Lesson 4 - High Type Bituminous Materials first bituminous layer in the two bituminous

resurfacing. It sometime called as Leveling

Road Pavement is the surface of the roadway that have
course.
sufficient smoothness to allow reasonable speed
of travel, as well as ensure the safety of the • Asphaltic/Bituminous Concrete – Bituminous
people and cargo. concrete consist of mixture of aggregates
continuously graded from maximum size,
The accomplishment of a successful pavement
typically less than 25mm, through the fine
design depends upon several variables. The
filler that is smaller than 0.075mm.
practice of pavement design is based on both
engineering principles and experience. Bituminous materials are used widely all over the
world in highway construction. These
Type of Pavement can be broadly categorized as:
hydrocarbons are found in natural deposits or
▪ Rigid Pavement are obtained as a product of the distillation of
crude petroleum. The bituminous materials
▪ Flexible Pavement used in highway construction are either
▪ Composite Pavement asphalts or tars.

Flexible Pavement is also known as Asphalt Concrete All bituminous materials consist primarily of bitumen
pavement, is a mixture of sand, aggregate, a and have strong adhesive properties with colors ranging
filler material, and asphalt cement combined in from dark brown to black. They vary in consistency
a controlled process, placed, and compacted. from liquid to solid; thus, they are divided into liquids,
semisolids, and solids.
Are designed to bend and rebound with the
subgrade. The design concept is to place The Solid form is usually hard and brittle at normal
sufficient layers of base and intermediate temperatures but will flow when subjected to long,
courses of pavement so as to control the strains continuous loading. The Liquid form is obtained from
in the subgrade so that no permanent deflections the semisolid or solid forms by heating, dissolving in
result. solvents, or breaking the material into minute particles
and dispersing them in water with an emulsifier to form
Composite Pavement (Overlay) refers to as the an asphalt emulsion.
combination of rigid and flexible pavement,
where rigid pavement is constructed with an The action of asphalt binder depends on its type and the
asphalt pavement overly. aggregate it is combined with. The purpose of the
asphalt binder is to resist the abrasive force brought
Rigid pavements are considered by most to about by heavy traffic.
create more road noise inside a vehicle than
Flexible pavements. This phenomenon is If road pavement is the open type, consisting entirely of
largely due to the surface texture specified for coarse particles and asphalt, heavy binder is needed re
rigid pavements to ensure proper skid quiring more asphalts.
resistance. By specifying an asphalt overlay On the other hand, if aggregates in the pavement contain
with the rigid base, surface texture requirements fine particles, cohesion will be developed by surface
can be relaxed, and noise can be reduced. tension in the thin asphalt film surrounding the fine
Layers in Flexible Materials particles. Hence, less viscous asphalt is required.

• Bituminous Base Course – It consist of mineral Bitumen is a nanocrystalline solid or viscous material
aggregate such as stone, gravel or sand bonded derived from petroleum, by natural or refinery
together by a bituminous material and used as a process and substantially soluble in carbon
foundation upon which to place a binder or disulphide. It is asphalt in solid state and
surface course. mineral tar in semi fluid state. Bitumen is
brown or black in color.
• Bituminous Binder Course – A bituminous-
aggregate mixture used as intermediate coarse
between the base and surface courses or as the

CVE140 – Highway and Railroad Engineering

Lesson 4 – High Type Bituminous Pavement
It is not affected by light, air or water individually, but • Coal Tar is obtained, as a byproduct in the
in combination they can make it brittle, porous and destructive distillation of coal, or in the
susceptible to oxidation forming blisters and cracks. manufacture of coal gas. It is heavy, strong
smelling and black. These generally have high
It becomes soft at temperatures between 30°–100° C (no
specific gravities and viscosities, and good
sharp melting point), and therefore must be protected
adhesive properties. Coal tars for road works
from exposure to heat. It is insoluble in water and fairly
are obtained by coking coal or melting
resistant to most acids. Although bitumen is
together coal pitch with oils or dehydrated raw
combustible, composite products, such as mastic
tar.
asphalt, are not readily ignited.
• Mineral Tar is obtained by the distillation of
Forms of Bitumen:
bituminous shales. Some examples are tarmac,
• Cut-Back Bitumen is obtained by fluxing tar paving and tar macadam.
asphaltic bitumen in presence of some suitable
o Tarmac is ironstone slag impregnated with
liquid distillates of coal tar or petroleum. It is
tar oils. It is impervious to water and used
used in Cold regions.
in road pavement.
o Rapid Curing
o Tar Paving is a composition of limestone
o Medium Curing and coal tar. It is heated before use.

o Slow Curing o Tar Macadam is used for road pavement.

Soft rock materials such as limestones
• Blown Bitumen is obtained by passing air blast furnace cinder, etc. are heated in a
under pressure at a higher temperature through furnace and then mixed with boiling coal
the bitumen. tar, pitch and creosote oil. The mix is
• Straight run Bitumen is the bitumen being applied in road soon after cooling and
distilled to a definite viscosity or penetration rolled.
without further treatment. Asphalt is a natural or artificial mixture in which
• Bitumen Emulsion is a liquid product bitumen is associated with inert mineral matter.
containing bitumen largely in an aqueous It is black or brownish black in color. At
medium. The biggest advantage of emulsion temperature between 50–100°C it is in liquid
bitumen is it can be used in rainy season also. state whereas at temperature less than this it
remains in solid state. Because it is a
o Rapid Setting used for surface painting. thermoplastic material it softens as it is heated
and hardens as it is cooled. It is the basic paving
o Medium Setting used for pre-mixing with
material in use today.
coarse aggregate
Sources of Asphalt
o Slow Setting suitable for fine aggregate
mixes. • Natural Asphalt is also known as native
asphalt. When obtained from lakes it is termed
• Plastic Bitumen consists of bitumen, thinner
as lake asphalt. It is used for making
and a suitable inert filler. The amount of inert
pavements, for water proofing of structure,
filler is about 40 to 45 per cent. It is used for
stopping vibrations in machine foundations,
filling cracks in masonry structures, for
tunnels and subways, in manufacture of marine
stopping leakage, etc.
glue, and in lining trenches.
Tars It is a dark (deep black) viscous liquid produced by
• Rock Asphalt is a naturally occurring rock
destructive distillation of organic material such
formation, usually limestone or sandstone
as coal, oil, lignite and wool. Depending upon
intimately impregnated throughout its mass
the source of origin it is classified as coal tar,
with 6–14% bitumen.
wood tar and mineral tar. Tar is restraint to
petroleum-based solvents. It has very low • Refined Asphalt is obtained by heating pitch to
bitumen content. drive off the water and to draw off the mineral
matter by segregating the impurities.

CVE140 – Highway and Railroad Engineering

Lesson 4 – High Type Bituminous Pavement
 • Mastic Asphalt is manufactured by adding • Asphalt concrete should resist deformation
pulverized natural rock gradually to molten from imposed traffic, skid resistance even when
refined bitumen, agitating the mixture for wet, and not be easily affected by weathering
about 5 hours (200–250°) and placing it into forces.
molds for cooling. The mass consolidates into
Type of Asphalt Concrete commonly used are:
hard elastic blocks which can be remelted
when used for pavements. • Hot-mix, hot laid
• Liquid Asphalt is the viscous residue obtained • Hot-mix, cold laid
by the distillation of asphaltic base crude oil to
425°C. • Cold-mix, cold laid

• Cut-Back Asphalt is derived by distillation of Hot-Mix, Hot-Laid Asphalt Concrete is produced by

asphalt in a volatile solvent. It contains about properly blending asphalt cement, coarse
80 percent asphalt and remainder the solvents. aggregate, fine aggregate, and filler (dust) at
temperatures ranging from about 175 to 325F,
• Artificial Asphalt is the pitch residue obtained depending on the type of asphalt cement used.
by evaporation of the volatile constituent of
coal tar. It is formed of an admixture of coal Mixture can be described as:
tar, pitch, ground iron slag, sawdust, chalk, Open-graded: max size 3/8” to 3/4”
etc.
Coarse-graded: max size 1/2” to 3/4”
• Asphaltic Cement is prepared by oxidizing
asphalt at a high temperature the lighter oils Dense-graded: max size 1/2” to 1”
vaporize and are drawn off at their
Fine-graded: Max Size 1/2” to 3/4”
condensation temperature, leaving a residual
material asphaltic cement. It is used for Note: The above max sizes of aggregates are for high-
flooring and water proofing and in expansion type surfaces, but when used as base the max size used
joints in concrete. can be larger.
Asphalt Concrete Pavement • HMA Widely used in urban & rural areas. If
properly designed & constructed, HMA
The term Asphalt Concrete refers to a dense
pavements can carry very high volumes.
graded road surface made of hot mineral
aggregates, mixed with hot asphalt and laid at • Majority have economic life of 20 years.
high temperature of about 275'F to 300’F.
• Prepared in hot mix plants.
Asphalt concrete is the highest type of dense
bituminous pavement suitable for the most • Thickness varies.
heavily traveled roads. A prime coat is first Hot-Mix, Cold-Laid Asphalt Concrete is Manufactured
applied over untreated and treated base before hot, can be immediately laid or can be
asphalt concrete is laid. stockpiled for use at future date. Suitable for
• The purpose is to bind any loose particles of the small jobs where it may be uneconomical to
base and likewise act as bond between the base setup a plant. They are also a suit able material
and the pavement to deter rising moisture from for patching high-type pavements.
penetrating the pavement. Cold-Mix, Cold-Laid Asphalt Concrete Emulsified
• The thickness of compacted asphalt concrete asphalt and low viscosity cut back asphalt are
ranges from 2 inches for lightly traveled road to used to produce this type. They can be used
6 inches or more for roads where traffic is after production or stockpiled for later use.
considerably heavy. The production process is similar to hot mix
• Asphaltic concrete is a uniformly mixed asphalt, except that the mixing is done at normal
combination of asphalt cement, coarse temperatures, and it is not always necessary to
aggregate, fine aggregate, and other materials dry the aggregate.
depending on the type of the asphalt concrete.

CVE140 – Highway and Railroad Engineering

Lesson 4 – High Type Bituminous Pavement
 Saturated aggregates and aggregates with • Facilitate the bonding of loose mineral particles
surface moisture should be dried. Type and
• Facilitate the adhesion of the surface treatment
grade of asphalt material used depends on the
to the base
gradation, the used of the materials, and
whether the material is to be stockpiled for long Tack coat is a thin layer of asphalt material sprayed over
times. an old pavement to facilitate the bonding of the
old pavement and a new course which is to be
Seal coats are usually single applications of asphalt
placed over the old pavement. In this case, the
material that may or may not contain
rate of application of the asphalt material should
aggregates. The three types of seal coats
be limited, since none of this material is
commonly used in pavement maintenance are
expected to penetrate the old pavement.
fog seals, slurry seals, and aggregate seals.
Testing for Bituminous Materials
• Fog seal is a thin application of emulsified
asphalt, usually with no aggregates added. ✓ Consistency Test:
Slow-setting emulsions normally are used for
fog seals. • Viscometer Consistency Test

o Reduce the infiltration of air and water • Engler Specific Test

into the pavement • Penetration Test
o Prevent the progressive separation of • Softening Point Test
aggregate particles from the surface
downward or from the edges inward ✓ Heat Test :
(raveling) in a pavement
• Flash and Fire Point Test
o Bring the surface of the pavement to its
• Loss on Heat Test
original state
• Distillation Test
• Slurry seal is used as a low-cost maintenance
material for pavements carrying light traffic. • Water Content Test
It is a uniformly mixed combination of a slow- ✓ Solubility Test
setting asphalt emulsion, fine aggregate,
mineral filler, and water. It usually is applied ✓ Viscosity Test
with an average thickness of 1⁄16 to 1⁄8 inches. ✓ Sul phonation Test
Note: however, that although the application of a properly ✓ Ductility Test
manufactured slurry seal coat will fill cracks of about 1⁄4 in.
or more and provide a fine-textured surface, existing cracks ✓ Specific Gravity Test
will appear through the slurry seal in a short time.
✓ Adhesion Test
• Aggregate seals are obtained by spraying
asphalt, immediately covering it with Bituminous Pavement Failures are caused by
aggregates, and then rolling the aggregates into excessive load, heavy load creates deflection on
the asphalt. Asphalts used for aggregate seals the road surface, with insufficient underlying
are usually the softer grades of paving asphalt strength. Repetitious application of excessive
and the heavier grades of liquid asphalts. load will roughen and crack the road pavement
Aggregate seals can be used to restore the that ultimately result to complete failure of the
surface of old pavements. roadway.

Prime coats are obtained by spraying asphalt binder • Deflection on the road surface may be the effect
materials onto no asphalt base courses. Prime of elastic deformation from the consolidation of
coats are used mainly to: the base and subsoil or from the combination of
elastic and plastic deformation.
• Provide a waterproof surface on the base
• Repeated heavy wheel load on highly resilient
• Fill capillary voids in the base soil causes deflection leading to fatigue failure

CVE140 – Highway and Railroad Engineering

Lesson 4 – High Type Bituminous Pavement
 of the asphalt surface. Alligator or Map construction joint is most generally specified at
cracking of the surface will be substantially lane lines. As weathering of the pavement takes
evident. Elastic deformations in the sub grade place, the longitudinal joint ravels and
penetrate to a depth of 6.00 meters although eventually spalls. Longitudinal cracks found at
mostly to a depth from the surface. locations other than paving joints are due to
thermal shrinkage from seasonal temperature
Bituminous Pavement Distresses
changes.
Raveling, as shown in Fig. 3.31, is the result of loss of
Block cracking is the combination of longitudinal and
small aggregates from the pavement surface.
transverse cracking, as shown in Fig. 3.38. As
Raveling can be caused by oxidation of the mix,
the cracks worsen with time as a result of
improper mix design, segregation, or lack of
weathering, they join each other and form block
compaction.
cracking.
Bleeding is the flushing of excess asphalt cement to the
Wheel track cracking is can be described as mostly
surface of the pavement, as evident in Fig. 3.32.
longitudinal cracks found at the surface of the
Asphalt cement concrete mixtures are more
pavement within a 3-ft-wide (0.9-m) strip
prone to bleed with hotter pavement surface
considered to be the wheel track. Wheel track
temperatures. Bleeding is a result of excess
cracking ranges from a single longitudinal
asphalt cement in the mix and/or low air voids
crack to a series of interconnected longitudinal
in the mix.
cracks, also referred to as alligator cracking.
Potholes is One of the most common problems is the
Wheel track cracking is commonly considered to be the
development of a pothole (Fig. 3.33). Potholes
most alarming distress found in a flexible
are small, localized, but deep pavement failures
pavement. This type of cracking starts at the
characterized by a round shape. Potholes are
bottom of the pavement structure and is
caused by weak and wet subbase and/or
transmitted to the surface. By the time alligator
subgrade. In freeze-thaw environments,
cracking can be detected by visual inspection,
potholes are generally formed during the thaw.
the pavement is generally considered to be
Rutting is the longitudinal deformation of the pavement failed.
structure within the wheel tracks. Where found
Edge cracking is a series of short longitudinal or
only in the uppermost portions of the pavement,
irregular-shaped cracks at the outer 15 in (380
it is caused by poor mixture design and lack of
mm) of the pavement. Edge cracking is a result
stability.
of lack of support outside the pavement edge.
Transverse Cracking is best described by cracks that
Corrugation are transverse waves in the pavement
form across the pavement perpendicular to the
profile, which are found most generally at stop
centerline. Transverse cracking is caused by
lights, at stop signs, or on hills. Corrugations
thermal shrinkage from seasonal temperature
are found in the wheel track and are the result
changes and age hardening of the binder
of acceleration and deceleration of heavy trucks
Longitudinal Cracking is most often found at paving in a regular pattern on the roadway surface. The
joints established during construction. The stability of the asphalt mix can also be a
contributing factor.

CVE140 – Highway and Railroad Engineering

Lesson 4 – High Type Bituminous Pavement