TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING-II

Lecture-7
Pavement Materials (Aggregate and
Bitumen)

Muhammad Usman Haider

Lecturer
Email:
usman4haider@gmail.com
 Introduction

• Combination or group of particle masses

• Aggregate is defined as “a granular material of

mineral composition such as sand, gravel,
shell, slag, or crushed stone, used with
cementing medium to form mortars or concrete
or alone as in base courses, railroad ballasts,
etc.”
Introduction
 Introduction

• Mineral aggregates make up 90 to 95% of a

HMA mix by weight or approximately 75 to
85% by volume. Their physical characteristics
are responsible for providing a strong
aggregate structure to resist deformation due
to repeated load applications.

• These aggregates can be divided into three

main categories natural, processed, and
synthetic (artificial) aggregates.
 Natural Aggregates

• Natural aggregates are mined from river or

glacial deposits. They are frequently referred
to as pit- or bank-run materials. Gravel and
sand are examples of natural aggregates.
Gravel is normally defined as aggregates
passing the 3 in. (75 mm) sieve and retained
on the No. 4 (4.75 mm) sieve. Sand is usually
defined as aggregate passing the No. 4 sieve
with the silt and clay fraction passing the No.
200 (0.075 mm) sieve. These aggregates in
theirnatural form tend to be smooth and round.
 Processed Aggregates

• Processed materials include gravel or stones

that have been crushed, washed, screened, or
otherwise treated to enhance the performance
of HMAC. Processed materials tend to be
more angular and better graded.
 Synthatic Aggregates

• Synthetic aggregates are not mined or

quarried. Rather, they are manufactured
through the application of physical and/or
chemical processes as either a principal
product or a by-product. They are often used
to improve the skid resistance of HMAC. Blast
furnace slag, lightweight expanded clay, shale
or slate are examples of synthetic aggregates.
 Desireable Properties
• Clean and free from clay and organic matter
• Strength
• Hardness
• Toughness
• Shape
• Adhesion with bitumen
• Durability
• Be non- absorptive
• Be resistant to abrasion on exposure to traffic
• Freedom from deleterious particles
Testing of Aggregates
 Particle size analysis
• Particle size analysis on aggregates is carried out
using the same procedure as described for soils.
Circular sieves with a frame diameter of 200mm
are normally used for analysis of soils and fine
aggregate. However, for analysis of coarse
aggregate it is useful to employ sieves with a
frame diameter of 300 mm or more, because
bigger samples are needed to obtain
representative results. An important use of the
sieve curve is for estimating the volume occupied
by different fractions of the soil.
 Particle size analysis (Contd.)
• In some types of natural gravel, particularly laterite,
there may be a significant difference between the
specific gravity of the coarse and the fine
particles. For these types of soils, it may be useful
to convert mass proportions to volume proportions
when plotting the sieve curve.
 Specific gravity
• The specific gravity of aggregates is used for
converting mass to volume. Volume calculations of
aggregates are primarily used in connection with
mix design for cement and asphaltic concrete. The
test procedure is similar to that described for soils,
except that bigger samples and bigger
pycnometers are needed for coarse aggregate.
Instead of using a volumetric bottle, the volume of
the sample may be determined by placing the
sample in a wire basket and weighing it before
and after immersing in water.
 Sand equivalent test
 The sand equivalent test is useful for evaluating
the plastic properties of the sand fraction of
aggregates. A volume of damp aggregate passing
the 4.75mm sieve is measured. The material
should not be dried before testing as this may
change its properties. The sample and a quantity
of flocculating (calcium chloride) solution are
poured into a graduated glass and agitated. After
a prescribed sedimentation period, the height of
sand and the height of flocculated clay are
determined.
 Sand equivalent test (Contd.)
 The sand equivalent (SE) is the height of sand as
a percentage of the total height of sand and
flocculated clay in the glass.
 Water absorption
 High porosity of aggregates may be a sign of low
mechanical strength. Furthermore, aggregates with
high porosity may be difficult and costly to dry
during processing of asphalt hot mix. The porosity
is estimated by measuring the water absorption.
This is determined by immersing a dry sample in
water for 24h. The surfaces of the particles are
then dried by rolling the sample gently in a dry
cloth. The water absorption is calculated as the
difference in mass between the saturated,
surface-dry sample and the dry sample as a
percentage of the mass of the dry sample.
 CBR test
• The CBR test is unsuitable for testing of crushed
stone and coarse gravel, because of the need for
removing particles bigger than 20mm. For design
purposes, the CBR is sometimes estimated based,
not on testing, but on previous experience
combined with evaluation of the shape of the
particle-size distribution curve.
 Soundness
• The soundness test is used as part of the materials
survey and design process to estimate the
soundness of aggregate when subjected to
weathering. The test subjects' samples to repeated
immersion in saturated solutions of sodium or
magnesium sulphate, followed by drying. The
internal expansive force, derived from the
rehydration of the salt upon re-immersion,
simulates the weathering action. The sample is
sieved before and after the test, and the
percentage of loss for each fraction is calculated.
 Los Angeles abrasion test
• The los angeles abrasion test gives an indication
of the resistance to abrasion in combination with
the impact strength of coarse aggregates. The test
is used for selecting the most suitable aggregate
sources for quarrying. A sample is loaded together
with a number of steel balls into a steel drum,
which revolves on a horizontal axis. The los
angeles abrasion value is the percentages of fines
passing the 1.7 mm sieve after a specified number
of revolutions of the drum.
Los Angeles abrasion test
 Bitumen Binders

• Bitumen or asphalt cement is a black to dark

brown sticky material, composed principally of
high molecular-weight hydrocarbons.

• It can be found as a component of natural rock

asphalt, but most bitumen is derived from the
distillation of crude oil.
 Bitumen Binders

• Bitumen is a thermoplastic material that

gradually softens, and eventually liquefies
when heated. Bitumen is characterized by its
consistency at certain temperatures.

• Traditionally, the consistency is measured by a

penetration test, a softening point test and a
viscosity test.
 Penetration test
• Penetration test of Bitumen determines the
hardness or softness of bitumen by measuring the
depth in millimeter to which a standard loaded
needle will penetrate vertically in five seconds
while the temperature of the bitumen sample is
maintained at 25 C.
 Softening points test
• The softening point is useful in the classification of
bitumens.

• The softening point of bitumen can be determined

through the use of a ring-and-ball apparatus
immersed in distilled water (30 to 80°C) or USP
glycerin (above 80 to 157°C). The softening point
is reported as the mean of the temperatures at
which the two disks soften enough to allow each
ball, enveloped in bitumen, to fall a distance of 25
mm (1.0 in.).
 Ductility test
• The ductility of a bituminous material is defined as
the distance in centimeters, to which it will
elongate before breaking when two ends of a
briquet specimen of the material, are pulled apart
at a specified speed and a specified temperature.
Unless otherwise specified, the test shall be made
at a temperature of 25 ± 0.5 °C and with a speed
of 5 cm/min ± 5.0 %.
 Flash point
• Flash point is the temperature to which asphalt
cement may be heated without the danger of
causing an instantaneous flash in the presence of
an open flame.
 Solubility test
• Solubility is the percentage of an asphalt cement
sample that will dissolve in trichloroethylene. In this
procedure, an asphalt cement sample is dissolved
in trichloroethylene and then filtered through a
glass-fiber pad where the weight of the insoluble
material is measured. The solubility is calculated
by dividing the weight of the dissolved portion by
the total weight of the asphalt cement sample.
This test is used to check for contamination in
asphalt cement. Most specifications require a
minimum of 99% solubility in trichloroethylene.