Technical College of Engineering

Highway & Bridges Engineering Dept. ASPHALT

Second Year (2017 – 2018)

Technology

LABORATOR

Softening Point of Bituminous

(Ring & Ball Apparatus)

Experiment No. 3

Experiment Date: 25th February 2018

Submission Date: 4th March 2018

Under the supervision of:

Mr.Samir , Miss Media , Miss Viyan , Miss Suaad , Mr.Ismail

Report by: Group (B)

Omed Idrees Omer
Introduction:
The Softening Point of bitumen is a temperature which
the substance attains particular degree of softening. It is the
temperature in ºC which a standard ball passes through a sample of
bitumen in a mold, when heated under water at specified
conditions of test. The binder should have sufficient fluidity before
its applications in road uses, because the bitumen’s materials
gradually become softer and less viscous as the temperature rises,
so the determination of softening point helps to know the
temperature up to which a bituminous binder should be heated for
various road use applications. And also using the softening point
temperature to find out the melting temperature of materials when
uses in laboratory testing. Softening point is determined by ring
and ball apparatus.

Code:
ASTM D 36- 95 and AASHTO T 53-06: Standard Test Method for
Softening Point of Bituminous
Scope:
This test method covers the determination of the soft-ening
point of bitumen in the range from 30 to 157 Co using the
ring-and-ball apparatus immersedin distilled water (30 to
80 Co) , USP glycerin (above 80 to157 Co)

Significance & use:

This test is to determine of softening point of bitumen
in range 30-80 Co use the ring and ball this aparatuse put in
the distilled water

Condition:
Temperature rate of both rings should only differ about 1
Co, the shearing temperature 5±1 Co
Apparatuses:

Ring & Ball Apparatus. Glycerin.

Ball Guides.
Balls.
Blade. Graduated Cylinder(Bath).

Magnet. Ring & Sample.

 Glass Plate. Oven.

Distilled Water. Ring Holder & forceps.

Procedure:
1. Heating the sample in the oven in the temperature not exceed
the expected softening point (110Co) and no more than (2)
hours.
2. Then heat the rings also to the samples temperature, and
place them on the glass plate treated with glycerin, and pour
the heated sample into the ring.
3. Then allow the samples to cool in room temperature (25C o)
for at least 30 min. then cut away the excess bitumen from
the sample by heated blade, so that samples become in level
of the rings.
4. Fill the cylinder with water to a depth (105 ±3 mm), then
maintain the water in (5Co) for 15 min.
5. Then assembling the apparatus with rings, ball guides and
thermometer.
6. Then place the balls in ball guides (previously adjusted to
5Co) by using the forceps.
7. Then start the test machine. The temperature of the water
should be (5Co) at the beginning then start to rise 5Co per
min.
8. The heat source location is under the cylinder and there is a
magnet in the bottom of the cylinder spins by the acting of
lasers which settle the temperature of the water.
9. Then the temperature will rise until the ball pulls the sample
to the bottom, then the machine will automatically record the
temperature by acting of lasers.
10. The machine will record the temperature of left sample
and right sample. The different between them should not be
more then (±1Co).
Calculations:

Trial Left Ball Right Ball

Softening Point 53.2 53.3

(T:Co)
53.2+53.3
Average 2
=53.25

(T:Co)
Discussion:
The softening point is an important test to find out the
heating degree for materials by the low:
Softening Point ( ℃ ) +90 ( ℃ )=Heating Dgree ( ℃ )
Also the softening point showing up the penetration index
20−PI log ⁡(800)−log ⁡( pen .)
=
10+ PI Trb−T
like the climate of (IRAQ) is requiring penetration grade (40 –
60) so softening point will be between this grade which is
(53.25) or in that range. The softening point is the temperature
that the materials start be soft on it so the softening point is the
flexibility of materials so any increase of softening point means
flexibility so the penetration will increase either. The standard
specifications are requiring a load on the sample which is (3.5g)
ball, and ball shape settle the load on the center of the sample
and also has a smooth surface. The (55C o) bitumen type will be
affected faster by the temperature because it will start to melt
earlier than the (60Co) bitumen type so the temperature will
effect on (55Co) faster because it has more flexibility.