ASSIGNMENT # 4

1)PENETRATION GRADING:

The penetration grades bitumen is refinery bitumen which is produced by different viscosity.
In fact,Penetration bitumen is semi hard black material known as petroleum grade bitumen.
The penetration test is carried out to characterize the bitumen, based on the hardness.
Therefore, it has the name penetration bitumen.Penetration Grade Bitumen is a standard
bitumen usually used as a Paving Grade Bitumen essential for road construction and for the
production of asphalt pavements with superior properties, and it’s very important once it
bounds the aggregates and creates a unique cohesion and stability to the bituminous mix.
Actually it is Bitumen classified using the penetration property. Penetration grading’s basic
assumption is that the less viscous the asphalt, the deeper the needle will penetrate. Bitumen
which is produced during the process of oxidation of vacuum bottom (the Bitumen production
feedstock that derives from distillation tower residue in vacuum oil refineries) at bitumen
production unit in a manner that its penetration point (kind of test to indicate the hardness
of bitumen) in specified group is classified in different grade of it.
This grade of Bitumen is mainly used in the manufacture of hot mix asphalt for bases and
wearing courses.
The penetration of bituminous material is its consistency expressed as
the distance in tenths of a millimeter that a standard needle penetrates vertically into a
specimen of the material under specified conditions of temperature, load and duration of
loading.
Grades of straight-run bitumen are designated by two penetration values, for example, 40/50,
60/80, 80/100 etc.; the Penetration of an actual sample of the bitumen in any grade should
fall between the lower and upper value given.
Penetration Grade bitumens are specified by the penetration and softening point test.
Designation is by penetration range only. The penetration grade bitumens have a
thermoplastic property which causes the material to soften at high temperatures and to
harden at lower temperatures. This unique temperature/viscosity relationship is important
when determining the performance parameters such as the adhesion, rheology, durability
and application temperatures of bitumen.

ADVANTAGES OF PENETRATION GRADING:

 The test is done at 25° C (77° F),which is reasonably close to a typical pavement
average temperature.
 May also provide a better correlation with low-temperature asphalt binder properties
than the viscosity test,which is performed at 60° C (140° F).
 Temperature susceptibility (the change in asphalt binder rheology with temperature)
can be determined by conducting the test at temperatures other than 25° C (77° F).
 The test is quick and inexpensive.Therefore,it can easily be used in the field.
 Allows greater flexibility and ability to select an asphalt binder that can meet the
climate and traffic conditions of the asphalt pavement being designed.
  Temperature-susceptibility is controlled by penetration grading.

DISADVANTAGES OF PENETRATION GRADING:

 The test is empirical and does not measure any fundamental engineering parameter
such as viscosity.
 Shear rate is variable and high during the test. Since asphalt binders typically behave
as a non-Newtonian fluid at 25° C (77° F), this will affect test results.
 Temperature susceptibility (the change in asphalt binder rheology with temperature)
cannot be determined by a single test at 25° C (77° F).
 The test does not provide information with which to establish mixing and compaction
temperatures.
 The method of penetration grading is not a fundamental test.It makes use of empirical
tests.
 For polymer modified bitumen, this method cannot be employed
 To guide the contractors for asphalt mixing and to know the temperature of
compaction, no bitumen viscosity is available.
 The temperature susceptibility of the binders is not controlled by the penetration
grading.The temperature susceptibility is the slope of temperature v/s stiffness
line.Steep slope curve represents high temperature susceptible binders, which are not
appreciated. This is because, at high temperatures,they are very soft and low
temperatures they are stiff.

2)VISCOSITY GRADING:

In the 1970s,US introduced the method of viscosity grading at 60 degree Celsius.This was to
ensure a solution for construction problems and to have high temperature
performance.These were tender mixes that must undergo mix pushing and shoving under the
roller, without which it cannot be rolled properly.Prior to 1970s, the US construction used 60
to 70 penetration grade that shows variation towards rutting action.They showed lower
viscosity at 135 degree Celsius.This caused tender mix problems during the construction
process.The viscosity test,unlike penetration grading, is a fundamental test carried out at 60
degree Celsius. This temperature is the maximum temperature to which the road pavement
is subjected to at summer.The measurement is in terms of Poise.Viscosity Grade
Bitumen (Asphalt) is a standard grade Bitumen usually used as a Paving Grade Bitumen
suitable for road construction and for the production of asphalt pavements with superior
properties.This grade of Bitumen is mainly used in the manufacture of hot mix asphalt for
bases and wearing courses, and possesses characteristics and qualities unique sand quite
different from other agents.They achieve very flexible and tenacious connections with other
materials due mainly to viscoelastic response of bitumen, which behaviour depends on how
fast charges are applied.The main market for using mention Grade are India and far east
countries

Viscosity grading can be done on original (as-supplied) asphalt binder samples (called AC
grading) or aged residue samples (called AR grading).The AR viscosity test is based on the
viscosity of aged residue from the rolling thin film oven test. With AC grading, the asphalt
binder is characterized by the properties it possesses before it undergoes the HMA
manufacturing process.The AR grading system is an attempt to simulate asphalt binder
properties after it undergoes a typical HMA manufacturing process and thus, it should be
more representative of how asphalt binder behaves in HMA pavements.When using the AC
grading system,thin film oven test residue viscosities can vary greatly with the same AC grade.
Therefore,although asphalt binders are of the same AC grade they may behave differently
after construction.

ADVANTAGES OF VISCOSITY GRADING:

The advantages of viscosity grading system are:

 Same rutting performance is given by the binders of same viscosity grade,unlike the
case of penetration grades.
 The viscosity grading system retains minimum performance in terms of fatigue
cracking.This will enable acceptable performance.This is for an average yearly
temperature of 25 degrees.
 The potential on tender mixes can be minimized with the minimum specified values
of kinematic viscosity at a temperature of 135 degrees Celsius.
 The maximum allowable temperature susceptibility can be established by specifying
the minimum value of penetration at 25 degrees and the kinematic viscosity at 135
degrees.
 For a wide variety of temperatures,the viscosity binders were employed.A
temperature of 60 degrees for rutting, 25 degrees for raveling or fatigue problems or
135 degrees for construction activity.
 The suppliers can provide the users with accurate asphalt mixing and temperature
values for construction.This is possible because of the measurement of viscosity at
two temperatures.
 Viscosity grade bitumen is based on fundamental engineering properties and not on
empirical properties.It is a performance based grading system.
 Viscosity grading system takes into account both low and high temperature
susceptibility of bitumen.
 Viscosity grade bitumen is very easy to handle as viscosity value at two different
temperatures is available,which would enable user to measure accurate mixing and
compaction temperatures.
 In order to check the quality of viscosity grade bitumen,we only have to conduct 7 no.
of tests.This reduces time and cost of testing.
 The pavements made from VG bitumen will have better performance, because
viscosity value at 1350C gives sufficient idea about mixing and compaction
temperature ad as a result pavement life is improved.
 Minimum penetration values were retained in the viscosity grading system to
maintain acceptable performance (in terms of resistance to fatigue cracking) at the
yearly average service temperature of 25˚C.
 Minimum specified values of kinematic viscosity at 135˚C helped to minimize the
potential of tender mixes during construction.
 Minimum specified penetration at 25˚C and the minimum specified kinematic
viscosity at 135˚C established the maximum allowable temperature susceptibility
(slope of temperature versus stiffness line)..

DISADVANTAGES:
 The principal grading (done at 25° C (77° F)) may not accurately reflect low-
temperature asphalt binder rheology.
 When using the AC grading system, thin film oven test residue viscosities can vary
greatly with the same AC grade.Therefore, although asphalt binders are of the same
AC grade they may behave differently after construction.
 The testing is more expensive and takes longer than the penetration test.