Bitumen is used in road construction due to its various properties and benefits. It has much dominance and demand over other pavement construction materials. The bitumen grade manufacturers have made it with certain unique properties that are inbuilt during the manufacturing of this material.
The bitumen as a crude material utilized in adaptable street development, and bituminous as a blend (creating different materials, for example, total, pozzolans) serves certain advantages, that prompt to use of bitumen widely in road construction.
There are three main reasons to use Bitumen grade for road construction. This informative post aims to explain the basic reasons behind the significant application of bitumen in flexible pavements. Let’s move to the following reasons;
1. Production of bitumen is Economical
Since Bitumen is a by-product of the crude oil distillation process, and crude oil itself a composition of hydrocarbons. The primary products available are; petrol, diesel, high-octane fluid, and gasoline. When these fuels are refined from crude oil, it leaves bitumen behind. Then further treatment of by-product is done to make it free from impurities which gives pure bitumen.
As the primary product demand is of utmost importance to society, bitumen as a by-product can survive for a long. Thus, this product is used as new construction material without looking for any further resources.
2. Physical & Rheological Properties of Bitumen Brings Versatility
The physical and chemical properties of Bitumen are found to be a function of load level, temperature, and duration of loading. It is a thermoplastic and viscoelastic material. These conditions empower to get to the genuine access of traffic out and about so a bitumen mix property can be varied based on stress levels calculated.
The versatility of bitumen results in a large variety of bitumen mix based on road application
3. Bitumen has Low melting point
The basic feature that is highly demanded, and appreciated about bitumen is, it has a favorable melting point that helps in both surface dressing and wearing resistance with ease. The melting point of bitumen should not be too high, that it can be easily melted during laying the pavement.
In the meanwhile, bitumen contains a melting point, which would not let the already casted road pave to melt and deform under high temperatures. In areas of high temperatures, along with this quality of bitumen, the aggregate composition helps to cover up the effect of high temperature.
