Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

introduction to bitumen and

asphalt
07 03 2023
COMPOSITION

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

composition

• AGGREGATE
• TYPICALLY CRUSHED STONE IS USED.

• CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO MAX. STONE SIZE AND GRADING (EG.13.2MM 14MM CONTINUOUSLY
GRADED AGGREGATE) - CHANGE IN SIEVE SIZES FROM TMH1 TO SANS
• CONTINUOUSLY GRADED

• GAP GRADED

• SEMI-GAP GRADED

• OPEN GRADED
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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

composition
• FILLERS – INERT
• TYPICALLY SAND OR CRUSHER DUST IS USED
• LITTLE INFLUENCE ON ASPHALT PROPERTIES
• USED TO ADD VOLUME TO MIX

• FILLERS – ACTIVE
• LIME
• CEMENT
• IMPORTED, STORED IN A SILO AND ADDED AS A SEPARATE AGGREGATE

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

composition
• BINDER
• TYPES AND GRADES

• PENETRATION GRADE

• SOFTENING POINT

• VISCOSITY

• STORAGE

• QUALITY AND TESTING

• HEATING

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composition
• BINDER – TYPES AND GRADES
• TYPICALLY A BITUMEN-BASED BINDER IS USED

• PERFORMANCE GRADING SYSTEM

• CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE AVERAGE SEVEN-DAY MAXIMUM PAVEMENT TEMPERATURE AND THE
MINIMUM PAVEMENT DESIGN TEMPERATURE

• A PG 50-20 BINDER IS GOOD FOR USE WHERE PAVEMENT TEMPERATURES WILL TYPICALLY VARY BETWEEN
20°C AND 50°C.

• MANY DIFFERENT TESTS NECESSARY FOR CLASSIFICATION

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

composition
• BINDER – PENETRATION GRADE
• PENETRATION GRADING SYSTEM
• TYPICALLY USED IN RSA FOR NOW
• CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO PENETRATION DEPTH OF A 100G NEEDLE AT 25°C
• A 50/70 BINDER IS ONE FOR WHICH THE NEEDLE PENETRATES BETWEEN 50DMM AND 70DMM DEEP

• GRADES GENERALLY AVAILABLE IN SA:

• 10/20
• 35/50
• 50/70
• 80/100

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composition

• BINDER – SOFTENING POINT

• TEMPERATURE AT WHICH A BITUMEN SAMPLE CAN NO LONGER SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF A 3.5G
BALL

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composition
• BINDER – VISCOSITY
• VISCOSITY AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES PROVIDES AN INDICATION OF THE WORKABILITY AND
PERFORMANCE

• TWO TYPES OF VISCOSITY

• DYNAMIC
• KINEMATIC

• VISCOSITY EXAMINED WITHIN TWO RANGES:

• APPLICATION RANGE
• SERVICE RANGE

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

composition

• BINDER – STORAGE AND HEATING

• BITUMEN IN ITS NATURAL STATE IS A SOLID

• STORED IN HEATED STORAGE TANKS

• TANKS ARE HEATED 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK

• OHS REQUIREMENTS

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

composition
• BINDER – QUALITY AND TESTING
• DELIVERED HOT IN TANKERS FROM THE REFINERY

• PUMPED INTO STORAGE TANKS AND KEPT HOT

• MUST COMPLY WITH SABS 307

• COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATES FOR EACH BATCH

• ROLLING THIN FILM OVEN TEST TO SIMULATE AGING OF BITUMEN DURING MIXING AND CONSTRUCTION

• PLANT KEEPS SAMPLES OF EACH BATCH

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composition

ROLLING THIN FILM OVEN TEST TO

SIMULATE AGING OF BITUMEN DURING
MIXING AND CONSTRUCTION

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composition
binder modifiers

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

why modify?

• IMPROVED CONSISTENCY
• REDUCED TEMPERATURE SUSCEPTIBILITY
• IMPROVED STIFFNESS
• IMPROVED COHESION
• IMPROVED FLEXIBILITY, RESILIENCE AND TOUGHNESS
• IMPROVED BINDER-AGGREGATE ADHESION
• IMPROVED RESISTANCE TO AGEING

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

why modify?
• USED IN AREAS:

• WITH HIGHLY FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS

• OF HIGH STRESS (HEAVY TRAFFIC, STEEP INCLINES, INTERSECTIONS, SHARP CURVES)
• REQUIRING STRESS ALLEVIATING MEMBRANES
• SUBJECT TO HIGH LOADING UNDER SLOW MOVING TRAFFIC
• WITH TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS OR HIGH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES
• THAT ARE SUBJECT TO FUEL SPILLAGE
• WHERE THIN LAYER OVERLAYS ARE REQUIRED
• WITH CRACKING
• THAT ARE REMOTE WHERE IMPROVED DURABILITY IS REQUIRED

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

why modify?

• THE MOST COMMON ARE:

• RUBBER CRUMBS
• STYRENE BUTADIENE STYRENE (SBS) PELLETS OR POWDER
• ETHYLENE VINYL ACETATE (EVA) PELLETS
• STYRENE BUTADIENE STYRENE RUBBER LATEX
• NATURAL HYDROCARBON MODIFIERS
• F-T SYNTHETIC WAXES

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why modify?

• ALSO:

• EXTENDER OILS
• ADHESION AGENTS

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

why modify?
• HOMOGENOUS BINDERS
• BLEND OF POLYMER AND BITUMEN (SBS, SBR, EVA)

• NON-HOMOGENOUS BINDERS
• BLEND OF PARTIALLY DISSOLVED MODIFIER AND BITUMEN (BITUMEN-RUBBER)

• HOT APPLIED
• POLYMER MODIFIED, RUBBER MODIFIED, HYDROCARBONS AND LONG CHAIN HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT PARAFFIN

• COLD APPLIED
• EMULSIFIERS AND CUT-BACKS

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

why modify?
• HOMOGENOUS BINDERS
• STYRENE-BUTADIENE-STYRENE (SBS) BLOCK COPOLYMERS (ELASTOMERIC)
• SYNTHETIC STYRENE-BUTADIENE-RUBBER (SBR) LATEX (ELASTOMERIC)
• NATURAL RUBBER LATEX (ELASTOMERIC)
• ETHYLENE VINYL ACETATE (EVA) BLOCK COPOLYMERS (PLASTOMERIC)

• NON-HOMOGENOUS
• CRUMBED RUBBER INTRODUCED INTO BITUMEN

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

some terms
• RHEOLOGY - THE STUDY OF THE FLOW OF MATTER, PRIMARILY IN A LIQUID STATE, BUT ALSO AS 'SOFT
SOLIDS' OR SOLIDS UNDER CONDITIONS IN WHICH THEY RESPOND WITH PLASTIC FLOW RATHER THAN
DEFORMING ELASTICALLY IN RESPONSE TO AN APPLIED FORCE.

• VISCOELASTICITY - THE PROPERTY OF MATERIALS THAT EXHIBIT BOTH VISCOUS AND ELASTIC
CHARACTERISTICS WHEN UNDERGOING DEFORMATION. VISCOUS MATERIALS, LIKE HONEY, RESIST
SHEAR FLOW AND STRAIN LINEARLY WITH TIME WHEN A STRESS IS APPLIED. ELASTIC MATERIALS STRAIN
WHEN STRETCHED AND QUICKLY RETURN TO THEIR ORIGINAL STATE ONCE THE STRESS IS REMOVED.
VISCOELASTIC MATERIALS HAVE ELEMENTS OF BOTH OF THESE PROPERTIES AND, AS SUCH, EXHIBIT
TIME-DEPENDENT STRAIN.

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 Introduction to bitumen and asphalt

some terms

• ASPHALTENE - MOLECULAR SUBSTANCES THAT ARE FOUND IN CRUDE OIL, ALONG WITH RESINS,
AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, AND SATURATES (I.E. SATURATED HYDROCARBONS SUCH AS ALKANES)

• NEWTONIAN FLUID – A FLUID IN WHICH THE VISCOUS STRESSES ARISING FROM ITS FLOW, AT EVERY
POINT, ARE LINEARLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE LOCAL STRAIN RATE - THE RATE OF CHANGE OF ITS
DEFORMATION OVER TIME

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