PAVEMENT DESIGN

AND CONSTRUCTION

Bending Beam Rheometer

 Bending Beam Rheometer
• Purpose
 low temperature stiffness
properties
• Output
 creep stiffness (S)
 slope of log S vs log time plot (m)

Bending Beam Rheometer 2

 Construction Rutting Fatigue Low Temp
Cracking Cracking

[RV] [DSR] [BBR]

Time RTFO - aging

No aging
PAV - aging
Bending Beam Rheometer 3
 Test Equipment
• Loading Frame AASHTO
 loading shaft T313

 air bearing
 deflection transducer
 load cell
 beam supports

Bending Beam Rheometer 4

 Test Equipment
• Controlled Temperature Liquid Bath
 ethanol, methanol and glycol-methanol
mixtures
 circulating bath
 test bath
• Computerized Data Acquisition System

Bending Beam Rheometer 5

Bending Beam Rheometer 6
 Deflection Transducer

100 gm Weight
Control and
Data Acquisition
Load Platform
CANNON
Gauge Block Pin
INSTRUMENT COMPANY

Drain
Inlet valve
Air Chamber
Plastic Shaft Extension
Contacting Beam
6.35 mm Thick Beam
Temperature Probe

Sample Supports
Bending Beam Rheometer 7 3.0 (+0.25) mm
Bending Beam Rheometer 8
Bending Beam Rheometer 9
 Mold Preparation
Aluminum mold

End inserts

Acetate strips

Rubber O-rings

Bending Beam Rheometer 10

 Mold Assembly & Pouring
Up the Specimen

Bending Beam Rheometer 11

 Trimming the Specimen
 Cool 45 to 60
minutes
 Trim Specimens

99-105B

99-105A

Bending Beam Rheometer 12

 Demolding the Beam
96-105A

-5 ± 7°C
5 minutes max
Bending Beam Rheometer 13
 Asphalt Beam
Dimensions

12.7 mm
6.35 mm
127 mm

Bending Beam Rheometer 14

 Specimen Conditioning
• Temperature Conditioning
 use rheometer test bath at test
temperature + 0.1 C
 60 + 5 minutes
 “physical hardening” phenomenon
requires
tight tolerance on conditioning
period
Bending Beam Rheometer 15
 Overview of Procedure
• Initialize System Software
• System Calibration and
Checks
 at testing temperature
 control and prompts by
software
 calibration of deflection
transducer and load cell

Bending Beam Rheometer 16

 Daily Rheometer Calibration
• Temperature Detector
 calibrated thermometer
• Displacement Transducer
 stepped thickness gauge
• Freely Operating Air Bearing (no 100 gm

stickiness) 100 gm
100 gm

100 gm
 Thin steel beam
• Load Cell (contact, test, and zero load)
 standard masses with thick steel beam

Bending Beam Rheometer 17

 • Daily overall system check
 Manufacturers software
• Verification of front to back alignment of load
shaft
 When equipment is installed or has been moved.

Bending Beam Rheometer 18

 Overview of Procedure
• Apply Contact Load
 25 to 45 mN
 keeps specimen in contact with supports
• Apply Seating Load
 980 ± 50 mN (100 g) for 1 sec
Maintain the
 20 sec recovery period load constant
to + 50 mN
• Apply Test Load for the first
5 seconds and
 980 mN for 240 sec + 10 mN for the
remainder
 observe load/deflection of the test.

plots on computer screen

Bending Beam Rheometer 19
Bending Beam Rheometer 20
 Constant
(Creep) Load

Load
Creep Stiffness
m-value

Bending Beam Rheometer 21

Bending Beam Rheometer 22
 Data Analysis and Presentation

creep stiffness length between

load = 980 mN supports
at 60 sec

PL3
S(t) =
4bh3 (t)

beam width = 12.7 mm

deflection at 60 sec
beam thickness = 6.35 mm

Bending Beam Rheometer 23

 Data Analysis and Presentation
Deflection

(t)

simulates stiffness
after 2 hours at
10 C lower temp

60 sec Time
Bending Beam Rheometer 24
 Data Analysis and Presentation
Log Creep
Stiffness, S

slope = m-value

Log Loading Time

8 15 30
60120sec 240

Bending Beam Rheometer 25

 Data Analysis and Presentation
• All Calculations Performed by Computer
• Report S and m-Value at Test Temperature
 S < 300 MPa
 m > 0.300

T313 Spec

Bending Beam Rheometer 26