Bitumen is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of Petroleum Crude. Bitumen is consumed from 4000 years B.C. Its previous Latin name was PIXTU-MEN and today Bitumen and Asphalt are commonly used names. It is mainly used in pavements of roads and insulation. The first street in the World was covered with Asphalt in Washington in 1876.
- Highways
- Airport runways
- Footways / Pedestrian Ways
- Car parks
- Racetracks
- Tennis courts
- Roofing
- Damp proofing
- Dams
- Reservoir and pool linings
- Soundproofing
- Pipe coatings
- Cable coatings
- Paints
- Building Water Proofing
- Tile underlying waterproofing
- Newspaper Ink Production
- And many other applications
Different grades are as follows
- 60/70
- 80/100
Product Specification Bitumen 60-70
| Analysis | Unit | Limit | Test Methods |
| Density @25°C | Kg/m3 | 1.01/1.06 | D70 |
| Penetration @25°C | Mm/10 | 60-70 | D5 |
| Softing point | °C | 49-56 | D36 |
| Ductility @25°C | Cm | 100 min | D113 |
| Loss on Heating | Wt% | 0.2 Max | D6 |
| Drop in penetration after heating | % | 20 Max | D5 & D6 |
| flash point | °C | 250 Min | D92 |
| Solubility in Trichloroethylene | Wt% | 99.5 Min | D4 |
| Spot test | — | Negative | AASHTO T120 |
Product specification of Bitumen 80/100
| Analysis | Unit | Limit | Test Methods |
| Specification Gravity 25/25 °C | Kg/m3 | 1.00/1.05 | D70 |
| Penetration @25°C | Mm/10 | 80-100 | D5 |
| Softing point | °C | 45-52 | D36 |
| Ductility @25°C | Cm | 100 min | D113 |
| Loss on Heating | Wt% | 0.5 Max | D6 |
| Drop in penetration after heating | % | 20 Max | D5 & D6 |
| flash point | °C | 225 Min | D92 |
| Solubility in Trichloroethylene | Wt% | 99.5 Min | D4 |
| Spot test | — | Negative | AASHTO T120 |
Penetration of Bitumen
This test is done to determine the penetration of bitumen as per IS: 1203 – 1978. The principle is that the penetration of a bituminous material is the distance in tenths of a mm, that a standard needle would penetrate vertically, into a sample of the material under standard conditions of temperature, load and time.
Ductility Test of Bitumen
This test is done to determine the ductility of distillation residue of cutback bitumen, blown type bitumen and other bituminous products as per IS: 1208 – 1978. The principle is : The ductility of a bituminous material is measured by the distance in cm to which it will elongate before breaking when a standard briquette specimen of the material is pulled apart at a specified speed and a specified temperature.
Softening point of Bitumen
This test is done to determine the softening point of asphaltic bitumen and fluxed native asphalt, road tar, coal tar pitch and blown type bitumen as per IS: 1205 – 1978. The principle behind this test is that softening point is the temperature at which the substance attains a particular degree of softening.