SOFT BITUMEN. SWEDISH EXPERIENCE WITH LABORATORY AND FIELD STUDIES CONDUCTED IN 1984-1989

MJUKBITUMEN. SAMMANSTAELLNING AV SVENSKA ERFARENHETER 1984-89

Swedish experience with laboratory and field studies of soft bitumen conducted in 1984-89 is described. Soft bitumen is defined as a type of bituminous binder obtained when bitumen (e.g. B 180 or B 85) is mixed with a softener. By selecting different contents of softener, a soft bitumen is a vacuum distillate obtained when manufacturing bitumen from crude oil. Three test roads using soft bitumen have been built. The aim of test road No.1 was to compare an asphalt pavement containing soft bitumen with a conventional oil gravel. At test road No.2 a study was made of a large number of different types of pavement, both asphalt and sprayed treatments, containing soft bitumen. Test road No.3 was intended to study the performance of pavements corresponding to "MAB 12 T", but uses soft bitumen instead of B 180 as binder. Before and after the field tests, extensive laboratory experiments were performed on the material used in manufacturing the test pavements. Experience with soft bitumen pavements in Sweden is generally positive. Manufacture of asphalt for a large number of pavement types can be performed in an oil gravel plant with a dryer provided with filter equipment. The asphalt is normally easy to lay as well as to compact. With one exception (Y1G, surface treatment on gravel), sprayed treatments (surface treatment and grouted macadam) have produced good results. However, experience of sprayed treatments using soft bitumen is very limited so far. Advantages and disadvantages of soft bitumen as binder are discussed, as well as the need for further research and development in this field. (Author/TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  Lulea University, Sweden

  S-95187 Lulea,   Sweden 
• Authors:
  • ISACSSON, U
• Publication Date: 1990

Language

• Swedish

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References;
• Pagination: 57 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt; Bituminous binders; Field studies; Laboratory studies; Manufacturing; Softening point
• ITRD Terms: 5292: Ageing; 4948: Binder; 4963: Bitumen; 5908: Density; 5910: Durability; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 2778: Experimental road; 6226: In situ; 6237: Laboratory (not an organization); 3647: Manufacture; 3055: Pavement design; 5272: Softening; 8109: Sweden; 5936: Viscosity
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00619766
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
• Report/Paper Numbers: 1990:1
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 31 1992 12:00AM