LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

PENETRATION TEST OF BITUMEN

AIM: To determine consistency of bitumen or the grade of the
bitumen by penetration test.
INTRODUCTION
Bitumen is the residue or by-product obtained by the refining of crude
petroleum. A wide variety of refining techniques like straight distillation
technique, solvent extraction technique etc are used to produce bitumen
of different consistency and other desirable properties. Depending on
the origin and other characteristics of the crude oils and property of
bitumen required, more than one processing method may be employed.
The type of construction decides the type of bitumen needs to be used.
But in general good bitumen should have following properties.

Temperature susceptibility of bitumen: the bitumen mix should not

become too soft or unstable during hot weather, and not become too
brittle during cold weather.

Viscosity of the bitumen: at the time of mixing and compaction should be

adequate. This can be managed by the use of cutbacks or emulsions of
suitable grades or heating the bitumen and aggregates prior to mixing.

Affinity and adhesion of bitumen: There should be adequate affinity and

adhesion between the bitumen and aggregates used in the mix.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this experiment is to determine the consistency of
bitumen or the grade of the bitumen by penetration test

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

THEORY
Penetration is a measure of consistency. It quantifies the hardness or
softness of bitumen by measuring the depth in tenths of a millimeter to
which a standard loaded needle will penetrate vertically in 5 seconds
under specified temperature, load and duration of loading. BIS had
standardized the equipment and test procedure. The penetrometer
consists of a needle assembly with weight of 100g and a device for
releasing and locking in any position. The bitumen is softened to a
pouring consistency, stirred thoroughly and poured into containers at a
depth at least 15 mm in excess of the expected penetration. The test
should be conducted at a specified temperature of 25°C. It may be noted
that penetration value is largely influenced by any inaccuracy with
regards to pouring temperature, size of the needle, weight placed on the
needle and the test temperature. A grade of 40/50 bitumen represents
the penetration value is in the range 40 to 50 at standard test conditions.
Higher is the penetration of bitumen softer is the consistency. This is
one of the most widely used test for classifying bituminous materials into
different grades.

The use of different grade of bitumen depends on climatic conditions and

type of construction. Commonly used grades are 30/40, 60/70 and 80/100.

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

For bituminous macadam and penetration macadam, IRC suggests

bitumen grades 30/40, 60/70, 80/100. Generally, in warmer regions, lower
penetration grades are preferred to avoid softening and in colder regions
bitumen with higher penetration grades like 180/200 are used to prevent
the occurrence of excessive brittleness. The test is not intended to
estimate consistency of softer materials like cut back which are usually
graded by viscosity test. High penetration grade is used in spray
application works.
The penetration value of bitumen is measured by distance in tenths of mm
that a standard needle would penetrate vertically into bitumen sample
under standard conditions of test. By this test we can determine the
hardness or softness value of bitumen.
APARATUS
a) Penetrometer: It is the testing machine for bitumen penetration tests.
It allows fixation of penetration needle, plunger, weight, and a dial. It
allows the needle to penetrate into the sample placed in the cup
without considerable friction. It should be accurately calibrated so that
it gives the results in one-tenth of a millimeter.

There are two types of penetrometer–

1. Standard Penetrometer: The knob is to be pressed for five
seconds manually so that the released needle can penetrate the
sample.
2. Automatic Penetrometer: The penetration needle is automatically
released for five seconds with the help of a timer and then stops.
b) Standard Penetration needle: It is straight, highly polished, and
cylindrical made up of stainless steel. It has a 3 mm diameter

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

shank into which it is fixed such that its movement is restricted. The
taper is pointed while the point is made blunt by grinding to
a truncated cone.
Total length of the needle = 50 mm
Diameter of needle = 1.0 mm
Diameter of the pointed end of the needle = 0.14-0.16 mm
Weight = 50 gram

c) Container: The material is either metal or glass and it is cylindrical in

shape. Its bottom is flattened.
 For penetration value < 225
Diameter = 55 mm
Internal Height = 35 mm
 For penetration value > 225
Diameter = 70 mm
Internal Height = 45 mm
d) Water bath: It should contain a minimum of 10 liters of water.
Bitumen specimen should be immersed to at least 100 mm
depth from the top. Moreover, the specimen should
be supported over a perforated shelf which should be above 50
mm from the bottom of the bath. The water bath is maintained at 25 ±
0.1 °C temperature.
e) Transfer Dish: It is a small dish or tray It helps in keeping
the container fully immersed in the water when placed in the water
bath. It has some means to ensure a firm bearing so that
the container does not shake.

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

f) Thermometer or Temperature indicator– To measure the

temperature of water in the water bath. Its range should be from 0 to
44 °C. Its least count is 0.2 °C.
g) Time device: If a standard Penetrometer is used, a suitable
time device like a stopwatch, electric timer, or another spring-
actuated device may be used which is graduated 0.1 second or less.
The timing device should have an accuracy of ± 0.1 seconds for a 60-
second interval. Even an audible seconds counter where one
beat corresponds to one second can also be used alternatively..

Penetrometer Penetration needle

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

Water Bath Container

MATERIALS
a) Bitumen of known grade
b) Benzene
PROCEDURE

1. The bitumen is softened to a

pouring consistency, stirred well and
poured into the test containers.
The depth of bitumen in container is
kept at least 15mm more than the
expected penetration. (I.S. 1203-
1978).

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

2. Now the sample containers are

placed in a temperature controlled

water bath at a temperature of 25 c

for one hour.

3. Then at the end of one hour, the

sample is taken out of water bath

and the needle is brought in contact

with the surface of bitumen sample

at that time reading of dial is set at

zero or the reading of dial noted,

when the needle is in contact with

the surface of the sample.

4. After that the needle is released

and the needle is allowed to

penetrate for 5 seconds and the

final reading is recorded. On that

sample at least three penetration

observations should be taken at

distances at least 10 mm apart.

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

After each test, the needle should

be disengaged, wiped with benzene

and dried. The amount of

penetration is recorded.

5. The main value of three

measurements is reported is the
penetration test..

6. The accuracy of the test depends

upon pouring temperature, size of
needle, weight placed on the needle,
and test temperature.

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

7. Te grade of bitumen is specified in

terms of penetration value. For
example, 30/40 grade bitumen
indicates the penetration value of the
bitumen in the range of 30 to 40 at
standard test conditions.

8. Readings are taken as units of

penetration

Where, 1 unit = (1/10) mm

OBSERVATION TABLE
Penetrometer Dial Test 1 Test 2 Test 3
Reading

Initial Reading (a)

Final Reading (b)

Penetration Value (b-a)

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

Penetration Value of Bitumen = Average Value of

Penetration of Sample – 1, 2 & 3

= ______________
Precautions during Penetration Test

 The container should not be moved while needle penetrates into

sample.
 The sample should be free from any external materials.
 Benzene is used to clean up the needle and dried before
penetration.
 Penetration test of bitumen is applied exclusively to bitumen. Tars
being soft, penetration test on these materials cannot be carried
out.
 The penetration values of the three readings should not differ from
each other beyond certain limits. These limits are mentioned in
the table below:

Penetration Value The maximum difference between readings

0 – 49 2

50 – 149 4

149 – 249 6

≥ 250 8

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

DISCUSSION
Penetration value of different types of bitumen used in road construction
range between 20 to 225. However 30/40 and 80/100 grade bitumen
are more common for road construction depending upon the type of
construction and climate conditions. In hot 30/40 bitumen is preferred.
The value of temperature effects the use of the bitumen. Lower
penetration grade is used in warm climate condition to avoid softening
and high penetration grade range of 180/210 are used in cold climate
condition to prevent it from excessive brittleness.
In the last word, the Penetration test of Bitumen is used for the Garde of
bitumen material in terms of its hardness. A 70/100 grade bitumen shows
that its penetration value lies between 70 & 100.
LIMITS
Minimum penetration values standardized by the Bureau of Indian
Standard for Paving Bitumen Type1 for different grades are tabulated
below:

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LAB MANUAL BASICS OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING (3340603)

Grade of Bitumen Type-I Ductility (in cm)

S – 35 30 – 40

S – 45 40 – 50

S – 55 50 – 60

S – 65 60 – 70

S – 90 80 – 100

S – 200 175 – 225

CONCLUSION
Based on the experiment performed, the penetration value obtained for
sample 1 is _______________ , while sample 2 is _________________
and sample 3 is _______________. Thus the value of average penetration
value is ___________________and so this type is suitable for
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
__________________________.

Date Performed: Sign of Teacher

Marks:
R1 R2 R3 Total

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