Duration:

Instructor:

Trainees:

CASIA, MA. CRISTINA B.

Bautista, John Michael

Copones, Justin DR

Cuartero, Chester James

De guzman, Jacob

Masa, Raymund

INTRODUCTION:
Asphalt, also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid
form of petroleum. The primary use (70%) of asphalt/bitumen is in road construction,
where it is used as the glue or binder mixed with aggregate particles to create asphalt
concrete. Its other main uses are for bituminous waterproofing products, including
production of roofing felt and for sealing flat roofs. We performed different tests;
specific gravity, penetration, softening point, viscosity and ductility, in different types of
asphalt sample: 60/70, 115, 116 and 118.
LABORATORY TEST PERFORM

2.1 SPECIFIC GRAVITY

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the mass of a given volume of the bituminous
material to the mass of an equal volume of water, the temperature of both being
specified as 250C. First you should calibrate the pycnometer then dry the calibrated
pycnometer. Pour heated sample about 34 ful, allow the asphalt to cool to room
temperature for not less than 40 minutes. Weigh the pycnometer containing the sample
with the stopper and record its mass. Fill the pycnometes with the distilled water from
the beaker used in calibration, cool at a 250C for at least 30 minutes, take out the
pycnometer from the beaker and wipe off the water from its surfaces and immediately
take the weight and record he mass. The test method involves the measurement of the
mass of the material tested and the mass of an equal volume of water.The mass of the
sample is simply determined by subtracting the mass of the container from the mass of
the container with the sample The mass of an equal volume of distilled water is
determined by subtracting the mass of the container with the asphalt sample and the
mass of the container filled with water alone. The specific gravity is calculated as the
ration of the two results.

This test is a fundamental property frequently required as an aid in classing binders for
use in paving jobs. It is also used in identifying the source of bitumen binder and in case
bitumen contains mineral impurities the specific gravity will be higher. Thus it is
possible for a quantitative extraction of mineral impurity in bitumen. The experiment
has been performed successfully and the specific gravity determined is 1.02.

The specific gravity of the asphalt 60/70 is 1.02 while the other asphalt sample; 115 is
1.07, 116 is 1.13 and 118 is 1.17. I observed that the more solid the asphalt sample is,
the higher the specific gravity is.

We must assure that all precautions are taken in making the specific gravity bottles
thoroughly cleaned and dried in the first weighting. The surface of the pycnometer
must be cleaned and dried after filling with water before weight so it will not affects on
its weight.

There should be no bubbles in the pycnometer so the chance of error will be eliminated
and thus the value is correct. We must follow all the listed methods to ensure that the
chance of error will be eliminated.
2.2 PENETRATION TEST

Penetration is the consistency of a bituminous material measured at a controlled

temperature. The penetration of a bituminous material provides a direct information as
to how hard or soft it is. A bituminous material with high penetration value obviously
means that it is soft. First heat the sample until it becomes fluid then fill the sample
containers with the heated asphalt at least 25 mm. Allow it to cool to room temperature
for 1 to 1.5 hours. Immerse the sample, transfer the dish and the tripod support into the
water bath. Set the penetration apparatus over a flat surface with sufficient lightning
then transfer the sample into the dish and take them out of the bath. Adjust the needle
holder until the tip of the needle touches the asphalt sample Adjust the rack of the dial
until its bottom slightly touches the tip of the needle holder, record the initial reading
and release the needle holder by pressing the ferrule or the specified time of penetration
then lower the rack of the dial slowly until its bottom touches the tip of the holder and
record the final reading. Loosen the needle screw and lift the holder, leaving the needle
in the sample then bring back the transfer dish and the sample container into the water
bath and maintain it for 5 minutes.

Penetration test is used to measure the consistency of bitumen, so that they can be
classified into standard grades. Greater value of penetration indicates softer consistency.
Generally higher penetration bitumen is preferred for use in cold climate and smaller
penetration bitumen is used in hot climate areas. 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. The bitumen is softened to a pouring
consistency, stirred thoroughly and poured into containers at a depth at least 15 mm in
excess of the expected penetration. It may be noted that penetration value is largely
influenced by any inaccuracy with regards to size of the needle, weight placed on the
needle and the test temperature. In hot climates, a lower penetration grade is preferred.

The result of the penetration test in asphalt sample 60/70 is 6 mm while the other
asphalt sample; 115 is 15 mm, 116 is 2.33mm and 118 is 1.15mm. I observed that the
harder or the more solid the asphalt sample is, the higher the result in penetration test
is.

The possible sources of the test are not using distilled water.

There should be no movement of the container while needle penetrates it sample. We

must follow all the listed methods to ensure that the chance of error will be eliminated. .
Always follow what is said in the manual book, if there’s not clear instruction or
clarifications kindly ask your instructor or professor about these things.
2.3 SOFTENING POINT TEST

Softening point of material as determined by the ring and ball test is often used to
characterize asphalts of the harder types, especially those used as sealants, high
softening point indicates that the material would flow/melt only at a relatively high
temperature. Heat the asphalt sample, should not exceed 15 minutes then set the rings
upon a plate and pour the heated sample into the rings then allow it to cool for 30
minutes. Cut-off the level the excess material using spatula, place the samples and the
balls into a bath and maintain the temperature to 50C for 15 minutes, pour cold, freshly
boiled distilled water into the container then place the ball over the sample in the mold
using the ball-centering guide, slightly pressing it into sample and assemble the mold
with the sample and the ball on the ring and thermometer support. Insert a
thermometer and set it up in the container with cooled distilled power, place this
assembly upon the heater then start the heater and increase the temperature at the rate
of 50C per min until the sample reaches it softening point.

Bitumens/ Asphalts are viscoelastic materials without sharply defined melting points;
they gradually become softer and less viscous as the temperature rises. For this reason,
softening points must be determined by an arbitrary and closely defined method if
results are to be reproducible. The softening point is useful in the classification of
bitumens, as one element in establishing the uniformity of shipments or sources of
supply, and is indicative of the tendency of the material to flow at elevated temperatures
encountered in service.
The Softening Point test has been performed and the softening point value has been
calculated as 620C for asphalt sample grade: 60/70 while the other sample is; 115 is
720C, 116 is 790C and 118 is 950C. I observed that the harder/ more solid the asphalt
sample indicates that the material would flow/melt only at a relatively high
temperature.

When setting the rings upon a plate rubbed with a detergent bar or wiped with glue to
prevent the asphalt from sticking. Always follow what is said in the manual book, if
there’s not clear instruction or clarifications kindly ask your instructor or professor
about these things.
2.4 VISCOSITY TEST

The viscosity of the material is a measure of its ability to resist flow. The more viscous
the binder, the more stable the pavement will be. Prepare the viscometer and insert the
cork stopper at the bottom of the tube. Insert the displacement ring in the gallery and
pour the heated sample into the cylindrical tube through a funnel with No. 20 sieve,
until it slightly overflows over the rim. Insert a thermometer into the tube and stir the
asphalt sample in a rotary motion until it reaches the testing temperature then place the
receiving flask directly under the efflux tube, snap off the cork stopper and record the
time of efflux of 60 ml. of the sample.

This test method is useful in characterizing the consistency of tar and tar distillates by
measuring, their flow properties. It is applicable to materials that are readily liquid at
temperature up to 100°C. Viscosity in Engler’s degrees ≈ 1/4th of say bolt furol
viscosity (seconds). The degree of fluidity at application temperature greatly influences
the strength characteristics of resulting paving mixes. High or low fluidity at mixing
and compaction has been observed to result in lower stability values. There is an
optimum value of fluidity or viscosity for mixing and compaction for each aggregate
grading of the mix and bitumen grade. At low Viscosity, the binder simply lubricates
the aggregate particles instead of providing a uniform film thickness for binding action.
Similarly high viscosity also resists the comp active effort and the resulting mix will be
heterogeneous in character exhibiting low stability values. Liquid asphalt is used to
save large amount of energy required to melt or make the asphalt workable.

The Viscosity test has been performed and the viscosity value has been calculated as 165
seconds for asphalt sample grade: 60/70. The viscosity ratio of the 60/70 asphalt in
given temperatures 120°C, 130°C, 140°C and 150°C are 283s, 180s, 165s and 104s
respectively.

Make sure that the timing when you click the timer is right to ensure that there’s small
possibility of errors. Always follow what is said in the manual book, if there’s not clear
instruction or clarifications kindly ask your instructor or professor about these things.
2.5 DUCTILITY TEST

Ductility is the ability of the material to elongate when subjected to tension. In this test,
a sample of the asphalt material is heated then poured into a special mold to form a
briquette specimen. This specimen is subjected to tension, using the ductility machine,
at a controlled rate of 5 cm/min at a temperature of 250C until the specimen breaks
apart. The ductility of the material is the distance through which the specimen is
stretched until breaks.
This test method provides measure of tensile properties of bituminous materials and
may be used to measure ductility for specification requirements. Bituminous materials
used in pavement construction should possess sufficient ductility otherwise the
pavement would crack due to temperature or traffic stresses and may render the
pavement pervious and damage the pavement structure. Several agencies have specified
minimum ductility values for various types of bitumen pavements. However a ductility
of 100 cm’s is specified generally for bituminous construction. Roads expand at daytime
while they contract at night. So, if the bitumen is not adequately ductile cracking will
occur. More than one grade may be used in the same project. For example; we may use
grade 80/100 on the main traffic lane and lower grades on the arteries.

The Ductility test has been performed and the ductility value has been calculated as
100+ cm for asphalt sample grade: 60/70 while the other sample is 115 is 4.5 cm, 116 is
2.9 cm and 118 is 0.75cm. I observed that the more liquid or the softer the asphalt
sample is the longer it takes to break. Temperature was not maintained in the lab so the
value may differ at 25o C as we performed at the Lab temperature.

The plate assembly upon which the mold is placed shall be perfectly flat and level so
that the bottom surface of the mold touches it throughout. In filling the mold, care
should be taken not to distort the briquette and to see that no air pocket is within the
molded sample. Always follow what is said in the manual book, if there’s not clear
instruction or clarifications kindly ask your instructor or professor about these things.
ASPHALT SAMPLE SPECIFIC PENETRATION SOFTENING VISCOSITY DUCTILITY
GRAVITY POINT

60/70 1.02 6mm 620C 165 100+cm

seconds
115 1.07 15mm 790C 283 seconds 4.5 cm

116 1.13 2.33 mm 790C 180 seconds 2.9 cm

118 1.17 1.15 mm 950C 104 seconds 0.75cm