Bitumen Technical Specifications

Depending on physical properties, there are various types of BITUMEN based on penetration as follows:

BITUMEN Penetration Grade 30/40

BITUMEN Penetration Grade 40/50

BITUMEN Penetration Grade 50/70

BITUMEN Penetration Grade 60/70

BITUMEN Penetration Grade 85/100

BITUMEN Penetration Grade 100/120

No.	Analysis	Unit	Limit	Test Method
1	Penetration @25 °C	Mm/10	50-70	ASTM D5
2	Ductility@25`°C`	Cm	100 Min.	ASTM D113
3	Viscosity	cp	400 Min.	ASTM D92
4	Flash point	°C	240 Min.	ASTM D36
5	Softening point	°C	49 Min.	ASTM D4
6	Flash point	°C	232 Min.	ASTM D92
8	Solubility in toluene	Wt%	99.0 Min.	A.A.S.H.T.O 102
9	Retained Penetration	Wt%	55.0 Min.	ASTM D5
10	Retained Ductility	Cm	25cm Min.	ASTM D113

BITUMEN 40/50 SPECIFICATION

No.	Analysis	Unit	Limit	Test Method
1	Density@25`°C`	Kg/m³	1010-1060	ASTM D70 or D3289
2	Penetration @25 °C	Mm/10	50-70	ASTM D5
3	Softening point	°C	46 Min.	ASTM D36
4	Ductility@25`°C`	Cm	100 Min.	ASTM D113
5	Loss on heating	Wt%	0.2 Max.	ASTM D6
6	Drop in penetration after heating	%	20 Max.	ASTM D5 and D6
7	Flash point	°C	232 Min.	ASTM D92
8	Solubility in Trichloroethylene	Wt%	99.0 Min.	ASTM D4
9	Spot test	–	Negative	AASHOT102
10	Viscosity@60`°C`	P	2000+400	ASTM D2171
11	Viscosity@135`°C`	CST	300 Min.	ASTM D2170

BITUMEN 50/70 SPECIFICATION

No.	Analysis	Unit	Limit	Test Method
1	Penetration @ 25°C	0.1 mm	60-70	ASTM D5
2	Flash Point (min)	°C	240	ASTM D92
3	Solubility in TCE	Wt%	99.0 Min.	ASTM D2042
4	Specific Gravity @ 25°C	–	1.01-1.07	ASTM D70
5	Ductility@ 25°C (min)	Cm	100	ASTM D113
6	Softening point	°C	49-56	ASTM D36
7	Loss on Heating (max)	Wt%	1	ASTM D6
8	Thin Film Oven Test	–	–	ASTM D1754
9.1	Retained penetration after TFOT (min)	%	52	ASTM D5
9.2	Increase in softening point (max)	°C	10	ASTM D36

BITUMEN 60/70 SPECIFICATION

No.	Analysis	Unit	Limit	Test Method
1	Penetration @ 25°C	0.1 mm	80-100	ASTM D5
2	Ductility@ 25°C (min)	Cm	100	ASTM D113
3	Flash point	°C	225 Min.	ASTM D92
4	Softening point	°C	42 Min.	ASTM D36
5	Solubility in toluene	Wt%	99.5 Min.	ASTM D4
6	Spot test	POSITIVE	POSITIVE	A.A.S.H.T.O 102
7	Loss on Heating (max)	Wt%	0.5 Max	ASTM D6
8	Thin Film Oven Test	–	–	ASTM D1754
9.1	Retained penetration after TFOT (min)	%	50.0 Min.	ASTM D5
9.2	Retained Ductility	Cm	50 Min	ASTM D113

BITUMEN 80/100 SPECIFICATION

In the third revision of Bureau of Indian Standard (IS 73:2013), grading of bitumen was changed from penetration grade to viscosity grade.
Viscosity Grade (VG) Bitumen is a Bitumen grade mostly used as a Paving Grade and it’s suitable for road construction and for asphalt pavements producing premier attributes.
Viscosity grade bitumen has a thermoplastic feature that causes the material to soften at high temperatures and harden at lower temperatures. This temperature viscosity relevance is significant when specifying the performance parameters such as the adhesion, rheology, durability, and application temperatures of bitumen. In the Viscosity Grade Bitumen specifications, the most important emphasis is based on the Bitumen ductility.
Low viscosity grades VG-10 and VG-20 are used in cold climates while high viscosity grades VG-30 to VG-40 are generally suitable for hot climates.
Viscosity Grade Bitumen shall conform to the standard limits as per the below table:

Characteristics	VG-10	VG-20	VG-30	VG-40
Absolute viscosity, 60 °C, poises, min	800-1200	1600-2400	2400-3600	3200-4800
Kinematic viscosity, 135 °C, CST, min	250	300	350	400
Flashpoint, °C, min	220	220	220	220
Solubility in trichloroethylene, %, min	99.0	99.0	99.0	99.0
Penetration at 25 °C, min	80	60	45	35
Softening point, °C, min	40	45	47	50
Tests on residue from thin film oven test/RTFOT:
Viscosity ratio at 60 °C, max	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0
Ductility at 25 °C, cm, min, after thin film oven test	75	50	40	25