Performance Grading

of Bitumen
H. Bahia
The University of Wisconsin-Madison

Outline

Background on Transport
Targets of Bitumen Specifications
Traditional Specifications
Performance grade Specifications
Why we need to learn about them
Test methods necessary
The Superpave Bitumen grading system

Transport Network

How much is spent on Roads ?

Common Targets for

Bitumen Specifications
Constructability
Performance
Rutting
Fatigue Cracking

Durability

Thermal Cracking

Historical Specifications
0 sec
100 g

Consistency
(pen or vis)
hard

pen

soft

5 sec
penetration
100 g

vis

A, B, C
are same grade!
A
B
vis

-15

vacuum

25 60
135
Temperature, C

Conventional Bitumen Grades

Viscosity, 60C (140F)

Penetration Grades

100
50

40
50
60
70

85
100
120
150

10
5

200
300

AC 40

AR 16000

AC 20

AR 8000

AC 10

AR 4000

AC 5

AR 2000

AC 2.5

AR 1000

Asphalt Behavior
Lower Temp
Shorter loading time
(High Traffic Speed)

Hard

Viscous

Elastic

Soft

Higher Temp
Longer loading time
Slower Traffic Speed

Effects of Time and Temperature

60 C

1 hour
Flows rapidly at
High temperatures

1 hour

10 hours

25 C
Flows slowly with time at lower temperatures

Effects of Visco-Elasticity
Elastic
Tire
Load

Recoverable
Deformation

Before During After

Load Load Load

Viscous
Tire
Load

Non-Recoverable
Deformation

Before During After

Load Load Load

Performance Grading
Should:

Include measures describing stressstrain relationships under field loading.

Consider the pavement conditions
Temperature, traffic speed, traffic
volume, and pavement structure.
Include acceptance limits derived from
experience and factual field
performance.

Variables that affects

Binder Selection
Geographic Area:
Air Temperature, solar radiation
Pavement Temperature: Max & Min

Traffic volume: High, Medium, Low

Traffic speed: Fast, Slow
Pavement Structure: Strong, Weak
Stress and strain

Selection of Grades by
Pavement Temperature
Maximum: @ 20-mm below surface
(approximately 18 C higher)
Minimum: @ surface
(approximately 8 C higher)

63 C
57 C

Important Considerations
Traffic and Pavement Structure

Effect of traffic
Volume & Speed

4ESALS !, Speed limits!

Pavement Damage

8Weak vs. Strong base!

Performance Grading PG system

Thermal Cracking

Thermal
Cracking

Fatigue Cracking

Fatigue
Cracking

PAV

- 20

Rutting

Permanent
Deformation

Production

(mixing &
compact)

RTFO

20
60
Pavement Temperature, C

135

Performance Grading of Asphalt

Binder- The Superpave System
Workability at Construction Temperatures
Rotational Viscometer (RV) at 135 C - unaged

Rutting at High Pavement Temperature

Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) - G*/sin (unaged & RTFO)

Fatigue at Average Pavement Temperature

(DSR) - G*.sin (PAV aged)

Thermal cracking at Low Pavement Temperature

Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) - S(60), m(60) (PAV aged)
Direct Tension Tester (DTT) - Strain at failure

Durability Properties - short term and long term

rolling thin film oven (RTFO), pressure aging vessel (PAV)

Rotational Viscometer
Evaluates
handling and pumping
properties

ASTM D 4402
Other Names: Brookfield
viscometer, rotational
coaxial cylinder viscometer
Output
viscosity at 135 C
viscosity temperature chart for
mix design

applied
torque
motor and
controller

spindle
asphalt sample
sample chamber

temperature
controller
thermo container

What are our problems?

1.Rutting in Asphalt Layer
original
profile
weak asphalt layer
shear plane

Dynamic Shear Rheometer

Evaluates
elastic and viscous properties
time and temperature effects

Other Names
oscillatory shear rheometers
dynamic rheometers

Output
complex shear modulus (G*)
phase angle ()

Applied Stress
or Strain
Oscillating
Plate

Fixed Plate
B

Applied Stress
or Strain

Dynamic Shear
Rheometer
max

Oscillating
Plate

Measures hardness

Applied
Shear
Stress

time

Asphalt

G* =
Fixed Plate

max
B

Resulting
Shear
Strain

Test at Pavement Temperature

max
max

= time lag/w

time

Measures elasticity

2. Fatigue of
Pavements
alligator
cracking

3. Low Temperature
Cracking

6 - 30 m

Bending Beam Rheometer

Evaluates

Load
low temperature stiffness properties

Output
creep stiffness
m-value

deflection

Load

Deflection

Time

Time

Results of the
Bending
Beam
Rheometer
Log Creep
Stiffness, S

slope = m-value
m(60)

S(60)

Thermal
Stress relaxation

Thermal
Stress build up

15

30

60 sec

Log Loading Time

120

240

Direct Tension Tester

Evaluates

Load

low temperature ability to stretch

Output
length
tensile strain at failure
before test

Load

Direct Tension Testing

Load

length
before test

elongation
at failure

length
at failure

failure stress = Load at break /area

Load
failure strain =

elongation
length before test

Failure Properties
Strength and Strain Tolerance
stress
brittle
brittle-ductile
ductile

strain

Asphalt Aging Behavior

Asphalt Reacts with Oxygen and
hardens
During Construction - Short Term
hot mixing, placing, and compaction

In Service - Long Term

hot climate worse than cool climate
So What?

Pavement layer is brittle >> cracking

Rolling Thin Film Oven

Short Term aging
fan

controls

empty bottle
before

163 C

coated bottle
after

air jet

bottle carriage

air
pressure

temperature
probe

The Pressure
Aging Vessel

asphalt

pressure vessel

sample rack sample pan

Modulus

Superpave Binder
Specifications
S=300MPa
m>0
.3

G*sin=5 MPa
PAV-aged
RTFO

Temperature
Tmin

G*/sin=.001,
.0022 MPa
Tavg

= 3.0 pa-s

Unaged
Tmax

135 C

Asphalt Binder Selection

Performance Based
permanent deformation
fatigue cracking
low temperature cracking

Physical Properties
criteria remain the same
temperature at which criteria achieved
varies
measured on aged binder

Grade is First Selected from

Pavement Temperatures
Max Pave Temperature
(HT)
Min Pav Temperature
(LT)
Viscosity at 135 C

PG 58 -16 -22 -28 -34 -40

G*/sin d (ungaed)

@ 135 C < 3.0 Pa-s

@ HT > 1.0 Kpa

G*/sin d (RTFO-aged)

@ HT >2.2 Kpa

G*.sin d (RTfO+PAV-aged)

@ IT
@ LT
@ LT
@ LT

S( 60) (RTfO+PAV-aged)
M(60) (RTfO+PAV-aged)
Strain @ failure (RTFO+PAV)

<5000 Kpa
<300,000 Kpa
>0.300
>1.0 %

Grading System

PG 64-22
Performance
Grade

Average 7-day
max pavement
design temp

Min pavement
design temp

Binder PG Grades
(AASHTO) PG HT- LT
LT -10

-16

HT
82
76
70
64
58
52
46 Unmodified

Bitumen

-22 -28 -34 -40 -46

Modified
Bitumen

Map for Production of PG Grades

88
High-Temp Grade (HT)

82
76
70
64

PG HT-LT

Modified
Bitumen
Best
Crude
Standard
Crude

58
52
46
40

-52 -46 -40 -34 -28 -22 -16 -10

Low-Temp Grade (LT

-4

Methods of Selection
Select base grade based upon:
Geographic Area
Air Temperature
Pavement Temperature

Adjust base grade based upon:

Traffic Speed
Traffic Volume

Considering traffic volume and

speed - adjustment to PG Grade
Traffic
Volume
ESALs
<0.3
0.3 to < 3
3 to <10
10 to < 30
> 30

Traffic Speed

Standing
(~ +1)
+2
+2
+2
+2

Slow
+1
+1
+1
+1

Standard
(~ +1)
+1

+1 : Increase PG grade by 6 degrees; e.g. PG 64-22 to PG 70-22

Effect of Traffic Speed and

Volume on Binder Selection
Examples
Base Grade PG 58 -22
for toll road
(high Volume)

PG 64-22

for toll booth

( high volume and slow traffic)

PG 70-22

for rest area

(high volume and standing traffic)

PG 76-22

Thank You
for your
attention
Questions !