MaterialsMCQNotesBitumen

Lecture1
TheforcesthroughaMcadamroadaretransmittedviatheinterlockingaggregateparticles. ItisaHRApavementwhichtransmitstheloadviathebituminousbinder. Thenucleusonaromanroadwasthelayerjustbelowthesurfacing,comprisingfinestone heldtogetherwithalimemortar. ThefirstrecordedpavedroadwasconstructedbytheMinoansonCrete.Theyconstructeda 50kmstretchofpavedroadinabout2000BC. SARAanalysisisthemeansofclassifyingthecomplexmixtureofcompoundsinthebitumen accordingtothefourclassesofcompound;Saturates,Aromatics,ResinsandAsphaltenes. RAPreclaimedasphaltpaving Crudeoilisformedfromthedecayofmarinelifeundertheinfluenceofheatandpressure, withtheinfluenceofbacteriaformillionsofyears.Coalisformedundersimilarconditions fromthedecayofterrestrialplants. Acuteconcernsareshorttermwhilstlongtermrisksarechronic. Acuteconcerns: Eruptingofhotbitumenwithwater(steam) Burns Fire

Chronic Cancer Dermatitis

Concretepavementsaremuchlongerlastingthanbituminouspavements.

BitumenwasoriginallyimportedfromthetarpitsofTrinidad;itisnowadaysprincipally obtainedfromthevacuumdistillationofcrudeoil.

ShellopenedtheHavenRefineryinSouthWestWalesin1920.

Lecture2
Duringapenetrationtestof50penbitumen,thepenetrationneedlewillsink50mmintothe bitumenin5seconds.Penetrationismeasuredintermsof0.1mmunits;thereforethe needlewillpenetrate50x0.1,i.e.5mm. Resinsaiddissolutionoftheasphalteneswithinthearomaticsandsaturates,therefore bitumenwithhighresincontentwillbemorelikelytohaveasoltypestructure.Without sufficientresinsthebitumenwillswitchtoagellikestructure. Thestiffnessmodulusofbitumendecreasesasthetemperatureincreases,i.e.thebitumen softens. Toperformthesofteningpointtestabrassringisfilledwiththebitumenandplacedinanoil bath.Thetemperatureisthenraisedby5*Cperminuteandthetemperatureatwhichthe ballfallsby25mmismeasure.Youdonotneedaneedleforthistest. UVlightdoesincreasetherateofoxidation,whichisoneofthereasonswhyroadsurfaces aremorepronetodegradation.Ageingofthebitumenincreasestheasphaltenescontent; thismakesthebitumenchangefromasolstructuretoagelstructure,astheamountof resininthemixisnolongersufficienttosupportasolstructure. Higherpenetrationgradebitumen'sloseagreatermassduringtheTFOtest. Withincreasingpenetrationgradethereisadecreaseinsofteningpoint,anincreaseinthe masslossuponheatingandanincreaseddropinpenetrationuponheating.Howeverall penetrationgradebitumenarealmostcompletelysolubleintrichloroethylene.

HigherpenetrationgradebitumenshavelowerFraasbreakingpoints. Highertemperaturesrequiregradeswithlowerpenetration,i.e.theservicetemperature needstobesufficientlybelowthesofteningpoint,andabovetheFraasbreakingpoint.

Irreversibleageingofthebitumenleadstolossofsaturates(whicharevolatile),andthe conversion(polymerisation)ofaromaticstoasphaltenes.Thus,thelevelsofsaturatesand aromaticsdecrease,whilsttheasphaltenecontentincreases. Thiscancausethebitumentoswitchfromasoltoagelstructureastherebecome insufficientresinstoenabledissolutionoftheasphaltenesinthearomatics.

Bitumenisdescribedasaviscoelasticmaterial.Asyouheatbitumenitsoftensandthen melts,ontheotherhandasyoucoolit,itstiffens.

Thecolourofthebitumenisnotastandardtestusedincharacterisation. BothRollingThinFilmOven(RTFO)andThinFilmOven(TFO)testsaredesignedtomimic shorttermagingi.e.theageingoccurringuponmixingandlaying.Inallrespects(apartfrom simplicity)theRTFOtestissuperiortotheTFOtest.

Lecture3
StoneMasticAsphalts(SMAs)haveverylowbitumencontent,withthemortarjustfilling thevoidsinthecoarseaggregatestructure. Porousasphaltsactuallyresemblemacadamintheircomposition,butwithaverylowbinder andfillercontent.Theycomprisecontinuouslygradedaggregates;theyhaveaveryhigh courseaggregatecontent.Beingporoustheyallowdrainage,thereforeimproveskid resistance. Asphaltsrequireatopdressingofstonetoprovidesuitableskidresistance. Theroleoftheaggregateismoreimportantindeterminingstrengthinabituminousmix thaninconcrete,sincetheaggregatesaremuchstrongerthanthebitumenwhilstthe aggregateshaveasimilarstrengthtothecementpasteinconcrete.

Clayisunsuitableasfillersinceithasanextremelyhighspecificsurfaceareaandcan thereforeabsorbhugequantitiesofbinder.

Aggregatesdobondwiththebitumenbutthereisnoreactionoccurringitisabsorption. Thesoundnesstestsimulatesfrostdamage.Theaggregatesarerepeatedlyimmersedin sodiumsulphatesolutionandthendried.

Macadamroadsarelessflexiblethanasphaltroads.Macadamshaveverylowbitumen contentanditisthebitumenwhichgivespavementstheirflexibility.Hencetheyareless flexiblethanHRApavements.

Recipemixesallownoroomforoptimisationofthemix,evenifthereisthepossibilityof improvement.

Lecture4
Damageisrelatedtotheaxelloadingi.e.theweightoneachaxle,withtheloadingbeing proportionaltotheaxleloadraisedtothepower4.Soathreetonnetruckwillexertaforce 27timesgreaterthanthreeonetonnecars. Poorlycompactedmixesmayexperiencearangeoftypesofweathering. Disbondingoccursonthefinescalewherewaterispushedbetweenthe bitumenandtheaggregatebytheactionoftraffic,eventuallyleadingto stripping. Waterbleedingoccurswhenthereisinsufficientcompactionandahigh watertable,enablingwatertopercolatethroughthemix. Poorlycompactedmixesaremorepermeable;thereforeallowtheingressof airandwater,thereforeencouragingbitumenhardening. Depressioncanoccurwhenthesubgradehasbeeninsufficientcompacted (orthroughfrostheave).

Rutting(especiallymixrutting)canoccurduetodensification(compression) ofapoorlycompactedmixduringitsservicelife.

Bleedingoccursinovercompactedmixtures. Slippagecrackingoccursinweakmixturesorwhenthereisinsufficientbondbetweenthe wearingcourseandthesubgrade.

Porousaggregateswouldsoakupthebitumenratherthanwater. Ageingismostrapidathightemperaturesandincontactwithairandwater,thereforethe mostagingoccursuponlaying,i.e.whenthereisheatandair.

Bleedingisthebuildupofbinderontheroadsurface.Itisduetoexcessbinderinthemixor duringcoatingand/oralowvoidcontent.Bothofthesesituationsleadtoinsufficientspace forbitumenexpansionduringhotweather,sothebitumenexpandsintotheavailablespace, i.e.theroadsurface.

SlippageCracking

Slippagecrackingoccurswhenturningwheelscauseeitheranexcessivelysoftmixora poorlybondedmixtodeform.Excessivecompactioncanleadtobleedingortoorigidaroad ratherthandeformation. Thefunctionoftheroadistoprovidesupport,smoothness,anddrainage.Frostresistanceis providedbythefoundation.

Ruttingcanoccureitherinthewheelpathduetocompaction/mixdesignproblems,orinthe subgradeduetoexcessiveloading.

Thebreakdownofthebitumenaggregatebondiscalledstripping.Ravellingisthename giventodisintegrationoftheroadsurfaceduetolossofparticles. Permeabilitycontrolstherateofingressofairandwaterintothebituminousmix.Waterand Aircancausethedegradationofthemix.

Lecture5
Cutbackbitumensarepenetrationgradebitumen'sdilutedbytheadditionofasolvent, typicallykerosene. Twomethodshavebeenusedtoreusetyresinbituminousmixes.Thedryprocesshasbeen plaguedbyproblemsduetosolvationoftherubberbysaturatesinthebitumen.Inthewet processhowevertherubberisaddedasabinderandthesolvationisnotaproblem. Coalhasnotbeenconsideredasanalternativebinder. WAMfoamsareproducedatlowertemperaturesthereforeproduceloweremissions (includingfumes).Bymixingatlowertemperaturesthereislessbitumenaging,and

thereforeimproveddurability.Theyarenotlighter,sinceoncethefoamcollapsesallthat remainsisbitumen,noraretheymoreflexible. WAM(warmasphaltmix)foamcomprisessoftbitumenplushardbitumeninfoamform.By havinghardbitumeninfoamformitenablesmixingatlowertemperatures. Penetrationgradebitumen'sarethosewhichhaventbeenmodified.Theyareviscoelastic solids,withmeltingpointstypicallyabout4090*C. RAP,Steelslag,Glass,Flyash,plastic,crumbrubberhaveallbeenusedasalternative aggregates.Blastfurnaceslagisnotusedsinceitistoovaluabletotheconstructionindustry. Pulpedpaperfibreshavebeenaddedtostonemasticasphalttoprovidetensilestrength, sincethebindercontentissolow. Cationicemulsionspreferredbecausetheirpositivelychargedheadsareattractedtothe negativelychargedmineralsurfaces.