Bituminous binder

One of the most important aspects of asphalt pavement deterioration is the ingress of water in pavement which leads to loss of the material characteristics, even material integrity with loss of aggregates. Thus the behaviour of asphalt mixture under moisture conditions is one of the key parameter for specifications. It’s a complex phenomenon which is influenced amongst other things by materials properties with wetting, cohesion and adhesion of bituminous binder and by environmental conditions with temperature, moisture, loading and layer type. It has been a research subject for a very long time and still not precisely described. A large number of test methods is available to estimate the affinity between aggregates and bituminous binders. These test methods can be subdivided in different ways; a first distinction can be based on the presence or absence of water during the test procedure. If water is present, the evaluation is in fact referred to as water sensitivity or moisture damage testing. Another distinction can be based on the type of sample that is evaluated. The test sample can be loose aggregates coated with a bituminous binder or a compacted asphalt mix sample. Lastly the individual components, bitumen and aggregate, can be tested separately through intrinsic properties. Furthermore, test results can also be based on the quantification of the test results, whether this is based on a qualitative or a quantitative evaluation. In RILEM TC 237 SIB, TG1 the main purpose was to evaluate common test methods, used to assess the affinity of bitumen to aggregate surfaces, to determine, if possible, the repeatability and reproducibility and to give recommendations for improvement. In this study both binders and aggregates have been considered. Three bituminous binders, two unmodified from different sources, one polymer modified binder, and four aggregate types, with different mineralogy, have been selected. The test methods considered in the study include the rolling bottle test, the boiling water stripping test and the bitumen bond strength test; also surface energy was investigated. This chapter presents the results of these tests and their accuracy