Awarded as the best online publication by CIDC

Determining 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. The apparatus needed to determine the penetration of bitumen is

i) Penetrometer

ii) Water bath

iii) Bath thermometer – Range 0 to 44oC, Graduation 0.2oC

penetration-of-bitumen

SAMPLE
Bitumen should be just sufficient to fill the container to a depth of at least 15mm in excess of the expected penetration.

Procedure to determine the penetration of bitumen
i) Soften the bitumen above the softening point (between 75 and 100oC). Stir it thoroughly to remove air bubbles and water.

ii) Pour it into a container to a depth of at least 15mm in excess of the expected penetration.

iii) Cool it at an atmospheric temperature of 15 to 30oC for 11/2 hours. Then place it in a transfer dish in the water bath at 25.0 + 0.1oC for 11/2 hrs.

iv) Keep the container on the stand of the penetration apparatus.

v) Adjust the needle to make contact with the surface of the sample.

vi) Adjust the dial reading to zero.

vii) With the help of the timer, release the needle for exactly 5 seconds.

viii) Record the dial reading.

ix) Repeat the above procedure thrice.

Advertisements

REPORTING OF RESULTS
The value of penetration reported should be the mean of not less than three determinations expressed in tenths of a mm.

Share this post

Kanwarjot Singh

Kanwarjot Singh is the founder of Civil Engineering Portal, a leading civil engineering website which has been awarded as the best online publication by CIDC. He did his BE civil from Thapar University, Patiala and has been working on this website with his team of Civil Engineers.

If you have a query, you can ask a question here.

25 comments on "Determining Penetration of Bitumen"

gulilat says:

i got a better knowledge from you.
thank so much
addis abeba,ethiopia

syed bilal ghazi says:

How much anyone has got maximum value of softening point with filler
bitumen ratio 1.5. I have got upto 62C max.
Regards

Umair Ajmal says:

Hi dear i seek alot about the bitmen from you trough this website tahnks alot fot the shearing your experiance with us

karunakar reddy says:

why we test the marshall moulds perpandicular to its axis!

karunakar reddy says:

Is there any relation between penetration test, viscosity test and softening test of bitumen!

PAUL says:

well, let me answer that and you do the judgment.
when you look at the penetration test, you will realize that you are trying to grade you bitumen, and the needle will penetrate as far depending on the amount of dilettante present, this wiil also go the same as for the sake of viscosity or flowing ability, and the softening points.

so my friend, they all depend on the amount of dilettante present in the bitumen, and with a lot of time spent in the laboratory, you will be able to estimate the softening point and viscosity of any bitumen class, by just carrying out the its penetration test

rachel says:

Been searching on videos on procedures in testing of Bituminous or Asphalt materials so i would be able visualize on how to do the procedures on the said testing. I hope i could have search on what i need. Would be very much appreciated if theres would be videos of such.
Thank you very much and more power!

hona says:

thanks for your useful information
regards

Mainak Majumder says:

what is the significance of penetration grade?

PAUL says:

yah, why do we test marshal perpendicular to the axis

ABBASI says:

THANX….I HAV GOT VERY IMPORATANT THINGS FROM HERE.

viswatosh says:

kindly send the specification of pavement bitumen 60/70(VG-30)

Ram Mondal says:

how many grams load apply during bitumen penetration test,

mukesh dubey says:

100gm +/- .25 gm

Sudhangshu Sinha says:

Please confirm me needle penetration 92 is grade 60/70 or grade 80/100 ? What will be the specifications?

LS SANKAR says:

WHICH IS THE BEST, MUCH ADVANCED, AND SIMPLE EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE TODAY TO DETERMINE THE
VISCOSITY / GRADE OF BITUMEN.

PL. SEND ME THE COMPLETE TECHNICAL DETAILS.

decie says:

Hi there, anyone knows the brand of bitumen thermometer and sound level meter? which is accurate enough for testing?

wahidsalih says:

Dear sir !
thank you for your information about penetration test prosidure . but it is some diffrent from ASTM please send me that your information source link . thank you very much .

please give me information about geotechnical bore hole estimation for example for 6 floor building
tank you very much

Osama Al Shammari says:

Thank you very much….
Please, if you don’t mind, mention a reference of procedure.
Best regards.

ashish dubey says:

why we use 100 gm.mass in penetration test? not more or less?

john peter says:

thanks a lot you guys are wonderful

dharmendra patidar says:

i want to know about this test that a size of niddle used in penetration test

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ask a question