Institute of Technology of Cambodia Road design II (TP)

Glass Plastic gloves Water tank Oven

4. Precautions
To ensure the test is done safely, avoiding any risks, and to achieve reliable results, some
safety precautions are done, such as:
- Wear heat-resistant gloves when handling hot bitumen to prevent burns.
- Ensure the heating source provides a uniform and controlled temperature rise of
5°C ± 0.5°C per minute throughout the test.
- To avoid the heat-resistant bath from breaking, we need to keep the mixer on throughout
the test.

5. Procedure
1) Heat the bitumen sample in the oven at a temperature of 75-100°C until the bitumen is
completely melted.
2) Clean the glass plate and coat the surface with a mixture of glycerin and talc to prevent the
bitumen from sticking to the glass plate. Heat the rings to approximately the same
temperature as molten bitumen before placing them on the glass plate.
3) Pour the liquid bitumen into the rings and put them all together in the water tank until the
sample is cool. Trim the excess surface of bitumen with a slightly heated knife, creating a
smooth surface.

Figure 9: Material preparation Figure 10: An overview of the softening point test

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 Institute of Technology of Cambodia Road design II (TP)

4) Fill the water bath at a maintained temperature of 5°C.

5) Fix the rings filled with bitumen in the support stand and place them in the 5°C water bath.
Then put a steel ball on the top of the rings attached to the support and place it in the water
bath. (The water level at least 5cm higher that the ball’s top surface)
6) Put the mixer into the water bath and begin heating the bath at a controlled rate of 5°C ±
0.5°C per minute. As the temperature rises, the bitumen will soften. Observe the steel balls.
The test is complete when a steel ball touches the bottom plate of the bath due to the
softened bitumen beneath it.
7) Record the temperature reading on the thermometer every 10 minutes.

Fig 11: Mix glycerin and Fig 12: Soak in water Fig 13:Trim off any Fig 14: Creating a
talc on glass surface excess bitumen around smooth surface
the mold’s edge

Fig 15: The rings filled Fig 16: Water bath at a Fig 17: Start of the test Fig 18: Temperature
with bitumen in the maintained temperature rising
support stand of 5°C

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