BITUMINOUS MATERIALS

2x Lecture
BITUMINOUS MATERIAL
 BITUMINOUS MATERIAL
Definition
▪ The term bituminous materials is generally used to denote
substances in which bitumen is present or from which it can be
derived.
▪ Bitumen is defined as an amorphous (shapeless), black or dark-
colored, solid, semi-solid, or viscous, cementitious substance,
composed principally of high molecular weight hydrocarbons,
and soluble in carbon disulfide.
➢ Valued material due to binding or cementing power and
waterproofing properties.
➢ Used in wearing surfaces and bases, low-cost, light traffic roads
to high-type bituminous pavement.
➢ Divisions are tars, asphalts

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BITUMINOUS MATERIAL
BITUMINOUS MATERIAL

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 BITUMINOUS MATERIAL

In British English, the word asphalt

refers to a mixture of mineral aggregate
and bitumen.

In American English, bitumen is referred

to as 'asphalt' or 'asphalt cement‘ .

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Origin of Bituminous Materials
Origin of Bituminous Materials
Bitumen Use
Bitumen Use
Bitumen Use
Bituminous Materials
 Tars
▪ Although asphalts and tars are somewhat similar in appearance
, they are distinctly different substances in origin, chemical
composition and in their properties. Coal tar is produced by
heating coal to extremely high temperatures. It was widely used
as the binding agent in road asphalt in the early part of the last
century, but has since been replaced by refined bitumen.
▪ Tars are more susceptible to temperature change than asphalts
of similar grade, they are toxic in nature, and they harden more
rapidly when exposed to the air after being incorporated in a
wearing surface or pavement.
▪ Tar may be generally defined as a substance obtained by the
condensation of distillates resulting from the destructive
distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat
[Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation].
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 Comparison between Bitumen and Tar
Bitumen Tar
Produced from crude petroleum Produced by destructive distillation of
coal or wood
Adhesion between aggregate and bitumen Adhesion between aggregate and tar is
is less and does not retain well in presence more and retain well in presence of water
of water than bitumen

Weather resisting property is quite good Has inferior weather resisting property

Less susceptible to temperature More susceptible to temperature

Cost is high and useful for road Cheaper than bitumen and useful for
construction roofing materials and filler

Setting time is less Setting time is more

Hardens very slowly Hardens at much faster rate than

bitumen
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Comparison between Bitumen and Tar

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Production of Asphalt
Production of Asphalt
Production of Asphalt
Production of Asphalt
Production of Asphalt
Production of Asphalt
Production of Asphalt
Production of Asphalt
 Air Blowing ( Extra)
❑ Air blowing is normally used when the viscosity of
asphalt residue from the vacuum process must be
increased.
❑ A vacuum residue from the vacuum process is pumped
into a chamber where the temperature is raised to a
temperature of about 500F to 575F.
❑ Air is introduced into the bottom of the chamber and
blown through the heated asphalt residue for several
hours until the residue has attained the consistency
desired.
❑ Continuous air blowing , which involves a lesser degree
of oxidation, is usually used for producing paving
asphalt cement.
 Fractional Distillation
❑ Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its
component parts, or fractions, such as in separating
chemical compounds by their boiling point by heating them
to a temperature at which several fractions of the compound
will evaporate.
❑ Various volatile materials are removed by mechanical
separation.
❑ Volatile constituents are driven off at successively higher
temperatures without substantial chemical change.
❑ The successive fractions obtained would be gasoline,
naphtha, kerosene, diesel oil and lubricating oil.
❑ The residue obtained would be petroleum asphalt
❑ This process is facilitated through the use of steam or a
vacuum.
 Destructive Distillation
❑ Destructive distillation is the chemical process involving the
decomposition of raw material by heating to a high temperature;
the term generally applies to processing of organic material in the
absence of air or in the presence of limited amounts of oxygen or
other reagents, catalysts or solvents such as steam or phenol.
❑ The material undergoes chemical change under application
of extreme heat and pressure
❑ The process is generally employed when greater yields of
the lighter fractions are desired.
❑ A refining process known as “cracking” is a form of
destructive distillation.
❑ The cracked residues or pressure tars that are produced
may be used in the manufacture of asphaltic paving
materials.
Classification of Asphalt
Classification of Asphalt
Classification of Asphalt
Classification of Asphalt
Classification of Asphalt
 Cutback Asphalt
➢ Asphalt cement produced from the vacuum-steam distillation
exists as a semi-solid at room temperature.
➢ Proper workability can be attained by heating the asphalt
cement to a temperature of 120 to 165C to liquefy it.
➢ In order for asphalt products to attain workability at room
temperature , they must be rendered liquid at room
temperature.
➢ There are two ways to liquefy asphalt without resorting to
heat : dissolve ( cut) the asphalt in solvent or emulsify it in
water.
➢ When volatile solvents are mixed with asphalt cement to
make a liquid product, the mixture is called ‘ cutback
asphalt’.
 Cutback Asphalt ( cont.)
➢ After a cutback asphalt is exposed to air, the volatile
solvent evaporates, leaving the asphalt cement to perform its
function as a binder i.e the asphalt in the mixture regains its
original characteristics ( cured).
➢ Depending on the volatility of the solvent used , the rate
of curing of cutback asphalt can vary from a few
minutes to several days.
➢ Following are three types of cutback asphalt and the
solvent used:
➢ Rapid-curing ( RC) : Gasoline or naphtha
➢ Medium-curing ( MC) : Kerosene
➢ Slow-curing ( SC) : Road oils [A heavy residual petroleum
oil, usually one of the slow-curing grades of liquid asphalt.]
 BITUMINOUS MATERIAL

Emulsified
Asphalt
 Emulsified Asphalt
❖ Emulsified asphalt is a mixture of asphalt cement, water,
and an emulsifying agent.
❖ These three constituents are fed simultaneously into a
colloid mill (a machine that is used to reduce the particle size of a
solid in suspension in a liquid, or to reduce the droplet size of a
liquid suspended in another liquid) to produce extremely
small globules ( 5-10 microns) of asphalt cement, which
are suspended in the water.
❖ The emulsified agent imparts the electric charges
(cationic or anionic) to the surface of the asphalt
particles, which causes them to repel one another, thus
the asphalt particles do not join together.
❖ The emulsified asphalt is quite stable and could have
shelf life of several months.
 Emulsified Asphalt ( cont.)
❖The two most common types emulsified
asphalts are anionic and cationic.
❖The anionic type contains electro-negatively
charged asphalt globules, and the cationic type
contains electro-positively charged asphalt
globules.
❖The anionic emulsions carry a negative charge
and are effective in coating electro-positive
aggregates such as limestone.
❖The positive charges in a cationic emulsion
reacts favorably with an electro-negative
aggregate, such as the highly siliceous
aggregates.
 Emulsified Asphalt ( cont.)
❖When an emulsified asphalt is exposed to the
air, alone or mixed with an aggregate, it ‘ sets’
or ‘ breaks’, because the asphalt globules react
with the surface they are in contact with and
coalesce ( join together) , squeezing out the
water between them.
❖The evaporation of water is the primary
mechanism that finally causes the anionic
emulsified asphalt to ‘ break’.
❖Electrochemical processes are the primary
mechanisms that cause the cationic emulsified
asphalt to break.
❖According to the type of rate of setting, both
types are further graded.
 Emulsified Asphalt ( cont.)

❖ The following grades are available commercially:

❖Anionic emulsified asphalt- Rapid Setting (RS),
Medium Setting (MS) and Slow Setting (SS)
❖Cationic emulsified asphalt- Rapid Setting ( CRS),
Medium Setting (MS) and Slow Setting (SS)

❖ Disadvantage
❑The principal disadvantage of asphalt emulsions is
that the water occupies space and has weight.
❑The user than pays for a large percentage of water,
which has no use other than as a transporting
medium for the asphalt.
❑This factor may be of special significance in areas
where distances are great and freight rates are high.
 Emulsified Asphalt ( cont.)

❖Advantage
➢ Emulsified asphalt offers certain advantages in
construction, particularly when used with moist
aggregates or in wet weather.
➢ An emulsified asphalt does not require a solvent to
make it liquid and thus is relatively pollution free. It
has low viscosity at ambient temperature and can be
used without additional heat.
➢ Thus emulsified asphalt is more energy-efficient and
less costly than cutback asphalt.
Emulsified Asphalt ( cont.)
 Asphalt Grading
Details : 73 to 95
History
1. Penetration grading (pen)

2. Viscosity grading (AC)

3. Aged residue grading (AR)

Current
 Performance grading (PG)

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#-#

40-50, 60-70, 85-100

120-150, 200-300
Maximum penetration
Minimum penetration

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 Asphalts specified


according to penetration
tests but adds some other
requirements
◦ Flash Point (safety)
◦ Ductility (flexibility)
◦ Solubility (purity)
 Penetration and ductility

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 °C x 9/5 + 32 = °F (°F
- 32) x 5/9 = °C
Penetration Specification
(RHD)

Technical Specifications :RHD

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 In Bangladesh, penetration grading system is
used.
 Grading of asphalts on the basis of the
penetration test is an old, empirical method
that is now known to be inadequate with the
advent of modern technology

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 This penetration depth is empirically correlated
with asphalt binder performance
 Therefore, asphalt binders with high penetration
numbers (called “soft”) are used for cold
climates while asphalt binders with low
penetration numbers (called “hard”) are used for
warm climates

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 Grades asphalt binder near service temperature
 Rapid test
 Can be done in the field
 Low cost

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 The penetration test is empirical, the viscosity
test is scientific and there is no direct
relationship between them.
 Also, the relationship between penetration and
viscosity varies for different asphalts from
different crude sources

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 Major disadvantage of
this grading system
◦ Similar PENs @25 C for different binders

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 C
Penetratio

A
n

25 C Temperature, C
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 Developed due to construction and high
temperature performance problems

 Fundamental rather than empirical units

 Five grades established: AC - 2.5, AC – 5
AC – 10 , AC – 20, AC - 40

 Included viscosity at 275 F (135 C)

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 AC-2.5, AC-5, AC-10
AC-20, AC-30, AC-40

AC- # 1/100 of the allowable

viscosity range

Asphalt cement

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1. Measures a 5. Test method
fundamental property precision well-
2. Covers a wide-range established
of temperatures 6. Temperature
3. Specifications based susceptibility
on maximum service controlled
temperatures 7. Places limits on aging
4. Wide range of testing 8. Yields information on
equipment available mixing and
compaction
temperatures
 Cost (labor intensive)
 Testing time is limited

 More technician skill required

 Only Newtonian materials can be used

 May have wide range of properties for same

grade

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 The organic molecules of the asphalt reacts
with oxygen in the environment and becomes
more brittle, it is called ~
 Age hardening occurs during construction
(short term) and in service face of pavement
(long term)

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Causes Types
 Oxidation  Short-term
 Volatilizations aging
 Physical hardening  Long-term
aging
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Viscosit

1 storage tank
2 construction – short term
2
y

3 use – long term

1 Construction
Time (years)
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 After Rolling Thin Film oven test (RTFO), short
term aged, after it is removed from the oven
 In RTFO procedure, approximately 35 g
samples are poured into cylindrical glass
bottles and placed in a rack within an oven
maintained at 1630C (3250F)
 The rack rotates at approximately 15 rev/min
with air being circulated into the bottles at a
rate of approximately4,000 ml/min at one
point in the rotation

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 After 85 minutes, the test is
completed and the sample is
considered for short term aging

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 Represents asphalt binder properties after
mixing
 Measures fundamental properties
 Covers a wide range of temperatures
 Places limits on aging

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 Highly regional, no widespread experience
 Requires different testing equipment
 Longer testing time
 No consistency test on original asphalt binder
 Only used on Newtonian fluid
 Canhave a wide range of properties
for same grade

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

Polymer Modified Asphalt Cement (PMA) is an improved

version of Asphalt Cement produced by adding either natural
polymer (such as para rubber) or synthetic polymer (such as
SBS or EVA) together with an additive. PMA will provide better
strength and durability of road surface than Hot Mix Asphalt
(HMA), due to:
•High resistance to wear
•High resistance to rutting
•High elastic recovery at lower/higher temperature
•High cohesion or less reveling
•High resistance to stripping
•High resistance to high temperatures preventing bleeding
•Adding polymers to asphalt generally increases the high
temperature asphalt binder
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
Some of the qualities exhibited by PMB are:
▪Higher rigidity
▪Increased resistance to deformations
▪Increased resistance to cracks and stripping
▪Better water resistance properties
▪High durability

PMB is used for:

▪The development of very stressed pavement
▪Roads for high and heavy traffic
▪High loading
▪High temperature amplitude
▪More durable pavement
▪Draining pavements
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 Polymers used in asphalt may be classified by their
physical properties
 Based on their response to stretching with some force,
they may be classified as plastomers or elastomers
 Plastomers yield and remain stretched after
the force is released
 Elastomers return to their original shape when released

 Most polyolefins, such as polyethylene, polypropylene,

and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), are considered
plastomers
 Styrene – butadiene rubber (SBR) and styrene –
butadiene – styrene (SBS) are categorized as elastomers

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CONCLUSION