Lab Report

on
Bitumen Penetration Test

Course Name – Introduction to Transport Engineering

Course Code – CVP 261

Submitted By-
Group 3
Subgroup 2, Monday

Date of Submission-
29/1/2018
Aim of the experiment -
To determine the consistency of a bitumen sample (GV30) by using the penetration test at a
constant temperature, under given loads and specified time duration. And further determine
in which conditions the given sample can be used.
Apparatus Required –
 Sample of bitumen (GV30)
 Container- A flat bottomed cylindrical metallic dish 55 mm in diameter and 35 mm in
depth is required. If the penetration is of the order of 225 or more, dish of 70mm
diameter and 45mm depth is required.
 Needle- A straight, highly polished, cylindrical hard steel rod.
 Water bath- Water bath maintained at 25° ± 0.1 °C, containing not less than 10 litres
of water, the sample being immersed to a depth not less than 100mm from top and
supported on perforated shelf not less than 50mm from bottom of the bath.
 Transfer dish or tray- Should provide support to the container & should not rock it. It
should be of such capacity as to completely immerse container during test.
 Penetration apparatus- Should be such that it allows needle to penetrate without
much friction& is accurately calibrated to give results in one tenth of a millimeter.
 Thermometer- Range 0- 44 °C and in readable upto 0.20 C.
 Time measuring device-With an accuracy of 1 second.

Fig1. Bitumen Penetrometer

Theory -
Bitumen is a binder material and is commonly used to construct flexible pavements.
Penetration test is used to measure the consistency of bitumen, so that they can be classified
into standard grades. The bitumen’s consistency varies as the temperature conditions
changes. The bitumen is available in five grades based on the values of penetration 40-50, 60-
70, 80-100, 120-150, 200-300. Greater value of penetration indicates softer consistency.
Generally higher penetration bitumen is preferred for use in cold climate and smaller
penetration bitumen is used in hot climate areas.
The test is done with standard procedure with 100 gm needle dropped for 5 seconds at
constant temperature of 25º C. The temperature of 25º C is used because the working
conditions on an average are 25º C for a pavement. Penetration value is the vertical distance
traversed or penetrated by the point of a standard needle into the bituminous material under
specific conditions of load, time and temperature.

Paving Grade Bitumen Specification as per BS EN 12591

Standards Used -
 IS:1203-1978- Methods of testing tar and bituminous materials: Determination of
penetration (first revision), Year of publishing – 1978
Scope- This standard covers the method for the determination of penetration of
asphaltic bitumen and fluxed native asphalt and blown type bitumen.
 IS:73-2013- Paving Bitumen - Specification, Year of Publishing - 2013
 Scope- This standard prescribes the requirements of various grades of paving grade
bitumen for use as binders in the construction of pavements. Bitumen is graded by
viscosity at 60°C.
 ASTM D946- Standard Specification for Penetration-Graded Asphalt Cement for Use
in Pavement Construction, Year of Publishing-1982
Scope-This specification covers asphalt cement for use in the construction of
pavements. This specification covers the following penetration grades:
 ASTM D5-06 -Standard Test Method for Penetration of Bituminous Materials, Year of
Publishing- 2006
Scope- This test method covers determination of the penetration of semi-solid and
solid bituminous materials. The needles, containers and other conditions described in
this test method provide for the determinations of penetrations up to 500.
Procedure Followed -
1) Heat the sample till it becomes fluid and pour the sample in a container with a depth
at least 10 cm greater than the expected penetration.
2) Allow it to get cooled at room temperature.
3) Apply the weight on the needle and clean it.
4) Use a water bath to maintain the temperature of sample at 25º C.
5) Adjust the needle such that it just touches the surface of the sample.
6) Set the timer to 5 seconds and let the needle penetrate and note the penetration.
7) The amount of penetration is the grade of bitumen.
8) Take at least 3 readings at some distance, the readings should not have a very large
difference between them.

Depiction of penetrating needle

Interpretation of Results –
Following are the grades of asphalt preferred when building a flexible pavement at various
temperatures.

Temperature Conditions Asphalt Grade

Cold, mean annual air temperature <7º C 80/100 Penetration
Warm, mean annual air temperature 7º C to 60/70 penetration
24º C
Hot, mean annual air temperature >24º C 40/50 penetration
Observations and Calculations – (observation sheet at the last)
Determination No Penetration Depth (mm)

1 41

2 46

3 42

4 52

5 40

Average value of penetration = (41+46+42+52+40)/5

= 44.2 mm

Results -
Since the amount of penetration is 44.2mm. The grade of the bitumen sample is determined
to be 40/50. The above bitumen is good for making flexible pavements in hot conditions as it
will have less consistency at that temperature.
Precautions-
1) The needle should be free from any extraneous matter and should be cleaned with
benzene.
2) The temperature should be maintained at 25° C and heating must be done using a
water bath.
3) The penetrometer should not move while doing the experiment.
Discussions –
Bitumen is a petroleum product and is also obtained from bitumen rocks. Bitumen’s
consistency changes with temperature. They are used to make hot mixes concretes as they
can act as binder to stick aggregates together. So it is mostly used in making of flexible
pavements over the world. In the above experiment we tested the consistency of the bitumen
sample by using a penetration test. The important properties of bitumen are consistency,
strength, compressibility, viscosity. The test was performed in standard conditions of 25° C, a
100g needle for 5 seconds. The results obtained are used to prepare bitumen pavements in
various conditions. The bitumen sample with lower value of penetration is used to make
pavements in hotter climate because they would not deform much and the pavement will
retain its properties. The bitumen samples with higher value can be used in cold climate,
where the low temperature would harden them.
The grade of the sample obtained is 40/50. It can be used in hot climates where the
consistency requirement is low, it can also be used in colder climates but since bitumen is a
limited resource we prefer to use a higher consistency bitumen in colder climates. There has
to be some more factors to be taken into account before making a pavement like viscosity,
softening point, flash point and water percentage.
References –
1) Penetration test : aboutcivil.org, URL-https://www.aboutcivil.org/to-perform-
penetration-test-on%20Bitumen.html [accessed on – 18th Jan 2018]
2) Penetration test: Slideshare, URL-
https://www.slideshare.net/PriyanshSingh1/penetration-test-63459764 [accessed
on – 18th Jan 2018]
3) Penetration Test: theconstructor.org URL-
https://theconstructor.org/transportation/types-of-bitumen-properties-uses/15709/
[accessed on – 18th Jan 2018]
4) Penetration Test: theconstructor.org URL-
https://theconstructor.org/building/building-material/penetration-value-of-
bitumen/1403/ [accessed on – 18th Jan 2018]