TAM 224/CEE 210 41

4. Rheology of Asphalt Cements

4.1. Objectives
The objectives of this laboratory are to establish
the rheological nature of an asphalt cement by meas-
uring stress at various strain rates and to determine
the temperature sensitivity by measuring the viscosity
at various temperatures.
Measurements will be made using four rotary vis-
cometers (Fig. 1), which differ in their torque range.
Each group will make measurements using one of
these viscometers. Groups 1 and 2 will measure
viscosity at various temperatures. Groups 3 and 4 will
measure stress at various strain rates (and measure
viscosity at a few selected temperatures). The
rheological data collected by each group will be
analyzed by the entire class in order to establish the
rheological nature of the asphalt sample.
4.2. Background
Asphalt cement behavior depends on temperature
and time of loading. At high temperatures during the
summer or under sustained loads such as slow
moving trucks, asphalt cements act like viscous
liquids and will flow. If the resistance to flow is too
little, the pavement may develop permanent
deformation (rutting) under heavy repeated loads.
Conversely, if the asphalt cement becomes too stiff
and/or brittle at low temperatures, cracking may
develop. The material characteristic used to describe
the resistance of liquids to flow is the viscosity, and
the study of viscosity of materials is rheology.
Viscosity can be thought of as the resistance
between two layers of molecules moving over one
another at different velocities. The shear force
required to initiate this movement is significantly
different for every material, for different tempera-
tures, and for different velocities. The chemical
makeup of the asphalt cement also affects the
rheology of asphalt cements, and rheological testing
provides viscositytemperature relationships that
distinguish between the different asphalt cements.
Viscosity is a direct indicator of stiffness, and
when aggregate is coated with asphalt cement and
compacted, the properties of the asphalt cement
directly influence the resulting stiffness of the com-
pacted mixture. The stiffness is the engineering quan-
tity used to design pavement structures using asphalt
concrete materials. Thus, the design is going to be
affected by any property change in the asphalt cement.
Because the asphalt cement changes stiffness (as
indicated by the viscosity) with temperature, a
material constructed with asphalt cement will change
stiffness during each season of the year.
ViscosityTemperature
Asphalt cements are said to be temperature sus-
ceptible, that is, their viscosity is highly dependent
upon their temperature. For instance, the viscosity of
an asphalt cement during construction (135C) could
be 0.2 Pas, while the viscosity of the same asphalt in a
pavement on a hot summer day (60C) could be
around 200 Pas, or 1000 times more viscous (three
orders of magnitude). Although the viscosity of
asphalt is not typically measured at low temperatures,
Fig. 1. Brookfield viscometer, showing detail of the
spindle and specimen container (inset).
42 Behavior of Engineering Materials TAM 224/CEE 210
the stiffness of the asphalt continues to increase by
several additional orders of magnitude as pavement
temperature decreases during the winter months.
The temperature susceptibility of asphalt cements
varies significantly between sources. Asphalt cements
with very high temperature susceptibilities are unde-
sirable, since the viscosity may become too low at high
temperatures and/or the asphalt may be overly stiff at
low temperatures. Low viscosity during construction
may lead to drain-down of the asphalt during the
transport or possibly an unstable (tender) mixture
during rolling. After paving (during the service life of
the pavement), low viscosity during summer months
may lead to rutting, and high stiffness during winter
months may lead to cracking.
In practice, asphalt grade specification limits have
been developed that control the temperature sus-
ceptibility to acceptable limits. Although beyond the
scope of this laboratory, it should be noted that the
rheological behavior of asphalt in modern specifica-
tions (the Superpave Performance-Graded Binder
Specification) is measured at high temperatures using
a rotary viscometer to determine viscosity, at inter-
mediate temperatures using a dynamic shear rheom-
eter to determine complex shear modulus, and at low
temperatures using a bending beam rheometer to
measure creep stiffness. In this laboratory, the rheo-
logical behavior of asphalt at intermediate and high
temperatures will be characterized using viscosity
measurements from the rotary viscometer.
Rate of Shear
The second variable that alters the rheological
behavior (viscosity) of an asphalt cement is the rate of
shear, which is commonly expressed as the time rate
of shear strain, resulting from the application of a
shear stress. The shear stress is given by
=
&
, (1)
where
&
is the rate of shear strain resulting in the
sample from the applied stress, and is the absolute
viscosity of the material. If a plot of vs.
&
is a
straight line, then the material is Newtonian and there
will be only one viscosity for this fluid. Most asphalt
cements are Newtonian at high temperatures (60C
and greater). If the plot is nonlinear, there will be a
different viscosity for every combination of shear
stress and rate of shear straina non-Newtonian
fluid. Asphalt cements are non-Newtonian at lower
temperatures, and when modified by blending with
such additives as crumb rubber and polymer.
When the log of shear stress is plotted as a
function of the log of rate of shear strain, all data (at a
given temperature) are observed to plot along a
straight line. A slope of unity indicates Newtonian
behavior. The deviation from unity of the slope of this
straight line indicates the degree of non-Newtonian
behavior; a slope less than unity is typical of the non-
Newtonian behavior in asphalt cements. This distinc-
tion is important when investigating behavior of
asphalt cements in complex loading situations in the
laboratory, and when investigating failure in the field.
The SI units for viscosity are pascalseconds (Pas).
For example, the viscosity of water is approximately
0.001 Pas, and the viscosity of liquid honey is about
10 Pas. The viscosity of an AC-10 asphalt cement at
60C is 100 Pas.
4.3. Materials and Equipment
Two samples of asphalt cement
Four Brookfield rotary viscometers for
determination of shear stress and viscosity
4.4. Experimental Procedure
1. The class will be divided into four groups. Each
will use one of the four Brookfield viscometers.
Each viscometer has a different torque capacity.
Spindle sizes and testing temperatures have been
selected depending on the range and capacity of
the viscometer, as indicated in Tables 1 through 4.
2. The Brookfield rotary viscometer measures
viscosity by rotating a spindle at a constant rate in
a fluid and measuring the torque required. In
order to convert this torque value into viscosity,
the dimensions of the spindle and the thickness of
the fluid surrounding the spindle must be known.
The Brookfield viscometer uses preprogrammed
constants to calculate shear stress, shear strain
rate, and viscosity for a spindle size number. The
operator must enter the correct spindle number
into the viscometer in order to measure correctly
the viscosity of the fluid. For this laboratory
exercise, these values have already been entered.
3. To make measurements using the Brookfield
viscometer, set the temperature of the sample on
the Thermosel oven. When the sample has
reached the set temperaturewait two minutes
after the oven indicator has reached the setpoint
set the rotational speed (in rpm). After the spindle
has made at least one complete rotationthe time
for this rotation will vary depending on the
TAM 224/CEE 210 Asphalt Cements 43
speedrecord the required data (shear stress or
viscosity).
4. Adjust the sample temperature or the rotational
speed, depending on which parameter is being
varied. Then repeat step 3 until all the data have
been acquired.
5. Share the data with all students in your lab
section. It is the responsibility of each student to
record all the class data before leaving the
laboratory.
6. Complete Tables 1 through 4.
4.5. Analysis of Results
1. Using data in Tables 1 and 2, plot viscosity versus
temperature for the asphalt at a single shear rate.
2. Using the data in Tables 3 and 4, plot shear stress
versus shear rate for the asphalt at 60C.
Determine whether this asphalt is Newtonian or
non-Newtonian in its rheological behavior.
4.6. Topics for Discussion
Note.Your lab instructor will indicate which of the
following questions are to be addressed in your report.
1. Describe how temperature (climate) can influence
the selection of a grade of asphalt cement.
2. Discuss the impact of temperature on the perfor-
mance of an asphalt cement when it is used in a
pavement.
3. Discuss the differences between a Newtonian and
non-Newtonian fluid.
4. What is meant by the term rheology?
5. What problems can occur if the temperature sus-
ceptibility of an asphalt cement is too high?
6. Briefly explain how the temperature susceptibility
of asphalt is beneficial from the standpoint of
constructability.
7. What is the relationship between shear stress and
rate of shear strain, and how can it be used to
indicate non-Newtonian behavior in a fluid?
8. Describe how the rotational viscometer
determines viscosity.
References
Callister Jr., W. D. 2003. Materials Science and Engi-
neeringAn Introduction, 6th ed. New York:
Wiley, Section 12.10.
Flinn, R. A., and P. K. Trojan. 1990. Engineering Mate-
rials and Their Applications, 4th ed. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin. There is a cursory treatment of
asphalt cements in Section 17.8.
Roberts, F. L., P. S. Kandhal, E. R. Brown, D.-Y. Lee,
and T. W. Kennedy. 1991. Hot Mix Asphalt Mate-
rials, Mixture Design, and Construction. Lanham,
Md.: NAPA Educational Foundation.
Wallace, H. A., and J. R. Martin. 1967. Asphalt Pave-
ment Engineering. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Young, J. F., S. Mindess, R. J. Gray, and A. Bentur.
1998. The Science and Technology of Civil Engineer-
ing Materials. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-
Hall, Chapter 12.
44 Behavior of Engineering Materials TAM 224/CE 210
Table 1Viscosity at temperatures between 90C and 130C (Group 1)

Viscometer: Brookfield RDVII+ Spindle: 21 SRC: 0.93 RPM: 0.6
Data
point
Temperature, T
(C)
Viscosity,
(Pas)
a

1 090
2 100
3 110
4 120
5 130
a
Units conversion: 1 mPas = 1 cP (1 Pas = 1000 cP)

Table 2Viscosity at temperatures between 140C and 180C (Group 2)

Viscometer: Brookfield LVTDVII Spindle: 18 SRC: 1.32 RPM: 0.6
Data
point
Temperature, T
(C)
Viscosity,
(Pas)
a

1 140
2 150
3 160
4 170
5 180
a
Units conversion: 1 mPas = 1 cP (1 Pas = 1000 cP)
TAM 224/CE 210 Asphalt Cements 45
Table 3Shear stress at selected shear rates
and viscosity at selected temperatures (Group 3)

Viscometer: Brookfield HADVIII Spindle: 29 SRC: 0.25
Data
point
Temperature, T
(C)
Rotational speed,
RPM
Shear strain rate,
&
(sec
1
)
Shear stress,
(Pa)
a

Viscosity,
(Pas)
b

1 60 0.1 0.025
2 60 0.3 0.075
3 60 0.6 0.150
4 60 1.2 0.300
5 60 2.5 0.625
6 70 2.5 0.625
7 80 2.5 0.625
a
Units conversion: 10 dyne/cm
2
= 1 Pa = 1 N/m
2

b
Units conversion: 1 mPas = 1 cP (1 Pas = 1000 cP)

Table 4Shear stress at selected shear rates
and viscosity at selected temperatures (Group 4)

Viscometer: Brookfield HBTDVII Spindle: 29 SRC: 0.25
Data
point
Temperature, T
(C)
Rotational speed,
RPM
Shear strain rate,
&
(sec
1
)
Shear stress,
(Pa)
a

Viscosity,
(Pas)
b

1 50 02.5 0.625
2 60 02.5 0.625
3 60 05.0 1.250
4 60 10.0 2.500
5 60 20.0 5.000
6 70 02.5 0.625
a
Units conversion: 10 dyne/cm
2
= 1 Pa = 1 N/m
2

b
Units conversion: 1 mPas = 1 cP (1 Pas = 1000 cP)
Printed 7/9/03