Highway materials

and design
APOORVA KRISHNA
Dept. of civil engineering
TKMCE , kollam

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Module 2
• Desirable properties and testing of bitumen Properties and tests on
Bituminous binders –Methods of grading, Emulsions – Properties
and tests, Cut backs and Modified binders-Types, characteristics and
uses, aging of bitumen and aging tests.

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 bitumen
• Bituminous materials or asphalts are extensively used for roadway construction.
• primarily because of their excellent binding characteristics and water proofing properties and
relatively low cost.
• Bituminous materials consists of bitumen which is a black or dark coloured solid or viscous
cementitious substances
• chiefly high molecular weight hydrocarbons derived from distillation of petroleum or natural
asphalt, has adhesive properties, and is soluble in carbon disulphide.
• Tars are residues from the destructive distillation of organic substances such as coal, wood, or
petroleum and are temperature sensitive than bitumen.
• Bitumen will be dissolved in petroleum oils where unlike tar.

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Requirements of Bitumen

• The bitumen should not be highly temperature susceptible:

during the hottest weather the mix should not become too
soft or unstable, and during cold weather the mix should
not become too brittle causing cracks.
• The viscosity of the bitumen at the time of mixing and
compaction should be adequate. This can be achieved by
use of cutbacks or emulsions of suitable grades or by
heating the bitumen and aggregates prior to mixing.
• There should be adequate affinity and adhesion between
the bitumen and aggregates used in the mix.

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Tests on bitumen
There are a number of tests to assess the properties of bituminous materials. The following tests
are usually conducted to evaluate different properties of bituminous materials.
❑ Penetration test
❑ Ductility test
❑ Softening point test
❑ Specific gravity test
❑ Viscosity test
❑ Flash and Fire point test
❑ Loss on heating test
❑ Solubility test

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Penetration test

• It measures the hardness or softness of bitumen by measuring the depth in tenths of a millimeter to
which a standard loaded needle will penetrate vertically in 5 seconds.
• BIS had standardised the equipment and test procedure.
• The penetrometer consists of a needle assembly with a total weight of 100g and a device for releasing
and locking in any position.
• The bitumen is softened to a pouring consistency, stirred thoroughly and poured into containers at a
depth at least 15 mm in excess of the expected penetration.
• The test should be conducted at a specified temperature of 25 degree.
• It may be noted that penetration value is largely influenced by any inaccuracy with regards to pouring
temperature, size of the needle, weight placed on the needle and the test temperature.
• A grade of 40/50 bitumen means the penetration value is in the range 4to 5 mm at standard test
conditions.
• In hot climates, a lower penetration grade is preferred.
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 Penetration test is commonly adopted test on bitumen grade the material in terms of its hardness

As per IRC—bituminous macadam, penetration macadam—30/40,60/70,80/100

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Bitumen A 25 A35&S35 A45&S45 A65&S65 A90&S90 A200&S20
grade 0
Penetratio 20-30 30-40 40-50 60-70 80-100 175-225
n value

AS PER BIS

• A denotes bitumen for assam petroleum

• S denotes bitumen from other sources other than Assam petroleum

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Ductility test
• Ductility is the property of bitumen that permits it to undergo great deformation or elongation.
• Ductility is defined as the distance in cm, to which a standard sample or briquette of the material will be
elongated without breaking.
• The bitumen sample is heated and poured in the mould assembly placed on a plate.
• These samples with mould are cooled in the air and then in water bath at 27o C temperature.
• The excess bitumen is cut and the surface is leveled using a hot knife.
• Then the mould with assembly containing sample is kept in water bath of the ductility machine for about
90 minutes.
• The sides of the mould are removed, the clips are hooked on the machine and the machine is operated.
• The distance up to the point of breaking of thread is the ductility value which is reported in cm.
• The ductility value gets affected by factors such as pouring temperature, test temperature, rate of pulling
etc.
• A minimum ductility value of 75 cm has been specified by the BIS
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AS PER BIS in cm ( should not be less than)
VG 10 75
VG 20 50
VG 30 40
VG 40 25

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Softening point test
• Softening point denotes the temperature at which the bitumen attains a particular degree of softening under the
specifications of test.
• The test is conducted by using Ring and Ball apparatus.
• A brass ring containing test sample of bitumen is suspended in liquid like water or glycerin at a given temperature.
• A steel ball is placed upon the bitumen sample and the liquid medium is heated at a rate of 5 degree per minute.
• Temperature is noted when the softened bitumen touches the metal plate which is at a specified distance below.
• Generally, higher softening point indicates lower temperature susceptibility and is preferred in hot climates.

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Bitumen grade Softening point ⁰C
A 25& A35 55-70
S35 50-65
A45,S45,A65 45-65
S65 40-55
A90&S90 35-50
A200 &S 200 30-45

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Flash and Fire point Test
Flash and Fire point test is conducted on bitumen to know the safe mixing and
application temperature values of particular bitumen grade.
• At higher temperatures bituminous materials leave out volatiles.
• These volatile vapors contains hydro carbons.
• So, they can catch the fire easily and will cause flash at one point and if it is
further prone to heat the material may ignite and burn.
• Catching fire is very dangerous during mixing of bitumen especially during its
application.
Apparatus
•Pensky-Martens closed testerDownloaded from Ktunotes.in
What is a Flash Point?
• It lowest temperature at which vapor of substance quickly catches fire in the form of flash
under definite conditions of the test.
• So, at this point fire will not last longer, just a flash will appear for a fraction of second.
• The existence of highly volatile and inflammable materials in a particular grade of bitumen
can be indicated by the Flash point.
What is a Fire Point?
• The fire point of a material is the lowest temperature at which material catches fire and
burns under definite conditions of test.
• The presence of combustible materials in a bituminous material can be indicated by the
Fire point.
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Specific gravity test
• In paving jobs, to classify a binder, density property is of great use. In most cases bitumen is weighed, but
when used with aggregates, the bitumen is converted to volume using density values.
• The density of bitumen is greatly influenced by its chemical composition. Increase in aromatic type mineral
impurities cause an increase in specific gravity.
• The specific gravity of bitumen is defined as the ratio of mass of given volume of bitumen of known
content to the mass of equal volume of water at 27degreeC.
• The specific gravity can be measured using either pycnometer or preparing a cube specimen of bitumen in
semi solid or solid state.
• The specific gravity of bitumen varies from 0.97 to 1.02.

Grade of bitumen Specific gravity as per BIS

A25,A35,A45,A65,S35,S45 0.99
A90&S90 0.98
A200&S200 0.97
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Viscosity test

• Viscosity denotes the fluid property of bituminous material and it is a measure

of resistance to flow.
• At the application temperature, this characteristic greatly influences the
strength of resulting paving mixes. Low or high viscosity during compaction or
mixing has been observed to result in lower stability values.
• At high viscosity, it resist the compactive effort and thereby resulting mix is
heterogeneous, hence low stability values. And at low viscosity instead of
providing a uniform film over aggregates, it will lubricate the aggregate
particles.
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• Orifice type viscometers are used to indirectly find the viscosity of liquid
binders like cutbacks and emulsions.
• The viscosity expressed in seconds is the time taken by the 50 ml bitumen
material to pass through the orifice of a cup, under standard test conditions
and specified temperature.
• Viscosity of a cutback can be measured with either 4.0 mm orifice at 25
degree C or 10 mm orifice at 25 or 40 degree C.

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Type of test Test Method

Penetration Test IS: 1203-1978

Ductility test IS: 1208-1978

Softening Point test IS: 1205-1978

Specific gravity test IS: 1202-1978

Viscosity test IS: 1206-1978

Flash and Fire Point test IS: 1209-1978

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Grading of bitumen
PENETRATION GRADING OF BITUMEN

• The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) D 04 carried out bitumen grading at a temperature of 25
degree Celsius for the testing of the road and pavement materials in 1903.

• The penetration value is measured in millimeters.1 penetration unit = 0.1mm.

• The greater the penetration value, the softer the bitumen become. The ASTM standard D 946 gives 5
penetration grades for the bitumen binders.

1. Hardest Bitumen Grade 40 –50

2. 60 –70

3. 85-100

4. 120-150

5. Softest Bitumen Grade 200-300

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•The penetration grading system is 100 years old bitumen grading method.
• In India, before 2006, the most widely used grade of bitumen was 60 to 70.
•For the construction of low volume roads and to perform spraying, penetration value from
80 to 100 was used.
•The disadvantages of penetration grading of bitumen are:
•The method of penetration grading is not a fundamental test. It makes use of empirical tests.
•For polymer modified bitumen, this method cannot be employed
•At higher and lower temperatures during service, similitude at 25 degree Celsius affects the
performance.
•It only based on consistency of bitumen

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VISCOSITY GRADES
Bitumen shall be classified into four grades based on the viscosity, and suitability
recommended for maximum air temperature as given below:
Grade Suitable for 7 day Average Maximum Air Temperature°C
VG10 < 30
VG20 30-38
VG30 38-45
VG40 > 45
NOTE — This is the 7 day average maximum air temperature for a period not less than 5
years from the start of the design period.

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➢ Viscosity Grade bitumen is determined by IS 73, ASTM and AASHTO.
➢ According to the IS, grading of Bitumen is changed from penetration grade to
viscosity grade in 2006.
What is the difference between penetration grade bitumen and viscosity grade bitumen?
➢ Penetration grade classification is based on the Penetration value in 25 ◦C, while
VG system is based on Viscosity value in both 60 ◦C and 135 ◦C .
➢ It shows it is suitable for both low and high temperature so the bitumen behavior
in different thermal conditions can be predicted well.

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 Emulsions

• Bitumen emulsion is a liquid product

• Bitumen is suspendend in a finely divided condition (fine
globules)in an aqueous medium by using suitable emulsifying
agents

Method of preparations-
❑Colloid mill method
❑High speed mixer method

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The bitumen emulsion is classified into two types:
1. Based on Setting Time
▪ When the bitumen emulsion is applied on the aggregate for the road works the water
evaporates leaving behind the bitumen droplets.
▪ These droplets spread on the aggregate and bind with each other and gains strength
eventually.
▪ Based upon the time taken by the emulsion to evaporate the water bitumen
emulsion is further classified into 3 types based on setting time:
Slow setting( SS-1 AND SS-2)
Medium setting (MS)
Rapid setting (RS-1 and RS-2)

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2. Based on Surface Charge
•Based upon the type of surface charge, they are divided into 2 types
•Anionic Bitumen Emulsion
•Cationic Bitumen Emulsion
In anionic bitumen emulsion, the tiny droplets of bitumen are electronegative recharged.
In Cationic bitumen emulsion the tiny droplets of bitumen are electro positively charged. The
average and commonly used between emulsions is cationic between emulsions. Selection of
positive or negative recharge between emulsions depends upon the mineral composition of
aggregate on which it is used
Ex: In case of silica rich aggregates the surface of silica is aggregate is positively charged
therefore cationic bitumen emulsion is used which helps in better spreading and binding of
bitumen with aggregates.
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Advantages and Uses of Bitumen Emulsions are:
•Bitumen emulsion are used extensively in bituminous road construction. Other than this they
are used for maintenance and repair work.
•Emulsions can be used in wet weather even if it is raining.
•Is ecofriendly as it is water based.
•Bitumen emulation is also used in soil stabilization in desert areas.
•It doesn't need extra heat while placing.
•There is no wastage in placing and laying of bitumen.
•They possess anti-stripping properties.
•Rapid setting type of emulsion are used in surface of roads.(tack coat,surface treatments)

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•Medium setting type of emulsion are used in premixing of bitumen emulsion and coarse
aggregate. (surface dressing and penetration macadam)
•Slow setting type of emulsion are used with fine aggregates as the surface area is large
and requires time for uniform mixing.(prime coat,slurry seal treatments,recycling
works,and soil stabilization)

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Test on bitumen emulsions

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❖ Emulsions need to be classified into cationic or anionic rapid, medium or slow-setting
grades.
❖ Hens, the particle charge test which electrodes are placed in the emulsion and either
the negative or positive electrode becomes coated with bitumen depending on
charges.
❖ Also, the reactivity of the emulsion can be measured in tests in which standard
aggregates are mixed with or dipped into the emulsion and the amount of bitumen
deposited on the surface is determined.
❖ The other tests include fillers such fine quartz sand or cement are added to the
emulsion in the so-called filler index or the cement mix test. The extent of
coalescence or the amount of filler required to give full coalescence is a measure of
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❖ The main challenge of using bitumen emulsion is happen to be transportation.
❖ Although these types of bitumen do not need heating during the transportation, they are
likely to lose their viscosity after a period of time, mainly because they contain a
reasonable amount of water,
❖ To ensure the stability of bitumen emulsions during storage or transportation,
some producers add calcium chloride to bitumen.
❖ Calcium chloride is applied to reduce the osmosis of water into the bitumen and
the increase in viscosity during the storage.

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What is the Difference between Ordinary Bitumen and Emulsion Bitumen?
▪ Bitumen emulsion is a chemical combination of bitumen, water, and an
emulsifying agent.
▪ This liquefied bitumen is more efficient than ordinary bitumen for road
construction, particularly in a lower temperature.
▪ With a lower viscosity in comparison to ordinary bitumen, this type of
binder doesn’t need to be heated before being applied to the surface.
▪ After the application of bitumen emulsion, the water releases and the
bitumen mix starts to set.

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• As a low temperature technique, using emulsified bitumen is also suitable
for reducing emissions and energy consumption.
• The construction of a roadway with bitumen emulsion (cold-mix bitumen) is
likely to consume approximately half the energy of paving a road with hot-
mix bitumen.

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Cutback Bitumen
• The industry is sometimes in need of low viscosity bitumen.
• There manufacturers came to a solution to deliver cutback bitumen which is a low viscosity
liquid dissolved in a solvent.
• The main advantage of this type of bitumen is that there is no need to heat it before using.
• Cutback bitumen is made by the addition of volatile dilutents in bitumen to reducing the
bitumen .
• Although these adhesive materials are added to lessen the need for heating before using,
they will evaporate as the bitumen is applied.
• This process is done for a temporary reduction of the bitumen viscosity.

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TYPES OF CUTBACKS
There are different types of cutbacks, types depends on the properties of
solvent. Mostly there are three basic types of cutbacks. Every type is
different because of separate property containing diluents.
Rapid curing cutbacks(RC)
Medium curing cutbacks(MC)
Slow curing cutbacks(SC)

Rapid curing cutbacks are produced, after the addition of light diluents in
bitumen … light diluent is mostly gasoline.
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Medium curing cutbacks are produced: after the addition of medium
property diluents in bitumen. Mostly kerosene is added as a medium
diluent.
Slow curing-In this case oil having low volatility is added bitumen. Easily
available diluent containing these properties is diesel

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➢ cutbacks works almost in the same way as emulsion works.
➢ After spraying on aggregates, solvent evaporates from the asphalt
cement and only asphalt cement lefts which becomes harden and form
strong bond with aggregates.
➢ Asphalt cement contains same properties after evaporation of solvent.
From this, it is clear that solvents are only used so that it can easily
apply under cold weather.
➢ There is no such other function of added solvents.
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 Modified Bitumen
• Certain additives or blend of additives called as bitumen modifiers can
improve properties of Bitumen and bituminous mixes.
• Bitumen treated with these modifiers is known as modified bitumen.
• Polymer modified bitumen (PMB)/ crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB)
should be used only in wearing course depending upon the requirements of
extreme climatic variations.
• The detailed specifications for modified bitumen have been issued by IRC:
SP: 53-1999.
• It must be noted that the performance of PMB and CRMB is dependent on
strict control on temperature during construction.
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Polymer Modified Binder (PMB)
❖ PMB consists of bitumen blended with a synthetic polymer or crumb rubber.
❖ PMBs are used to enhance the performance of binders on heavily trafficked or
distressed pavement surfaces, often in adverse climatic conditions.
❖ Property improvements
✓ reduced temperature susceptibility,
✓ increased elasticity or resilience,
✓ increased cohesion and improved tenacity once a bond has been established.
✓ In terms of sprayed sealing, performance improvements include lower risk of
bleeding,.

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✓ improved crack resistance,

✓ better aggregate retention

✓ less deformation at high temperatures

These improvements are the basis of the use of PMBs in stress/ strain

absorbing membranes (SAMs), stress absorbing membrane interface

(SAMIs) and high-stress seals (HSSs).

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Polymer groups are coded as follows:
•E for elastomeric polymers including styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), styrene-
butadiene rubber (SBR) and polybutadiene (PBD). Binders modified with elastomeric
polymer have improved resilience or elasticity, are less temperature susceptible, and
are widely used as HSSs, SAMs and SAMIs.
•P for plastomeric polymers including ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), ethylene
methacrylate (EMA), atactic polypropylene (APP), and polypropylene (PE). Binders
modified with plastomeric polymer have increased stiffness and are may be used in
HSSs.
•R for crumb rubber materials. Crumb rubber is generally obtained from shredding
and grinding of scrap rubber from vehicle tyres. When blended with bitumen the
rubber behaves as a form of elastomer and is used in HSSs, SAMs and SAMIs.
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