Asphalt
Characterization and classification to asphalt industry standards.
Asphalt, or bitumen, is a petroleum product used in the road (pavement), roofing and construction industries. A mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons (varying with geographical source), this black viscoelastic material is considered to be a complex colloidal system.
Asphalt is used as a binder with aggregates in road (pavement) construction and as such determines performance and lifetime. Additives such as polymers, crumb rubber, oils and pH adjusters are used to enhance mechanical properties in modified asphalt binders. Asphalt emulsions are also used as water-proofing and re-surfacing materials.
With our asphalt industry and application knowledge, Malvern systems enable:
- Grade testing to industry standards e.g. PG and Modified Binder to AASHTO specifications
- Full characterization of rheological behavior with Mastercurves
- Formulation development and quality control metrics
- Determination of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures
- Blend testing of Warm Mix, Crumb Rubber and Recycled Asphalt Paving (RAP)
- Solids testing for Fatigue or Accumulated Strain
- Emulsion stability, particle sizing and viscosity profiling
- Benchmarking and comparison of competitive products.
Rheological characterization by Dynamic Shear Rheometers (DSR) is the standard method of classifying asphalt binders for behavior over time and loading conditions, and in different climates. This is complementary to viscosity and penetration (pen) grading.
