Mississippi State Highway Department formulated this test and is applicable to hot mix design of bitumen and aggregates of maximum size 2.5 cm. In India, bituminous concrete mix is commonly designed by Marshall Method. This test is extensively used in routine test programmes for the paving jobs. The stability of the mix is defined as(…)

AIM: To determine the flash and fire point of bitumen APPARATUS: Pensky-Marten Closed Tester, Thermometer THEORY: Bituminous material leave out volatiles at high temperatures depending upon their grade. These volatile vapours catch fire causing a flash. The flash point is the lowest temperature at which flash occurs due to ignition of volatile vapours when a(…)

AIM: To determine the specific gravity of given sample of bitumen APPARATUS: Pycnometer and balance THEORY: Specific gravity of bituminous material is defined as ratio of mass of given volume of substance to the equal volume of water, temperature of both being 27°C. PROCEDURE: The specific gravity bottle is cleaned, dried and weighed. Water is(…)

AIM: To determine the viscosity of bitumen using tar viscometer APPARATUS: Tar viscometer, cup, valve, receiver, thermometer etc. THEORY: Viscosity is the inverse of fluidity. The degree of fluidity at the application temperature greatly influences the ability of bituminous material to spread, penetrate into voids and also coat the aggregate and hence affect the strength(…)

AIM: (i) To measure the ductility of a given sample of bitumen (ii) To determine the suitability of bitumen for its use in road construction. APPARATUS: The apparatus as per IS: 1208-1978 consists of (i) Briquette mould: It is made of brass. Circular holes are provided at ends called clips to grip the fixed and(…)