Highway materials

Basic road construction materials includes

 soils,
 aggregates,
 bitumen and
 Portland cement
Bitumen

 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 asphalts and tars

Cont..,
 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
condensates in the processing of coal,
petroleum, oil-shale, wood or other organic
materials
Physical Properties

 Asphalt binders are most commonly

characterized by their physical properties.  An
asphalt binder’s physical properties directly
describe how it will perform as a constituent
in HMA pavement.
Durability

 Durability is a measure of how asphalt binder

physical properties change with age
(sometimes called age hardening).  In
general, as an asphalt binder ages, its
viscosity increases and it becomes more stiff
and brittle. 
Cont..,
Age hardening is a result of a number of factors,
the principal ones being
 Oxidation.  The reaction of oxygen with the

asphalt binder.
 Volatilization.  The evaporation of the lighter

constituents of asphalt binder.  It is primarily a

function of temperature and occurs principally
during HMA production.
 Polymerization.  The combining of like molecules

to form larger molecules.  These larger molecules

are thought to cause a progressive hardening.
Cont..,
 Separation.  The removal of the oily
constituents, resins or asphaltenes from the
asphalt binder by selective absorption of
some porous aggregates.
 There is no direct measure for asphalt binder

aging.  Rather, aging effects are accounted

for by subjecting asphalt binder samples to
simulated aging then conducting other
standard physical tests
Cont..,
 Asphalt binder aging is usually split up into
two categories
 Short-term aging.  This occurs when asphalt

binder is mixed with hot aggregates in an

HMA mixing facility.
 Long-term aging.  This occurs after HMA

pavement construction and is generally due

to environmental exposure and loading.
Cont..,
Typical aging simulation tests are:
 Thin-film oven (TFO) test
 Rolling thin-film oven (RTFO) test
 Pressure aging vessel (PAV)
RTFO
PAV
Rheology

 Rheology is the study of deformation and

flow of matter.  Deformation and flow of the
asphalt binder in HMA is important in
determining HMA pavement performance. 
HMA pavements that deform and flow too
much may be susceptible to rutting and
bleeding, while those that are too stiff may be
susceptible to fatigue or thermal cracking. 
HMA pavement deformation is closely related
to asphalt binder rheology. 
Penetration Test

Penetration test following basic procedure:

 Melt and cool the asphalt binder sample under controlled

conditions.
 Measure the penetration of a standard needle into the asphalt

binder sample under the following conditions:

 Load = 100 grams
 Temperature = 25° C (77° F)
 Time = 5 seconds
 The depth of penetration is measured in units of 0.1 mm and

reported in penetration units (e.g., if the needle penetrates 8

mm, the asphalt penetration number is 80).  Penetration grading
is based on the penetration test.
The standard penetration test is:
AASHTO T 49 and ASTM D 5: Penetration of Bituminous Materials
Softening Point
 The softening point is defined as the temperature at
which a bitumen sample can no longer support the
weight of a 3.5-g steel ball. Basically, two horizontal
disks of bitumen, cast in shouldered brass rings , are
heated at a controlled rate in a liquid bath while each
supports a steel ball. The softening point is reported as
the mean of the temperatures at which the two disks
soften enough to allow each ball, enveloped in bitumen,
to fall a distance of 25 mm (1.0 inch) (AASHTO, 2000).
 The standard softening point test is:

AASHTO T 53 and ASTM D 36: Softening Point of Bitumen

(Ring-and-Ball Apparatus)
Ductility Test

 The ductility test measures asphalt binder

ductility by stretching a standard-sized
briquette of asphalt binder to its breaking
point.  The stretched distance in centimeters
at breaking is then reported as ductility. 
The standard ductility test is:
 AASHTO T 51 and ASTM D 113: Ductility of

Bituminous Materials
Rotational (or Brookfield) Viscometer (RV)

 The rotational viscometer (RV) is used in the

Superpave system to test high temperature
viscosities (the test is conducted at 135° C (275° F)). 
The basic RV test measures the torque required to
maintain a constant rotational speed (20 RPM) of a
cylindrical spindle while submerged in an asphalt
binder at a constant temperature.  This torque is
then converted to a viscosity and displayed
automatically by the RV.
 The RV test helps ensure that the asphalt binder is
sufficiently fluid for pumping and mixing
 Viscosity is proportional to the torque
Material value specifications Property of
concern
Unaged binder Dynamic <= 3 Pa.s Pumping ,mixin
viscosity g ,workability
Safety Tests

 Asphalt cement like most other materials, volatilizes (gives off

vapor) when heated.  At extremely high temperatures (well
above those experienced in the manufacture and construction of
HMA) asphalt cement can release enough vapor to increase the
volatile concentration immediately above the asphalt cement to
a point where it will ignite (flash) when exposed to a spark or
open flame.  This is called the flash point. For safety reasons,
the flash point of asphalt cement is tested and controlled.
 The fire point, which occurs after the flash point, is the
temperature at which the material (not just the vapors) will
sustain combustion.
Fire and flash point
 A typical flash point test involves heating a small sample of asphalt
binder in a test cup.  The temperature of the sample is increased and
at specified intervals a test flame is passed across the cup.  The flash
point is the lowest liquid temperature at which application of the test
flame causes the vapors of the sample to ignite. The test can be
continued up to the fire point – the point at which the test flame
causes the sample to ignite and remain burning for at least 5 seconds.
 Standard flash point tests are:
 AASHTO T 48 and ASTM D 92: Flash and Fire Points by Cleveland Open
Cup (more common for asphalt cement used in HMA)
 AASHTO T 73 and ASTM D 93: Flash-Point by Pensky-Martens Closed
Cup Tester
Grading Systems

 Penetration Grading
 Viscosity Grading
 Superpave Performance Grade (PG)
Penetration Grading

The penetration grading system was developed in the early 1900s to

characterize the consistency of semi-solid asphalts.  Penetration
grading quantifies the following asphalt concrete characteristics:
Penetration depth of a 100 g needle 25° C (77° F)
Flash point temperature
 Ductility at 25° C (77° F)
 Solubility in trichloroethylene
Thin-film oven test(accounts for the effects of short-term aging)

Penetration grading’s basic assumption is that the less viscous the

asphalt, the deeper the needle will penetrate. This penetration depth
is empirically correlated with asphalt binder performance. 
Cont..,
 Therefore, asphalt binders with high
penetration numbers (called "soft") are used
for cold climates while asphalt binders with
low penetration numbers (called "hard") are
used for warm climates.
Viscosity Grading

 In the early 1960s an improved asphalt grading system was

developed that incorporated a rational scientific viscosity test. 
This scientific test replaced the empirical penetration test as the
key asphalt binder characterization.  Viscosity grading quantifies
the following asphalt binder characteristics:
 Viscosity at 60° C (140° F)
 Viscosity at 135° C (275° F)
 Penetration depth of a 100 g needle applied for 5 seconds at 25°
C (77° F)
 Flash point temperature
 Ductility at 25° C (77° F)
 Solubility in trichloroethylene
 Thin film oven test(accounts for the effects of short-term aging)
Viscosity:
Viscosity is measured in poise (cm-g-s =
dyne-second/cm2.
 The lower the number of poises, the lower

the viscosity and thus the more easily a

substance flows.  Thus, AC-5 (viscosity is
500 ± 100 poise at 60° C (140° F)) is less
viscous than AC-40 (viscosity is 4000 ± 800
poise at 60° C (140° F)).
Superpave Performance Grade (PG)

 The previous grading systems are somewhat

limited in their ability to fully characterize
asphalt binder for use in HMA pavement. 
Therefore, as part of the Superpave research
effort new binder tests and specifications were
developed to more accurately and fully
characterize asphalt binders for use in HMA
pavements.  These tests and specifications are
specifically designed to address HMA pavement
performance parameters such as rutting,
fatigue cracking and thermal cracking.
Cont..,
 Superpave performance grading (PG) is based on
the idea that an HMA asphalt binder’s properties
should be related to the conditions under which it
is used.  For asphalt binders, this involves expected
climatic conditions as well as aging considerations. 
Therefore, the PG system uses a common battery of
tests (as the older penetration and viscosity grading
systems do) but specifies that a particular asphalt
binder must pass these tests at specific
temperatures that are dependant upon the specific
climatic conditions in the area of use.
Cont..,
Superpave performance grading uses the
following asphalt binder tests:
 Rolling thin film oven (RTFO)
 Pressure aging vessel (PAV)
 Rotational viscometer (RV)
 Dynamic shear rheometer (DSR)
 Bending beam rheometer (BBR)
 Direct tension tester (DTT)
Cont..,
 Superpave performance grading is reported
using two numbers – the first being the average
seven-day maximum pavement temperature (°C)
and the second being the minimum pavement
design temperature likely to be experienced (°C).
 Thus, a PG 58-22 is intended for use where the
average seven-day maximum pavement
temperature is 58°C and the expected minimum
pavement temperature is -22°C.  Notice that
these numbers are pavement temperatures and
not air temperatures