Chemical characterization of asphalt cement and performance-related properties

Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), the Corbett analysis procedure (ASTM D 4124-82), and the Heithaus test for component compatibility have been used to characterize asphalts and to investigate relationships among these chemical properties and physical properties and performance. The asphalts used in the present study were periodic samples of virgin asphalt from various suppliers in Texas, test pavement asphalts from three locations in Texas, and a group of 12 asphalts that had been rated according to pavement tenderness. GPC chromatograms, using toluene or tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the carrier solvent, show significant differences from one supplier to the next. The differences between toluene and THF chromatograms are considerable and can likely be used as supplementary analyses. Differences in viscosity grades frequently may be detected as differences in the shapes of the GPC chromatograms. For virgin asphalts from the Texas test sections, viscosity temperature susceptibility was found to correlate quite well with the molecular size fractions of the GPC chromatograms using either toluene or THF as a carrier solvent. Additional study results are discussed.

Chemical characterization of asphalt cement and performance-related properties Academic Article