Bitumen Binder and Types

Construction Materials
Tarun Goel
 Bitumen Grading
• Until 2006, PG Bitumen grading was done after it was replaced by
Viscosity Grade Bitumen
• In the third revision in 2006 grading of bitumen was changed from
penetration grade to viscosity grade.
• The variability in performance at high temperatures can be addressed by
adopting a viscosity-graded bitumen specification (based on viscosity at
60°C) in lieu of the penetration-graded specification (based on penetration
at 25°C).
• Four grades of bitumen based on the viscosity values were presented.
• Adoption of viscosity-graded paving bitumen specification also reduced
the number of total tests to seven, resulting in reduced cost of testing
paving bitumen.
• This also eliminated empirical tests/parameters such as, penetration ratio,
paraffin wax content, and Fraass breaking point without compromising the
quality of bitumen.
 Bitumen Grades (IS 73:2013)
• Bitumen shall be classified into four grades based on the viscosity,
and suitability recommended for maximum air temperature as
given below:
• According to viscosity (degree of fluidity) grading,
higher the grade, stiffer the Bitumen.
• Tests are conducted at 60o C and 135o C, which
represent the temperature of road surface during
summer (hot climate, similar to northern parts of
India) and mixing temperature respectively.
• The penetration at 25o C, which is annual average
pavement temperature, is also retained.
 Different Commercial Grades (IOCL)
• VG-10 BITUMEN: VG-10 is widely used in spraying applications such
as surface-dressing and paving in very cold climate in lieu of old
80/100 Penetration grade. It is also used to manufacture Bitumen
Emulsion and Modified Bitumen products.
• VG-20 BITUMEN: VG-20 is used for paving in cold climate & high
altitude regions
• VG-30 BITUMEN: VG-30 is primarily used to construct extra heavy
duty Bitumen pavements that need to endure substantial traffic
loads. It can be used in lieu of 60/70 Penetration grade.
• VG-40 BITUMEN: VG-40 is used in highly stressed areas such as
intersections, near toll booths and truck parking lots in lieu of old
30/40 Penetration grade. Due to its higher viscosity, stiffer Bitumen
mixes can be produced to improve resistance to shoving and other
problems associated with higher temperature and heavy traffic
loads.
 Cutback Bitumen
• Obtained by blending bitumen with suitable volatile diluents or
solvents to reduce its viscosity
• Volatile solvent gets evaporated, the binder starts hardening and
develops hardening properties
• Hardening rate of cutback depends upon characteristics and quantity
of volatile oil used
• Temperature and Humidity at work site also affect hardening rate of
cutback
• Cutback is mainly used for sites with sub-zero temperatures and high
altitude regions. May also be used for bituminous mixes and for soil-
bituminous stabilization works.
• The solvent used in cutback bitumen is sometimes also referred to as
the "cutter" or "flux“.
• Disadvantage is that cutback bitumen consumes non renewable
energy resources which are ultimately lost through evaporation.
 Types of Cutback
• Available in three types
– Rapid Curing (RC)
– Medium Curing (MC)
– Slow Curing (SC)
• This classification is based upon the rate of curing/hardening
• On the basis of Kinematic Viscosity, in accordance with IS 73: 2013,
grading of cutback is done.
• Four grades namely: RC-70, RC-250, RC-800, RC-3000.
• RC-70 is rapid curing of low initial viscosity to be sprayed at normal
air temperature without heating
• RC-800 and RC-3000 are products of high viscosity
• MC-30 (to be used as primer), MC-70, MC-250, MC-800 and MC-
3000
 Bitumen Emulsion
Bitumen Emulsion is a 2-phase system consisting of
• Bitumen
• Water
• Other Additives

• The bitumen is dispersed throughout the water phase in form

of discrete globules.
• The Emulsion contains 40-75% of bitumen,.1-2.5% emulsifier,
25-60% water and other ingredients Typically of 0.1 – 50 µm in
diameter.
• The average diameter of globules of bitumen is about 2
Microns.
• It is mainly dark brown in color after breaking changes to black.
 Manufacture of Bitumen Emulsion
• Firstly, the water is mixed with the appropriate emulsifier and other
chemical agents.
• Now water emulsifier mix is added with bitumen in a colloidal mill.
• The average range of bitumen mixed is from 40 to 75%.
• The colloidal mill breaks down the bitumen into very tiny droplets.
But the droplets try to join themselves with each other and make it
settle down.
• But the emulsifier added creates a coating of surface charge around
every drop droplet of the bitumen that helps to keep away from
each other on the other hand it is also it also keeps the droplet in
dispersed and suspended form.
• The mix received from the colloidal mill is stored in the storage
tanks and used as per requirement.
 Types of Bitumen Emulsion
• Rapid Setting Types (bitumen emulsion breaks down rapidly as it comes with
contact with aggregate helping in fast setting and rapid curing.)
– RS-1 and RS-2
• Medium Setting (process of evaporation starts when the fine dust of mineral
are mixed with the aggregate emulsion mix)
• Slow Setting Type (a special type of emulsifier is used to slow the process of
water evaporation)
– SS-1 and SS-2
• Bitumen emulsions can be divided into four classes:
– Cationic emulsions.
– Anionic emulsions.
– Non-ionic emulsions.
– Clay-stabilized emulsions.
• The first two are most widely used
• Silica rich aggregates: the surface of silica is aggregate is positively charged
therefore cationic bitumen emulsion is used which helps in better spreading
and binding of bitumen with aggregates.
 Use of Bitumen Emulsions
• For prime coat and tack coat
– Purpose of Prime Coat is to bind the loose aggregates of coarse
aggregate base course
– PC also serves the purpose of blocking capillary action in CABC so
that water may not rise up to the Asphalt layer
– Prime coat is an application of low viscous cutback bitumen to an
absorbent surface like granular bases on which binder layer is
placed. It provides bonding between two layers. Unlike tack coat,
prime coat penetrates into the layer below, plugs the voids, and
forms a water tight surface.
– Tack coat (also known as bond coat) is a light application of asphalt
emulsion between hot mix asphalt layers designed to create a strong
adhesive bond without slippage.
– It provides proper bonding between two layer of binder course and
must be thin, uniformly cover the entire surface, and set very fast.
– Without tack coat the asphalt layers in a roadway may separate
which reduces the structural integrity of the road and may also allow
water to penetrate the structure.
 Use of Bitumen Emulsions
• Patch Repair Works
• Maintenance work of bituminous pavements
• Fog Seal and Seal Coat
• Surface Dressing
• Rapid Setting Emulsions are used in spray applications
• Medium Setting Emulsion in cold bituminous mixes
where C.A %age is high
• Slow Setting are used when substantial F.A. passing
2.36mm sieve and a portion containing fines passes 75
Micron sieve.
 Bitumen Mastic
• Used as a special pavement layer
• Also known as Mastic Asphalt, consists of a hard grade
bitumen + well graded C.A and F.A. + Mineral Filler
• Mix is Cooked in a ‘mastic cooker’ and laid hot to form a
void-less impervious solid mass under normal atmospheric
conditions
• It can withstand very heavy loads and vibrations, thus it is
used over bridge decks
• The surface of bitumen mastic becomes very slippery under
wet conditions. Therefore in order to increase skid
resistance, hard variety of stone chips are pre-coated with
bitumen and grafted or spread on the mastic surface in
plastic state.
 Mastic Ingredients
• Coarse Aggregate
– 100% passing 19mm sieve
– 88-96% passing 13.2 mm sieve
– Less than 5% passing 2.36mm sieve
• Fine Aggregate
– Made of crushed hard rock or natural sand or a mix of both
– Filler Material
• Lime Stone powder passing .075mm sieve with calcium carbonate
content not less than 80%
• Pre coated aggregates of size 9.5 to 13.2mm are spread at a
rate of .05 m3 per 10m2 area when the temperature of
bitumen mastic is 80-100 Degree Celsius
 Bituminous Felt
• Bitumen (asphalt or coal-tar) is a mixed substance which is
made up of organic liquids that are highly sticky, viscous,
and waterproof.
• ‘Felt’ is an unwoven fabric made by matting fibers under
pressure.
• Typical use of Bitumen felts are as an underlay beneath
other building materials, particularly roofing and siding
materials.
• It helps protect the roof deck from rain until roofing is
installed and provides an extra weather barrier.
• The requirements for saturated bitumen felts (underlay)
and self-finished bitumen felts used for water-proofing and
damp-proofing shall conform with IS 1322: 1993
 Bituminous Felt
• Materials:
– Base Fabrics: Fiber base felt should consist of suitable blend of vegetable
and/or animal fiber and weight of ash after incineration should not exceed
10% by weight of original.
• Bituminous saturant
– Saturant to be used shall conform with IS 73: 1992 and penetration should
not be less than 80 at 25 Degree C.
• Bituminous Coatant
– The bituminous coatant used for Types 2 and 3 felts shall consist of bitumen
conforming to IS 702: 1988
– softening point should not be less than 105oC when tested by ring and ball
method and
– penetration should not be less than 7.
• Mineral Powder for Dusting
– It should provide mineral matter such as silica or talc and should pass
through IS sieve of 600 micron. Weight of mica and talc incorporated should
be 1.2 to 2 kg and 1.5 to 2.25 kg per 10 m2 respectively.
• Unless it is otherwise stated felts should be supplied with width of 90 to 100 cm
and of length 10 to 20 m.
 Modified Bitumen
• A factor, which causes concern in India, is very high and very low
pavement temperature conditions in some parts of the country.
• Under these conditions the bituminous surfacing tends to become
soft in summer and brittle in winter.
• Studies have revealed that properties of bitumen and bituminous
mixes can be improved/modified with the incorporation of certain
additives or blend of additives.
• These additives are called "Modifiers" and the bitumen premixed
with these modifiers is known as "Modified Bitumen".
• Use of modified bitumen in the top layers of the pavement is
expected to significantly enhance the life of the surfacing and
extend the time of the next renewal.
• Properties of modified bitumen depend upon type and quantity of
modifier used and process adopted for their manufacture.
• IS Code: SP 53
 Modified Bitumen
• The advantages of modified bitumen
– Lower susceptibility to temperature variations
– Higher resistance to deformation at high pavement
temperature
– Delay of cracking and reflective cracking
– Better age resistance properties
– Better adhesion between aggregates and binder
– Higher fatigue life of mixes
– Overall improved performance
• The choice of modified bitumen may be made on the
basis of traffic, climate, and overall life cycle cost
analysis, where data is available.
Modified Bitumen Classification
 Applications of Modified Bitumen
• Since a bituminous mix prepared with modified bitumen has a
higher stiffness
• modulus, enhanced fatigue life, better resistance to creep and
higher indirect tensile strength, it is suitable as
– a wearing course, a binder course and overlay material on surfaces
which are cracked and subjected to heavy traffic.
• Modified binders are also used for application like
– Stress Absorbing Membrane (SAM) for sealing of cracks,
– Stress Absorbing Membrane Interlayer (SAMI) for delaying reflection
cracking, Porous
• Modified bitumen performs better than conventional bitumen in
situations, where the aggregates are prone to stripping. Due to
their better creep resistance properties, they can also be used at
busy intersections,
Broad Range of Temperature for
Modified Binders
 Polymer Modified Bitumen
• Polymer modified bitumen (PMB) is one of the specially designed
and engineered bitumen grades that is used in making pavement,
roads for heavy duty traffic and home roofing solutions to
withstand extreme weather conditions.
• PMB is a normal bitumen with added polymer, which gives it extra
strength, high cohesiveness and resistance to fatigue, stripping and
deformations, making it a favorable material for infrastructure.
• When a polymer is added to regular bitumen, it becomes more
elastomeric, which provides it with additional elasticity.
• Mostly the polymer that is added is styrene butadiene styrene
(SBS), which acts as a binder modification agent.
• The primary objective of SBS polymer modified bitumen is to
provide extra life to pavement, roads and construction designs.
 PMB Types
• Type A PMB (P)
– Platomeric Thermoplastics
• Type B PMB (E)
– Elastomerics Thermoplastics
• Type CNRB
– Natural Rubber and SBR Latex based
• Type D CRMB
– Crumb Rubber/Treated Crumb Rubber Based
• Type A, B, and C are further classified into Three
Grades based on their penetration value whereas Type
D is classified into three grades according to Softening
Point Values
 PMB
• According to IS Code 15462 (2004), when used as
bitumen modifier, selected polymer/rubber or a
blend of two or modifiers shall have the following
properties
– Compatible with bitumen
– Resist degradation at mixing temperature
– Capable of being processed by conventional mixing
and laying machinery
– Produce required coating viscosity at application
temperature
– Maintain premium properties during storage and in-
service
 Polymer Modified Bitumen
• Some of the qualities exhibited by PMB are:
– Higher rigidity
– Increased resistance to deformations
– Increased resistance to cracks and stripping
– Better water resistance properties
– High durability
 Polymer Modified Bitumen Uses
• The development of very stressed pavement
• Roads for high and heavy traffic
• High loading
• High temperature amplitude
• More durable pavement
• Draining pavements
 Polymer Modified Bitumen
• Advantages of PMB
– resistance to fatigue cracking
– resistance to low temperature cracking
– resistance to permanent deformation
(rutting)
– resistance to reflective cracking
– resistance to water and frost action
– resistance to ageing of bitumen
 Anti Stripping Agents
• The bonding between asphalt and aggregate is of special
importance because it is the primary characteristic that
influences the integrity of the pavement.
• This bonding must be
– established at the initial stages of contact between the asphalt
and the aggregate
– must endure during the lifetime of the pavement.
• Loss of bonding results in lowered performance. DiVito and
Morris (1982) attribute concrete pavement strength to the
– cohesive resistance of the binder
– the adhesive bond between the binder and the aggregate
– the aggregate interlock and the frictional resistance between
aggregate particles
Increasing Adhesion of Asphalt with Aggregate

• A number of different methods have been used to

strengthen the adhesion of asphalt to aggregate and to
lower the pavement's propensity to strip from the
intrusion of moisture.
• Some of the methods that have been used include
– addition of dry lime or portland cement to the mix
– lime-slurry treatment of the aggregates
– bitumen precoating of the aggregate
– careful selection of aggregate using special mineral fillers
– not allowing hydrophilic aggregates
– addition of chemical antistripping agents
De-bonding of Asphalt from Aggregate
• According to mechanisms of stripping of asphalt pavements has
been performed by Taylor and Khosla (1983), following are the
reasons of debonding
– Detachment which is the separation caused by water of the asphalt
film from the aggregate without any visual break in the asphalt film.
– Displacement which results from the intrusion of water to the
aggregate surface through a break in the asphalt film or through the
film itself
– Spontaneous emulsion which is the formation of a inverted reversible
emulsion at the aggregate.
– Pore pressure which is the increased pressure caused by circulation of
trapped water through the void structure of the aggregate.
– Hydraulic scouring which occurs on surface courses because of a
compression tension cycle caused by the interaction of tire pressure
with surface water.
 Anti Stripping Agents
• Anti-stripping agents are chemical mixtures containing active
functional groups that improve the adhesion of the bitumen film on
the surface of the aggregates.
• Mixed with the binder, they lower the surface tension of the
bitumen.
• There are different types of anti-stripping (amino, polyphosphoric
or silane).
• Choosing one over the other depends substantially on the chemical
nature of the aggregates used.
• Since the bitumen is acidic in nature, we have that:
– polyphosphoric and the silane are used with granite, limestone and
basalt (in general, with all the types of aggregates);
– amine is used with basalt and granite (aggregates with medium and
high silica content)
 Joint Sealants
• The sealant on curing forms a tough and flexible seal.
• It has excellent adhesion to concrete, brickwork,
asphalt and most construction material substrates.
• The mastic sealant is modified with non-asbestos fibers
to make the sealant thixotropic and slump free when
applied on vertical areas.
• Can be used at
– sealing and filling gaps and joints on roofs
– Sealing around roof/ wet service pipes.
– Sealing cracks in asphalt and concrete pavements.
– Filling horizontal joints in concrete and asphalt where
movements are not expected.
 Joint Sealant Property
Properties Values
Color Black
Form Paste
Solids content, [%] >80
Slump Nil
Density, [g/cc] 1.1 ± 0.05
Initial set @ standard condition [hrs] 24 -48
Full cure @ standard condition [days] 14-21 days (10mm depth)
Application temperature,[°C] 5 to 45
 Joint Sealant Property
%age By Weight
Treated Bentonite clay slurry 3-60 3-60
Asphalt Bitumen Cutback 20-90 20-90
Fibers 2-10 2-6
Fillers 3-15 3-10
Additives 0.2-1.0 .2-1.0

This formulation is used for This formulation is used for

patching repair, roof recoating by brush
flashing repairs and application on foundation
installation. walls, roof, metal, wood,
concrete and other
building materials.
Crack Filling-Emulsions
Joint Sealants
Joint Sealants
Joint Sealant/Crack Filler
Rubberized Bitumen Emulsion On
Walls