CVS 327 CLASS NOTES 2021/2022

Chapter 3: BITUMINOUS COURSES

Types of Bituminous Courses

Bitumen and tar are used as a binder in a variety of specifications. The specifications can be
classified as follows:-

1. Prime coats and tack coats

2. Surface dressing and seal coats
3. Thin premixed surfacing
a. Thin premixed open textured carpets
b. Coarse graded mix-seals
c. Semi-dense carpet
4. Base courses
a. Built-up-spray grout
b. Penetration macadam including full-grout and semi-grout
c. Premixed macadam
5. Dense surfacing
a. Asphaltic concrete
b. Mastic asphalt
c. Rolled asphalt
d. Sheet asphalt
6. Stabilized Courses containing bitumen/tar

IN DETAILS:

1. Prime coats – this is an initial application of a low viscosity liquid bituminous material
to an absorbent surface preparatory to any super-imposed treatment or construction.

Objective of priming;

Specifications are provided directly over untreated layers such as gravel, water-bound macadam
and stabilized soil. These courses contain considerable voids and present a porous texture, with
the result that moisture can penetrate, either from the super-imposed layers or from the sides
or from beneath due to capillary action. Priming therefore improves the situation as it
penetrates the surface, plugs the capillary voids and coats and bonds dust and loose mineral
particles together.

The process hardens or toughens the surface and promotes adhesion between it and the super-
imposed layer.
Choice of binder for priming

The binder used for priming is generally a medium curing (MC) or slow curing (SC) cutback. The
viscosity of the binder and the quantity depend upon the porosity of the surface.

Recommendations:

Porosity Surface description Viscosity of binder Quantity in kg per

(Standard tar viscosity 10m2
at 60oC)

Low Tightly bonded 0–5 7.3 – 9.8

surface, containing
hard stones well-
graded crushed rock,
and gravel with clayey
soil

Medium Pavement with silty 6 – 12 9.8 – 12.2

soil binder

High Open –textured 16 – 32 12.2 – 14.6

surfaces

Tack coats – an application of a bituminous binder to an existing surface (blacktopped

or otherwise) to ensure a bond between the new construction and the old surface.

Objective of tack coats

The difference between a tack coat and a priming coat is that unlike the latter, the binder does
not penetrate the lower layer in the former. It remains at the interface between the old and the
new application and promotes necessary bond between the two. Such a bond becomes very
crucial if the old surface is dry and hungry and if the new layer is very thin. Thin carpets have a
tendency to peel of under excessive tangential stresses, unless they are adequately bonded
with the old surface.

Binder for tack coats

Tack coats can be done with road tar (RT-3), penetration grad bitumen (80/100), cutbacks and
emulsions. The quantity being 5 – 7.5kg per 10m2 for blacktopped surfaces and 7.5 – 10kg per
10m2 for untreated water bound macadam surfaces.
 2. Surface dressing

Surface dressing is also termed as surface treatment. It is a process whereby thin film of
bituminous binder is sprayed on the road surface, covered with a coat of mineral aggregates
and well rolled.

Functions

Surface dressing is used in a variety of situations to perform a number of functions. These are:

- As a dust palliative, esp. over gravel and water-bound macadam roads,

- To protect the freshly laid WBM (water bound macadam) surfaces from the action of
pneumatic tyre vehicles which tends to suck the loose binder and deprive the stones of
stability.
- To water proof a WBM layer and prevent entry of water into the pavement and
subgrade
- To increase skid resistance of smooth surfaces
- To renew the worn out surfaces periodically as part of routine maintenance operations
- To act as a temporary bituminous surfacing specification on newly constructed roads so
as to allow for settlements due to traffic before costlier specifications are provided

It should be noted that the surface dressing is a thin treatment on top of a pavement and does
not restore good riding surface to a road which is full of irregularities.

Categories of SD

Depend on the number of SD applications and whether the chips are precoated or not

Factors governing performance of SD

- Binder – type and viscosity

- Aggregates – their type, size, gradation, shape, strength, texture, porosity, dryness,
dustiness and affinity to binder
- External conditions – old road surface, traffic, weather, season etc
- Construction techniques – quantity and rate of spread of binder and aggregates, weight
of roller and time interval before opening of traffic

Seal Coats: an effective treatment for the protection and preservation of asphalt pavements
done on all pavements. If not protected the pavements become too expensive to repair and
have to be replaced to keep it functional.
 3. THIN PREMIXED SURFACING

Thin premixed open textured carpets

- A thin surfacing layer usually 20mm in thickness, a seal coat may precede. It compares
with a two-coat SD but is superior for the following reasons:
- This effectively coats the full surface of aggregates
- There is no loss of aggregates due to traffic
- It is thicker and better then the SD
Disadvantages:
- Two-coat SD is cheaper than the 20mm carpet
- Equipment requirement for carpet includes a mixer unlike the boiler and hand sprayer
for the SD

Mix-Seal Surfacing

- Is an open graded surfacing similar to the premixed carpets but differ as follows:
o Unlike the 20mm premix carpet, there is no separate seal-coat in the mix-seal.
Materials are mixed in one operation
o The aggregates are more closely graded in the mix-seals than in the carpets

Semi-Dense Carpets

A dense asphaltic concrete is a very costly specification, because of the rigorous specifications
for mix design, aggregate gradation, binder content and stability. Usually recommended where
the 20mm chipping carpet may not meet the requirement for traffic and climate and where the
economy can support the extra investment since it undoubtedly yields returns.

4. BASE COURSES

Built-up-spray grout

- BUSG is a method of building up a flexible pavement, in which single size stones are laid
in layers of thickness equal to the size of stones, and a very small quantity of bituminous
binder is grouted.
- The binder so grouted smears the surfaces of the stone aggregates and imparts
adhesion amongst the aggregates of one layer as well as between aggregates of one
layer and those of the layer above.
- This adhesion takes place only at the contact points between the aggregate inter-faces.
The layers are usually built up in the thickness of 40mm and the total compacted
thickness of the course usually built is not above 75mm
- This is however inferior in strength and costly. It may be useful in desert areas
Penetration macadam including full-grout and semi-grout

- A penetration macadam is a compacted layer of coarse stone aggregates into which has
been introduced a binder which is allowed to penetrate into the layer and bind the stone
aggregates. A layer of intermediate aggregates called key aggregates is spread on the
surface and rolled. A seal coat is provided to make the surface impervious.
- A full-grout specification is one in which the binder is allowed to penetrate to full depth
of construction.
- A semi-grout case is one in which the binder only penetrates half the depth or less. In
the balance, the binder is let to work up from the bottom.
- The pen macadam is more common as it dispenses with the hot mix plant. Only a
sprayer and a roller are needed.

Premixed macadam

Precoated macadam is a form of premixed work where coarse macadam type of aggregates are
mixed with bituminous or tar binder. The stability of the material is mainly due to interlock
between the aggregate particles and the frictional resistance developed at their contact points.
The mix is open-graded type and usually used for base courses and leveling surfaces. It is hot-
mix hot-laid using a paver finisher.

5. DENSE SURFACING

Asphaltic concrete

Asphaltic concrete: a pavement specification composed of a thoroughly controlled hot-mixed

material having as ingredient: graded mineral aggregates, filler and bitumen. It is both hot
mixed and hot laid and is a superior type of asphalt pavement.

Merits:

i. Durability – high density, resistant to deformation, and high adhesiveness

ii. Imperviousness – low voids content, excellent grading, high adhesion

iii. Load-spreading capacity – high interlock and hence dense

iv. Quickly open-able to traffic – highly compacted during construction

v. Good skid resistance – non-skid surface

Demerits:

i. High cost

ii. Needs sophisticated machines

iii. Need for high degree of quality control

iv. Very high bitumen content – bitumen is scarce and costly

Mastic asphalt

- A mixture of bitumen, mineral filler and fine aggregates in such a proportion as to yield
a voidless compact mass. Its consistency is such that it flows like a fluid at a
temperature of about 200oC, but on cooling to normal temperature it solidifies. It thus
requires no effort in compaction. Its mechanical strength is derived by the resistance to
strain of the continuous matrix of fine aggregate, filler and bitumen. The bitumen used
is a hard grade which impacts toughness to the material. The final product is very hard,
fully impermeable, highly durable, resistant to deformation and self-healing.
- It is useful in heavy duty areas, bridge girder decks and areas of high volume traffic.

Rolled asphalt

- This consists of mortar of fine aggregate and penetration grade bitumen to which is
added a quantity of coarse aggregates. If the quantity of coarse aggregates is low, it is
used as wearing course. If the quantity is high, about 60%, it is used as base course or
road base material.
- It exhibits considerable strength and stability and has a long life. But quite costly.

Sheet asphalt

- Also known as sand-sheet.

- It is a mixture of well-graded fine aggregates (sand), mineral filler and bitumen. It is
used as a superior type of surface course, generally for heavily trafficked city streets. It
is generally 40mm thick. It makes a noiseless and smooth surface. It is however costly.

6. Stabilized Courses containing bitumen/tar