CENGR 2230 – Construction Materials and Testing

Department of Civil Engineering

ASPHALT AND
MODULE 8 BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
Prepared by: Engr. Philip L. Castro

Overview
Bitumens are mainly composed of a mixture of high molecular
hydrocarbons, methane, napthane and pother aromatic series and their
oxygen or sulphur derivatives. Tar and asphalt are the two varieties of
bituminous materials.

Tars are bituminous condensates obtained in the process of destructive

distillation of coal, petroleum, wood and other organic materials at high
temperature without access of air. They are composed of hydrocarbons and
their sulphurous, nitrous and oxygen derivatives.

Asphalt on the other hand is a naturally occurring bitumen which is a

combination of an inorganic mineral matter (either calcareous or siliceous)
and an organic material (a chemical compound of carbon and hydrogen).
Bitumens and bituminous materials are being extensively used in damp
proofing the basements, floors, roofs, damp proof courses; painting timber
and steel structural elements; as adhesives and caulking compounds, and tars
are used as binders in road works.

Bitumen is a non-crystalline solid or viscous material derived from

petroleum, by natural or refinery process and substantially soluble in carbon
disulphide. It is asphalt in solid state and mineral tar in semi-fluid state.
Bitumen is brown or black in color.

Objectives
After completing this module, the student should be able to:

1. know the forms and uses of bitumen,

2. know the forms and uses of asphalt, and
3. differentiate bitumen to asphalt.

Page 1 of 5
 CENGR 2230 – Construction Materials and Testing
Department of Civil Engineering

FORMS OF BITUMEN

1. Bitumen Emulsion

A liquid product containing bitumen to a great extent in an aqueous

medium. The bitumen which is in a very finely divided state (globules of about 2
micron diameter) is kept suspended in the aqueous medium with the help of some
suitable stabilizing agents. Depending upon the stability of the protective coating
of the emulsifying agent, the emulsions are classed as rapid setting (RS), medium
setting (MS) and slow setting (SS). These emulsions are always stored in air tight
drums.

2. Blown Bitumen

It is obtained by passing air under pressure at a higher temperature through

the bitumen. It can be used as roofing and damp-roofing felts, in the manufacture
of pipe asphalts and joint fillers, as heat insulating material, etc.

3. Cutback Bitumen

It is obtained by fluxing asphaltic bitumen in presence of some suitable

liquid distillates of coal tar or petroleum. It is mainly used in road construction and
in soil stabilization (2 – 4%). Cutbacks are commercially manufactured in the
following groups.

a. Rapid Curing – cutbacks containing naptha or gasoline.

b. Medium Curing – cutbacks containing kerosene.
c. Slow Curing – cutbacks containing lights oils as fluxing agents.

Each of the above group of cutbacks is further subdivided into six categories
from 0 to 5. The six different viscosities are named by numbers 0 to 5 in the
decreasing order of viscosity.

4. Plastic Bitumen

It consists of bitumen, thinner and a suitable inert filler. The amount of inert
filler is about 40 to 45 percent. It is used for filling cracks in masonry structures,
for stopping leakages, etc.

5. Straight Run Bitumen

It is the bitumen that is being distilled to a definite viscosity or penetration

without further treatment.

Page 2 of 5
 CENGR 2230 – Construction Materials and Testing
Department of Civil Engineering

PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN

The various properties are viscosity, ductility, softening point and resilience.

1. Viscosity – depends greatly on temperature. At lower temperature, bitumen has

great viscosity and acquires the properties of a solid body, while with increase in
temperature, the viscosity of bitumen decreases and it passes into liquid state.

2. Ductility – depends upon temperature, group composition and nature of

structure. Viscous bitumens containing solid paraffins at low temperatures are very
ductile.

3. Softening Point – it is related to viscosity. Bitumen needs sufficient fluidity before

specific application.

4. Resilience – Bitumen is resilient, non-rigid and as such it is capable of absorbing

shocks and accommodate itself to the movement in structure due to temperature,
settlement or shrinkage.

TAR

It is a dark (deep black) viscous liquid produced by destructive distillation of

organic materials such as coal. Oil, lignite and wool. Depending upon the source of origin,
it is classified as coal tar, wood tar and mineral tar. Tar is restraint to petroleum-based
solvents. It has very low bitumen content.

CLASSIFICATION OF TAR

1. Coal Tar – it is obtained, as a by-product in the destructive distillation of coal, or

in the manufacture of coal gas. It is heavy, strong smelling and black. These
generally have high specific gravities and viscosities, and good adhesive
properties.

2. Wood Tar – it is obtained by the destructive distillation of resinous wood (pine,

etc.). It contains creosote and as such is a very strong preservative. On further
distillation of wood tar produces wood creosote. Compared to coal tar creosote, it
is an inferior preservative for wood. The residue left after the distillation is known
as pitch.

3. Mineral Tar – it is obtained by the distillation of bituminous shales. Some

examples are tarmac, tar paving and tar macadam.

ASPHALT

Asphalt is a natural or artificial mixture in which bitumen is associated with inert

mineral matter. It is black or brownish black in color. At temperature between 50–100 °C

Page 3 of 5
 CENGR 2230 – Construction Materials and Testing
Department of Civil Engineering

it is in liquid state whereas at temperature less than this it remains in solid state. Because
it is a thermoplastic material, it softens as it is heated and hardens as it is cooled. It is
the basic paving material in use today. Asphalt used in pavements is produced in three
forms: asphalt cement, asphalt cutback and asphalt emulsion.

FORMS OF ASPHALT

1. Asphalt Cement – asphalt cement is a blend of hydrocarbons of different

molecular weights. The characteristics of the asphalt depend on the chemical
composition and distribution of the molecular weight hydrocarbons. As the
distribution shifts toward heavier molecular weights, the asphalt becomes harder
and more viscous. At room temperatures, asphalt cement is a semisolid material
that cannot be applied readily as a binder without being heated.

2. Asphalt Cutback – A cutback is produced by dissolving asphalt cement in a

lighter molecular weight hydrocarbon solvent. When the cutback is sprayed on a
pavement or mixed with aggregates, the solvent evaporates, leaving the asphalt
residue as the binder. In the past, cutbacks were widely used for highway
construction. They were effective and could be applied easily in the field. However,
three disadvantages have severely limited the use of cutbacks. First, as petroleum
costs have escalated, the use of these expensive solvents as a carrying agent for
the asphalt cement is no longer cost effective. Second, cutbacks are hazardous
materials due to the volatility of the solvents. Finally, application of the cutbacks
releases environmentally unacceptable hydrocarbons into the atmosphere. In fact,
many regions with air pollution problems have outlawed the use of any cutback
material.

3. Asphalt Emulsion – An alternative to dissolving the asphalt in a solvent is

dispersing the asphalt in water as emulsion. In this process the asphalt cement is
physically broken down into micron-sized globules that are mixed into the water
containing an emulsifying agent. Emulsified asphalts typically consist of about 60
to 70% asphalt cement, 30 to 40% water, and a fraction of a percent of
emulsifying agent.

Unlike asphalt cement, liquid asphalt products (cutbacks and emulsions) have been
developed and can be used without heating. Although cutbacks and emulsions can be
used for the same applications, the use of emulsions is increasing because they do not
include hazardous and costly solvents.

Although liquid asphalts are convenient, they cannot produce a quality of asphalt
concrete comparable to what can be produced by heating neat asphalt cement and mixing
it with carefully selected aggregates. Asphalt cement has excellent adhesive
characteristics, which make it a superior binder for pavement applications. In fact, it is
the most common binder material used is pavements.

Page 4 of 5
 CENGR 2230 – Construction Materials and Testing
Department of Civil Engineering

The main used of asphalt is in pavement construction and maintenance. In

addition, asphalt is used in sealing and waterproofing various structural components,
such as roofs and underground foundations. The selection of the type and grade of
asphalt depends on the type of construction and the climate of the area.

Asphalt cement, also called asphalt binders are used typically to make hot-mix
asphalt concrete for the surface layer of asphalt pavements. Asphalt concrete is also used
in patching and repairing both asphalt and Portland cement concrete pavements.

Liquid asphalts are used for pavement maintenance applications such as fog seals,
chip seals, slurry seals and micro-surfacing. Liquid asphalts are mixed with aggregates to
produce cold mixes, as well. Cold mixtures are normally used for patching (when hot-mix
asphalt concrete is not available), base and subbase stabilization, and surfacing of low-
volume roads.

Paving Applications of Asphalt

Term Description Application

Hot-mix Carefully designed mixture of

Pavement surface, patching
asphalt asphalt cement and aggregates
Mixture of aggregates and liquid Patching, low volume road
Cold mix
asphalt surface, asphalt stabilized base
Spray of diluted asphalt emulsion
Fog seal Seal existing pavement surface
on existing pavement surface
Spray coat asphalt emulsion to
Prime coat bond aggregate base and asphalt Construction of flexible pavement
concrete surface
Construction of new pavements
Spray coat asphalt emulsion
Tack coat or between an existing pavement
between lifts of asphalt concrete
and an overlay
Spray coat of asphalt emulsion (or Maintenance of existing
Chip seal asphalt cement or cutback) pavement or low volume road
followed with aggregate layer surfaces
Mixture of emulsion, well-graded
Slurry seal Resurface low volume roads
fine aggregate and water
Mixture of polymer modified
emulsion, well-graded crushed Texturing, sealing, crack filling,
Microsurfacing
fine aggregate, mineral filler, rut filling and minor leveling
water and additives

Page 5 of 5