CH CHANDRASEKHAR

ROLL NO: 181708

Experiment No 6.3
STRIPPING VALUE OF ROAD AGGREGATES
Objective: To determine the retained coating of bitumen over aggregates for the given
gradation of bituminous mix.
Theory:
Bitumen adheres well to all normal types of aggregates provided they are dry and are not
exceptionally dusty. The process of binding is controlled largely by the viscosity of the binder.
In the absence of water there is practically no adhesion problem in bituminous road
construction. Two problems are observed due to the presence of water. First if aggregate is wet
and cold, it is normally not possible to coat with a bituminous binder. This problem can be
dealt with by removing the water film on the aggregate by drying, and by increasing the mixing
temperature. Second problem is stripping of coated binder from the aggregate due to the
presence of water. This problem of stripping is generally experienced only with bituminous
mixtures which are permeable to water.
The stripping is due to the fact that those aggregates have greater affinity towards water than
with bituminous binders, and this displacement depends on the physico-chemical forces acting
on the system. Most road stones have surfaces that are electrically charged. As an example,
silica, a common constituent of igneous rocks possesses a weak negative charge and hence
these have a greater attraction with the polar liquid water than with bituminous binders having
little polar activity.
In order to study the suitability of a road aggregate for bituminous road construction, it is
desirable to study the displacement characteristics of the binders from the aggregates, by water.
Several laboratory tests have been developed to arbitrarily determine the adhesion of
bituminous binder to an aggregate in the presence of water.
These tests may be classified into six types: (i) static immersion tests, (ii) dynamic immersion
tests, (iii) chemical immersion tests, (iv) immersion mechanical tests, (v) immersion trafficking
tests, and (vi) coating tests.
The static immersion test is very commonly used as it is quite easy and simple. The principle
of this type of test is by immersing aggregate coated with the binder in water, and estimating
the degree of stripping.
The stripping value of aggregates is determined as the ratio of the uncovered area observed
visually to the total area of aggregates, expressed as a percentage.

NIT Warangal Pavement Materials and Evaluation Lab

Transportation Division 1
 CH CHANDRASEKHAR
ROLL NO: 181708

Apparatus:
 Thermostatically controlled drying ovens capable of maintaining constant temperature
between ambient and 150 °C.
 Heat resistant glass beaker of 500 ml capacity.
 20 mm and 12.5mm IS sieves.
 Balance of capacity 1kg and sensitivity 0.1g.
 Mixing pan and spatula.
Procedure:
 Take 200 g of dry and clean aggregates passing 20mm and retained on 12.5 mm sieves
and heat up to 150 C.
 Take five percent by weight of bitumen binder and heat up to 160 C.
 Mix the aggregates and the binder till they are completely coated and transfer the
mixture in to a 500ml beaker and allow to cool at room temperature for about 2 hours.
 Add distilled water to immerse the coated aggregates.
 Cover the beaker and keep in a water bath maintained at 40 C taking care that the level
of water in the water bath is at least half the height of the beaker.
 After 24 hours take the beaker out, cool at room temperature and estimate the extent of
stripping visually while the specimen is still under the water.
Applications:
Some types of aggregates have lesser affinity with bitumen than with water and hence stripping
of the bituminous binder occurs when bituminous mix is kept immersed in water. The problem
of stripping coated aggregates is not so amenable to theoretical treatment. Thus the adhesion
test such as simple static immersion test or the stripping test would be suitable to assess whether
the binder would adhere to aggregate when immersed in water. Several anti-stripping agents
are available, which when used with the bituminous mix could reduce the stripping.
Indian Road Congress (IRC) and MORTH have specified the allowable limits of stripping test
values for the aggregates to be used in bituminous road construction. IRC has specified the
maximum stripping value as 25% for aggregates to be used in bituminous construction like
surface dressing, bituminous macadam and bitumen mastic. The maximum stripping value
suggested by IRC is 10% for aggregates used in open graded premix carpet. If the stripping
value exceeds the specified value, use of anti-stripping agents like lime is recommended.

NIT Warangal Pavement Materials and Evaluation Lab

Transportation Division 2
 CH CHANDRASEKHAR
ROLL NO: 181708

References:
 IS: 6241-1971(Reaffirmed 1998),” Indian Standard Method for Determination of
Stripping Value of Road Aggregates”, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.
 Road Research Laboratory, Bituminous Materials in Road Construction, DSIR HMSO
Publication, London
 IRC: 14-2004(Third Revision), “Recommended Practice for Open Graded Premix
Carpet”, Indian Road Congress, New Delhi.

NIT Warangal Pavement Materials and Evaluation Lab

Transportation Division 3