Highway materials destructive distillation. Tar can be produced Asphalt, on the other hand, is a man made substance.
produced Asphalt, on the other hand, is a man made substance. It is produced using
 Used for the construction of highways, including
roads and bridges.
 Can be categorized into flexible or rigid pavement
materials.
 Classified based on properties, uses, and strength
characteristics.
Properties of Highway Materials
Determined through various tests such as strength, hardness,
soundness, group index value, and specific gravity.
These items of major importance which are used in normal
highway construction are:
1. Bituminous Materials
- Class of black or brown materials mainly
composed of hydrocarbons.
- Derived from petroleum distillation or coal
carbonization.
- Types include Asphalt, Macadam, Tar, and
Bitumen.
- Bitumen vs. Asphalt differentiation.
- Sources of Bitumen: Natural and Refinery.
Types
● Asphalt
o Bitumen mixture whose strength and stiffness
is gained through the mortar property.
o It is also used extensively in road construction
due to its excellent adhesive properties and
ability to waterproof surfaces.
● Macadam
o Strength is dependent on the aggregates that
are used in the mix (i.e. grading of the
aggregates).
● Tar
o A dark brown or black viscous liquid of
hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a
wide variety of organic materials through
the residue from petroleum distillate or from byproducts of natural
from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. Mineral
deposits. It is heated, dried, and mixed together with bitumen and sand.
products resembling tar can be produced from
fossil hydrocarbons, such as petroleum.
● Bitumen
o Refers to a substance produced through the
distillation of crude oil.
o Known for its waterproofing and adhesive
properties and is commonly used in the
construction industry, notably for roads and
highways.
o Production occurs through distillation, which
removes lighter crude oil components like
gasoline and diesel, leaving the heavier
bitumen behind.
o Deposits can also occur naturally at the bottom
of ancient lakes, where prehistoric organisms
have decayed and been subjected to heat and
pressure.
o It is composed of complex hydrocarbons and
contains elements like calcium, iron, sulfur,
and hydrogen.
o The world's first bitumen futures contracts
debuted on the Shanghai Futures Exchange in
October 2013.
Sources of Bitumen
● Natural Bitumen. Naturally obtained from
petroleum through geological processes, is
found in deposits like bitumen-impregnated
rocks and bituminous sands
● Refinery Bitumen. The residue left after the
fractional distillation of crude oil, with the
bitumen content varying by the source of the
crude.
Bitumen vs. Asphalt
Bitumen is a byproduct of crude oil that is used to bind asphalt together
when used for projects, such as paving roads or roofing. It is used for its
adhesive properties and because it resists damage from oil and water.
2. Soil
- Biologically active, porous medium in Earth's
crust.
- Physical, Biological, and Chemical properties.
- Physical properties include structure, texture,
infiltration, etc.
- Biological properties: Active and total carbon,
enzymes, etc.
- Chemical properties: pH, nutrient content, cation
exchange capacity, etc.
Physical Properties
Physical properties are the most visible and can be
observed without using equipment like scanners or
microscopes. They are reflective of the solid soil
particles such as sand, silt and clay and the manner in
which they are arranged. They can be used to define and
classify soil types and horizons. In addition, they are
very effective for field/lab demonstrations. They
include:
Biological Properties
Biological Properties represent the direct and indirect
influence of the living organisms habitating a particular
soil. Soil biological properties reflect how well-suited a
soil is to support life. Most of the properties require
specialized and high powered equipment for
observations or measurements. They include:
Chemical Properties
Chemical properties represent the complex chemical
reactions and processes occurring in the soils. They
represent nutrient availability, deficiency, toxicity,
salinity and sodicity just to name a few. Almost all of
the properties require field equipment or lab analysis for
measurement. They include:
3. Aggregates
 - Raw materials extracted from natural sources
like gravel, crushed stone, and sand.
- Used with binding mediums to form compound
materials such as asphalt concrete and Portland
cement concrete..
4. Portland Cement Concrete
- Composed mainly of calcium silicates and, to a
lesser extent, calcium aluminates.
- Known as "hydraulic cement" for its excellent
binding properties upon mixing with water..
5. Admixtures
- Materials added to cementitious mixtures to
modify their properties.
- Includes substances like water, aggregates,
cementitious materials, and fiber reinforcement.
TESTS FOR HIGHWAY MATERIALS
Asphalt Testing
● Marshall Stability Test
○ ASTM D6927 - Standard Test Method for
Marshall Stability and Flow of Asphalt
Mixtures.
● Superpave Gyratory Compactor
○ ASTM D6925 - Standard Test Method for
Preparation and Determination of the
Relative Density of Asphalt Mix Specimens
by Means of the Superpave Gyratory
Compactor.
● Penetration Test
○ ASTM D5 - Standard Test Method for
Penetration of Bituminous Materials.
● Softening Point Test
○ ASTM D36 - Standard Test Method for
Softening Point of Bitumen (Ring-and-Ball
Apparatus).
Concrete Testing
● Compressive Strength Test
○ ASTM C39 - Standard Test Method for
Compressive Strength of Cylindrical
Concrete Specimens.
● Slump Test
○ ASTM C143 - Standard Test Method for
Slump of Hydraulic-Cement Concrete.
● Flexural Strength Test
○ ASTM C78 - Standard Test Method for Steel Testing
Flexural Strength of Concrete (Using Simple
Beam with Third-Point Loading). ● Tensile Strength Test
● Air Content Test ○ ASTM A370 - Standard Test Methods and
○ ASTM C231 - Standard Test Method for Air Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel
Content of Freshly Mixed Concrete by the Products.
Pressure Method. ● Bend Test
○ ASTM E290 - Standard Test Methods for
Aggregate Testing Bend Testing of Material for Ductility.
● Sieve Analysis
○ ASTM C136 - Standard Test Method for
Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse
Aggregates.
● Los Angeles Abrasion Test
○ ASTM C131/C131M - Standard Test
Method for Resistance to Degradation of
Small-Size Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion
and Impact in the Los Angeles Machine.
● Specific Gravity and Absorption Test
○ ASTM C127 - Standard Test Method for
Relative Density (Specific Gravity) and
Absorption of Coarse Aggregate.
Bitumen Testing
● Viscosity Test
○ ASTM D4402 - Standard Test Method for
Viscosity Determination of Asphalt at
Elevated Temperatures Using a Rotational
Viscometer.
● Ductility Test
○ ASTM D113 - Standard Test Method for
Ductility of Bituminous Materials.
● Flash Point Test
○ ASTM D92 - Standard Test Method for
Flash and Fire Points by Cleveland Open
Cup Tester.