7/7/2020 Asphalt - Wikipedia

Asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (UK: /ˈbɪtjʊmɪn/, US: /bɪˈtjuːmən, baɪ-/),[1] is a
sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be
found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch.
Before the 20th century, the term asphaltum was also used.[2] The word is
derived from the Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος ásphaltos. The Pitch Lake is the largest
natural deposit of asphalt in the world, estimated to contain 10 million tons. It is
located in La Brea in southwest Trinidad, within the Siparia Regional
Natural bitumen from the Dead Sea
Corporation.[3]

The primary use (70%) of asphalt is in road construction, where it is used as the
glue or binder mixed with aggregate particles to create asphalt concrete. Its other
main uses are for bituminous waterproofing products, including production of
roofing felt and for sealing flat roofs.[4]

In material sciences and engineering, the terms "asphalt" and "bitumen" are often
used interchangeably to mean both natural and manufactured forms of the
substance, although there is regional variation as to which term is most common.
Worldwide, geologists tend to favor the term "bitumen" for the naturally occurring
material. For the manufactured material, which is a refined residue from the
distillation process of selected crude oils, "bitumen" is the prevalent term in much Refined asphalt
of the world; however, in American English, "asphalt" is more commonly used. To
help avoid confusion, the phrase "liquid asphalt", "asphalt binder", or "asphalt
cement" is used in the U.S. Colloquially, various forms of asphalt are sometimes referred
to as "tar", as in the name of the La Brea Tar Pits, although tar is a different material.[5]
A road surface, or pavement, is the
Naturally occurring asphalt is sometimes specified by the term "crude durable bitumen". surface
Its material laid down on
viscosity is similar to that of cold molasses [6][7] an area intended
while the material obtained from the to sustain vehicular or
foot traffic,
fractional distillation of crude oil boiling at 525 °C (977 °F) is sometimes referred to as such as a road or walkway.
In the
"refined bitumen". The Canadian province of Alberta has most of the world's reserves of past, gravel road surfaces,
cobblestone
natural asphalt in the Athabasca oil sands, which cover 142,000 square kilometres and granite setts were
(55,000 sq mi), an area larger than England. [8] extensively used, but thet have mostly
b l db h lt t l id
Asphalt properties change with temperature, which means that there is a specific range
where viscosity permits adequate compaction by providing lubrication between particles
during the compaction process. Low temperature prevents aggregate particles from
moving, and the required density is not possible to achieve.[9]
The University of
Queensland pitch drop
experiment, demonstrating
Contents the viscosity of asphalt

Terminology
Etymology
Modern terminology
Composition
Normal composition
Additives, mixtures and contaminants
Occurrence
History
Ancient times
Continental Europe
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7/7/2020 Asphalt - Wikipedia

United Kingdom
United States
Canada
Photography and art
Modern use
Global use
Rolled asphalt concrete
Mastic asphalt
Asphalt emulsion
Synthetic crude oil
Non-upgraded crude bitumen
Radioactive waste encapsulation matrix
Other uses
Production
Oil sands
Alternatives and bioasphalt
Albanian deposits
Economics
Health and safety
See also
Notes
References
Sources
External links

Terminology

Etymology

The word "asphalt" is derived from the late Middle English, in turn from French asphalte, based on Late Latin
asphalton, asphaltum, which is the latinisation of the Greek ἄσφαλτος (ásphaltos, ásphalton), a word meaning
"asphalt/bitumen/pitch",[10] which perhaps derives from ἀ-, "not, without", i.e. the alpha privative, and σφάλλειν
(sphallein), "to cause to fall, baffle, (in passive) err, (in passive) be balked of".[11][12] The first use of asphalt by the
ancients was in the nature of a cement for securing or joining together various objects, and it thus seems likely that the
name itself was expressive of this application. Specifically, Herodotus mentioned that bitumen was brought to Babylon
to build its gigantic fortification wall.[13] From the Greek, the word passed into late Latin, and thence into French
(asphalte) and English ("asphaltum" and "asphalt"). In French, the term asphalte is used for naturally occurring
asphalt-soaked limestone deposits, and for specialised manufactured products with fewer voids or greater bitumen
content than the "asphaltic concrete" used to pave roads.

The expression "bitumen" originated in the Sanskrit words jatu, meaning "pitch", and jatu-krit, meaning "pitch
creating" or "pitch producing" (referring to coniferous or resinous trees).[2] The Latin equivalent is claimed by some to
be originally gwitu-men (pertaining to pitch), and by others, pixtumens (exuding or bubbling pitch), which was
subsequently shortened to bitumen, thence passing via French into English. From the same root is derived the Anglo-
Saxon word cwidu (mastix), the German word Kitt (cement or mastic) and the old Norse word kvada.[2]

Modern terminology

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