (in seconds) by
the viscometer calibration factor (C) (in mm/s2).
• Dynamic viscosity = calibration factor (K) * flow time (t)

Display Console

Cannon
Manning
Viscometer

Vacuum apparatus

Glycerin chamber
 Laboratory Test on Bitumen for Pavement Application
Viscosity test by vaccum capillary viscometers
• The vacuum capillary viscometers determine the dynamic viscosity of bituminous binders
at 60°C
• The purpose of the test is to determine the time for a fixed volume of the liquid to be
drawn up through a capillary tube by means of a vacuum, under closely controlled
conditions of vacuum and temperature.
• The dynamic viscosity (η) (in Pa·s) is calculated by multiplying the efflux time (t) (in
seconds) by the viscometer calibration factor (K) (in Pa)
Aging of Bitumen
• Bituminous binders undergo aging due to loss of volatile mater and
oxidation
• Short-term aging during storage, transportation, mixing and placing (at high
temperature)
• Long-term aging due to oxidation occurring during the service life
• Bituminous binders become harder and stiffer due to aging
• Penetration decreases with aging
• Viscosity increases
• Softening Point increases
• Ductility decreases
Measurement of Aging Characteristics
• Short-term aging by Thin Film Oven (TFO) or Rolling Thin Film Oven (RTFO)
• Bituminous binder is kept as film at high temperature (1630C) for specified time
period
• Properties of the aged binder are compared with those of un-aged binder
• Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV) is used to simulate the long-term aging that occurs
over long time period in pavements
Thin-Film Oven (TFO)
• The thin-film oven (TFO) test simulates short-term aging by heating a film of
asphalt binder in an oven for 5 hours at 163° C
• The effects of heat and air are determined from changes incurred in physical
properties measured before and after the oven treatment by other test
procedures.
 Rolling Thin-Film Oven (RTFO)
• provides simulated short term aged asphalt binder for physical
property testing.
• Asphalt binder is exposed to elevated temperatures to simulate
manufacturing and placement aging.
• The RTFO also provides a quantitative measure of the volatiles
lost during the aging process
• The basic RTFO procedure takes unaged asphalt binder samples
in cylindrical glass bottles and places these bottles in a rotating
carriage within an oven.
• The carriage rotates within the oven while the 163°C
temperature ages the samples for 85 minutes. Samples are then
stored for use in physical properties tests or the PAV
• The RTFO was selected because:
• it continually exposes fresh binder to heat and air flow during
rolling
• modifiers if used usually remain dispersed in the asphalt binder
due to rolling action
• unlike TFO test in which the binder doesn’t move, it does’t allow
any surface skin to be formed, which inhibits aging.
• it takes only 85 min to perform rather than five hours required for
the TFO test.
• It can accommodate large number of samples than the TFO
Pressure Aging Vessel (PAV)
• provides simulated long term aged asphalt binder for physical property testing.
• Asphalt binder is exposed to heat and pressure to simulate in-service aging over a 7 to 10
year period
• The basic PAV procedure takes RTFO aged asphalt binder samples, places them in stainless
steel pans and then ages them for 20 hours to simulate the effect of aging.

• PAV composed of stainless steel must be able to

operate under the pressure 2070 Kpa and
temperature conditions (90, 100 or 110 C) of the test.

• the samples are then stored for further testing.