ASPHALT

Construction Materials & Testing

 Definitions
•Bitumens- mixture of hydrocarbons with non
metallic derivatives, which maybe gaseous, liquid,
semisolid, solid which are soluble in carbon
disulfide
• Asphalt • Tar
– Soluble in petroleum – Resistant to petroleum
products
products
– Generally a by-product of – Generally by-product of
petroleum distillation
coke (from coal)
process production
– Can be naturally occurring
History of Asphalt
First US hot mix asphalt
(HMA) constructed in 1870’s
Pennsylvania Ave.
Used naturally occurring
asphalt from surface of lake
on Island of Trinidad
Two sources
Island of Trinadad
Bermudez, Venezuela
 History of Asphalt
• Natural Asphalt ( Lake Asphalt)
– when crude petroleum oil rose to the earth’s
surface and formed pools.
Uses:
– hold stonework together in boat building
– Waterproofing material
– Used in mummification by Egyptians
– Greeks and Romans use burning asphalt as
military weapons
 History of Asphalt

• Each lake asphalt source very consistent

– Used solubility test to determine source
• Insolubles differed substantially between sources

• Demand for paved roads exceeded the supply

of lake asphalts in late 1800’s
– Led to use of petroleum asphalts
 Asphalt Production
Petroleum- Based Asphalt

• Asphalt is waste product from refinery processing of crude oil

– Sometimes called the “bottom of the barrel”
• Properties depend on:
– Refinery operations
– Composition crude source-dependent

Gasoline
Kerosene
Barrel of Crude Oil
Lt. Gas Oil
Diesel
Motor Oils

Asphalt
 Asphalt Production
Asphalt Cement Components

• Asphaltenes
– Large, discrete solid inclusions (black)
– High viscosity component

• Resins
– Semi-solid or solid at room temperature
• Fluid when heated
• Brittle when cold
• Oils
– Liquid to semisolid
– Colorless liquid
– Soluble in most solvents
– Allows asphalt to flow
 Types of Asphalt
Asphalt Cement
1. Cracked Asphalt
2. Blown Asphalt

Liquid Asphalt
1. Cutbacks Asphalt
2. Emulsions Asphalt
 Types of Asphalt
• Asphalt Cements- produced from crude oil
by distillation.
(distillation – separation of various fractions by
boiling point ranges)
Types:
1. Cracked Asphalt - crude oil is heated under
pressure to higher temperature
- less durable
- used in base construction
only
2. Blown Asphalt – asphalt is oxidized
- used in roofing materials, automobile,
undercoatings, pipe coatings, sealers.
 Types of Asphalt
• Liquid Asphalt -Required heating to a liquid
state to be used in construction

Types:

1. Cutbacks Asphalt- dissolving the cement in a

petroleum solvent
 Types of Asphalt
Cutback Asphalt is classified according to the
relative speed of evaporation of the solvent

• Rapid cure (RC) (Naphtha or Gasoline)

– High volatility of solvent
– Tack coats, surface treatments
• Medium cure (MC) (Kerosene)
– Moderate volatility
– Stockpile patching mix
• Slow cure (SC) (Low viscosity oil)
– Low volatility
– Prime coat, dust control
 Types of Asphalt
2. Emulsions Asphalt - mixture of asphalt cement,
water and emulsifying agent

Classification of Emulsions:
– Anionic
• Negative charge
• Alkaline
• Good with limestones (positive charge)
– Cationic
• Positive charge
• Acid
• Good with silica gravels (negative charge)
 Purchasing of Asphalt Cements

• Need to be able to specify desirable characteristics

• “Desirable characteristics” have evolved over time
and with increasing technological advances

• Purchasing requires specifications

 Early Specifications
• Lake Asphalts
– Appearance
– Solubility in carbon disulfide
• Petroleum asphalts (early 1900’s)
– Consistency
• Chewing
• Penetration machine
– Measure consistency
 Asphalt Testing
• Asphalt are classified by their consistency at
different temperature
• Consistency- describes the fluidity of plasticity
of an asphalt at a particular temperature
• Measures
– Consistency
– Durability
– Rate of hardening
– Serviceability
– Effective
 Asphalt Testing
PENETRATION TEST- determines relative
hardness or consistency of an asphalt
cement.

100 g Penetration in 0.1 mm

Initial After 5 seconds

 Asphalt Testing
Penetration Specification
• Five Grades
• 40 – 50 ( hardest asphalt @ 25oC)
• 60 - 70
• 85 - 100
• 120 - 150
• 200 – 300 ( softest asphalt)
Viscosity Graded Specifications
 Asphalt Testing
Viscosity
- the viscosity of a material is the
measure of its resistance to flow
- the ratio between the applied shear
stress and the rate of shear.
- for construction uses, viscosity of
asphalt cement is tested at 275oC.

Types of Viscosity Tubes

Zietfuchs Cross-Arm
Asphalt Institute Tube
Tube
 Testing
Absolute viscosity
– U-shaped tube with
timing marks & filled with
asphalt
– Placed in 60C bath
– Vacuum used to pull
asphalt through tube
– Time to pass marks
– Viscosity in Pa s (Poise)
 Aggregates

Usually refers to a soil that has in some way

been processed or sorted.
Excavation
Crushing
Transportation
 Sizing

Stockpiling
Desired Aggregate Properties

Toughness
Soundness
Deleterious Materials
Gradation
 Soundness

Before After
 Gradations

 Aggregate Gradation
– The distribution of particle sizes
expressed as a percent of total
weight.
– Determined by sieve analysis
 Mechanical Sieve

Individual Sieve Stack of Sieves

 Mechanical Sieve

Stack in
Mechanical
Shaker
Types of Gradations
* Uniformly graded
- Few points of contact
- Poor interlock (shape dependent)
- High permeability
* Well graded
- Good interlock
- Low permeability
* Gap graded
- Only limited sizes
- Good interlock
- Low permeability
100 Aggregate Size Definitions 100
100 99
90 • Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size 89
72 – one size larger than the first sieve to 72
65 retain more than 10% 65
48 • Maximum Aggregate Size 48
36 – one size larger than nominal maximum
36
22 size 22
15 15
9 9
4 4
Percent Passing
100
max density line

restricted zone

control point nom max

max size
size

0
.075 .3 2.36 4.75 9.5 12.5 19.0

Sieve Size (mm) Raised to 0.45 Power

 ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Road Consist of…

 subgrade or foundation (carries all the traffic

loads)
 drainage
 pavement (support the wheel loads)
 ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Asphalt Pavement - pavement that has a
surface constructed with asphalt.

Requirement:
- thickness
- internal strength
- prevent penetration or internal
accumulation of moisture
- smooth top surface
- resistant to wear, distortion, skidding
and deterioration.
 ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Types:
 Asphalt Wearing Surface Pavement - top layer is
asphalt which is less than 1in or more depending on
the design.

 Full Depth Asphalt Pavement - the entire pavement

structure above the subgrade consist of asphalt
mixture.
 Pavement Thickness
• There is no standard thickness for pavement
• There are standards for parking areas and
driveways
• Thickness is determined by engineering design
procedure

• Factors considered:
– Traffic analysis
– Subgrade analysis
– Asphalt paving mix design
 Pavement Thickness
Traffic Analysis
• Traffic count/ volume count
Subgrade analysis
• Loading test in field (plate Bearing Test)
Loading Test in a lab ( California Bearing Ratio
Test or Triaxial Test)
• Determining classification of soil (AASHTO,
USC etc)
Asphalt Paving Mix Design
• Durability
• Stability
• workability
 Pavement Behavior
• Behavior depends on:

– Temperature
– Time of loading
– Aging (properties change with time)
Pavement Behavior (temperature)

Function of Warm Weather and traffic

Pavement Behavior (temperature)

Thermal cracking
Pavement Behavior (time of loading)

Function of repeated loads over time

(wheel path)
 Types of
Asphalt Pavement Construction
• Plant Mix
1. Asphalt Concrete
– Prepared in plant mixes
– Consist of proportioned high quality aggregate
and asphalt cement
– Heated separately from 250 to 325 deg F
– Proportioned and mixed together until
aggregates are coated with asphalt
– Mixing is done in a pugmill
 Types of
Asphalt Pavement Construction
• Plant Mix
1. Cold Mix
– Prepared in plant mixes
– Consist of liquid asphalt and aggregate
– Aggregate are partially dried, heated or mixed
2. Cold Laid Asphalt Plant Mix
- mixture with emulsified asphalt and some
cutbuck asphalt
- may be spread and compacted in the roadway
while cool
 Types of
Asphalt Pavement Construction
• Mixed-In Place ( Road Mix)
– Spraying of liquid asphalt (cutbacks and
emulsified asphalt) into aggregate into the
area to be paved
– Also applicable on roadway, parking area or
field
– Can be used for surface base or subbase
courses
– More applicable for light and medium traffic
 Types of
Asphalt Pavement Construction
• Slurry Seal
– Thin asphalt overlay applied to worn
pavements to seal then and provide new
wearing surface
– Produced with emulsified asphalt
– Uses crushed limestone or granite, slag and
other lightweight materials as aggregates
– Truck mounted equipment transport,
proportion,mixes and applies the slurry seal