1.

0 TITLE : PENETRATION TEST OF BITUMEN

2.0 LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of this laboratory work, we are able to perform penetration test on the bitumen
sample.

3.0 INTRODUCTION

The penetration of a bitumen specimen may be defined as the distance in tenths of a

millimeter (1/10mm) to which a standard needle penetrates the material under known
conditions of time, loading and temperature. The grade of semisolid and solid bituminous
material is usually designated by the penetration. The load use is 100g which is applied
vertically to the bitumen specimen for 5 second at a temperature of 25ºC. The unit use is PEN
(1 PEN = 0.1mm). Higher penetration value shows that the bitumen is soft and suitable to be
used in climate area to prevent cracking.

4.0 OBJECTIVE

To determine the hardness and consistency of bitumen before it may be applied on the road.

5.0 APPARATUS
1. Materials – Bitumen/Asphalt cement sample.
2. Penetration apparatus – consist of needle assembly with total loads of 100 g, an
apparatus capable of indicating the depth of penetration to the nearest 0.1 mm and an
automated timing device accurate to within ±0.1sec.
3. Sample container – a metal or glass cylindrical, with flat bottom.
4. Transfer dish for container – a cylinder with flat bottom and a minimum inside
diameter of 90 mm.
5. Water bath – having capacity of at least 10 liters and capable of maintaining a
temperature varying not more than ±0.1°C from temperature of the test.
6. Thermometer- conforms to the requirements prescribed in ASTM or IP Standard
Thermometers.

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6.0 PROCEDURE
1. The sample is heated with care, stirring as soon as possible to prevent local
overheating, until it has become sufficiently fluid to pour. Avoid incorporating
bubbles into the sample.
2. The sample is poured into sample container to a depth such that when cooled to the
room temperature of test, the depth of the sample is at least 120% greater than the
depth to which the needle is expected to penetrate.
3. Each container is covered loosely as a protection against dust and allow cooling in air
at a temperature between 15ºC and 30ºC for 1 to 1½ hour.
4. The samples are placed together with the transfer dish in the water bath maintained at
25ºC for 1 to 1½ hour.
5. The needle holder and guide is examined to establish the absence of water and other
extraneous matter.
6. The penetration needle is cleaned with toluene or other suitable solvent, dried with a
clean cloth and the needle is inserted into the penetrometer.
7. The needle is positioned by slowly lowering it until its tip just makes contact with the
surface of the sample.
8. The reading of the penetrometer dial is adjusted by bringing the pointer to zero.
9. The needle holder is released for 5 seconds and the instrument is adjusted to measure
the distance penetrated in tenths of a millimeter.
10. The depth of penetration is read and recorded in tenths of a millimeter.
11. The test is repeated for a total of three readings (not less than 10mm from the side of
container and not less than 10mm apart), on the same specimen.
12. The needle is cleaned before repeating the test.

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6.1 PENETRATION GRADE OF BITUMEN/ASPHALT CONCRETE

Penetration grades are listed as a range of penetration units (one penetration unit = 0.1 mm)
such as 120 – 150. Penetration grades specified in AASHTO M 20 and ASTM D 946 are
listed in Table 2.

Penetration Test Comments

40-50 Hardest grade. Suitable for heavy load.

60-70

80-100 Typical grades used in the US

120-150

Softest grade. Used for cold climates such as

200-300
Northern Canada (Robert et al.1996)

Table 1 AASHTO M 20 and ASTM D 946 Penetration Grades

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7.0 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

Tabulated results:

PENETRATION READING (mm)

Sample
1 2 3 Average (mm)

1 32 40 37 36.33

2 40 39 41 40

3 35 39 38 37.33

OVERALL AVERAGE 37.89

Table 2 Penetration Test Results

7.1 SAMPLE CALCULATION

Penetration Test of Bitumen

Average pentration = (1st Penetration+2nd Penetration+3rd Penetration) / 3

= (36.33+40+37.33) / 3

= 37.89 mm ~ 38mm

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8.0 DISCUSSION

In the penetration test of bitumen is to determined the hardnes and consistency of bitumen
before it may be applied on the road. From result of the test, we also get the average value of
bitumen is around 38 mm. Penetration test is a commonly adopted test on bitumen to grade
the material in terms of its hardness. 80/100 grade bitumen indicates that its penetration value
lies between 80 and 100.Grading of bitumen helps to assess its suitability in different climatic
conditions and types of construction. For bituminous macadam and penetration macadam,
IRC suggests bitumen grades 30/40, 60/70, 80/100. In warmer regions, lower penetration
grades are preferred to avoid softening where as higher penetration grades like 180/200 are
used in colder regions to prevent the occurrence of excessive brittleness. High penetration
grade is used in spray application works.

Shell Bitumen’s general manager of Bitumen Technology Professor John Read said the
new 60/70 bitumen grade has a higher tolerance to higher temperatures and better resistance
to road deformation than the traditional 80/100 grade currently used in Malaysia. This grade
is intended for better road performance, as it is more suited to Malaysia’ tropical climate and
increasing traffic loads, as compared to the 80/100 grade.

As the precaution steps to avoid error, there should be no movement of the container
while needle penetrates into sample.The sample should be free from any extraneous matter
and the needle should be cleaned with benzene and dried before penetration.

9.0 CONCLUSION

The experiment has been performed successfully and the mean penetration value came
out to be 38 mm. The value of penetration is less than 40/50 because the sample of bitumen
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are stored too long. It should be prepared 1 or 12 hour before the experiment. The is ranging

should be from 80 to 100, so the grade of bitumen is 80/100. It proves that the bitumen
sample used in this experiment had the same hardness as the standard grade of bitumen used
in Malaysia’s road construction.

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10.0 REFERENCES
1. “Penetration Value of Bitumen”, Building Technology and Construction Guide,
Retrieve at https://theconstructor.org/building/building-material/penetration-value-of-
bitumen/1403/, on 31st March 2017.
2. “Penetration Test On Bituminous Materials. Astm Designation: D 5-97”, Retrieve at
http://civilengineerspk.com/transportation-engineering-experiments/exp-8-
penetration-test-of-bitumen/, on 31st March 2017.
3. “Bitumen Suitable For Malaysian Climate Introduced”, Metro, Retrieved from
http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2015/10/09/bitumen-suitable-for-
malaysian-climate-introduced/, on 31st March 2017.

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 11.0 APPENDIX

Figure 1 Penetration Apparatus Figure 2 The Penetration Needle is positioned

slightly above the bitumen sample surface

Figure 3 Timer set for 5 seconds for each Figure 4 The needle is cleaned before and after
penetration each penetration