Asphalt refining

Uses and properties

Asphalt cement and physical tests
Asphalt cement grading system
Rheological properties and pavement performance

The term bituminous materials is generally used

to denote substances in which bitumen is
present or from which it can be derived [Goetz
and Wood, 1960].
Bituminous mixtures are generally used to
denote the combinations of bituminous
materials (as binders), aggregates and additives
Asphalt and bitumen : petroleum products
Tar : dark colored product obtained from
destructive distillation of organic substance like
coal, wood and bituminous shales.

Bitumen: A heavy fraction from oil distillation

(also occurs as part of natural asphalt).
Tar:
A viscous liquid obtained from
distillation of coal or wood. Rarely used in
construction currently in the UK.
Asphalt: A mixture of bitumen and mineral
filler. Note that Hot Rolled Asphalt is a road
surfacing material.

Defined as a mixture of bitumen with a

substantial proportion of inert mineral matter.
Bitumen is used as a binding material in asphalt
Asphalt is used primarily for road construction
and roofing materials due to its remarkable
waterproofing and binding properties. The hard
surfaces of roads, for example, depend on the
ability of asphalt to cement together aggregates
of stone and sand.

Natural Sources
Lake asphalts (Bermudez and Trinidad)
Gilsonite - occur in faults, large deposit in Utah, very hard

substance, used in varnish/paper/powered form on roads

Rock asphalts - sandstone or limestone impregnated with
asphalt (0 to 20% asphalt), usually too expensive for use in
paving, found in KY, OK, AR, AL, TX, UT, CA

Petroleum Asphalts
Asphalt is obtained from crude oil by a process called

FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION
Crude oil is a mixture of different hydrocarbons which are
mutually soluble - fractional distillation is used to separate
the fractions based on boiling point

Asphalt binder is simply the residue left over

from petroleum refining
The composition of base crude oil from which
asphalt is refined can vary widely and thus
the asphalt yield from different crude oil
sources can also vary widely

Crude oil is heated in a large furnace to about 340 C 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.
Asphalt cement grade is controlled by the amount of heavy gas
oil remaining.
Depending upon the exact process and the crude oil source,
different asphalt cements of different properties can be
produced.
Additional desirable properties can be obtained by blending
crude oils before distillation or asphalt cements after
distillation.

Bitumen or asphalt or their blend with flux

oils having adhesive qualities for making
mastic asphalt
Mastic asphalt : prepared by mixing the
required mineral filler (eg. limestone, dust,
sand or grit and coarse aggregate) with black
bitumen heated to a liquid form. On cooling,
it consolidates to a hard elastic block
Tough, durable, non-absorbent, damp proff,
non-inflammable and noiseless

Types:
Asphalt cement
Asphalt cutback
Asphalt emulsion

Asphalt cement is an asphalt which has been

specially refined as to quality and consistency
for direct use in the construction of asphalt
pavements. An asphalt cement has to be
heated to an appropriate high temperature in
order to be fluid enough to be mixed and placed

Cutback asphalt is a liquid asphalt which is a

blend of asphalt and petroleum solvents (such
as gasoline and kerosine). A cutback asphalt
can be mixed and placed with little or no
application of heat. After a cutback asphalt is
applied and exposed to the atmosphere, the
solvent will gradually evaporate, leaving the
asphalt cement to perform its function as a
binder.

Emulsified asphalt (or asphalt emulsion) is an emulsion

of asphalt cement and water that contains a small
amount of emulsifying agent. In a normal emulsified
asphalt, the asphalt cement is in the form of minute
globules in suspension in water. An emulsified asphalt
can be mixed and applied without any application of
heat. After an asphalt emulsion is applied, sufficient
time is required for the emulsion to break and the water
to evaporate to leave the asphalt cement to perform its
function as a binder. In an inverted emulsified asphalt,
minute globules of water are in suspension in a liquid
asphalt, which is usually a cutback asphalt. Inverted
asphalt emulsions are seldom used in pavement
applications.

Asphalt cement : hot-mix asphalt concrete

for the surface layer of asphalt pavements
Asphalt concrete : patching and repairing
asphalt and PC pavements
Liquid asphalts : pavement maintenance
applications fog seals, chip seals, slurry
seals and microsurfacing

Asphalt pavement

Microsurfacing for preventive maintenance measure

Roof coverings, flashing, water-proofing of

roofs
Damp proof courses
Flooring material
Tanking of basement floors (building water
barriers in basement)

Consistency of asphalt is greatly affected by

temperature
Low temperature : Hard & brittle
High temperature : Soft
Grade of asphalt cement should be selected
according to climate
Soft grade : cold climates
Hard grade : hot climates

Robertson et al. (1991) describe asphalt

behavior in terms of its failure mechanisms
Aging
Rutting
Fatigue cracking
Thermal cracking
Stripping

Bitumen is a black, oily, viscous material that

is a naturally-occurring organic byproduct of
decomposed organic materials
Becomes soft at moderate temperatures
Extensively used for surfacing of road and
airport pavement

Straight run bitumen :

bitumen distilled to a definite viscosity of penetration

which does not require further treatment like heating

Blown bitumen :

can be modified by heating until it becomes a liquid and

then passing air under pressure by which all the volatile

compounds in it can be driven out.
Blow bitumen has a high softening point that if exposed
directly to the sunrays for any length of time, it does not
get soft.
Very hard in ordinary room temperature.
Soluble in some solvents
Commonly used for manufacturing joint fillers

Penetration grade
Basic form of bitumen and has to be heated

before application

Cutback bitumen
Bitumen combined with other petroleum

distillates

Bitumen emulsion
Product in liquid form formed in aqueos medium

and stabilizing agents

Plastic bitumen
Consists of bitumen thinner and suitable filler made

into a plastic form

Can be used for filling crack in masonry, stopping
leakages etc.

Cutbacks
Bituminous materials in solvents

Residual bitumen
Solid substance at normal temperature and is

obtained as a residue during distillation of high-resin

petroleum

Obtained when bitumen is combined with

plastics
Also known as polymerized bitumen
In this process, bitumen is not heated to high
temperature in its manufacture
Lighter oils are also preserved in modified
bitumen, thus improving its flexibility and
resistance to weathering
Modified-polymer bitumen are used for
preparation of waterproofing works

Atactic Polypropylene (APP)

Plastomer

Generally stronger and stiffer

Sequenced Butadiene Styrene (SBS)

Elastomer
Greater flow for expansion and waterproofing

qualities

Bitumen is specified by the term penetration

Penetration grade bitumen is semi-solid ay
ambient temperature and required to be
heated to make it fluid enough for
applications such as waterproofing
Specification 80/100 penetration of
standard needle at temperature of 25oC of
depth between 80-100mm.

Tar is different from bitumen and there is

different types of tar
Coal tar
Wood tar
Mineral tar

Obtained by heating coal in closed iron

vessels to form coke
As the residue of the distillation of coal to
produce coke, coal tar is a thick black liquid
the consistency of a thick pudding
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material
derived from destructive distillation of lowash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from
coal are grey, hard, and porous.
Mostly used for roads

Raw coke

Obtained by distillation of pine wood and

other resinous wood
Contains creosote oil strong preservative
property for wood and also repels termites if
applied on wooden posts buried in the
ground
Creosote is the portion of chemical products
obtained by the distillation of a tar that
remains heavier than water, notably useful
for its anti-septic and preservative properties

Obtained by distilling bituminous shales

In addition to use as a preservative of wood,
also used as a water proofing paint in many
situations due to very good adhesive power

A graded stone mixture coated with tar is

used for tar macadam and when the mixture
is coated with bitumen, it is called bitumen
macadam
Used for pavements and walkways
Mastic asphalt : used in city roads for smooth
riding surface

Property

Asphalt

Bitumen

Tar

Existing state

Solid or semi-solid

Usually solid at
normal
temperatures

Solid as a viscous
liquid

Colour

Blackish brown

Dark black

Deep black

Effect on heating

Burns with smoke

and become plastic
at 250oC

Becomes liquid on
heating

Becomes less
viscous on heating

Adhesive power

Not much

Good

Very good

Carbon content

Less

More

Most

Setting time

Not much

Not much

More

Resistance to acid
and water

Good

Good

Less

Paint
Used for manufacture of bituminous paints and

other surface treatment

Industrial blown or R grade is mainly used for this
purpose

Roofing
Roofing felts and shingles (covering of roof) are

made of fibres or plastics impregnated with

penetration-grade bitumen and coated with
blown-grade bitumen

Damp proofing
Prefabricated mats which are sprayed with blown

bitumen are used for damp proofing

Also used as small water retaining, bituminous
walls at refuse disposal sites to prevent pollution
from spreading

Tanking of basements
Asphalt and bitumen are the usual choices for water

proofing of basements known as tanking of basement

Tanking is a term that is used when asphalt is formed to
completely seal a void or area to keep moisture/water out
or as a tank to keep liquid in.

Protection of structures
Used as a protecting coating (by impregnation)

for concrete elements such as piles, slab etc.

Over this coating, organic binders of 10-15mm
thickness are also applied to prevent bitumen
from eroding of

Pavements
Extensively used for the construction of roads,

runways, taxiways, etc.

Preservation of stones
Some of the materials used for stonework

preservation from attach by salts and other

substance present in the ground or in the
atmosphere

One of the specifications for waterproofing in

building work
The surface shall be painted uniformly with

bitumen of approve quality such as residual

type, petroleum bitumen, penetration 80/100,
hot cutback bitumen or equivalent after heating
to the required temperature as per specification
of the manufacturers shall be used.

Measure of the hardness of the bituminous

materials
The depth in milimeters to which the standard
tapered needle penetrates vertically under a
load of 100g in 5 seconds at a temperature of
25oc
This test measures only the consistency of the
bitumen binders and has no relation to its binder
capacity
Specification 80/100 => penetration between 80
to 100mm

Temperature at which the bitumen softens

 Assemble the apparatus with the rings, thermometer and

ball guides in position.

Fill the beaker with boiled distilled water at a temperature
5.0 0.5oC per minute.
With the help of a stirrer, stir the liquid and apply heat to
the beaker at a temperature of 5.0 0.5oC per minute.
Apply heat until the material softens and allow the ball to
pass through the ring.
Record the temperature at which the ball touches the
bottom, which is nothing but the softening point of that
material.