DETERMINING THE DUCTILITY OF THE BITUMEN

(As per IS: 1208-1978)

AIM: 1) To measure the ductility of a given sample of bitumen.
2) To determine the suitability of bitumen for its use in road construction.
PRINCIPLE: The ductility of a bituminous material is measured by the distance in cm. to
which it will elongate before breaking when a standard briquette specimen of
the material is pulled apart at a specified speed and a specified temperature.

APPARATUS: 1) Briquette mould (length-75 mm, distance between clips-30 mm, width at
mouth of clips-20 mm, cross section at minimum width-10mm x10mm)
2) Ductility machine with water bath and a pulling device at a pre-calibrated
rate.
3) Putty knife
4) Thermometer
PROCEDURE: 1) Melt the bituminous test material completely at a temperature of 750C to
1000C above the approximate softening point until it becomes
thoroughly fluid.
2) Strain the fluid through IS sieve 30.
3) After stirring the fluid, pour it in the mould assembly and place it on a
brass plate.
4) In order to prevent the material under test from sticking, coat the surface
of the plate and interior surface of the sides of the mould with glycerine
and dextrin. While filling, pour the material in a thin stream back and
forth from end to end of the mould until it is more than level full.
5) Leave it to cool at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes and then place
it in a water bath maintained at the specified temperature for 30 minutes.
6) Place the brass plate and mould with briquette specimen in the water bath
and keep it at the specified temperature for about 85 to 95 minutes.
Remove the briquette from the plate, detach the side pieces and the
briquette immediately.

7) Attach the rings at each end of the two clips to the pins or hooks in the
testing machine and pull the two clips apart horizontally at a uniform
speed, as specified, until the briquette ruptures. Measure the distance in
cm through which the clips have been pulled to produce rupture. While
the test is being done, make sure that the water in the tank of the testing
machine covers the specimen both above and below by at least 25mm
and the temperature is maintained continuously within 0.50C of the
specified temperature.

OBSERVATIONS:
Initial Reading
(cm)
(a)
0

Final Reading
(cm)
(b)
67.7

Ductility
(cm)
(b-a)
67.7

RESULT: The ductility value of the given bitumen is found to be 67.7

Ductility Value
67.7