BS 

EN 12697‑19:2020

Bituminous mixtures — Test methods

Part 19: Permeability of specimen

BS EN 12697‑19:2020 BRITISH STANDARD

National foreword
This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 12697‑19:2020. It
supersedes BS EN 12697‑19:2012, which is withdrawn.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical
Committee B/510/1, Asphalt products.
A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on
request to its secretary.
This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions
of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.
© The British Standards Institution 2020
Published by BSI Standards Limited 2020
ISBN 978 0 539 02222 3
ICS 93.080.20
Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from
legal obligations.
This British Standard was published under the authority of the
Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 March 2020.

Amendments/corrigenda issued since publication

Date Text affected
 BS EN 12697‑19:2020

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 12697-19

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM February 2020

ICS 93.080.20 Supersedes EN 12697-19:2012

English Version

Bituminous mixtures - Test methods - Part 19:

Permeability of specimen
Mélanges bitumineux - Méthodes d'essai - Partie 19 : Asphalt - Prüfverfahren - Teil 19: Durchlässigkeit der
Perméabilité des éprouvettes Probekörper

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 18 November 2019.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION

COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels

© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 12697-19:2020 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
BS EN 12697‑19:2020
EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

Contents Page

European foreword....................................................................................................................................................... 3
1 Scope .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
2 Normative references .................................................................................................................................... 4
3 Terms and definitions ................................................................................................................................... 4
4 Principle ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
5 Vertical permeability ..................................................................................................................................... 4
5.1 General ................................................................................................................................................................ 4
5.2 Apparatus for vertical permeability ........................................................................................................ 4
5.3 Procedure........................................................................................................................................................... 5
5.4 Calculation ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
6 Horizontal permeability ............................................................................................................................... 7
6.1 General ................................................................................................................................................................ 7
6.2 Apparatus for horizontal permeability ................................................................................................... 7
6.3 Procedure........................................................................................................................................................... 8
6.4 Calculation ......................................................................................................................................................... 9
7 Test report ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
7.1 General ............................................................................................................................................................. 10
7.2 Information on specimen .......................................................................................................................... 10
7.3 Information on the test and results ....................................................................................................... 10
8 Precision .......................................................................................................................................................... 10

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 BS EN 12697‑19:2020
EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

European foreword

This document (EN 12697-19:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 227 “Road
materials”, the secretariat of which is held by BSI.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by August 2020, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by August 2020.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN 12697-19:2012.

The following is a list of significant technical changes since the previous edition:

— the title no longer makes the method exclusively for hot mix asphalt;

— [ge] editorial update according to current standard template;

— [Clause 3, new clause: 3 Terms and definitions introduced. Following clauses renumbered
accordingly;

— [5.2.2] accuracy of balance of ± 0,5 g introduced. (4.2.2 in previous version);

— [5.4.1] Formula (1): rounding rules for calculation introduced. (4.4.1 in previous version);

— [5.4.2] Formula (2) corrected. (4.4.2 in previous version);

— [6.2.4] accuracy of balance of ± 0,5 g introduced. (5.2.4 in previous version);

— [6.4.1] Formula (3): rounding rules for calculation introduced. (5.4.1 in previous version);

— [6.4.2] Formula (4), key for Kh: unit for the horizontal permeability corrected to (m/s). (5.4.2 in
previous version);

A list of all parts in the EN 12697 series can be found on the CEN website.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.

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BS EN 12697‑19:2020
EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

1 Scope
This document specifies a method for determining the vertical and horizontal permeability of
cylindrical specimens of bituminous mixtures with interconnecting voids. The document applies to
specimens cored out of the road, specimens from laboratory made slabs or laboratory specimens
prepared with a compaction device provided the thickness of the specimen is not less than twice the
nominal maximum particle size of the aggregate in the mixture. The nominal diameter of specimens
should be either 100 mm or 150 mm unless the nominal maximum particle size of the aggregate size
exceeds 22 mm, when the nominal diameter is 150 mm.

2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 12697-29, Bituminous mixtures — Test methods — Part 29: Determination of the dimensions of a
bituminous specimen

3 Terms and definitions

No terms and definitions are listed in this document.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/

— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/ui

4 Principle
A column of water with a constant height is applied to a cylindrical specimen and is allowed to
permeate through the specimen for a controlled time in either a vertical or horizontal direction
depending upon the parameter being measured. The resultant flow rate of the water Qv or Qh is a
calculated measure of the permeability value Kv or Kh. The test is carried out at ambient temperature.
NOTE When the void content of the same specimen is determined, the relationship between permeability and
void content can be established.

5 Vertical permeability
5.1 General

In this method, only the water flow in a vertical direction through the specimen is measured.
5.2 Apparatus for vertical permeability

5.2.1 Apparatus as shown in Figure 1. The dimensions shall be such to ensure the water column
height is (300 ± 1) mm. The external diameter of the tube and any fittings shall be such that no water
can flow between the wall of the tube and the specimen when in place; the thickness of the tube shall be
sufficient to ensure it retains its shape but shall not be more than 5 mm.

The external diameter of the tube should generally be greater than the diameter of the specimen by up
to 5 mm.

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EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

NOTE A suitable rubber cuff that fits snugly around the tube and sample is one method to ensure that no
water can flow between the two. Another approach that could be used is to attach the plastic tube with duct tape
to the specimen.

5.2.2 A balance with suitable capacity and capable of weighing with an accuracy of ± 0,5 g.

5.3 Procedure

5.3.1 Determine the dimensions of the specimen, to the nearest millimetre, according to EN 12697-
29. The thickness shall be greater than 25 % of the diameter and greater than twice the nominal
maximum aggregate size of the mixture.

5.3.2 If the specimen is trimmed by saw cutting, it shall be cleaned prior to testing, to prevent
restriction of the water flow.

5.3.3 The test shall be carried out at ambient temperature within the ranges of 15 °C to 25 °C and
shall be monitored and recorded. Place the specimen in a rubber cuff. Insert a plastic tube in the cuff
and place it on top of the specimen. Carefully inflate the rubber cuff with air to at least 50 kPa, so that it
presses firmly around the wall of the specimen to prevent leakage of water along the wall. A seal needs
to be ensured between the cuff and the tube.

Dimensions in millimetres

Key
1 water supply 6 specimen
2 water column 7 water bath
3 plastic tube 8 perforated plate
4 rubber cuff (optional) 9 collecting reservoir
5 outlet to maintain water column height

Figure 1 — Apparatus for vertical permeability

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BS EN 12697‑19:2020
EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

5.3.4 Place the cuff with the specimen on a perforated plate and place it in a container that is filled
with water to the maximum level. Adjust the feet of the perforated plate in such a way that the upper
side of the specimen is at the same level as the water in the bath. Allow the water to flow into the
specimen for approximately 10 min. After this time, it is assumed that the specimen is saturated with
water and all enclosed air is removed.

5.3.5 Fill the plastic tube with water. There is an outlet in the plastic tube, so that a water column
height of (300 ± 1) mm is always maintained.

5.3.6 Allow the water to flow through the specimen into a container. The container shall be located
above a second container of mass m1 into which the water passing through the sample can overflow to
the level of the top of the sample. After approx. 1 min, empty the second container and collect the water
that flows through into the weighed second container for a certain time t, minimum 60 s. After the time
t weigh the second container together with the collected water m2.

At a voids content of about 20 %, the vertical flow of water is about 3 l/min to 10 I/min. It should be
noted, however, that when the test is carried out on a core taken from the road surface, the surface can
be somewhat clogged and although still retaining 20 % voids may not have a flow in this range.
The measuring time can be decreased from 60 s if the amount of water exceeds 8 l. The decreased
measuring time should then be reported in the test report.
5.3.7 Repeat the test on the same specimen.

5.4 Calculation

5.4.1 Determine the vertical flow of water through the specimen Qv according to Formula (1).

(m2 − m1 )
Qv = × 10 −6 (1)
t

where
Qv is the vertical flow, through the specimen, in cubic metres per second (m3/s), to the
nearest 1×10−6 m3/s;
m1 is the mass of the empty second container, in gram (g), to the nearest 0,5 g;
m2 is the mass of the filled second container, in gram (g), to the nearest 0,5 g;
t is the time of collecting the water, in seconds (s), to the nearest 1 s;
The water density is assumed to 1 g/cm3.

5.4.2 Calculate the vertical permeability Kv according to Formula (2):

4 × Qv × l
Kv = (2)
h × π × D2

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 BS EN 12697‑19:2020
EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

where
Kv is the vertical permeability, in metres per second (m/s);
Qv is the vertical flow through the specimen, in cubic metres per second (m3/s);
l is the thickness of the specimen, in metres (m);
h is the actual height of water column, in metres (m);
D is the diameter of the specimen, in metres (m).

NOTE Usually the permeability is between 0,5 × 10−3 m/s and 3,5 × 10−3 m/s, when testing porous asphalt.

6 Horizontal permeability
6.1 General

In this test method, the water flows partially in a horizontal direction through the specimen. The result
of the test is a combination of vertical and horizontal permeability.
6.2 Apparatus for horizontal permeability

6.2.1 Apparatus as shown in Figure 2. The external diameter of the upper and lower tubes and any
fittings shall be such that no water can flow between the wall of the upper and lower tubes nor between
the lower tube and the specimen when in place; the thickness of the tubes shall be sufficient to ensure it
retains its shape but shall not be more than 5 mm.

The external diameter of the upper tube should generally be greater than the diameter of the specimen
by up to 5 mm.
NOTE A suitable rubber cuff that fits snugly around the tubes is one method to ensure that no water can flow
between the two. Another approach that could be used is to attach the two plastic tubes with duct tape.

6.2.2 The tray in which the specimen sits shall be held in place by adjustable feet or other suitable
means so that the upper face of the specimen is horizontal and the height of the top of the upper tube
shall be capable of being adjusted to attain the required distance above the upper face of the specimen.

A tray capacity of 5 l to 7 l is recommended.

6.2.3 Collecting reservoir of suitable size.

A capacity of 15 l is recommended.
6.2.4 A balance with suitable capacity and capable of weighing with an accuracy of ± 0,5 g.

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BS EN 12697‑19:2020
EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

Dimensions in millimetres

Key
1 water supply 6 lower plastic tube
2 water column 7 specimen
3 upper plastic tube 8 collecting reservoir
4 rubber cuff (optional) 9 support
5 outlet to maintain water column height

Figure 2 — Apparatus for horizontal permeability

NOTE The rubber cuff is not strictly necessary for the horizontal permeability. It is only used to keep the
apparatus unchanged from that for vertical permeability.

6.3 Procedure

6.3.1 Determine the dimensions of the specimen, to the nearest millimetre, according to EN 12697-
29. The thickness shall be greater than 25 % of the diameter and greater than twice the nominal
maximum aggregate size of the mixture.

6.3.2 If the specimen is trimmed by saw cutting, it shall be cleaned prior to testing, to prevent
restriction of the water flow.

6.3.3 The test shall be carried out at ambient temperature within the ranges of 15 °C to 25 °C and
shall be monitored and recorded. Seal the bottom of the specimen, for example with paraffin wax, so
that no water can flow in a vertical direction out of the specimen. Fix a plastic tube, with a height of
about 100 mm and the same diameter as the specimen, on the upper circumference of the specimen
using a glue or high viscosity silicone. Insert the plastic tube and specimen in a rubber cuff in such a way
that only the plastic tube is in the cuff. Insert a second tube in the cuff on top of the plastic tube that is
already fixed to the specimen.

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EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

6.3.4 Place the cuff with the specimen on a perforated plate and place it in a container filled to the
maximum level. Adjust the feet of the plate so that the upper side of the specimen is at the same level as
the water in the container. Allow the water to flow into the specimen for approximately 10 min. After
this time, it is assumed that the specimen is saturated with water and all enclosed air is removed.

6.3.5 Fill the upper tube with water.

6.3.6 Initially, allow the water to flow horizontally through the specimen and into a container for
about 1 min. The container shall be located above a second container of mass m1 into which the water
passing through the sample can overflow into at the level of the bottom of the lower plastic tube. After
about 1 min, empty the second container and collect the water that flows through into the weighed
second container for a certain time t, minimum 60 s. After the time t weigh the second container
together with the collected water m2.

At a voids content of about 20 % the horizontal flow of water is about 3 l/min to 10 l/min. It should be
noted, however that when the test is carried out on a core taken from the road surface, the surface can
be somewhat clogged and although still retaining 20 % voids may not have a flow in this range.
The measuring time can be decreased from 60 s if the amount of water exceeds 8 l. The decreased
measuring time should then be reported in the test report.
6.3.7 Repeat the test on the same specimen.

6.4 Calculation

6.4.1 Determine the horizontal flow of water through the specimen Qh according to Formula (3).

(m2 − m1 )
Qh = × 10 −6 (3)
t

where
Qh is the horizontal flow through the specimen, in cubic metres per second (m3/s), to the nearest
1 × 10−6 m3/s;
m1 is the mass of the empty second container, in gram (g), to the nearest 0,5 g;
m2 is the mass of the filled second container, in gram (g) to the nearest 0,5 g;
t is the time of collecting the water, in seconds (s), to the nearest 1 s

The water density is assumed to 1 g/cm3.

6.4.2 Calculate the horizontal permeability Kh according to Formula (4):

Qh × l Qh × l
Kh = = (4)
( H + P + 0, 5 l ) × (π × D × l ) (300 + 0, 5 l ) × (π × D × l )

where
Kh is the horizontal permeability, in metres per second (m/s);
Qh is the horizontal flow through the specimen, in cubic metres per second (m3/s);
l is the thickness of the specimen, in metres (m);
(H + P + 0,5 l) is the actual height of water column, in metres (m);
H is the distance of the outlet of the upper tube to the lower tube, in metres (m);

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EN 12697-19:2020 (E)

P is the height of the lower tube that is fixed to the specimen, in metres (m);
(π × D × l) is the vertical area of the specimen (flow-out area), in square metres (m2);
D is the diameter of the specimen, in metre (m).

NOTE Usually the permeability is between 0,5 × 10−3 m/s and 3,5 × 10−3 m/s, when testing porous asphalt.

7 Test report
7.1 General

The test report shall contain the following general information:

a) name and address of the testing laboratory;

b) a unique serial number for the test report;

c) name of client;

d) the number and date of this document;

e) signature of person accepting technical responsibility for the test report;

f) date of issue.

7.2 Information on specimen

The test report shall contain the following information on specimen:

a) type and origin of bituminous mixture;

b) method of manufacture of the bituminous mixture (where appropriate);

c) method of compaction (where appropriate);

d) the measuring time (if less than 60 s).

7.3 Information on the test and results

The test report shall contain the following information on the test and results:
a) the average of the two tests as the vertical permeability of the specimen;

b) the average of the two tests as the horizontal permeability of the specimen;

c) temperature at which the test was carried out;

d) sample identification.

8 Precision
The precision of this test has not yet been established.

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