Bitumen & Asphalt

- Nilanjan Mitra
A black or dark brown non-crystalline solid or viscous material,
composed principally of high molecular weight hydrocarbons,
having adhesive properties, derived from petroleum either by natural
or refinery processes and substantially soluble in carbon disulphide.
 Basic Refining Process
 Asphalt is simply the residue left over from petroleum
refining.
 Crude oil is heated in a large furnace to about 340° C (650°
F) and partially vaporized.  It is then fed into a distillation
tower where the lighter components vaporize and are drawn
off for further processing.
 The residue from this process (the asphalt) is usually fed into
a vacuum distillation unit where heavier gas oils are drawn
off.  Bitumen grade is controlled by the amount of heavy gas
oil remaining.  Other techniques can then extract additional
oils from the asphalt. 

•Depending upon the exact process and the crude oil source,
different bitumens of different properties can be produced. 
Additional desirable properties can be obtained by blending crude oils before
distillation or bitumen after distillation.
REFINERY OPERATION
• Bitumen used in road
pavements
Bitumen as roofing agent
 Bitumen constituents and general properties

Carbon : 82-88 %
Hydrogen : 8-11 %
Sulphur : 0-6 %
Oxygen : 0-1.5 %
Nitrogen : 0-1 % Colloidal,
no specific melting, boiling or freezing point,
insoluble in water,
hydrophobic,
chemically inert,
oxidise slowly
Test: penetration test for the
grade of bitumen

80/100, 100/120, or 60/70

Grades > 40 used in road

construction
Test : ring and ball softening
point test
It is the temperature at which
bitumen changes its state from
semi solid to semi liquid

Suitability of its applicability in

different areas
 Ductility : It is the distance at which the film formed when a standard sample of
bitumen in a briquette mould trenched at the constant rate of pulling, breaks.

Viscosity : resistance to flow or inverse of fluidity

Flash point : Temp at which bitumen catches fire momentarily

Fire point : Temp at which bitumen completely burns

Durability : refers to long-term resistance to oxidative hardening of material in field

 Bitumen Classifications

Native Bitumen : distillation of crude oil, produced in different viscosity grades

Cutback Bitumen : bitumen whose viscosity has been reduced with suitable volatile
dilutant usually a petroleum distillate like gasoline, kerosene, etc.
Fluid binder which can be handled at air temp.
Can be mixed with aggregate in cold condition
Rapid curing – naptha/gasoline; high volatility; tack coats/surface treatment
Medium curing – kerosene; moderate; stockpile patching mix
Slow curing – diesel fuel; low; prime coat, dust control.

Bitumen Emulsions : liquid product in which a substantial amount of bitumen is

dispersed as finely divided droplets in an aqueous medium containing an emulsifier and
a stabilizer.
Cationic Emulsion – +ive charge, adhere to –ive charge particles like silica,
acid nature, used with wet aggregates and in cold weather.
Anionic Emulsion – -ive charge, adhere to +ive charge particles like limestone,
alkaline nature
Modified Binder : Bituminous product which are more stable under heavy loads, braking,
accelerating loads, shows increased resistance to permanent deformation in hot weather, resists
fatigue load and shows better adhesion between aggregate and binders

Types of Modifiers :
Sulphur
Natural Rubber
Crumb Rubber from discarded tyres
Styrene-butadiene-Styrene (SBS)
Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polypropylene,etc
 Advantages of modified bitumen:
 Lower susceptibility to daily seasonal temperature variations
 Higher resistance to deformation at elevated pavement temperature
 Better ageing resistance properties
 Higher fatigue life of mixes
 Better adhesion between aggregates and binder, especially under exposure
to water
 Preventing cracking and reflective cracking
 Overall improved performance in extreme climatic conditions and under
heavy traffic conditions.

Some other types of Bitumen:

Blown Bitumen, Warm Asphalt, Foamed bitumen …..