Construction Materials and Testing

Learning Objectives :

At the end of the lesson, the learner is expected to

:
1. define the common terminologies of related to
construction materials.
2. Identify mechanical properties of bituminous materials
3. explain concept of strength of bituminous materials
4. Apply the basic concept of materials and testing
Construction Materials and Testing

References :
1. Peter Domone, John Illston, Construction Materials Their nature
and behaviour, Spon Press, 2 Park Square, Milton Park,
Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN. 2010
2. Edwward Allen, Joseph Iano, Fundamentals of Building
Construction, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
2009
3. Sidney M. Levy, Construction Databook Construction Materials
and Equipment, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , New york . 2010
Lesson 8 - Components of Bituminous materials
 Introduction
• The term bituminous materials is generally used to denote substances in
which bitumen is present or from which it can be derived. Bitumen is
defined as an amorphous, black or dark-colored, (solid, semi-solid, or
viscous) cementitious substance, composed principally of high molecular
weight hydrocarbons, and soluble in carbon disulfide.

• For civil engineering applications, bituminous materials include primarily

aphalts and tars. Asphalts may occur in nature (natural asphalts) or may be
obtained from petroleum processing (petroleum asphalts). Tars do not occur
in nature and are obtained as conden-sates in the processing of coal,
petroleum, oil-shale, wood or other organic materials. Pitch is formed when
a tar is partially distilled so that the volatile constituents have evaporated off
from it. Bituminous mixtures are generally used to denote the combinations
of bituminous materials (as binders), aggregates and additives.
 Bituminous Materials
• Bituminous Materials
- Consists of of a graded aggregate bound together with bitumen
and the the mixture contains a small proportion of air.
• Bitumen
- a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as
a residue from petroleum distillation. It is used for road surfacing
and roofing, mainly called asphalt.
• Aggregates
-is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in
construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled
concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most
mined materials in the world.
Difference between bitumens and aggregates :
• Aggregates are stiff and hard

• Bitumens are soft and flexible

2 sources of Bitumens: Bitumens
Natural Deposits/ Natural asphalts
- Occurs naturally, formed from petroleum
by geological forces, and always in
intimate association with mineral
aggregates. (Bitumens that we can get
from nature)

Refinery bitumen
- Bitumens that is residual material left
after the fractional distillation of crude oil.
Crudes vary in their bitumen content. The
lighter paraffinic crudes the lower its
bitumen content. The heavier the crudes,
the more it contains bitumen, which is
more easily extracted.(Bitumens that are
extracted from crude oil)
 The determination of constituents of bitumen is through the
use of solvents. It may be subdivided into the following main
fractions:
• Asphaltenes - fraction insoluble in light aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent (ex.
n-heptane).
- have the highest molecular weight but
their exact nature is dependent on the
type of solvent and the volume ratio of
solvent to bitumen.
• Maltenes - fraction soluble in n-heptane.
- may be further subdivided in resins and oils.
 Types of Bitumen
• Penetration Grade Bitumens
- Refinery bitumens that are
produced with a range of
viscosities.

• Oxidised Bitumens
- Processed by air blowing,
consists of introducing air
under pressure into a soft
bitumen under controlled
temperature conditions.
• Cutbacks
- Penetration grade bitumen is
thermoplastic, thus its viscosity varies
with temperature.

• Emulsions
- is a two-phase system consisting of two
immiscible liquids, one being dispersed as
fine globules within the other.
- consists of dicrete globules of bitumen
dispersed within a continuous phase of
water, and is a means of enabling
penetration grade bitumens to be mixed
and laid.
• Polymer-Modified
Bitumens
- are penetration
grade bitumens that
have been modified in
terms of their strength
and rheological
properties by the
addition of small
amounts( usually 2-8%
by mass) of polymer.
 Aggregates
• Makes up the bulk of
bituminous materials.
• Has an important effects
on the strength and
stiffness of bituminous
mixtures.
• Majority of aggregates used
in bituminous mixtures are
obtained from natural
sources, either sands and
gravels or crushed rock.
 Definition of terms
• Bituminous Materials
- Consists of of a graded aggregate bound
together with bitumen and the the mixture
contains a small proportion of air.
• Bitumen
- a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons
obtained naturally or as a residue from
petroleum distillation. It is used for road
surfacing and roofing, mainly called asphalt.
• Aggregates
-is a broad category of coarse particulate
material used in construction, including sand,
gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete
and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are
the most mined materials in the world.
• Natural Deposits/ Natural asphalts
- Bitumens that we can get from nature.
• Refinery bitumen
- Bitumens that are extracted from crude
oil.
• Asphaltenes - fraction insoluble in light aliphatic
hydrocarbon solvent.
• Maltens - fraction soluble in n-heptane.
• Penetration Grade Bitumens
- Refinery bitumens that are produced with a
range of viscosities.
• Oxidised Bitumens
- Processed by air blowing, consists of
introducing air under pressure into a soft
bitumen under controlled temperature
conditions.
• Cutbacks
- Penetration grade bitumen is thermoplastic, thus its
viscosity varies with temperature.
• Emulsions
- is a two-phase system consisting of two immiscible
liquids, one being dispersed as fine globules within the
other.
- consists of discrete globules of bitumen dispersed
within a continuous phase of water, and is a means of
enabling penetration grade bitumens to be mixed and
laid.
• Polymer-Modified Bitumens
- are penetration grade bitumens that
have been modified in terms of their
strength and rheological properties by the
addition of small amounts( usually 2-8%
by mass) of polymer.
 Durability of
Bituminous Structures
 Durability
• is the ability to survive and continue to give an
acceptable performance. In the case of roads, it
is necessary that the structure should survive for
the specified design life,
• although it is accepted that not all aspects of
performance can be sustained for this duration
without some restorative maintenance.
 Ageing of bitumen
• The ageing or hardening of bitumen is an
inevitable result of exposure of bitumen
to the atmosphere. The rate of hardening
will depend on the conditions and the
nature of the bitumen.
 Oxidation
The process where oxygen molecules from
the air combine with the aromatics and
resins to form asphaltenes.
there is an increase in the polar, high
molecular weight fraction at the expense of
the lower molecular weight components.
 Loss of volatiles
• Loss of volatiles will occur if there is a
substantial proportion of low molecular
weight components in the bitumen and if
the bitumen is subjected to high
temperatures.
 Ageing index
• The hardening of bitumen results in a
lowering of penetration, an increase in
softening point and an increase in
penetration index.
Ageing of bitumen during mixing, storage, transportation, application
and service (from The Shell Bitumen Handbook, 2003).
 Bitumen ageing tests
• Tests related to the ageing of bitumen can
be broadly divided into tests performed
on neat bitumen and tests performed on
asphalt mixtures.
 Permeability
• an important parameter of a bituminous
mixture because it controls the extent to
which both air and water can migrate into
the material.
Measurement and voids analysis
• The measurement of permeability is, in
essence, a simple task, achieved by
applying a fluid under pressure to one
side of a specimen of a bituminous
mixture and measuring the resulting flow
of fluid at the opposite side.
Classification of voids in terms of permeability for asphalt
mixtures (after Chen et al., 2004)
 Factors affecting permeability
• The permeability of a bituminous mixture
depends on a large number of factors. Of
particular importance are the quantity of
voids, the distribution of void size and the
continuity of the voids.
 Adhesion
• The quality of the adhesion of a bitumen
to an aggregate is dependent on a
complex assemblage of variables.
 The nature of the bitumen
• The important characteristics of bitumen
affecting its adhesion to aggregate are its
viscosity and surface tension, and its polarity
• The viscosity and surface tension will govern
the extent to which bitumen is absorbed into
the pores at the surface of the aggregate
particles..
 Mechanisms for loss of adhesion

• Breakdown of the bond between bitumen

and aggregate, known as stripping, may
occur for a number of reasons
 Displacement
• This occurs when the bitumen retracts
from its initial equilibrium position as a
result of contact with moisture.
 Detachment
• This occurs when the bitumen and
aggregate are separated by a thin film of
water or dust, though no obvious break in
the bitumen film may be apparent.
 Film rupture
• This occurs when the bitumen fully coats
the
aggregate but where the bitumen film thins,
usually at the sharp edges of the aggregate
particles.
 Blistering and pitting
• If the temperature of the bitumen at the
surface of a road rises, its viscosity falls.
This reduced viscosity allows the bitumen
to creep up the surface of any water
droplets that fall on the surface, and it
may eventually form a blister.
 Spontaneous emulsification

• Water and bitumen have the capacity to

form an emulsion with water as the
continuous phase. The emulsion formed
has the same (negative) charge as the
aggregate surface and is thus repelled.
Design and production of
bituminous materials
 Asphalt concretes
(previously termed dense macadams)
are characterized by relatively low binder
content and a continuously graded aggregate
A summary of asphalt concrete material options for the UK
 Hot rolled asphalts
• (previously termed ‘asphalts’)
• are dense materials that are characterized by their high
• bitumen content and high filler/fines content.
 Porous asphalt
- a bituminous material
- designed to provide a large volume (at least
20%) of interconnected air voids so that water
can drain through the material and run off
within the thickness of the layer.
 Stone mastic asphalt
-(SMA) is specified in BS EN
-13108 Part 5. SMA has a
coarse aggregate skeleton but
the voids are filled with a mortar
of fines, filler and bitumen.
 In evaluating mixtures it is helpful to consider
the Marshall quotient, Qm, which is derived from the
stability and flow:
Qm = stability/flow
Thus Qm bears some resemblance to a modulus
(ratio of stress to strain) and may be taken as a
measure of mixture stiffness.
 Methods of production
The process of manufacture of bituminous materials involves three
stages.

Firstly, the aggregate must be proportioned to give the required

grading,

secondly the aggregate must be dried and heated,

and thirdly the correct amount of binder must be added to the

aggregate and mixed to thoroughly coat the aggregate particles and
produce a homogeneous material.
Production of bituminous materials
1. The aggregate is blended from cold bins and passed through a rotary drier /
heater.
2. Here the moisture is Driven off and the aggregate temperature raised to the
prescribed mixing temperature for the type of material being produced.
3. The aggregate is then transported by hot elevator to hot storage bins, where
it is separated into fractions of specified size.
4. Aggregates are released into the weigh box in the desired proportions and
then released into the mixer.
5. Bitumen heated to the prescribed temperature is also introduced to the
mixer, the quantity being determined using a weigh bucket or volumetrically
using a flow meter.
6. The mixing time varies up to 60 seconds but should be as short as possible in
order to limit oxidation of the binder.
7. After mixing, the material is discharged directly into a wagon.