Essential Test On Bitumen Before Road Application-2024

This Article Covers Various Test On Bitumen Performed Before Used For Road Pavements One By One.

Table of Contents

Test On Bitumen

There are a number of tests to assess the properties of bituminous materials. The following tests 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
Float test
Water content test
Loss on heating test

Penetration Test

It measures the hardness or softness of bitumen by measuring the depth in tenths of a millimetre to which a standard loaded needle will penetrate vertically in 5 seconds.

BIS had standardized 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.

Ductility Test

A Ductility is the property of bitumen that permits it to undergo great deformation or elongation.

And Ductility defined as the distance in cm, to which a standard sample or briquette of the material will elongated without breaking.

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 conducted by using Ring and Ball apparatus.

Specific Gravity Test

In paving jobs, to classify a binder, density property is of great use. In most cases bitumen weighed, but when used with aggregates, the bitumen converted to volume using density values.

The density of bitumen greatly influenced by its chemical composition.

Increase in aromatic type mineral impurities cause an increase in specific gravity.

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 observed to result in lower stability values.

At high viscosity, it resist the comp active effort and thereby resulting mix is heterogeneous, hence low stability values.

Flash and fire point test

At high temperatures depending upon the grades of bitumen materials leave out volatiles.

And these volatiles catches fire which is very hazardous and therefore it is essential to qualify this temperature for each bitumen grade.

Float test

Normally the consistency of bituminous material can measured either by penetration test or viscosity test. But for certain range of consistencies, these tests not applicable and Float test is used.

Water content test

It is desirable that the bitumen contains minimum water content to prevent foaming of the bitumen when it heated above the boiling point of water.

The water in a bitumen determined by mixing known weight of specimen in a pure petroleum distillate free from water, heating and distilling of the water.

Loss on heating test

When the bitumen is heated it loses the volatility and gets hardened.

About 50gm of the sample weighed and 0 heated to a temperature of 163 C for 5hours in a specified oven designed for this test.

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Ketan Pattekar

Author & Editor Of This Blog.

Founder Of “KPSTRUCTURES”