FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

PASIR GUDANG LABORATORY OEL MANUAL

COURSE HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

COURSE CODE ECG354
LEVEL OF OPENNESS 1
CATEGORY PARTIALLY OPEN
DEGREE OF OPEN-ENDED
33
(%)
PERIOD OF ACTIVITY 1 WEEK

TITLE BITUMEN PENETRATION TEST

PREAMBLE
Introduction
Level 1 laboratory activity refers to condition where the problem and ways &
means are guided and given to the students. However the answers to the
assignment are left to the students to solve using the group creativity and
innovativeness. The activity is hope to slowly introduced and inculcate
independent learning amongst students and prepare them for a much harder
task of open ended laboratory activities.
In these laboratory activities, penetration test is used to measure the
consistency of bitumen, so that they can be classified into standard grades.
Greater value of penetration indicates softer consistency. Generally higher
penetration bitumen is preferred for use in cold climate and smaller penetration
bitumen is used in hot climate areas.

Objectives
The objectives of the tests are:
1. To examine the consistency of a sample of bitumen by determining the
distance in tenths of a millimetre that a standard needle vertically
penetrates the bitumen specimen under known conditions of loading, time
and temperature.

FKA, UiTM PASIR GUDANG September 2017

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
PASIR GUDANG LABORATORY OEL MANUAL

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the laboratory session, students should be able:
1. Determine the quality of bitumen used in flexible pavement
2. Analyze the data correctly and present in typical format
3. Work in a group to produce a technical report

Your firm has given a task to design a new asphalt road connecting to a
new building complex in the campus. One of the task required is to
make sure that the material to be used shall conform to the
PROBLEM
requirement in the standard given by the Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR).
STATEMENT
Your team is required to take few samples of bitumen to the laboratory
and to determine Penetration Index of the sample using the penetration
test.

WAYS & MEANS References:

ASTM D5-2006 Standard test method for Penetration of Bituminous
Materials.
ASTM D36 Test Method for Softening Point of Bitumen (Ring-and-
Ball
Apparatus)
Arahan Teknik (Jalan) 5/85 Manual on Pavement Design
Procedures
1. Prepare 3 specimens of bitumen samples and place the samples
in a water bath for 1 to 1.5 hours before test.

2. For normal test, position the needle on the surface to the bitumen at
right angles, apply the load and allow it to penetrate for 5 s. Make
sure the temperature of the specimen is maintained at 25 C.

3. Measure the penetration in tenths of a millimeter (deci-millimetre, d-

mm).

4. Make at least three determinations on the specimen. Make sure to

use a clean needle for each determination.

5. In making repeat determinations, start each with the tip of the

needle at least 10 mm from the side of the container and at least 10
mm apart.

FKA, UiTM PASIR GUDANG September 2017

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
PASIR GUDANG LABORATORY OEL MANUAL

Apparatus

Figure 1: Apparatus for the bitumen penetration test

RESULTS
The group will be required to prepare the technical report of the laboratory
study highlighting the procedures adopted, data acquisition process/analysis
carried out and the relevancy of the parameters obtained to address the
problem given.
A technical report should be submitted one (1) week after the laboratory test
with the relevant results, analyses and application to civil engineering
projects.

FKA, UiTM PASIR GUDANG September 2017

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN AWAM
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
PASIR GUDANG LABORATORY OEL MANUAL

Nomograph for the Penetration Index of bitumen

FKA, UiTM PASIR GUDANG September 2017